... I definitely took a lot longer than expected to upload this but it was only because of how hectic and busy I've been.
Nonetheless, here is the HIGHLY AWAITED FINAL chapter! Yes my friends, we are wrapping this up. Today marks a year since I published this fic, so it is high time to finish this up. At the end I have a little teaser for the next one I'm planning on writing (seeeeeee I'm treating you all!) Anyways, I have really enjoyed this journey and as always, reviews are appreciated! :)
She's hit rock bottom.
Everything was falling apart in front of her and she despite the urge to catch the crumbling pieces, she allowed herself to watch it destruct. But not anymore.
It wasn't too little, too late. She had time to resurrect things. And so she sprinted down the stairs to the main lobby area, as her eyes searched for one person... She'd taken many bumps from strangers on her way down the spiral staircase, earning some annoyed mumbles and foul-sayings, but that didn't matter.
She felt the world zoom around her as she found herself lost in main reception of the hotel. It was all too familiar to her, though at this time, she felt like a lost puppy. Sonar had to be close, she could feel it. So she allowed herself to scan each and every angle of the lobby in hopes she'd spot his bright emerald eyes.
Except she couldn't. The mix of a large room with many people with suitcases couldn't help her search. She felt herself tremble in panic. He was gone — for good. He'd vanished instantaneously without giving her a chance to apologise.
Soon the room started spinning, the extravagant chandelier on the ceiling started looking a little too bright as she felt her vision dull, all while feeling her lungs give up on her.
So many people, yet no one noticed her sudden ill-state. Perhaps it was karma getting back at her for playing such a cruel game. This was it... Her heart was pounding erratically, she was sweating like a beast, gasping for air as she felt her final breaths upon her. Amy was next-to-certain certain she was going to die. Of a panic-attack most likely. All the stress and guilt that weighed on her these past few weeks had crushed her to the core. There was no way she was going to recover from this on her own. She'd collapse in the middle of a hotel lobby and that'd be her the end.
The rich folk were too busy chatting away, drinking their arrival champagne, living their best life to care about her. She thought she looked fine, although coughing rapidly whilst hyperventilating with beads of sweats on her forehead told a different story entirely. She felt her body tingle as it numbed itself, her legs giving up as she fell to the ground. Alas, her body had given up. Her aching heart slowed and her eyes closed slowly... Leaving a single teardrop to escape.
"Ames!" She felt someone shake her violently in her dream-like state.
"Oh gosh..! — S-Someone call an ambulance, please!" She heard the man shout which echoed in her ear before blacking out entirely.
.
As she felt herself returning back to normal, the pink hedgehog decided to take a moment to open her eyes. She blinked repeatedly and groaned as she held her hand on her forehead.
"Good. You're okay." She heard a familiar voice say to her.
It took her a second to get her vision back to focus and stand up straight. She was expecting to be in some kind of hospital but was astonished to see she was in the same place she'd passed out from. The hotel lobby.
Her claustrophobia triggered immediately as she realised she was surrounded by a circle of people; some worried about her flopping to the floor, though others more curious as to what went down to leave her in her current state.
And upon scanning the faces, she found her match, who was sat on his knees directly in front of her, relieved to see her alright.
"Sonar!" She smiled radiantly before jumping up and hugging him. He'd been there for her again. He saved her despite everything, and she'd finally be able to apologise. He still cared about her...
She parted from the hug and looked up at him eagerly, waiting for his reaction to seeing her so excited. He kept a neutral face and got up, brushing the dust off his jeans and brought his hand forward for her to take.
She grabbed onto it firmly, holding onto it for dear life as he used his strength to pull her fragile body up. He nodded his head at her before speaking.
"We phoned an ambulance. You were wiped out cold... Stay put, they'll be here any second now." He explained.
The pink shook her head hastily. "I'm fine. I'M FINE!" She repeated to the anxious crowd enclosing her in as she wobbled slightly in position. She turned her attention back to him and grabbed his face lightly.
"I want to talk to you. I need one last chance... please..." She whimpered as she touched foreheads with him.
He pressed his lips firmly and lifted his eyes to see her quietly cry to herself as their foreheads synced. A part of him hesitated to pull her in for comfort though he was wiser. He gave her a sorrowful look before turning for his departure.
"Sonar please! Please!" She panted as her nearly numb legs pushed forward to reach for him. The crowd merely watched in awe as she pathetically tried to chase after her 'boyfriend'.
"Sonar! JUST GIVE ME ONE CHANCE TO EXPLAIN!" She screamed causing him to stop his tracks.
"Sonar... please." She attempted again. She closed her eyelids as she felt teary but once opened, she was thrilled to see him coming back closer to her. The one thing that caught her off guard was how aggressively he took her hand and tugged her outside to where no one would overhear them.
