~O~
Chuckling to himself, Sonic admired the view of Soleanna plaza alongside his crush.
Of course the rings would be way out of his price range. He honestly should have seen it coming. Still, he wouldn't have minded having the piece.
Silver was an odd one- there was no doubt about it. And yet, Sonic had to admit he often found himself drawn to those who were unusual.
An appreciative glance was given to the thin, soft, physique beside him. The way the sun illuminated his fur and liquid gold eyes always gave Sonic an out of place feeling. It was something he had felt before, and something he always fought to repress. It took some time for him to finally admit the fascination he had for the pale time traveler. Thankfully, Silver never seemed to pick up on his feelings, though the hero knew he had gotten reckless quite a few times.
Silvers expression was melancholic as he stared at the outdoor seating and crates before them. He sighed and whispered softly.
"It was here. I met you here." The time traveler gripped his groceries tight as he kept his eyes averted from the hero beside him.
It was silent. All the implications were there. The way Sonic's back hit glass and cobblestone was vivid in Silvers mind. Shattered glass and splinters were sprinkled across his cobalt coat as he held him securely in place.
He could still feel that erratic heartbeat. The fear that was buried behind emerald eyes and a pained smile scalded him in retrospect.
"Yeah, and I'm forever grateful for it Silv." Sonic smiled adoringly as he soaked up the others shock.
~O~
"How should I say it?"
"You let it go this far." Shadow deadpanned watching the blue blur hold his head in his hands before him. If the hero expected some form of sympathy from him he was going to be disappointed.
"I know! I know, okay?" Sonic snapped back, eyes flaring bright green for a split second before he calmed down again.
"Look, I've given her clues. I've tried many times to tell her okay? Even you have seen me!" Fidgeting with the straw of his iced coffee, Sonic lowered his voice.
"She doesn't take the hint… and I don't want to hurt her."
Shadow scoffed as he sipped the last of his Americano. He couldn't deny that he enjoyed seeing Sonic flustered by his own faults for once. But they both knew why he had come to Shadow. The bioengineered hedgehog would tell it to him straight.
"You prolonging this and leading her on all this time is the most painful way to hurt her Sonic."
Sonic could count on one hand how many times Shadow had addressed him by name. He looked into those bright crimson eyes and saw the empathy the dark hedgehog secretly had for Amy. Giving a humorless chuckle at the irony of it all Sonic took a deep sip of his coffee to give him some form of comfort before he came to terms with the inevitable.
"You need to tell her, especially now that you are flirting with someone else. She is not as dense as you think."
"Flirting? Who said I was flirting?" Playing dumb, the blue blur looked down at his cup in mock fascination.
The hustle and bustle of the coffee shop around them seemed to pause as a heavy silence settled between the two. Sonic looked up and squirmed in his seat as he met Shadow's seething glare.
"I swear Faker, if you dare play these idiotic games with Silver I will hunt- you- down." Shadow rose and leaned over the small table towards the other, emphasizing his threat by crushing his own empty cup. Shoving his chair in, the dark agent scowled as he simply left Sonic without so much as a goodbye.
"Right…" Sonic said aloud to the empty chair before him.
~O~
She doesn't deserve this.
Silver mused sadly as Amy shuddered beside him. Beneath bloodshot eyes, her usually immaculate makeup was marred by thick tearstains. She had called him instead of texting him which gave cause for alarm in Silver's mind. Barely understandable between sobs, Silver suggested they meet up.
The two silently watched the tranquil park before them. April flowers fluttered in the slight chilly breeze. Amy pulled her cardigan tighter to herself before breaking the silence.
" I wanted to be beside him forever. It hurts…"
A flare of anger toward the hero of the past surfaced as he sat next to one of the kindest and optimistic people he had ever met.
"Time heals all wounds. The pain will fade, I promise."
Amy gave a broken smile as she carefully wiped the corner of her right eye, smudging eyeliner and mascara on her sleeve.
"Thank you Silver." She lightly hugged the pale hedgehog beside her, more than grateful for his comfort-
even if it couldn't take away the pain.
~O~
Coming clean to Amy had been the most painful thing he had experienced yet. Broken bones, burnt flesh, and electric shocks were nothing in comparison.
The aftermath was bittersweet.
For the first time in years, Sonic felt he could actually freely date. He wasn't claimed so to speak. He could do as he pleased, or could he?
