A/N: Hiya, just stopping in to drop a little story for you guys. Not sure if this is going to be a one-shot or not, still debating if I want to go forward with it. But hope you guys enjoy! Thank you for your support!
Station Square had proven to once again be a bustling city full of electric life; it had finally rebirthed. Over the last few years the area had grown exponentially; condos were made, all different kinds of shops and attractions were built and that ultimately meant more residents and tourists. It was rare now to see the streets not busy with traffic or the sidewalks not crowded but it was a welcoming sight, especially after the catastrophic events that had stained this place six-odd years ago. Known as the 'chaos incident', thanks to Dr. Eggman the once proud city had been wiped clean from the vicious battle that took place. The powerful and destructive water God, Chaos, had ravished the area leaving not much left in its wake; killing hundreds and leaving basically just infrastructure behind. It was presumed that the city would never be the same after the devastation but thankfully Station Square proved the world wrong.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busy street was a pink hedgehog trying to make her way to her destination. Amy didn't live in Station Square but was visiting for the day, making a special visit to her favourite bakery before heading towards the outskirts of town. She had a large picnic basket in her arm, filled with snacks, drinks and most recently added two beautifully made sandwiches. In the heart of the city it was loud and fast paced but once you made it further and further away, it got quieter and more peaceful. The large towering sky scrapper's that surrounded her slowly became smaller and the shops fewer and farther apart. She rounded the corner and finally spotted an abundance of grass, a clear sign she was getting close to her destination. She walked toward it, the cement streets eventually turning to gravel, then to dirt and then to grass.
Station Square was located in an odd spot, the giant city had been built in a remote area. Unless you took a train or a bus there was no way you could make it to the next town by just walking - that would take days. But that also meant that there was an added benefit to the concrete jungle that a lot of other built up cities did not have – an abundance of breathtaking wild life growing all around it. It was arguably the best of both worlds and Amy took advantage of it quite often. She continued her walk, going slightly downhill before reaching a large clearing with an even larger body of water located a few feet in front of her. It glistened beautifully in the sunlight, a soft warm breeze only stirring the water ever so slightly.
Amy smiled and made her way to a wooden dock where several kayaks and canoes were tied up, available for public use. With it being such a beautiful day that there was quite a few people already on the dock getting ready to go for a ride themselves. She made sure to hurry over and managed to claim one before it was too late. Placing the basket into the canoe she pulled out her communicator and after pressing a few buttons, a dialing out tone began to ring.
"Hello?" a gentle voice came from the device.
"Hi Vanilla! I'm already at the dock, how far out are you?" Amy responded cheerfully.
"Oh, Amy, I'm so very sorry dear it's been such a busy morning, I thought I had left you a message. Cream has come down with something, she isn't feeling very good at all. I'm afraid she won't be able to make it to your picnic date."
Amy paused at the bad news, her face scrunching in concern. "Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear - is she okay?"
"Yes she'll be fine, nothing some rest and soup won't fix. I do apologize though, I could have sworn I had called you-"
"Don't worry Vanilla, it's totally fine, all that matters is she gets better. Thank you for letting me know, please don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything."
"That's very sweet of you dear, thank you. Have a good day now."
The call ended and Amy sighed, trying not to be too disappointed. Of course she was let down but it was one of those things you couldn't help – she knew Cream would be just as equally bummed out, the poor thing. She made a mental note to visit her on her way back home and bring some left over goodies. With another small sigh Amy decided she was still going to make the best out of her day and carry on. But as she began to untie the rope a loud explosion in the near distance happened causing everyone look around in alarm. Then another explosion followed, this one a lot closer to the lake, instantly inducing panic to the crowd which was scattered about the area.
Amy narrowed her eyes and as everyone ran as far away as possible, she instead ran toward the commotion. Following the smoke she found a large Eggbot as the culprit, which was no surprise. Glancing around she noted that Eggman was nowhere to be seen, so at least that was somewhat of a relief. It didn't take notice of her at first and continued to cause destruction to anything in its path. Amy held out her hand and summoned her piko-piko hammer, the impressive weapon falling into her palm.
