A nice, red dress. Some simple stockings. A pair of clean, simple red boots. A hair band with a cute, small rose on it. Just a little bit of makeup. That last thing Amy Rose wanted to come off as flashy. It was just a single hangout with a friend. A friend who happened to be her hero. The same hero she had been in love with ever since she met him.

The pink hedgehog waited on the park bench silently, doing her absolute best to remain calm. Could today be the day? Would Sonic finally tell her that he loved her? Why did he want to hang out with her today? A walk through the park, a movie and dinner… that's what he said he wanted to do with her. All ideas for dates she had proposed to him. Was this secretly a date?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "No," the thought. "This isn't a date. We're just hanging out like friends do. I can't turn this into something it isn't." She exhaled lightly, closing her eyes as she tried to clear her mind and settle her nerves.

"Hey! I'm not late, am I?" a voice asked.

Amy opened her eyes and looked. Standing over her in the summer Sun stood her hero, dressed nice, smiling down at her. She smiled back. "Not at all! I just got here not too long ago."

"That's a relief. I was worried I was keeping you waiting again." Sonic held out his hand. "Should we get started on our walk?"

The pink hedgehog blushed as she took his hand. "Sounds good to me," she replied as he helped her up.

As soon as she was up, he let go of her hand, leaving her wishing he'd held on longer. The two of them started to walk through the park, taking in the scenery around them. "So, how's the outfits coming along?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, the prototypes should be done here soon…" Amy replied. "After that, we'll just need to get all your guys' approval and do the final touches before manufacturing them all."

"Fashion sounds really complicated. How do you keep up with all this stuff?"

"I honestly don't know how I do it sometimes. I guess I just put a lot of hard work into it and do my best to keep records organized. Having a lot of help making things and filing paperwork does make things easier as well."

"That's amazing. I could never run a business. My mind's all over the place. I couldn't possibly manage other people or keep records organized."

Amy gave him a quizzical look. "Are you sure about that? You used to manage teams pretty well back in the day."

Sonic shrugged. "That was combat."

"So?"

"So, it's a completely different beast from the workforce."

The pink hedgehog giggled. "You can handle telling someone to dodge an attack before they get flattened like a pancake, but telling a teenager to go man the drive through while you're on break would be too much?"

"The battlefield requires quick thinking and fast paced movement. A job requires quick thinking and extreme patience. I'm not cut out for the workforce, Ames."

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess I can't really disagree with you."

The pair walked through the park some more, eventually stopping in front of the fountain. "I really like this fountain," Amy said. "I've made a lot of wishes here. Actually, funnily enough, the last time I came here I was teaching Tails how to make a wish on the fountain."

Sonic looked at her, a little puzzled. "You taught Tails how to make a wish on the fountain? How long has it been since you were here, again?"

"A few weeks."

"And Tails went this long without knowing how to throw a coin in a fountain?"

Amy laughed. "I guess so. Kind of strange now that you mention it, but I still think it was kinda cute of him to ask me to show him how to do it."

Sonic smiled. "Sounds like you two had a good time together. Speaking of time, why don't we head over to that movie now?"

Amy nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."


"The Mechanic's Apprentice, huh?" Sonic asked, looking at the poster on the wall as he held his ticket. "Is this that cheesy romcom you were looking forward to seeing?"

"Yep, that's the one!" Amy said cheerfully. "Although, this is my second viewing, actually. I saw it last week with Tails."

The blue hedgehog raised an eyebrow. "Oh… you did? Would you rather watch a different movie then?"

"Oh, no! It's ok! I like this movie a whole lot. It's really cute! The ending is so sweet."

"Well, if you say so then. I'm not really into romance stories, but this one seems cool. Are you sure you don't want any popcorn?"

"No, it's alright. We're going to dinner after this, right? Don't wanna get too full before then."

"Alright, just thought I'd make sure."

The two of them sat in silence in the theater as they watched the movie, aside from the occasional "aww" and sniffles from Amy at the sappy romance parts. One particular scene close to the end of the movie did stick out to Sonic, though.

"I'm really sorry, but I'm just not interested!" said the character Billy Skinny Jeans, a rockstar.

"But why?" the Mechanic's assistant cried. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you! You're a beautiful, smart lady. It's just that, well… I don't like dating. I don't date at all. I don't exactly feel things like 'romance' the way a normal person would."

"I don't understand! That doesn't make any sense at all!" The mechanic's assistant ran off crying.

Billy sighed. "If I only could just put into words what's wrong with me… if only there was some kind of name for it…"

"This… hits too close to home," Sonic thought.


"How did you know this was my favorite Italian restaurant?" Amy asked excitedly.

"I've heard you mention it once or twice," Sonic replied with a smile.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. This should be good, I don't think she works today."

The blue hedgehog raised his eyebrow. "Who are you worried about?"

"One of the waitresses here. She's a super fan of mine. You might be used to that kind of thing, but I'm certainly not."

"Well, I hope it's not the waitress walking over to us right now."