Once they were in the clear the blue hedgehog yanked her hand away and gripped her shoulders, backing her up against a wall, which frightened Amy. This was the first time she was seeing him like this. He'd never appeared so violent before. "Why? Why should I even give you a chance? You've RUINED everything Amy, EVERYTHING!" He gritted his teeth as his eyes teared slightly.
"You knew about everything! My past, my brother... I-I... feel all of this ANGER inside of me yet I can't hate you. And I hate that I can't hate you!" He started off cold but ended more confused and upset.
His grip on her softened slightly. "You've hurt me enough so just let me go... I CAN'T do this anymore! Every minute I spend with you is torture..." He breathed in deeply for what he wanted to say next. "If you have some morals left in you, you're not going to pester anymore. If you care about me, you'll walk away and leave me alone..." He explained to her as he dramatically let go of her shoulders, allowing the pink hedgehog to feel like she could breathe again.
He backed away from her slowly but cautiously, maintaining eye contact with her until he was distanced safely away from her. He wasn't too sure what her next move was going to be. He only hoped this was goodbye, and he'd never have to face her again. It was for the betterment of them both, his heart wouldn't be able to handle seeing her again. And just as he prepared to walk away, he remembered something important he needed to say.
"And my name is Sonic. You've completely broken Sonar." He expressed before turning his back to her and walking out on her for good.
He was gone.
Just like that. He was sick of her, of the games she played. There was no use running after him, he didn't want to give her a second chance, and that was completely understandable. Heck, even she wouldn't want to give herself a chance. Her fairy-tale-like period had ended abruptly and she was whooshed back to reality. She was a loser, the biggest one at that. He didn't want her in his life anymore. Of course he wouldn't. She'd shattered all of his trust. She'd fabricated this wonderful dream they'd both been living in except know the pretense was brought to light. Would she be worthy of redemption? Probably not.
And that thought alone caused her to sob softly as the wind picked up.
.
The bat waited eagerly for the next morning to arrive. She hadn't slept a wink, all the excitement wouldn't let her rest. Her mind was fixated on one thought; how she'd get her money back. After torturous months of sitting and planning a scheme so genius, even she couldn't believe, she'd get back her money. Needless to say, she was up at 5am thinking of all the things she'd say to the scammer one final time.
Sally was definitely concerned.
Hearing Rouge pace around laughing at her phone was definitely too eerie for her to handle. She knew that her friend was looking up comebacks to say to the blue hedgehog, but at this point the chipmunk had had enough. She was forced to wake early, which put her in a groggy mood and Rouge giggling like a child ached her even more.
"Rouge stop!" She yelled which caused the bat to turn around confused. Sally huffed disappointingly before approaching her. "You're obsessing over this TOO much! We're just getting our money and leaving, that's it. That hog is as broken as he can get, you don't need to rub salt on his wounds." She reasoned.
She turned to scan her surroundings. "Besides, this is the first time we're staying in Amy's room. Let's relax for the rest of the day. Consider it a celebration for our success and have lunch with her before we leave!" She suggested instead.
Rouge shook her head slightly at Sally. "...About that, she already packed up and left." The bat pointed at the wardrobe previously adored with clothes now completely bare.
The chipmunk's eyes bulged out as she realised this and approached the wardrobe for further investigation. Nothing inside, empty as it can be. She turned back to the bat horrified. "What do you mean 'she packed up and left!'" She screamed at her friend. "When did she leave? When did she even come back?! - She wasn't here last night!... And more importantly, why did you let her leave?"
The bat nudged her friend off with a simple statement. Why couldn't she share the same excitement she couldn't contain? Clearly rubbing salt on that blue rat's wounds was more suggestible at this time! The bat rolled her eyes as she replied to Sally's question with a muffled tone. "She came back at around 2, packed her bags and left."
Sally blinked her eyes a couple of times, mortified with the bat's response. She clearly wasn't in the right state of mind. Of all things that were regarded as important (alarm bells ringing kind of important!), the bat only cared about comebacks? Amy missing was the most stressed Sally had felt in her time here, and alarm bells were ringing off! This was definitely the worst she'd seen of Rouge.
"Are you being SERIOUS?! SHE CAME IN AT TWO IN THE MORNING AND YOU SAW HER PACK AND LET HER LEAVE! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND ROUGE?! AMY IS OUR FRIEND AND YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU JUST WATCHED HER GO?!"
It was absolutely ridiculous that Rouge hadn't checked in on her when she came back...
