The street was mostly deserted as the two hedgehogs walked along the sidewalk, their breath visible in the chill night air. Amy and Shadow were both silent for a little while, the only sound that of their shoes scuffing on the concrete. Amy noticed that Shadow wasn't wearing his rocket shoes. She supposed there was no real need for them. Not anymore.
The war against Eggman had been over for a long time, though she wasn't sure if that was really true. His body had never been recovered after his last defeat, but it had been a little over six years since then. If he was going to make a move, normally he would have done so long ago.
After the war had been declared over, Shadow had ended up resigning from G.U.N. and living as a civilian. Up until now she still hadn't seen very much of him though. Although maybe that was because until recently she'd practically glued herself to Sonic's hip.
"So," Shadow finally said after several minutes. "Are you going to tell me what it is you've been planning on doing about your problems?"
Amy huffed. "I still don't see why it's your business," she said. "You've never shown any interest in what I was doing before. Not unless I had something you wanted anyway. What's to say this isn't just you trying to get me to trust you to get something out of it? Who's to say you're not just gonna stab me in the back when you're done with me?"
Shadow sighed. "Have I ever really done anything of that nature, Rose?" he asked plainly. "You have had things I needed in the past, yes, but have I ever asked for them under pretense? No, I have not."
This was true, but Amy still wanted to stall for as long as she could. Somehow the idea of telling Shadow she was going to perform a love spell on Sonic didn't seem all that appealing. Best case scenario, he would sneer at her, calling her an idiot. Worst case scenario, he would take her seriously and do something drastic.
When she still didn't respond, something that almost looked like hurt passed over his face for an instant before he looked away. Guilt stabbed through Amy's chest, and she looked down at the ground as she walked, barely able to see her red boots in the dark.
"I'm sorry," she said at last. "I guess... I mean, I guess I've kinda known you for a while, but with all the times you've helped Eggman and gotten in the way of Sonic, I just... I don't quite trust you."
Shadow was quiet for a moment, and Amy looked up at him again. He was grimacing, as if she had struck a blow. "I... do not blame you," he said. "I have done things that I can see now would make you doubt my loyalty. Your distrust is warranted. However, I..."
He paused, closing his mouth and breaking eye-contact. "You... what?" asked Amy, trying to move in front of Shadow so he would look her in the eye. He stopped walking so he wouldn't bump into her, but he was still avoiding looking directly at her. "You what?" Amy demanded. "Spit it out."
"Never mind," he finally said, looking at her. "Nothing I can say will make you believe me. So there's no point in saying anything at all."
It wasn't until then that Amy realized just how close they were. She could feel the mist of his breath on her face, and all she could really see now were his red eyes, full of anger and sadness, but also, strangely, something else that she couldn't quite parse. He was looking at her in a way no one else ever had, and it sent a tingling feeling down her spine before she finally pulled away, clearing her throat awkwardly.
"I'm not telling you what I'm doing," Amy finally said. "That is my final answer. And if you try to force it out of me I can and will knock you into next Tuesday, got it?"
"Understood," Shadow responded, and he said nothing else after that. But he continued to walk next to her, staying on the side of the pavement closest to the road. Amy didn't say anything either, but she had to admit it was nice walking home with someone who'd deter anyone who thought they could take Amy on in the dark.
It happened sometimes, but just summoning her hammer was usually enough to scare them off. Shadow was much more intimidating than her though, even without a weapon. She thought it might have been his almost permanent frown.
Amy remembered seeing his smile earlier, and looked up at him, wishing she could see it again, though not quite knowing why.
Finally, they reached her house, Shadow even walking her up to her door. Under different circumstances, this might have been a nice end to a date, she lamented. As she pulled out her keys and unlocked her door, Shadow lingered. "Try to get some sleep," he said gently. Then he turned around and left, leaving her standing bewildered on her front porch.
Did he actually care about her?
And how did she feel about it?
Amy shook her head and went inside, shutting the door and locking it behind her.
Author's note: Hey guys! Hope you've been enjoying this! I want to say that uploads are going to be sporadic at best for the next week because (drumroll please) it's finals week. T~T
Things will resume like normal and we'll see how long it takes me to finish this fic, but for now I kinda have to disappear bc college is my Eggman. Surely my fellow college students (if any of y'all are reading this) can relate.
And so, hiatus begins now! See you soon! 3