Amy's face turned pale. "Is she a jackal with a gold earring in her left ear?"

Sonic looked over her shoulder. His eyes widened a little. "Uhhh… if I say 'no,' and that turns out to be a lie, how hard would you bring the hammer down on me?"

"Oh no…"

"I'm messing with you," Sonic chuckled. "It's some rabbit lady."

Amy frowned. "You know, a few years ago that would've gotten you beaten by my hammer."

"The fact that hasn't happened to me must be a sign you've matured then."

Amy blushed. Before she could respond, the waitress arrived. After the two of them placed their orders and the waitress left, Amy turned to face Sonic. "You two really are like brothers, aren't you?" she laughed.

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked, a little confused.

"When I came here with Tails, he ordered a personal pizza as well. Although, he didn't get any toppings on it."

"Oh, I see. Yeah, he always complains about the grease if there's anything more than cheese on his pizza. Can't even tolerate pepperoni because it's supposedly 'too greasy' or something. It's a little annoying."

"I don't know, I think it's a little cute how picky he is about that."

Sonic paused. "The two of you have spent a whole lot of time together lately, haven't you?" he asked out of curiosity.

Amy thought for a moment. "Well, now that you mention it, I guess we have. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I've just noticed everywhere we've gone to today you've also been to Tails with recently."

"Oh, that's just because he's my best friend is all! Nothing weird about hanging out with friends right?"

The blue hedgehog smiled. "Exactly, there's nothing wrong with that. Now that you mention it, I guess the two of you have gotten a lot closer over the past few years. Only makes sense you've gotten a lot friendlier with each other as well."

"Yeah, exactly."

Sonic let out a soft sigh. "Hey, Amy? After dinner, can we go somewhere and just talk? Like… in private? There's something I want to tell you."

Amy's heart skipped a beat, but she did her best to not be so hopeful. "Of course! You can tell me anything."

Her hero smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Amy. That means a lot to me."


Dinner was largely uneventful. They talked some more, shared a few laughs, and overall had a good time. In the back of Amy's mind, however, her mind was in a frenzy. Thought after thought, idea after idea of what her blue hero wanted to tell her flooded through her mind. A confession of love? A horrible diagnosis? An apology for something she didn't realize he did? The anticipation just kept building and building over the course of the evening.

She felt like she was going to burst from the ever expanding anticipation as they left the restaurant and entered the cool evening air. She watched the back of Sonic's head, lost in thought, as he led her down the street and back to the park. She sat next to him on the same bench she had sat down on earlier that very day. The two of them sat in silence for a moment as she waited for her hero to speak.

"Did today feel like a date?" Sonic said at last.

Amy felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. A walk in the park, a movie, dinner… all things she had suggested as dates to him several times in the past. She wasn't crazy, was she? That had to be on purpose. She turned to look him in the eyes, red in the face. "Y-yes," she stuttered. "Yes, it did. I… was that…?"

Sonic gave her a soft smile. "Yeah, today was a date. The first date I've ever been on."

She felt like she was going to cry, but she didn't. "R-really? You did all of this… because you wanted to take me on a date?"

"Well… I…" Sonic looked away from her, a look of guilt in his eyes. "I just wanted to make sure. One last test for myself, if you will. I thought if there was anyone I felt that way for, it would be you."

Her joy from the reveal that they had been on a date subsided and was replaced with an odd mix of confusion and concern. "What? Sonic, what are you saying?"

Sonic rubbed his face, frustrated with himself. "This is… really hard for me to say." He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm worried that you'll hate me for what I'm about to say."

Amy stared at him for a moment, before putting her hand on his shoulder. "After all that you've done for me, there's no way I can hate you."

Sonic turned to her and gave her a hug. "You have no idea how much you saying that helps me right now," he whispered.

Although taken aback, Amy quickly regained composure and squeezed him back. "You're my hero, Sonic. Nothing is going to change that."

After a few moments, Sonic broke the hug and did his best to look her in the eyes, though he occasionally avoided eye contact. This was all so unusual for Amy Rose. She was so used to seeing her hero cocky, smiling with big grins and always upbeat and positive. Never before had she ever seen him so… vulnerable. Sad, sure. Angry, definitely. Never vulnerable. Not like this.

"Do you remember my old pals, Ray and Mighty?" Sonic asked.

"A little," Amy replied. "They helped you take down Eggman once, right? And one of them used to be in the Chaotix?"

"Yep, that's them. Well, I reconnected with them recently. It turns out they actually got married. Like, to each other. Two guys getting married was a really new concept to me, so I asked them about it and they explained it to me, how they fell in love, what gay marriage is and all that stuff."

"Sonic… are you trying to tell me that-"

Sonic help up a finger to her lips. "Please, just let me finish, ok?"

"…Alright."

The blue hedgehog took a deep breath. "Do you remember those colors I asked you to make my outfit?"

Amy frowned. "Yes, why?"

Sonic pulled out his phone and showed Amy a striped pattern. There were eight layers, starting with dark green at the top, followed by light green, white, gray, black, gray, white and finally purple. "This is a pride flag," Sonic explained. "Specifically, the 'aroace' flag."