"Hey! What's the big idea, huh!?" She yelled and the bot turned, focusing its camera-eye's on its new target. It scanned the pink hedgehog, the information and details of the scan compiling up, running the results through the robots database.
"HEDGEHOG DETECTED. FEMALE. PINK. NOT SONIC."
Amy rolled her eyes at Eggman's continuous, and quite frankly obsessive, track record of wanting to destroy the blue hero. It was always the top priority.
"AMELIA ROSE. CONSIDERED DANGEROUS THREAT. MUST DESTROY."
As soon as the Eggbot stated the last word it began to fire off toward Amy, catching her by surprise. She let out a surprised yell and jumped out of the way at the last second, narrowly avoiding a painful collision. She gripped her hammer tightly, eyes focused on the machine – she had to stay alert with this one. Amy lunged her arms back and threw her hammer with full force toward the target. The moment she was able to predict that her hammer was going to successfully hit the machine, she began to run toward the side of the Eggbot, not wasting a minute. The hammer smashed against the robot, a loud noise erupting into the air from the impact. The Eggbot stumbled back from the forceful hit and before it could get its bearings Amy was already in close proximity, another hammer appearing in her hand. She leaped into the air and made another crucial hit, the bot falling onto its back, electric energy already dancing outward from its broken wires and circuits.
Amy didn't give it a chance to get back up as she jumped onto the machine and began continuously smashing her hammer against everything she presumed was its weak spots. Soon enough, the massive destructive robot was out of commission, her strength leaving only a dented heap of scraps on the ground. Amy hopped off, panting slightly as she placed her hammer down, leaning against the handle with her arm.
"Well, that wasn't so bad." She said to herself, but as she finished her sentence something felt off - her senses alarmed her that something was approaching from behind. She spun around to see a much smaller, but still deadly, Eggbot leaping toward her, guns aimed and ready to fire. She began to react, grabbing her hammer and instinctively going to swing at it when a blue flash cut across the air, slicing the small robot in half, the pieces falling before her feet. As the initial shock of the moment left her face, she looked over knowingly to her side where she figured the culprit was.
"I could have handled that myself, y'know."
Her eyes found Sonic a few feet away; he had just finished landing, his torso was slightly bent forward with legs crouched while his body braced against the slide from his momentum. Once he skidded to a complete stop he straightened himself up with a grin, hands brought up with a casual shrug.
"I know - but you know how much I love to make an entrance."
Amy's lips curled up as she rolled her eyes playfully in response. Sonic began to make his way over, surveying the area before getting a good look at the giant Eggbot on the ground beside her. He let out a low whistle.
"That heap of junk didn't stand a chance against you, huh?"
Amy lifted her hammer so it was now resting on her shoulder, her hip swayed out with attitude.
"Of course it didn't. You doubted that?"
Sonic smirked, "Please. I learned a long time ago to never doubt you."
Amy pointed her hammer at him, her weapon almost touching his chest as she smiled.
"Good. I'm happy to see that you do learn once in a while."
He laughed at her teasing, pushing the hammer away from him. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
She laughed too, setting it down. As much as she knew she could have handled that last Eggbot, she was still grateful that he had shown up – as well as curious.
"How did you know to come here anyways?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
Sonic looked at her with a genuine ignorance, "I honestly had no idea. I stopped into town to get a chili dog from my fav vendor when I heard the explosion across town, so I cruised over to check it out." As he finished his sentence he glanced around, "But the situation has clearly been taken care of."
Sonic smiled and looked back at her while he continued, "So, in short, you owe me a chili dog."
Amy walked toward him and linked her arm with his without missing a beat, "Well, I can't give you a chili dog but I can offer you something better ~ "
She began to walk, leading him forward, and he obliged with a surprised look on his face. Sometimes Amy's actions were so fast it took his brain a few seconds to catch up to what was happening – how ironic. There was just something about her that made him function differently when he was with her. He awkwardly followed beside her as he tried to focus on something other than her close touch.
"So, uhhhh, what were you doing out here then?"
"I was coming here to meet someone for a picnic! Myself being here was just one of those 'right place at the right time' things." Amy replied cheerfully.
Sonic looked down toward her, his face reacting with a taken back emotion. "Picnic? With who?"