Could he really date in front of Amy? His relationship with her was in an odd place but he would do everything to keep her friendship. Lately though, he had been getting the cold shoulder from many of their mutual friends for his belated honesty. News traveled fast. Within the hour, he was trending. He and Amy had been kind of a celebrity relationship for a while with tabloids marketing their interactions with speculation.
Now, questions as to whom he truly liked took center stage along with the occasional hint towards his orientation.
All of a sudden, he and Tails had been bombarded with emails, phone calls, and various reporters at their door. It bothered him how much press his relationships got over actual international emergencies.
Now was the perfect time to travel.
A soft pat at his ankle snapped him out of his heavy thoughts.
"Heya Buddy. You hungry?"
Wide beady eyes peered up at the hero before the small blue blob took to fluttering upward onto his tan belly and cooing appreciatively.
Carefully standing up, Sonic cradled the neutral chao in his arms and moved over to the fruit palms. As he moved closer the little chao squirmed out of his grip and flew to perch on the top of his head in anticipation.
Chuckling to himself, Sonic shook the tallest palm and watched it rain down fruit. Giving a whistle, excited chirps echoed around the garden.
Letting out a sigh, the hero sank back into the soft grass of the glen and tried to just breathe.
~O~
No one had seen Sonic for an entire month. Tails had been surprised that the doctor hadn't taken the opportunity to make a surprise attack- until the fox saw the vacation photos the doctor had posted online. It was mid-May. With summer just around the corner it made sense.
It looked like Sonic couldn't use the doctor to get out of this one. He just knew his reckless older brother was marinating in his own thoughts.
He knew. He had known for a while about Sonic's affinity for male partners. In the past he would always question why they would run from Amy the way they did. It wasn't until he began to catch the look the hero would give to his rivals-
-and doe-eyed civilian mobians that could be described as "cute".
Yeah, the Hero of Mobius had types.
"Where would you like this Tails?"
And someone fit both of them
Turning, Tails smiled at his substitute helper. Holding a giant salvaged turret from a past base in his teal glow, Silver wavered in the air of the garage.
"Right over by the universal translator is fine. Thanks!"
With a nod the time traveler gracefully landed with the giant metallic gun in his wake.
Tails would have never have guessed that Sonic would finally fess up to Amy after years for the likes of Silver.
And Silver had no idea.
"Is that everything?" The turret hit the ground with a muffled thump as the pale hedgehog moved closer to the fox. Before them was a monitor that was mapping coordinates.
"I was actually hoping you could help me get Sonic back." Smiling sheepishly, Tails turned, presenting a small monitor to the psychokinetic.
"He has a tracker in case of an emergency. I know where he is but I can't land the Tornado there. If it's not too much trouble …" The sentence hung in the air but even so Tails knew Silver would never decline.
Silver nodded resolutely taking the small monitor in his gloved hands, eying the blinking dot on the screen with thinly masked apprehension.
~O~
It was picture perfect. The sky shifted into magnificent orange-yellows chasing after the setting sun. The fruit palms dark silhouettes accented the oncoming purple tinge of a summer night.
Sonic thanked his lucky stars that he was taking his impromptu vacation in summer. Even as night approached, the air was warm and welcoming. As the sun disappeared over the horizon, the chao lake began to glisten with tiny lights dancing among-st the reeds. Sleepily, chao shuffled to the rock side beside the lake with quite a few nestling close to the hero's emergency provisions splayed just outside of a natural cave.
Giving a soft smile at the sight, Sonic moved close to his effects and gently picked up a small swim chao that had decided to sleep in his stew pot before placing the agitated chao on his hardly used sleeping bag. A quick look through his backpack produced the last of his rations –two cans of consistently ignored lentil soup. Suppressing a grimace, Sonic got to work setting up a tripod near the lakes edge and starting a small campfire.
As the cans mushy contents dribbled into the stew pot, Sonic ran a bare hand through his flared sweaty quills. In his haste he forgot to pack soap. Just like himself- his cooking utensils were caked with grime.
He needed to go back.
When surrounded by the hustle and bustle of his friends and acquaintances he often lost sight of his personal desires and needs through prioritizing others. It was at times like this; he would realize what he truly cared about. Alone during the day, he would simply exercise, reminisce, and enjoy being surrounded by the nature he fought to protect. During his nights however, far less innocent thoughts came to mind.