A look of befuddlement crossed the pink hedgehog's face. "Aroace?"

"Aromantic asexual."

Those two words together hit Amy like a ton of bricks. "Aromantic… asexual…" she repeated.

"Ray and Mighty told me about it," Sonic explained calmly. "I told them one day how I never felt any feelings of romance before with anyone. One of them asked if I had felt… other things before, to which I responded I hadn't. I thought there was something wrong with me because of it. But it turns out, there isn't anything wrong with me. I just… don't get those feelings."

"You… what?" She felt like she was going to cry again, only this time they weren't going to be tears of joy.

"Mighty and Ray explained to me what aromantic and asexual meant. Aromantic is when someone doesn't feel romantic feelings, and asexual is… well, you can piece that together. When they told me that, I was pretty sure that I was aroace, but I wanted to be absolutely sure. I thought long and hard, but ultimately I decided if there was anyone that could prove me wrong, it would be you, Amy. You're smart, funny, charming, beautiful and… well, you've made it no secret how you feel about me."

"Right…"

"So, I wanted to give it a shot. I wanted to take you on the perfect date, the one you'd always wanted me to. So, I went on a walk in the park with you. It felt like friends walking in the park. I took you to see a romantic comedy in the theaters. It felt like I was watching a movie with a friend. I took you to that fancy Italian restaurant you love so much. It just felt like dinner with a friend. I didn't feel… romance or anything like that, but you clearly did. So… I guess in a selfish way, I proved myself right."

The two sat in silence for a moment, processing everything that was just said. "So… you've never loved me?" Amy asked, looking down somberly. "Not even a little bit?"

Sonic held her hands. "Of course I love you, Amy. I just… don't love you the same way that you love me. I think you're wonderful, and I truly do cherish our friendship, but I can't give you what I don't have. I can't share romantic walks in the park with you. I can't watch a romcom with you when I don't understand what the characters are doing that are so romantic. I can't share a romantic dinner with you because I don't have those kinds of feelings for anyone."

Amy looked up at him, her eyes watery. "I'll tell you what I can do, though," Sonic continued. "I can hang out with you. I can get lunch with you. I can say I love you that way friends say they love each other. I really do love you, Amy Rose. You're an amazing friend of mine and you've been there for me a lot. I'm sorry that I've never properly said that to you until now."

"Sonic…" Amy said in a shaky voice.

"You can cry, Amy," Sonic said softly. "It's not selfish."

And so, she did. She burst in tears, hugging him and sobbing into his chest. He hugged her back, stroking the back of her head to help her calm down. Sonic stared off into the distance, wondering to himself if telling her was a good idea or not. After a few minutes, Amy calmed down and let go of him. "Are you ok?" he asked her.

"I'm alright," Amy sniffed. "In retrospect… I guess it all makes a lot more sense. As if I didn't have enough reasons to regret making that 'My Sweet Passion,' single, though…"

Sonic blinked. "That song was about me? I've been listening to it for years and had no idea…"

Amy's face turned from one of sadness to one of pure embarrassment. "Y-you actively listen to that?!"

Sonic shrugged. "You're a good singer! Plus it's got a nice beat, and it's pretty catchy…"

"Stop listening to it! Pretend it doesn't exist!"

"Tell you what, make a new song and I'll stop listening to it. Deal?"

"Sooonnnniccc!"

The blue hedgehog laughed. Returning to a serious tone, he asked, "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Amy shook her head. "I guess I'm more mad at myself honestly. For not realizing sooner, I guess."

"Hey, don't be mad! I only just figured this out myself, you know."

The two sat in silence once again. Minutes passed by, with the two of them unsure of what to say or do. Ultimately, it was Amy who broke the silence. "Would it be ok if you gave me some space for a few days?" she asked. "I'm not mad and I don't hate you, but… this is still kind of a big blow. I need some time to process this and let it sink in."

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, I may not be able to feel romance, but from what I've heard, getting something like this dropped on you can be… difficult to manage. I'll give you all the time you need. Just promise me that if it eats away at you, you'll tell someone, alright?"

"Alright, I will. And Sonic?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you for telling me. I'm glad this is how I learned."

Sonic smiled. "Of course, Amy. I hope that someday, you're able to find someone that you love just as much as you've loved me and I hope that person loves you back. You deserve a great, caring person who can do all that romantic stuff."

"Thank you Sonic," Amy whispered. "That means a lot… coming from you."

For twelve years, Amy Rose desired a date with her hero. Tonight, she got her wish, but she didn't get a boyfriend. All she got was a friend. Maybe in time, she'd be ok with being just his friend.

But tonight was not that night, and all she felt was heartbreak.


Author's note: Thank you WhosAnonymous for not spoiling the colors. I hope you guys like this chapter, I thought long and hard about how to reveal this. I hope I've done my potential aroace readers justice with this. Thanks for all the support, it means a lot. Be sure to read & review.