The chipmunk breathed deeply and held her chest for comfort. "She's clearly not fine after what happened yesterday. You could've stopped her!... Oh gosh what if she's in danger? What if something's happened to her?" Sally panted deeply at her wild train of thoughts but continued nonetheless. "What was I doing? What was I doing? - Oh right, I was asleep at 2am like a normal person rather than obsessing with a con-artist I'm never intending on seeing again!" She sarcastically remarked which Rouge merely scoffed to.
Sally brought both hands to her forehead before taking a seat. "She's devastated. She really liked him Rouge - dare I say it - She liked him a lot, more than me. And yesterday was brutal. We should've been there for he- No, you could've been there for her." The chipmunk bitterly expressed.
An awkward silence filled the room. To Sally, the bat that stood in front of her was a stranger. Her mind was racing 100 miles per hour in fear of where Amy was. She just hoped she was okay and safe, leaving at 2am by herself in a world full of awful people with ill intentions scared her. She could be anywhere, in a lot of trouble if she hadn't been careful. She would've been broken, especially with having her soulmate snatched from her.
"You're right." The chipmunk was snapped out of her worry by the bat speaking. She focused her attention on Rouge with a raised eyebrow.
Rouge groaned slightly before approaching closer to her friend. "I got carried away, I kept thinking about my victory - and truth be told, I was so caught up in my own world I ditched the people that even made it possible. I should've stopped Amy, but I can't reverse time. I was so caught up about making it all about me, I didn't even take a second to acknowledge how she must be feeling. As soon as she came in, I turned over and put a blanket on my head. I didn't get to check in with her." She sniffled slightly. "This win means a lot to me; I had psyched myself and thought that getting my money back will make me feel better about the respect I lost... But it didn't? I thought actually touching the money physically would make things return to normal, but it won't, will it?"
Sally shook her head slowly in attempt to not her friend, who was having a mid-life crisis of her own. "Exactly, but I kept telling myself it'll be fine once I got my money back even though I knew better. I've kept myself awake in hope that I would actually feel some sense of normality restored, but that was foolish." She spoke with teary eyes.
"And because of my selfishness to feel the self-worth and respect return, I let a friend go... Oh Chaos I've messed up big-time." She blew out to stop her tears from escaping.
Sally merely patted her shoulder for comfort knowing they couldn't do anything in the current moment. Amy was already gone, her phone not reachable, in a city where apart from the two, she had no other friends. "I guess we can only hope wherever she's run off to, she knows what she's doing." Sally gave a weak smile to which a teary-eyed Rouge nodded hastily.
.
"There that's the rest of it. 109K like you wanted." The blue hedgehog huffed as set two briefcases down. He brushed his knees before getting up to face his victims. It was weird to him, meeting them again. He'd never thought he'd meet them face to face ever again after his heist yet here he was. Frankly speaking, it was satisfying to see the glimmer in their eyes once he'd set the money down. It was probably the most relieved they'd ever been and he was the cause behind it.
"Can I count?" Rouge asked instantly which he wasn't too surprised about. That bat was one of the most intelligent women he'd ever met. Of course she wasn't going to take his word, especially since he'd already played her once. So without hesitation, he gave a firm nod to which she instantly locked onto the briefcase. The one thing that did surprise him though was how the bat took time in caressing the briefcase, like it was her long lost baby, which she hugged close to her chest. She'd definitely been more affected by the heist thing than he had anticipated, but at least she could put it behind herself now... They all could.
Rouge took a moment to return back to her dominant self and rushed to the side room to begin her counting. That left him with Sally; who was probably the most hurt of them all.
"I..." He started off, except he was cut off by the chipmunk.
"Look it's fine." She crossed her arms leaving him speechless. How did she know he was about to apologise? Regardless, he decided to keep himself hush and let her continue talking. "I was harsh yesterday; I said a LOT of things I had on my chest... My anger definitely got the best of me." She laughed off which the blue hedgehog didn't respond to. "You did what you had to do, and I unfortunately fell for you. It's cool. Life goes on." She shrugged her shoulders.
That definitely helped clear the tension between the two, though the blue hedgehog didn't know what else to say to her. They never really had much in common in his opinion, so he remained quiet hoping she could continue.
"I guess deep down I held a grudge for a really long time, I was angry that I'd invested so much time on you, and you never felt the same. Deep down I was hurting, and I wanted to pass that hurt on thinking I'd heal. I thought, well... me and Rouge both thought we could move on if we could get back at you - and hurt you." She trailed off, lowering her gaze because of the embarrassment she felt. It was a stupid justification, but at the time it'd felt viable. Though looking back at it now, it was nothing but a stunt to make herself feel better about the time she'd lost because of him, the time she'd spent with him.
"It was wrong. And when I heard you and Amy were getting close, it ticked me. I was so upset that you had a liking towards her and not me... I kept telling her she was the bad friend, but deep down I knew it was me." She took a deep breath in before speaking again. "...I want to say - I'm sorry, I should've left you be, I should've been nicer to Amy... She didn't deserve any of this..." The chipmunk burst into tears remembering her friend had disappeared without a trace.