Amy glanced up at him, grinning slyly at his unusual slip.
"Oh, that was quite the snippy response. Are you jealous?"
Sonic could feel the heat rising to his cheek and he snapped his attention away from her – the trees in the foreground suddenly becoming very interesting.
"N-No! Of course not! I'm just making conversation."
Amy giggled, patting his arm gently. "Don't worry, it was only supposed to be with Cream."
Sonic was about to reply when he realized where she was leading him to. His intent to look anywhere but the pink hedgehog forced him to actually pay attention to his surroundings - there was water. A lot of water. And they were heading toward the docks, which was only a few paces ahead of them now. This caused him to stop in his tracks, any flustered emotion he had been fighting before quickly being forgotten. Their arms were linked loosely so as he stopped she took a step or two before noticing his sudden absence. Amy turned,
"C'mon, we're almost there!"
Sonic swallowed, doing his best to remain cool. "Almost where? Just where exactly are you taking us?"
"To the island of course!" She skipped ahead and bent over, successfully grabbing her picnic basket out of the canoe and showed him proudly. "Look! We're all set!"
Sonic rubbed the back of his head, "Ehhhh, Amy I really don't know about this." He looked behind his shoulder at the long stretch of solid ground behind him. Amy knew right away he was getting flighty – she recognized that over the shoulder look, she had seen it one too many times. She walked up to him and grabbed his hand gently.
"C'monnnn, have you ever been to the island? It's so beautiful this time of year! There's this type of flower that only grows there that is going to knock your socks off. It's a limited window when there in season though and I want to see it before it's too late! And on a day like today, with the sun shining so brightly?! It's going to be perfect!" Amy let out a little happy sigh, "Oh I've just been waiting for months to go!"
Sonic shuffled his feet, his hand fidgeting in her grasp "It's not the island that I'm worried about…"
Amy looked at him, puzzled at first and then a little hurt. Her and Sonic had developed a close relationship, they were very good friends and he had grown a lot emotionally over the years. He still got squirrely sometimes but the days of him ditching her or running away were long gone. At least, that's what she thought.
"What is it then…" she said quietly, sadness leaking into her tone as she let go of his hand. She would respect whatever decision he made but occasionally it was hard for her not to re-live those hurtful times from their past. She knew those instances were caused due to a mix of both of their immaturity but in a situation like this, her mind auto-prepared for the worst scenario as a reflex. Sonic, who picked up on her tone, quickly corrected her assumptions and placed his hands on her arms.
"Oh-! No, it's not- I didn't mean it like-" he fumbled quickly before taking a deep breath, centring himself. He trained his eyes on hers, "It's not that I don't want to go with you. It's just the whole, yknow, getting there part…" he tilted his head, gesturing toward the body of water beside them.
A look of realization washed over her face as she put two and two together – he was nervous having to cross the lake.
"Ohhhhhh. The lake? Really? That's what's bothering you?" she asked lightly, a small wave of relief washing over her.
"Well, I mean, right now it's not. Water is okay to look at I guess. But that boat? With me in it?" He gave her a repulsed look and she had to hold back a laugh at his comical expression.
"We don't have to take the boat! You can run on water if you go fast enough, right?"
Sonic folded his arms, "I only do that when it's absolutely necessary. Like, I'm talking life or death. And the speed that I need to go for that, I couldn't carry you while doing it – it wouldn't be a good experience for either of us."
Amy put her hands on her hips and looked out toward the island, humming in thought. There really wasn't any other way to get there unless they somehow could fly, and unfortunately neither of them possessed that talent. After a few moments Amy let out a small huff of air as she came to the hard conclusion that the boat was the only way.
"Well… That's alright. We can picnic somewhere else." She tried her hardest to hide her disappointment as she turned away from him and began to walk back on the dock to gather her things. "Where would you like to go?"
"Ahh Ames, just wait a minute, what about Cream? What happened to her going with you?" Sonic tried, trying to find a way that Amy could still enjoy her day as planned. Amy took the basket in her arm and made her way back in front of Sonic.
"She's sick, the poor thing. I was going to just go alone but what fun is that? Now that you're here, we might as well enjoy the picnic together, right?" she gave him a small smile, "So, where were you thinking?"
