A/N: Alrighty, I don't know why but I kind of struggled writing this one out haha, hoping it turned out okay!
As always, reviews and feedback are very much appreciated! Thank you for reading!
The next morning Amy was awoken by a familiar yell. The sound of it made her jump out of her skin, her mind could barely keep up with her body as she leapt out of bed. Heading toward the sound she found herself in front of the spare bedroom, but by the time she got there it had already stopped. Not hesitating she swung the door open to find Sonic sitting up on the bed, panting heavily with parts of the bed sheet balled tightly in his fists. It was still a startling sight to see but was nothing compared to the scene she saw the night before. He glanced over at her, very aware she was there but didn't say anything as he continued pant, trying to slow his breathing down. He was a lot more composed but she could still tell that there was panic and fear radiating from him. Amy just stood there, unsure if she should be by his side this time or let him work it out himself. Sonic had his pride and she knew leaving him be sometimes was more effective than invading his space - and it did look like he had it pretty under control.
A long moment passed before either of them made a move or said anything. Looking up at her once more he spoke, "Sorry…" looking away, not able to hold her eye contact he continued. "Sorry if I woke you."
He was still trying to separate the memories that woke him up so violently to the reality of the here and now. It was such a strange thing to experience; he knew he was awake but the nightmare was still ringing so loudly in his mind, the pictures still so vivid that it was like they were trying to drag him back in. Amy leaned on the doorway with her arms crossed, giving him a concerned look.
"You don't have to apologize. It's okay… Do you want to talk about it?" She asked this knowing full well what the answer was going to be. But the only way she was going to get anywhere with him is if she kept trying. His breathing seemed to be back to normal when he swing his legs off the bed. Looking intently at the ground he did one big final inhale accompanied afterward with a big exhale.
"Nah. It's all good." Sonic stood up and walked past her, heading toward the kitchen. He was reasoning with himself internally; this was frightening and he didn't completely understand it but he'll be fine, no problem at all. In his experience he just had to keep moving forward and not look back. Which is exactly what he planned on doing. She turned around and followed him.
"It's all good? No, Sonic, it definitely isn't all good. You're having night terrors for a reason. You can't keep it bottled up, it's just going to make things worse."
Sonic poured himself a large glass of water and chugged the whole thing. He immediately poured himself another and began to drink again, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. Ah, there it is. The disapproving look he's seen on her face so many times. Amy could be downright terrifying when she was angry but when she was just mildly annoyed or disapproved of something she was so damn cute. He missed that little face of hers. Placing down the now empty glass he wiped his hand across his mouth, removing the excess water droplets left behind.
"Ahhh Amy, it's fine, I'll get over it. I've overcome bigger obstacles than stupid little dreams. Enough about me, c'mon let's go to HQ and see if Tails made contact."
Amy sighed and shook her head. It's going to take a lot of work to wear down that stubborn fool. She looked up at the clock that hung in the kitchen.
"It's four in the morning, no one is going to be in the computer room yet..." She rubbed her eye sleepily and walked over to the coffee pot. Something told her she's going to be needing a lot of coffee in the next coming days. She started to put the grinds in a filter when Sonic followed her and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed impatiently.
"So? Who cares? Don't you know how to work that stuff?"
"Not really, I just know the very basics. We should wait til there's someone in there who knows what they're doing. We don't want to miss any details do we?"
Sonic drummed his fingers against his folded arm at a jittery pace. She could tell he didn't like that answer very much. Once the coffee started brewing she placed a hand on his thumping fingers causing them to stop. He looked at her with a small frown.
"Let me have my coffee and check your wound, then we'll go." She started walking toward the first aid kit before he could answer, continuing to talk to him over her shoulder, "I would offer you a cup of coffee but you're already bouncing off the walls. I'm afraid to see what the caffeine would do." Her attempt to engage him in playful banter didn't get very far as she received silence. She looked over to see him staring out the window, brow furrowed, fingers drumming raptly again accompanied now with his foot tapping impatiently. He was so on edge, lost in his own thoughts. Sonic had heavily debated leaving in the middle of the night to search for the group but Amy's logic managed to resonate with him. She was right, he was in no shape to go out there alone. Not yet anyways. The coffee machine beeped indicating the brew was done and Sonic poured Amy a mug before walking over to the 'nurse's chair'. He sat down and just like before rested his one arm along the back of the chair, making his injured side exposed and easier to access.