A pause filled the room as the chipmunk sobbed lightly, letting herself fall to the couch. The blue hedgehog observed her from a safe distance not knowing if he deserved to go up to help comfort her after all he'd done. It was awful to see Sally cry, except it felt too awkward from him to reassure her, given their relationship in the past. That, and the fact she was backing Amy. She'd done everything in her power to plan his demise, the last thing he wanted to hear was someone justify her actions towards him.
"She deserves it, I don't get why you're crying over her." The blue hedgehog stated coldly which caused Sally to scrunch her face. "I was ready to leave ALL of this behind! I was going to be worthy of her, be normal! But no she destroyed me... So if it makes you feel any better about yourself, she's worse than you." He finished in a bitter tone, staring down at the tiles.
The chipmunk brought her hand to her forehead, filling with rage as he spoke such cruel words.
"NO!" She yelled which caused the blue hedgehog to snap his head up and focus his attention to the clearly distressed chipmunk. "She did all of this because we TOLD her to... She cares about you a lot, more than you know. She wanted us to abort the plan mid-way through. Trust me when I say she was really trying to put this off, but we wouldn't budge." She revealed which caused the blue hedgehog to frown.
"She talked about you with a lot of passion, she knows your her match. She's crazy about you... And I've messed it up for her. She's cared right from the very beginning, she's been so honest about the way she felt about you, we felt threatened. We swept her away from you and reminded her time and time again all of the horrible things you had done... So believe me when I say this, she didn't deserve any of this..." The chipmunk frowned again knowing her own jealous tendencies had previously been in the way. "I'm sorry she's gone, it's my fault." She let a single tear escape her eye.
The blue hedgehog took a deep breath in at what his ex-con had revealed.
She cared about him, just as much as he cared about her.
But it was too late... Sally had said she was gone.
Gone.
Gone?
"What do you mean she's gone? You kept mentioning it a few times, I didn't really pick up what that meant?" He questioned, proceeding towards her with cautious footsteps. Sally wiped her tears and looked up to him with empty eyes. "She... came back after you left yesterday - around 2 in the morning. She packed her bags and left..." She paused as her voice pitched up again, she felt hot tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, she's gone." She sniffled again.
The blue hedgehog let out a muffled ache at her words. He steadied himself as he walked backwards and crossed his arms. "...So, is she coming back? Do you have any idea where she is?" He asked hopeful the chipmunk would know something about her whereabouts. To his dismay, the chipmunk shook her head, again on the verge of tears which caused him to ball his fists together.
"...Right okay... Okay..." He announced as he paced back and forth. "So the chances of me seeing her again are really low?" He questioned with his voice breaking slightly. At this point, it was too much for Sally to even answer his question. He looked numb, ready to throw a fight and she couldn't bear to bring him an answer. Truth be told she had no idea where the pink hedgehog was. He was hitting his breaking point, she could tell. He was trying so hard to act strong, but inside he was breaking. She couldn't bear the fact that she was the cause behind this mess, behind this heist that'd ended with hearts broken. And all she could do was cry at his question.
He immediately knew the answer after her sobs which left his eyes to water.
No, there had to be something... A clue? A message? He paced around the room looking under every small object that was in his scope of vision. Behind the curtains? Nothing. On the balcony? Nothing. Behind the cushions? Nothing. In the wardrobe? Absolutely nothing? Every crevice of the suite was checked, yet he couldn't find anything. She was really gone, without a trace, forever gone from his life.
He'd left the balcony door open in a hurry. The sudden shower and the sounds of the rain hitting the cement outside alerted him of how the handle wasn't fully closed, the wind occupied the room. Oddly enough, it was a clear representation of the mood he was in. He wanted to cry except no tears would form. The abrupt gust of wind hit him as he felt a familiar coldness again. His life had been the brightest it had ever been, and now he was alone again greeted with the darkness and cold again. As the chipmunk continued to cry he felt to urge to go outside and soak himself in an attempt to cool down.
It was all over, yet his blood boiled. He needed to stay calm and not lose his mind, yet he was progressively occupying that state he wanted to avoid in its entirety. He recalled back how Amy asked for one last chance. Just one. To explain why things were the way they had been. He was so angry at that time; he'd let her go. And now she was gone forever. Just because of his anger. He couldn't afford to make that same mistake again.
He wouldn't be angry again.
He wouldn't allow himself to be.
And just as he wanted to go outside to drench himself to numb the pain, he saw it. The paper that danced slightly with the wind underneath his mug as he turned his head back to explore the slightly rattling sound. He felt a smile play at his face and dashed towards it knowing it was something of importance, something dear to him. A letter written by her, for him. His smile grew as he brought the letter close to read.