Oh- Th-Thank you, Sonic
Words the time traveler had uttered were warped and twisted to fit his desires. Flashes of liquid gold eyes and plush cotton white fur danced behind his eyes. How would he look? How loud would he be?
Hold still…
That's it…
Sonic, are you okay?
He had it bad didn't he?
Placing his hands over his eyes, Sonic huffed. He was not so sure that Silver would even return his feelings. Silver's separation from Blaze caused the pale hedgehog to close in on himself for the first month since returning to his proper dimension. Over time the time traveler's personality began to bleed through his insecurities revealing an extremely kindhearted, resilient, underdog-
and of course the hero just had to catch feelings.
Sipping the bland soup right out of a ladle, the contemplative jock leaned against a rock behind him and looked up at the stars -only to choke and sputter as he realized a shooting star was coming right towards him.
A split second of internal panic was all he was allowed before the unaware subject of his dreams gracefully floated down from the heavens.
Accented in fluorescent teal against the deep pitch of night, Silver waved as he touched down a good two meters away from the camp and carefully approached.
Why does he have to be so pretty?
"Heya Silv!" Perking up and leaning forward, Sonic genuinely beamed greeting his unplanned but more than welcome guest. The telekinetic gave a withered smile and shifted the backpack that he had brought with him off of his shoulders.
"Hello Sonic! Tails sent me to check up on you. Um, I brought some things." Gingerly, Silver unzipped and levitated the backpack over to Sonic's side.
"Eggs, Bacon, Soap? Even hot sauce! Sweet!" The blue hedgehog cheered as he took out each item. Looking up, Sonic caught the awed look Silver was sporting as he took in the serenity of the chao garden. Sonic chuckled inwardly, had the chao been anything less than asleep they would have swarmed the slack-jawed pale hedgehog by now.
"Thanks for the goods Silv! But, I gotta' say I was a little worried." Rubbing the underside of his nose out of habit, Sonic smirked when Silver jolted out of his reverie. The time traveler was always floating off into space it seemed.
Tilting his head slightly in confusion, Silver looked questioningly at the hero.
"Everything okay? No world threats I need to know about?" Beneath the tease was a hint of sincerity laced with concern.
"Oh! No, no, nothing like that. Yeah, this might actually be the first time I have come to you with good news." And just like that relief washed over Sonic.
"Hah, I'd bet my socks Eggman's on vacation. Well, plotting on vacation. You remember the "Interstellar Amusement Park" several years back?" All charm and grins Sonic gestured wildly to the endless stars above them.
A sad but fond look crossed over the pale hedgehogs eyes as he nodded.
"Oh yes, I remember Blaze and I spent a lot of time in the food land. It was …odd."
Giving a hearty chuckle, Sonic moved to unhook the stew pot from its tripod and motioned for Silver to sit down. 'Well, he got inspiration from his vacation on Wuhu island in Huawii. Though the doc has always been into amusement parks for some reason or another."
Moving to sit down carefully on a rock half submerged in the chao lake, Silver crossed his legs in thought. "It was my first time going to an amusement park. So I am a bit grateful."
A split second of shock washed over Sonic before being replaced with a look of excitement. "That's no place for a first time amusement park experience Silv! You have to go to the Station Square County Fair! I think they are still here till the end of summer! How about I give you the grand tour?" Accenting his proposal with a wink, Sonic absolutely relished the heated pink blush spreading across Silver's face and ears.
Bashfully yet anxiously, Silver looked away. "Thank you Sonic, but Amy has already offered to take me this week. She wants me to try something called..fun cake?"
Swallowing his disappointment, Sonic pasted on a smile as he placed all of the supplies back into the insulated backpack. "Ah, funnel cake! Yeah, it's a bit too sweet for my taste but it can hit the spot. Amy sure knows her desserts. How's she doing?"
Lip's pressed together in a thin line, Silver looked down solemnly.
"She's … still devastated. Shadow and I are hoping the fair will help."
A thick silence fell over the garden. Riddled with guilt, Sonic's smile withered at the corners.
"She'll come around eventually." Trying to reassure himself and put a happy spin on Amy's emotional state may have not been the best approach. The speedster realized this a bit too late.
The silence became unbearable, and the hero squirmed when he caught the eyes of the usually content telekinetic. Silvers soft facial features had morphed into a deep scowl paired with a glare that made Sonic freeze.