She uttered a small 'thanks' and took a sip of the coffee; ah the sweet nectar of the Gods. Amy had no idea what she would do without the hot beverage, how did people function without it in the mornings? Placing the mug down she began to take off the old bandage and assess the damage. It did not look very good. Better than before, but still not great. From being in the woods so long and trying to stop the bleeding with clay the wound was pretty infected. She got the cleaning agent and started to dab as gently as she could - knowing how much it was going to hurt she instinctively winced as she did it.
"Sorry, this is going to sting quite a bit…" She looked up at Sonic, his jaw clenched tightly but other than that his expression didn't change much as he looked forward. His knee was bobbing up and down at a fast, restless pace. Ignoring his impatient tic, Amy decided to seize this opportunity of him being stuck in the chair while she worked.
"So… What exactly went down in Eggmans base?" she asked tentatively.
He blinked and glanced down at her, leg stopping momentarily "Huh?" He had heard her but at the same time it's like he didn't. He knew exactly what she asked but it's like his mind fogged up, not wanting to deal with it. It was a loaded question.
"Well, you know. You were there for six whole months. What did you even do for that long? Were you just in a cell or something?"
His jaw tightened again, she could see his jawline get more defined the harder he clamped down. But at that point she wasn't even touching his wound, so she knew this reaction wasn't from the physical pain.
"Yeah. Basically just in a cell the whole time."
The thought of someone as hyper active and free spirited as Sonic being locked away in a cell for that long… That fact on its own would have taken a toll on him.
"That must have been awful… Were you alone? There were no other captives in there with you?"
Nodding he answered, his leg starting to bounce again "Just me. Thankfully." She gave him a questioning look and he elaborated, "I wouldn't want anyone else to go through that. And you better believe I'm going to make sure no one ever has to."
Amy hummed in response, a small sad smile placed on her lips. Of course that would be his reasoning for his preference to be alone that whole time. But he spoke with such a serious resolve that she knew he wasn't messing around. This was no longer a game for him.
"I believe it. We'll all make sure that doesn't happen." Amy squeezed his thigh reassuringly as she reached to have another sip of her coffee. As much as Sonic appreciated and counted on his friends for help, sometimes he easily forgot that he didn't have to bare all these burdens on his own. Very often these things ended in a Sonic vs Eggman showdown, but that didn't mean they weren't there to aid him in any way they could. It didn't have to fall all on his shoulders.
"Did Eggman move you around at all?"
Memories flashed painfully in his mind, rapidly switching between different instances throughout the 6 months – her words unknowingly causing triggers deep within his psyche. Visions of himself being taken away from one room then fast forwarded to being dumped harshly in a different room afterwards, sometimes bruised and bloodied other times soaking wet, room after room, time after time, relentlessly in an exhausting cycle. A tremor rolled through his body, his breath hitching in his throat.
"So many rooms…." Sonic spoke so softly, just barely above a whisper, that Amy almost couldn't hear him – his facial features in a strange haze. Another dab of the cleaning solution seemed to snap him out of what he was reliving and his demeanor went back to normal – well, as normal as it could be during treatment. Amy blinked a few times at him - what did he just say? So many rooms, what's that suppose to mean? She was going to speak up when he beat her to it.
"I didn't get out… much…" The way he trailed off that sentence - he was speaking carefully, being sure not to divulge too much.
"Didn't get out 'much'? So he let you go outside from time to time, to get some fresh air?"
"Not in the way you're thinking."
Looking puzzled she continued cleaning the gash on his side. Amy squirted a healing ointment on a large piece of gauze and placed it firmly in the middle of his wound which in turn made Sonic squeeze his abs instinctively at the pain, letting out a small grunt. She then continued to bandage around the gauze.
"Well, in what way then?" She replied delicately while focusing at her task. Amy tried to remind herself not to take this Q and A too far, she was trying to be cautious with him. He clearly had a hard time talking about it and she didn't want to push too far.
Sonic sighed and ran his free hand through his hair, disheveling it. He always had this care free, messy look about him – one that didn't make him look sloppy but it just… worked. Sometimes she wondered if he even realized how effortlessly good looking he was.
"Just… Well…It…" He struggled to form the words. She knew that was a huge indicator for him – if he was tongue tied it was usually because it was an uneasy topic, which would lead to frustration and he would want to just toss the subject aside all together.
"…It was never pleasant, let's just leave it at that. Hey are you almost done yet? I can't keep sitting much longer."
Sighing she finished patting down the last strip of bandage, ensuring it was secured tightly. She knew him so well. At least she got a little something out of him.