Dear Sonic,
Yes, I know your name... By the time you're reading this, the room will be empty. I'll be on hundreds of miles away. You'll be confused but I hope this letter can explain things. I'm so sorry things had to be this way. If I could have my way, I'd be here with you.
I'll cut to the chase... I was sent here to con you, and if you're reading this now then that means the mission is over. I did some digging and found your real name. Berlinda warned me that she'd received money by an account holder other than Sonar, and my contact managed to find out that the transfer was made by a Mr Sonic The Hedgehog. Further investigating led me to find that you transfer huge sums of rings to a hospital on a monthly basis; and surprise, surprise, I ended up going there too.
You can probably tell what I found out there, and I just want to say that you've been honest to me from the very beginning. I, on the other hand, have done nothing but lied to you from the get-go. I care about you a lot Sonic. I'm so sorry things had to be this way. I know you're probably angry reading this and all I ask is please forgive me. I feel so guilty knowing I've left you in the dark but that's just the way things had to be. I want you to know that every moment we shared was real. We are real. Please don't ever think I was lying to you about my emotions.
I'm writing this as you sleep beside me, but you're shuffling more than normal which means its nearly time you'll wake from your sleep. I guess I'll just have to keep this short so I can slip this away for you to read later.
I don't think I'll ever find anyone as perfect as you, and that's on me, not you. I guess that's just the irony of it all. The moment I find my match, I can't be with him. I hate that things have to be this way. I won't ever forget about you.
No matter how much you hate me, I'll always love you.
- Amy
He sniffled as he got to the end of the letter. That was all he needed to confirm it for him. She spoke her heart in that letter, and it reached him perfectly. He was scared, that he'd been played, that his feelings had been disregarded by her. But they were returned to his delight. It had been real. The chemistry he'd felt was unreal, undeniable. An attraction so strong, he couldn't resist. He was so sure it was real, and this confirmed it was. To him this was the biggest bounce back. As he turned back to go to the main room where Sally was present, he saw Rouge come out looking awfully tired.
"Full amount, good for you." She nodded at him impressed. The blue hedgehog took the opportunity and zipped to her at her statement. "Yeah... Okay... Whatever. Did Amy have a flight booked? She talked about leaving and going hundreds of miles away?" He questioned eagerly knowing Rouge would link it to something. She was always so smart, she would definitely be able to work with the information he'd given to her. Though this excitement died down as the bat gave him a blank face.
She scrunched her face a few moments later, not knowing what that meant in relation to Amy's disappearance. "I have no idea what that means. She could be miles away using all kinds of transports. Cabs, trains, bus stations, we can't possibly locate where she could b- Oh my gosh!" She finished as she realised something. "I'd booked Amy's flight for this afternoon! That's where she must be! Quick... What's the time?" She asked to which the blue hedgehog fumbled to get his phone out. 13:34.
"..." Rouge kept her lips firm as she contained herself. Time had flown by so quickly and he'd missed her by half an hour. Not knowing how to enlighten the blue hedgehog on this detail, she stayed quiet for a second. A deep breath was all it took to disclose what needed to be said.
"I'm sorry, it's already departed. The flight was for 1." She frowned which instantly brought the blue hedgehog's hopes down.
"So that's it then?" He asked not really needing an answer. Deep down he knew that this was it.
The bat frowned at his question but had a quick thought causing her to rush back to the side room for her phone. "Orrrrrr maybe not! I just remembered I was meant to book that flight but that one wasn't direct, so I booked the one afterwards. It departs at 2, you have to hurry!" She jogged back and handed her phone for the blue hedgehog to see and patted his back roughly.
"I have to go!" He rushed, running towards the door knowing how little time he had left to make it to Amy.
"Wait!" Sally called out to him, causing him to stop his tracks. "You need a ticket! By the time you get there she's going to be on the plane." She informed him which caused the blue hedgehog to groan. Those things took time, and that's exactly what he lacked at this time. This mission was already difficult enough, he didn't want to make it impossible.
"No, don't worry about that. Leave it to me. You go get your passport and luggage ready... Send me the details, I've got a friend that'll arrange this last minute ticket..." She quickly cleared which caused him to nod hastily at the bat.
"This is all for Amy's sake. You're lucky she likes you." Rouge joked but gave a bright smile, which Sally reciprocated back at the hedgehog.
The blue hedgehog turned back one final time to share their energy, and to his surprise, he shared an eager smile back. "Thanks!" He responded, genuinely impressed that they were so determined to help him.
"Wait, one more thing! What's your actual name?" Sally asked curiously which Rouge nodded at.