There was something so unnerving about someone like Silver being angry. For some reason, the time traveler's glare was ten times more frightening than Shadow's could ever be.
Chest puffed up and shoulders drawn the pale hedgehog did not immediately respond. After a moment, Silver murmured with a low voice.
"She adored you and that's how you treat this?"
Stunned into silence, Sonic watched as the telekinetic slid off of the rock he was perched on.
"It's late. I need to get back. Goodbye Sonic, I'm glad you are okay."
And with that the icy pale hedgehog took to the sky.
~O~
"Happy Birthday Sonic!"
Bathed in the late heat of June, Sonic watched the camaraderie before him. Between bites of chili dogs, cake, and soda, friends from over the years gathered to celebrate-him.
Tails had hired Team Chaotix to provide live music for the party, finding that Vector was more than happy to partake in the festivities if he had a monetary incentive towards being there. For what it was worth, the trio was getting better at performing their gigs.
Suppressing a smirk, Sonic eyed Vector loading up plates with chilidogs, chips and pizza. Charmy hovered above the crocodile precariously balancing three cups of soda in his palms. A little ways away, Espio sat at their picnic table plucking his shamisen for an awestricken Silver. At Espio's encouragement, the time traveler tentatively pulled at the strings himself.
"Do you want more cake?" Jolting out of his thoughts, Sonic sheepishly acknowledged the fox beside him. A plate of preordered ice cream cake was placed in his hands. Previously, Amy had taken it upon herself to bake her proclaimed hero's birthday cake herself throughout the years. Grateful for her kindness, Sonic never had the heart to tell her that he wasn't a fan of lemon cake.
He was surprised she came.
Dressed in a simple floral summer wrap dress, Amy sat beside Cream at a wooden picnic table picking at the melting ice cream cake on her paper plate.
It's now or never.
Taking a bite from his own cake for courage, the blue speedster made his way to the picnic table ignoring Shadow's seething glare as he approached one of his strongest and most trusted friends. She had been there for him through thick and thin and deserved everything. Approaching carefully, Sonic watched as she purposely avoided looking directly at him.
"Amy?"
Since he had come back to Station Square she had taken it upon herself to avoid him at every opportunity. Beside her, Cream smiled apologetically and whispered softly to the rosy hedgehog beside her. Sighing, Amy looked up and leveled the birthday boy with an unreadable neutral stare. Deciding to be blunt, Sonic cut to the chase.
"Can we talk- in private?"
"Whatever you need to say you can say right here." The pink hedgehogs tone was clipped and short allowing no room for negotiation. Blue ears lowering, Sonic silently hoped he didn't end up making things worse between them.
" I tried to visit you earlier but you weren't home. I visited because…well… I'm sorry Amy. "
Sonic watched as her intense stare withered before him. As her eyes began to water the blue speedster panicked and took a step back.
" I'm sorry, I don't want to upset you- I guess I'll talk to you later, Ames."
"No!" Bolting out of her seat, Amy stood before him resolutely.
"Let's talk in private."
~O~
Carefully wiping her eyes, Amy gazed down the hill at the birthday celebration for her long time idol. She knew it was rare for his confidence to leave him, yet here he stood anxious and unraveled on his own birthday. Stumbling over his words, and acknowledging her pains, you could tell how much he really cared.
He may have not reciprocated her romantic love but he truly loved her in every other sense. He unconditionally valued her as a person and it was that quality that she had fallen in love with. Realizing this was bittersweet.
" Why did you wait this long to tell me?" Absentmindedly picking at her dress, Amy watched Sonic nervously scratch the back of his neck.
"I did a few times early on. But over time I was … afraid to."
"I did threaten to marry you didn't I." Laughing through more fresh tears, Amy wiped her eyes again. Catching Sonic's sad but understanding gaze she softly added,
" Whoever he is, he is one lucky guy."
Mouth open and eyes wide, Amy secretly relished the unbridled shock that the blue speedster had.
"I figured it out." Smiling softly, Amy could see how desperately Sonic wanted to flee. Despite his twitching and looking away from her betraying his discomfort, he stayed in place.
"How?" He choked out, mortified as she carefully grasped his hand and met his fearful gaze.
"I accept you Sonic. Don't be afraid."
And just like that, she wasn't the only one awash in tears.
~O~
It's Amazing. When you live in a densely populated area and you are under quarantine you have time to revisit WIPs.