"Yup, all done." As soon the words were said Sonic sprung up and started heading toward the door.
"Great! Let's get moving!"
"Just hold on! Let me change quickly!" Amy hurried herself to her room and threw on a hoodie along with some jeans. When she came out she found the front door open with Sonic already outside making his way toward HQ. She looked longingly back at the coffee that was barely touched and sighed, closing the door and running toward him. Once she caught up she huffed out in annoyance and shoved her hands into the middle pocket of her sweater, glaring up at him.
"Hey what's the big idea! I fix you up and you can't even wait a second for me!?"
Sonic, who was only wearing shorts and shoes, shrugged his shoulders at her.
"What can I say, this is me moving as slow as I can!"
She rolled her eyes and hooked arms with him, holding his close to her body.
"And it's freezing out, how are you fine in just shorts?" she was shivering just by looking at him. He quickened his walking pace once he felt her link on, knowing that she would be able to keep up.
"I don't mind it. The cold air makes me feel alive." Sonic smiled softly at her with a quick wink. Amy smiled back but it faltered – her empathetic mind thought about how he must have felt cooped up inside a small room for so long. No sun, no wind, no rain. No natural change of temperature. Just the stale air of the same space day after day, night after night. She just wanted to hug him and never let go.
She held his arm tighter and stopped walking, causing him to abruptly stop, almost losing his balance backwards.
"Hu-!" he turned back and gave her a questioning look. When he met her eyes, he saw how they started to gloss over with tears and his look quickly turned into one of concern.
"H-hey what's wrong? What happened?" he held her elbows gingerly in his hands, bending down a bit so he could be face to face with her. It took her a few beats to respond.
"Thank you. For opening up to me."
Sonic looked taken back - confused even by her response. She continued,
"I know it's hard for you. And I want to be here for you, so… thank you for letting me." Amy spoke evenly, the only thing betraying her strong felt emotions was the tears building up, threating to overflow. Sonic starred at her for a long moment before letting out a loud laugh as he brought her in close for a quick hug.
"And here I was thinking I did something to upset you! You're something else."
Amy pushed herself out of the hug, her eyes narrowed and face in an angry pout.
"I'm being serious! Don't laugh! You're the worst at opening up and I just want you to know I appreciated it!"
Sonic was grinning now, he couldn't help it – this was the first genuine grin that had spread across his face in a long time. Amy Rose always kept him on his toes, he never really did know what to expect with her sometimes.
"I'm sorry it's just- you're thanking me? And you look so upset to boot! Ames- " he grabbed her hand and brought it up to his face, "I'm the one who should be thanking you." He kissed it gently while holding eye contact with her. She starred at him, clearly caught off guard, any irritation she felt before melting away in an instant. Using her hand he pulled her in, wrapping an arm around her and started to walk again. Looking down at her he continued, "Trust me, if there's anyone that I would want to talk to about it it's you, okay?"
She looked up at him, heart still fluttering slightly in her chest. Most of the time she was pretty solid when it came to her emotions with him, but every so often he would do something that would catch her so unprepared that it takes a minute to compose herself again.
"…Alright, if you say so." Amy believed him but couldn't help feeling her doubts. She might be the one he would go to if he wanted to talk about it, but the problem was if it was up to him to talk about things it would never happen. He wasn't the type of guy to seek out help or initiate a conversation that would involve talking about his own issues.
They made their way to the building quick, not encountering anyone outside on the way there. Once they got inside there were only a few people scattered about the main hall. At first there was no reaction, but slowly the random villagers began to look up and notice the iconic shade of blue make its way through the room. Amy could hear audible gasps and whispers as people slowly began to realize it was indeed Sonic himself. Sonic on the other hand paid no attention to anyone or anything in the room – his eyes set on the computer room, a determined look etched on his face.
Reaching the room he barged in, Amy at this point letting go of his arm and following a few steps behind him. Even though the lights on the ceiling were turned off the room was still illuminated by the multiple monitors that were on. Marble was stationed at the large desk and looked toward the door startled. From her viewpoint Sonic and Amy were just dark figures vaguely outlined by the soft glow of the screens. Amy spoke, "Hey Marble, sorry to scare you like that." As she reached for the light switch Marble replied,
"O-oh that's alright dear, I'm just not used to having anyone in here so early-" her sentence was cut off as the lights turned on and it revealed Sonic standing in the doorway as well. Her eyes widened in shock, mouth agape.
"S-Sonic….!"