"Sonic. Sonic The Hedgehog." He answered instantaneously before dashing off. He didn't look once at them after his reveal to see their reactions, there just wasn't enough time. He needed to get his luggage together so he could get to Amy in time.
His lifeline.
.
"Ahhh excuse me, excuse me. I need to get through! My flight is literally in 3 mins!" The blue hedgehog announced as he was met by a flood of people near his terminal. A surge of them blocked his entry which he desperately needed to get through. Unfortunately, the public ignored him and continued with their extremely slow pace. He knew asking politely didn't help, so he proceeded to shove himself forwards violently, all force necessary, until he reached his terminal, which was barren.
He noticed a staff member at the help desk who shook his head furiously and repeatedly tapped his pen against the paper. Anyone from a far distance could tell this man was in a bad mood and as much as Sonic didn't want to approach him, he clearly had no choice. The urgency of the situation forced him to have this interaction.
"Hiiii… I have a flight here f-" He started off but was cut off by the man.
"Yes, Mr The Hedgehog, is it? You are already very late. You weren't on the list earlier so this is clearly a last minute thing. I was sure they stopped those a while back but you kids sure know how to by-pass systems like that." He groaned as he ticked the blue hedgehog's name off. Clearly, he had had a long day and this last minute change was enough to tick him off entirely. Sonic simply kept a straight face as the man aggressively fumbled through the papers.
"Passport please. We're already delayed." He huffed, which Sonic plastered an apologetic smile. He grabbed into his inside pocket and grabbed out his passport. With a quick identity check done, the man moved himself back giving room for the blue hedgehog to board.
"You know, if you had been one more minute late, we would've departed without you." He pointed out as his eyes widened towards the blue hedgehog. Sonic merely scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.
"Have a safe flight Mr The Hedgehog." The man rolled his eyes.
"Thanks, you too." He replied without thinking but groaned as he realised that wasn't quite the right thing to say. "…I mean, have a great day." He corrected himself to which the man gave a pitiful smile.
He'd officially lost the plot.
.
Sonic had a flight attendant help find his seat which was perfect. With all of the emergency protocols out of the way and the plane finally taking off, his eyes searched for one person.
Amy.
She was on her phone scrolling back and forth to pick the next tune she wanted to listen to, her left finger twirling the earphone wire. She looked off. Her jade green eyes didn't glimmer as much as they had yesterday. She looked like she hadn't slept judging by the slight bags under her eyes. He frowned knowing the true cause behind her distraught was him. If only he hadn't been such an idiot and pushed himself away from her, this whole predicament could have been avoided. But he still had the chance to make things right, to resurrect things.
He tried to unbuckle his seatbelt and move to sit beside her, though the flight attendant had stopped him, saying that the take off procedure was still not complete. He groaned loudly, offending the kind hostess who gave an apologetic smile regardless. Though once the procedure was done, a couple of minutes later, he turned back to see the same woman who had stopped him earlier, eagerly waiting for her approval. She gave him a nod to let him know it was now safe to move seats. The blue hedgehog didn't think twice after her approval and very grandly plumped himself down beside Amy.
It took her a second to register who was sat beside her, and when she clocked, she let out a loud groan. No, she was not going to go through this again. She'd let her guard down last time and pleaded to him. She was not that desperate, and she was definitely not pathetic enough to beg him to stay again. So, the pink hedgehog merely turned her head forward and picked up the book in front of her, covering her face so she could hide from the familiar stranger beside her.
"Hey Ames." Sonic softly called out to her.
Amy brought her book down and turned to him unimpressed. "What's up?" She dryly replied back which caused the blue hedgehog to look confused. She was unbothered by his presence? After everything that went down yesterday, the least he expected from her was to act surprised. But she didn't care one bit. He wouldn't take this to heart though. He knew he'd heart her, except he wouldn't let her ruin this, not this time.
"Seriously? 'What's up?'… Do you not think now is a good time to discuss things?" He raised an eyebrow leaning closer to her, reminding her how his presence always affected her in an attempt to charm her. Amy clearly was not impressed, his sudden weird closeness caused her to back up and hit her head against the window.
She let out a quick 'ow' and rubbed the back of her head, before glaring at the blue hedgehog, who flipped his head and looked forwards. This was clearly not how he'd imagined things would go and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Amy.
"…No, we are not doing this Sonic... You can't charm me! You CANNOT come over and pretend everything is okay! I am soooooo done! Sometimes you're fine with me, other times you're not! Sometimes I want to explain, and you won't let me, and other times you somehow stalk me on my flight! I can't do this!" She snapped at him before turning back and continuing with her book.
