A few hours later, Amy lay awake on Shadow's couch, wrapped up as tight as she could manage in the quilt he'd given her. But she was still freezing. The blizzard still raged on outside, the gusts of wind sometimes startling her awake as she was just managing to drift off. She had been using her phone sparingly to check the time, and it was already nearing midnight. They had waited for the power to come back on for a little while, but as it grew later, it seemed less and less likely. Finally, they'd decided that Amy was sleeping on the couch for the night and Shadow had tried to make sure she was comfortable.
And she had been comfortable aside from the shivering. But the more time passed, the colder she felt. Finally, she got up, turning on the lantern and looking around to investigate if perhaps one of them had left a window or a door cracked open on accident. Nothing. Everything was shut tight. Amy rubbed her arms, trying to warm them to no avail.
"What are you doing?" came Shadow's voice from the hallway. She turned and saw him standing there, eyes droopy. He looks adorable, Amy thought, then felt embarrassed that it had gone through her head.
"It's really cold in here," she said. "I was looking around to see if maybe a window got left open or something."
Shadow looked around. "It is pretty cold in here, isn't it," he agreed. Amy watched as he walked around, doing the exact thing she had done moments before, finding nothing out of place. "That's... odd..." he said as he came back to where she stood. "There doesn't seem to be any way a draft could really get in. But..."
In the lantern light, Amy could see his cheeks flush just slightly, and her stomach fluttered as he asked, "Do you... want to sleep with me?" He went even redder as he quickly clarified, "not like that, just... you know..."
Amy was about to reply when she shivered, her teeth starting to chatter. Then she nodded with an awkward smile, her cheeks and ears feeling as if they were on fire. Shadow tilted his head in the direction of his bedroom. "Come on then," he said, leading the way. Amy followed, still wrapped in the quilt he'd given her earlier.
He opened the door, revealing a small room with a messy bed in the center, as well as a desk just next to it, which also seemed to serve as a nightstand. There was one window just above the bed, facing towards the east. The bed itself wasn't too small, but it wasn't all that big either. They'd have to huddle pretty closely together just to stay on it. The idea both thrilled and terrified Amy. She'd never really cuddled with someone she liked before, much less slept next to them. How was it supposed to work? Was she going to ruin this by smacking him in the face with her arm in her sleep?
"You okay?" Shadow asked.
"Huh? Oh," said Amy. "I'm fine, just... new territory..."
Shadow chuckled. "Same here. But it's cold, and I don't think you want to be sick with a cold on Christmas Day, do you?"
Amy laughed a little and shook her head. "I don't..." she agreed. "But I also don't want it to be my fault you wake up with a bunch of bruises."
Shadow smiled and shook his head. "I'm the ultimate life form; I think I'll manage," he said, and Amy smiled.
He set his lantern down on the desk, laying down on the side closest to it. Amy turned her lantern off and moved to the other side of the bed, setting it down on the floor. She kept the quilt--it felt really nice--even as she got underneath the covers. She scooted close to Shadow, close enough that their noses were practically touching, and Amy ducked her head a little lower, trying to hide how nervous she really felt.
Shadow reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close up to his chest. "Is this okay?" he asked her softly, and she nodded, her forehead brushing his soft white chest fur.
After a moment, she relaxed enough to look up at Shadow who was smiling softly at her. "Good night, Rose," he said quietly, kissing her forehead, the touch warm and butterfly soft.
Amy giggled, hiding her face in Shadow's chest again. "Good night, Shadow," she replied. Slowly, being next to Shadow began to warm her up, and the sound of his steady heartbeat soothed her. His breaths slowed and evened out, his heartbeat slowing with them, until she was sure he was asleep.
Eventually, Amy's own racing pulse calmed, matching the rhythm of Shadow's, and her eyes drooped closed. She still wasn't sure what she really wanted in this newfound friendship. And she had no idea when she would be. But she knew one thing and one thing only; Shadow made her feel loved and cared for. Not quite safe just yet, but cared for at the very least.
We'll figure things out as we go, she thought. And then her awareness finally faded away as she fell fast asleep.
Hey, y'all! By the way, I've hinted at it but I realized I didn't make it clear, everyone is much older in this fic. And I made it so Shadow does age, just at a much slower rate than everyone else. So for example, he's physically 18, and six years have passed. He would have aged to around 24, but I cut that in half so 2 years is more like one. So physically, he's around 21. I don't count his chronological age because he was in stasis for most of that time.
These are the ages of the characters in this fic:
Amy: 18
Sonic: 21
Blaze: 21
Vanilla: 36
Cream: 12
Shadow: 21 (physically)
Basically just add 6 years to their official game ages.