Sonic responded with that brilliant smile of his, the one Amy had coined his 'hero smile'. It wasn't quite the same type of smile or grin he had when he was alone with friends - no this was the one he wore when he had to resume his role as the hero. In her opinion all of his different looks and quirks were equally stunning but this particular smile was certainly the most dazzling.
"Hey there Marble! What I miss?"
Marble let out an amused chuckle at his frivolous approach, stood up and gave him a soft hug, patting his cheek in an endearing way when she pulled away. "Oh hunnie, it is so very good to see you again. Goodness you have no idea how relieved I am, thank heavens. I prayed for you every night."
"Aw thanks Marble, I'm sure I wouldn't have made it back in one piece without ya! Means a lot." Sonic spoke in a genuine tone and smiled warmly, making sure to pause so his thanks held meaning before continuing. "But I do need some more of your help, sorry to cut straight to the point but has Tails or Knux made contact yet?"
"Oh, well let's see." Marble made her way back to the main computer chair and started typing at the keyboard. Sonic and Amy followed, standing behind her and looking at the screen. Amy could somewhat understand what she was seeing meanwhile Sonic was starring with a great look of focus and confusion. They both waited in silence as she pulled up different servers, programs and windows. After a few clicks a screen popped up of a green radar, the needle slowly turning in a clockwise circle. After the third pass a red dot blipped on the far side of the screen.
Sonic was eagerly leaning forward with his hands on his hip, "What does that mean? Is that good? Is that them?"
Marble smiled, "Yes that would be them. No issues, everyone's safe and sound."
Amy gave Sonic a sideways hug, rubbing his one arm. "Oh that's fantastic! See? Told you they were fine!" She inwardly let out a huge breath of relief. Of course she was relieved they were safe, but she was more relieved they had sent the signal in time. If that blip didn't show up just now there would be no talking Sonic out of going, and although she would have stood by his side she knew in his condition it would be a struggle. Sonic on the other hand was relieved and yet still unsettled. Even if he could talk to Tails himself over the communicator he would still be fighting the urge to go and meet them halfway, just to be sure. Overprotectiveness wasn't normally something he felt, but he just couldn't shake the feeling of wanting his little brother safe in his own arms.
He nodded, placing a hand on Marble shoulder. "That's great news, thanks Marble."
"Anytime dear. Happy to see you home."
"Good to be back!" Sonic grinned then made eye contact with Amy, jerking his head slightly towards the direction of the door as a signal for them to get going. They both uttered their goodbyes and made their way to the door. Amy turned the doorknob and upon opening it revealed a small group of villagers and resistance members huddled together, blocking the doorway. Sonic was behind Amy, but with him being quite taller than her they saw him instantly and all started to chatter away at the same time excitedly. Both hedgehogs looked on with a surprised expression, neither expecting the sudden attention. It must have been the group that saw him walk through the building earlier. Amy looked up and gave Sonic an apologetic look – she hadn't exactly told him that no one knew he was home yet, but then again he never exactly asked either. Over the cluster of voices speaking over one another at him he began to try and respond.
"Hey guys, good to see you all! Hi, hey there, whats up! Hey- okay, let's at least leave the computer room before the catch up session! I'm sure Marble doesn't want to be bothered by all our talking, right?" He chuckled as he slowly was able to guide the group back from the doorway and down the hall. Amy watched with amusement as he expertly bounced between different questions, conversations and concerns – she noted he was extremely vague for some topics and over-the-top explained some others for compensation. After the group was generally appeased with his answers and an array of high fives, fist bumps and hugs were given, Sonic was able to step away.
"Soooo… It seems the general consensus was that no one knew I was even back. Weird." His tone was light and playful.
"Well! It just so happens you were in the roughest shape I've ever seen you in, so I didn't need people bothering my patient while you healed." Amy spoke matter-of-factly as she walked passed him toward the exit.
"Oh, is that so? You dare deprive the public of their idol?" Sonic feigned outrage in a British accent as he followed her outside, a hand held against his chest to show his mock disbelief.
"Oh please! They barely noticed you were gone." Her smirk didn't hold for long as it expanded into a full fledge grin. Unable to keep the act up they both exploded into laughter. Sonic grabbed her hand, still grinning, a twinkle in his eye.
"C'mon, follow me."
They walked hand in hand toward the large bush boarder that hide their quaint village. As they got to the entrance Amy stopped, looking suspiciously at Sonic.