He spent a few minutes observing her. She was angry, so he hadn't bothered interacting with her again. She tried so desperately to hide her face in the book she held but failed. He could tell she didn't want him to stare at her, so his vision remained forwards; dulling into the passenger seat in front of him. Though he did notice how she would occasionally sneak glances at him but would look away as she'd get caught. He could tell she wasn't reading. She hadn't turned a single page in minutes. It was all just a ruse so she could hide from him.
If she was going to play like this then he was just going to have to play along too.
He brought his head forward again; she could sneak glances freely now. He didn't even bother to stare back at her each time she'd look at him. It made him smile how she thought she was being clever at observing him, except she wasn't. He was letting her watch him. It wouldn't stop his confession, he was going to clear everything once and for all. He blew out deeply knowing he was about to express how he felt.
"I found your letter, you know." He turned and caught her looking in his direction. Her jade green eyes met with his, which hesitantly moved away to focus back on the book, sadly still on the same page she had been since the very beginning. He smirked knowing he still had her full attention and turned to face forwards again.
"Don't worry, I forgive you. I'm not angry at you." He brought his head low and played with his hands.
"I'm angry at myself if I'm being honest. You wanted me to give you a chance to explain, and I never let you. You had a right to explain yourself, and I took that from you…. And for that, I'm sorry Amy." He sincerely apologised.
"I am a con artist. My intention was to con you – you already know that." He cleared before continuing. "What I told you about Manic was true. He was shot, we escaped our village, and I've had him admitted to the hospital in the city for years…"
"It's my job, you know? I had no one teach me the normal way of getting a job. This was all I knew, so I used it as a way to provide for myself. Granted, it gets me a lot of cash, but I don't like doing it." He paused not knowing what direction to take his speech. He noticed from peripheral vision that Amy had lowered her book slightly.
"I wasn't always like this… I guess I only told you the partial truth about me." He huffed before continuing. "After Manic was admitted to hospital, I didn't have the cash. Those girls… I went to one of their houses and whilst she was in the bathroom, I stole her phone and the cash on her table and made a run for it." He paused remembering how awful that had felt at the time.
"I hated how they thought they could buy me for money and use me. I wanted them to pay. I felt horrible about it at first but then it felt good. I then hacked into her phone to steal from her other friends…. It was enough to keep Manic admitted, and I couldn't have been more relieved at the time. It was after that when I decided that I'll start to con others."
"I guess deep down I felt angry and wanted to displace it, and this was the only way I knew how. I hated how those rich people didn't value what they had and treated others like trash, I felt like they needed to pay. So I thought if I just take away what matters to them to most, then they'd know how it feels." He shrugged his shoulders.
"I donate half of what I steal to charities anonymously, so kids that are in my position don't end up like me. I was unsheltered, and look at how I ended up... I just hope these donations are enough to put them into the right direction. So that they can live a good life, you know?"
"I guess I just play Robin Hood without permission." He laughed off softly, realising that was the purpose behind all his cons in the first place. It was funny how he'd just realised that now. Putting things into perspective really helped piece together the real motive behind all of this. This hassle he'd managed to get so fixated on. The art of con.
"Most of what I have left covers the hospital bills, and the remaining amount let's me live a very mediocre life. But you know what, I'm happy with it!" He smiled and turned to see Amy share his gaze, her book resting in her lap. Bingo! He'd caught her full attention.
"I thought everyone I chose as my target was snobbish, the same kind... The kind that would do anything to bring others down. But when I met you, you proved me wrong. You care about people like me, you care about Jamie and her family." He placed his hand on top of hers as he smiled brightly.
"You have always been perfect, and I'm always left in awe when I see you every day. The small actions you do, the way you always put people before yourself make me fall in love with you a little more each day." He blushed slightly. "Seeing you do everything in your willpower to make things right at the party made me think I'd be stupid to let you go. The party was the moment I let my guard down, that's when I decided I wasn't going to con you. You make me a better person Amy. I don't want to lose that." He almost pleaded.
"I'm so sorry about the way I acted before. I love you. Please forgive me Amy Elise." He held both hands onto hers. A part of him wanted to lean in and kiss her, he yearned for her, but it just wasn't appropriate. Another part of him knew there was a small chance she wouldn't forgive him. So he waited... His breath held in his throat, his life depending on her response.
The pink hedgehog paused and looked down at his hands covering her both. A perfect fit against her own, yet not so perfect at the same time. And that's exactly what they were; unperfectly perfect.
"…I –" She started off which caused Sonic to look up at her again with hope. "...That's not - even my name?... I- How am I meant to be with someone that doesn't know my name?" Her eyes watered as his grip became stronger. "I only learnt your name days ago, so how is this meant to work?" She questioned as she parted her hand from his. "We barely know each other." She faintly said as her breath hitched.
Sonic instantly comforted her and pulled her into a hug. It was true, he didn't know her real name. But that didn't mean that they couldn't be together. She needed reassurance and that's exactly what he planned on giving her. "No, no, no. What matters is that our feelings were real from the beginning. We lied to each other but we still fell for our true selves. Don't you see? We're literally destined to be..." He kissed her forehead and rubbed her quills, which caused her to give a hint of a smile.
"It's kinda weird how you had to be a fake victim for destiny to bring me to you though." He lightened the mood which caused Amy to giggle.
He squeezed her even tighter after that laugh and nibbled her ear slightly. "I promise you, I'm never letting you go. Ever." He let go of her so she could face him. Amy took the opportunity to lean in closer, inches away, fully sure she had Sonic's vision set on her.
"But for this to work for real this time, no more lies. No more cons, no more nothings. We need to be honest to each other, got it?" She warned with her index finger pointing towards him.
"Yes Ma'am, you got it." He laughed which led the pink hedgehog to smile.
"And if I ever need to explain anything I will not hesitate to hit you. Because you clearly don't give me a chance."
"I voluntarily will come up to you and let you do what you want." He smiled as he brought his hand to her cheek. They looked at each other for a moment hesitant on what to do next, and so the blue hedgehog leaned forward and pressed his lips against Amy's. That rush brought back all the energy that was drained from her yesterday. She felt revived and an instant urge to feel more kicked into which she desperately placed her arms around his neck. Sonic felt himself go dizzy; it was all too unreal at this point. He'd wooed her over finally, and now he'd be with her until the end of time. They both parted, red, but nonetheless satisfied with the adrenaline rush.
"I love you, you know." He stated as their noses touched. "Yes, and I love you too." She giggled as he grabbed onto her hand and intertwined it with his.
"You know, I got a phone call from the hospital yesterday saying a pink hedgehog was asking a lot of personal questions, and that it was related to my employment?" He raised an eyebrow which caused Amy to part from him and hide her face in her hands. He continued speaking despite her reaction. "I'm impressed how you lie on the spot like that." He complimented which caused the pink hedgehog to shake her head in her hands. "I was devastated at that call, and that Bailey lady showing up definitely didn't help." He revealed.
Amy groaned with her head still low. "There was so much questioning by the receptionist, it took such a bad direction. I couldn't think of anything else, so I made up an excuse about employment… But hey it paid off. I was able to find out you were being honest with me." She finally lifted her head and smirked at him. "You wanna know something else?" She asked him which he raised an eyebrow. "Reese, Kyle and Devon don't actually exist. They're all imaginary characters." She giggled.
The blue hedgehog needed to pick up his jaw after what his partner had just revealed. He was both annoyed but mind-blown at the same time. "You mean I was stressing about meeting your father that doesn't even exist?" He asked shaking his head which the pink hedgehog simply smiled to. Yes, he had indeed been out-played, a genius move by Rouge and the girls.
Sonic intertwined his hand with Amy, who took the opportunity to rest her head on his shoulder. "So... Now that I'm not a con man, can we continue with this boutique?" He asked casually, gazing down hazily at Amy.
Amy raised her head slightly, confused by what he had just proposed but more relieved. "Sounds like a perfect idea, and I couldn't think of a better partner. Except, we'd need to sign a proper contract with our real names." She paused as she brought out a scrappy tissue and clicked her pen, with a couple of minutes of scribbling, she slid the tissue over to Sonic.
"There it says 'I, Amy Rose, hereby declare 51% ownership of the Boutique 'Elise and Elegance''. You sign your bit where it says 'I, Sonic The Hedgehog, hereby declare 49% ownership of the boutique 'Elise and Elegance.'"
The blue hedgehog took a second to process the paper. A legal document binding them together for the rest of their business days ahead... Well, not so much legal, more of a promise between them really. He smiled at his partner brightly before leaving a signature neatly below his name. "Amy Rose… That's a beautiful name... Should've used it from the beginning." He smirked as he leaned in and pecked her lips.
"I think I prefer Sonic too. The real one." She whispered before leaning in and locking lips.
A/N: And that's a wrap! It's all finished and dusted, I don't have to stress about this anymore. It's very bittersweet finishing this off but I am so happy I had enough support to keep me motivated to finish this for good! Thank you for taking the time to reach the end!
Now for the teaser...
Here he was with a stranger he'd known less than 24 hours, hiding from public sight. It's not everyday you flee a multi-millionaire's daughter from her wedding and get accused of kidnapping. And the worst part was, it was an accident. Sonic was minding his business, jamming to music in his parked car before she forced him to drive off. Who? The girl that would turn his life upside down. The same bride he accidentally helped in fleeing her own wedding. Coincidence? He wasn't so sure. AU