"Hey, where exactly are you taking me… We're not going after the recon group, are we? You said if they checked in…"
Sonic rolled his eyes – despite her suspicions being pretty on point if he had a choice in the matter- and tugged her forward with a smile. "Reeeeeelax, we're staying put. Just trust me, okay?"
Amy huffed and continued to follow him outside of the village and through the forest. They weaved their way in and out of the greenery as they gradually headed up a steep incline. Amy's legs were burning from the angle and she was about to protest when suddenly they reached the summit. It wasn't very large and it was pretty overgrown but there was one small area that was cleared out on the ledge of the cliff. Battling the last of the branches and twigs they finally got to the clearing.
The view was absolutely stunning. The precipice they were standing on was so high up that they could see for miles and miles ahead of them. Mostly forestry but further back in the distance different terrain and bodies of water could be seen. It was still very early in the morning so the sun was raised only halfway, the rays blanketing the land before them in beautiful warm colours.
"Wow…" Amy breathed out. She slowly sat down on the ledge, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight, legs dangling over.
"Yup." Sonic remained standing, hands placed firmly on his hips as he looked out across the land proudly. "This is why we do it, Ames. This right here." He closed his eyes and sucked in a large breath of air through his nose, letting it out through his mouth with a small 'ahh'. Yup, this was the good stuff. Nothing like crisp, morning air on a mountain top. He sat down beside her, leaning back on his hands, one leg dangling over the ledge with the other one bent. Still looking ahead he continued,
"Of course we fight for freedom for the people, for their liberation, but nature also deserves the freedom to grow and flourish. The liberation from all the pollution and machinery."
Amy glanced over, he spoke so softly, a peaceful energy emitting from him. What he spoke of, what he believed, was so true to his heart that there wasn't a trace of doubt laced in his voice, no opinions forced or rehearsed. It was hard to think of how different he was last night, that state of absolute fear and panic compared to this. It felt like it was almost a dream, like she only imagined it. Amy let out a content sigh, watching the light gradually take over the shadows of the night before on the landscape.
"Yeah… I'm proud to be fighting for this. This view really puts things back into perspective, huh."
Sonic looked over to her, about to respond, and couldn't help but just stare. The way the lighting was hitting her face made his mind go blank with whatever reply he had. The way the soft sunlight was accenting her facial features – Chaos, it was a good thing he was sitting down because he felt weak in the knees. His heart palpitated in the way he used to hate as a young boy, the way that was still a confusing thing for him to feel. How can he be here, sitting on his favourite ledge, overlooking the first beautiful sunrise he's seen since his escape and yet he can't tear his eyes away from her. He didn't know how it was possible but she was proving to be more beautiful than the sun itself.
Amy could feel him starring at her so she turned to face him. He had a strange look on his face but by God his eyes were glimmering in such a striking way. Those emerald green orbs pierced her heart the moment she laid eyes on them and continued to do so throughout the years. They were by far his best feature, dangerously so. If he looked at her in a certain way those eyes could stop her dead in her tracks, heart skipping one too many beats. They stayed in this moment, neither saying a word and as the sun slowly inched higher in the sky they slowly inched closer together, faces leaning in.
Sonic's hand slipped on the gravel, it giving out to the unevenly distributed weight that was caused from leaning too far. The slide down propelled him forward causing their cheeks to brush against each other and his chest fell into her shoulder roughly. He quickly regained himself, that sweet moment now long gone and his mind no longer hazy from her alluring gaze. Realizing how close that was to being something more his cheeks flushed as he cleared his throat, focusing his attention back to the land below him. He rubbed the back of his head in a nervous manner, hoping the heat rising in his cheeks wasn't noticeable.
"Man, can't wait for Tails to come home! Miss him like crazy. I even miss that Knucklehead, yeesh, that's how you know I was gone for too long!" the words spilled out of his mouth at a face pace, his brain clearly trying to change this subject as quickly as possible.
Amy, her face flushed as well, played with a piece of hair trying to distract herself from the fast beating heart pounding in her chest.
"Absolutely! He's going to be over the moon to see you. And even if it goes against his nature, Knuckles will too believe it or not, haha!"
The flustered pair continued their nervous chatter back and forth until eventually the conversation became one of ease again and their embarrassing moment forgotten for the time being. The sun was now high in the sky shinning bright, not a cloud to be seen. Its rays of light gracing our hero's with its warm, encouraging presence; allowing them to momentarily forget their troubles. But it was misleading as there was still dark times laid ahead that not even the sun itself could guide them out of.