Sonic studied her face for a few moments; his eyes tracing over her light features and then back into those strong, beautiful jade eyes. Although she did try her best to disguise it, he could see right through her. All the excitement he saw moments ago was drained and replaced with despondency behind her facade.
He stared hard into her eyes for a few more long seconds, which made Amy feel all sorts of things but the main one was confusion – why did he have such a strange look on his face? He then let out a small groan and grabbed the basket from her.
"Sonic, what are you doing-"
He began to walk toward the dock, "I'm about to be an idiot, that's what I'm doing." He dropped the basket into the canoe and began to undo the rope that was tied to it. "You wanna go see the once in a lifetime flowers growing across the lake? Then we're gonna go see the once in a lifetime flowers growing across the lake."
Amy ran onto the dock beside him, shock and slight concern on her face. "Sonic, we don't have to! Honestly! I don't care!"
Sonic left the rope so it was still loosely around the wooden pole and took a deep breath before hopping into the canoe. The force of his weight suddenly going into the raft caused it to bob around in the water, which in turn caused Sonic to hold onto the sides tightly – it was a pretty small canoe so he could easily grab onto either side. His back was to Amy, so she couldn't see but his eyes were closed tightly as the tiny vessel rocked against the water. He let out a big breath that he didn't realize he had been holding in before he replied.
"Well, you do care but you're being selfless about it. And I care that you care, so… Just-… Please hop in before I change my mind."
Amy hesitated before saying a small 'okay' in response and grabbed the rope, sliding into the canoe carefully. When Sonic sensed she was in with him he opened his eyes but kept his focus on the wooden floor under his shoes.
Amy sat quietly looking at his back with guilt. She felt like she was making him do something he really didn't want to and she didn't like that at all - even with knowing it wasn't because she pressured him. Once the canoe stopped rocking and was still again, Sonic was able to relax a bit – the feeling of the water not swaying him back and forth subsided his anxiety a little. It was only then he noticed Amy hadn't said a word yet and they were still floating at the dock. He turned to look over his shoulder at her and as he did, she spoke.
"Are you sure?"
Sonic smiled weakly, relaxing his iron grip on the side of the canoe to lift his hand and gave her a thumbs up. "As long as you're okay to paddle, let's do it."
Amy sighed, not being convinced but decided there was no point arguing with him anymore.
"Alright, if you say so…" she began to paddle, causing Sonic's hand to immediately shoot back down to grab the side for support again.
The ride to the island was pretty smooth as the water was somewhat calm and there was no other boaters around, but Sonic still stayed stiff and silent the entire time. Each stroke of the paddle caused the canoe to jerk forward, tiny waves splashing up, the sound alone making him on edge. The ride would have been a lot smoother if both parties were paddling but even if he did have a paddle in his hands, she doubted it would have done much good anyways.
"Gods, what was I thinking, what was I thinking, what was I thinking, what was I thinking-" he kept muttering quietly to himself, his eyes trained back onto the wood beneath his feet. He hated this feeling, he hated feeling like he was at the mercy of the merciless waves. Sure they were fine now but a million different things could go wrong – one thing he had learned over the course of his life is that water was unforgiving and unpredictable. Funny, normally he loved unpredictable, thrived on it even. But seas could go from looking like bath tub water to a hurricane in seconds. Waves and undertows could swallow a man whole, the suffocating pressure pushing down further and further until you were battling against it in slow motion, lungs burning for air before filling with the very thing that's been torturing you.
And for someone that sank like a stone, Sonic was understandably not a fan.
Amy, sensing how unpleasant this was for Sonic, began to sing a little, hoping to ease the tense atmosphere. She sang a tune as she paddled along, her sweet voice gently wafting through the air. Sonic was so caught up in his fear that it took a few moments for him to realize she was singing. He couldn't quite make out what the words were but focusing on her voice was actually quite soothing. He choose to shift his attention to Amy's soft vocals and tried to allow her melody to distract him. It didn't noticeable relax him from a physical standpoint, but it helped tame his thoughts. Soon, the canoe jerked to a stop as it finally made contact with the sandy beach of the island.
Before Amy could stop singing Sonic had already zipped out of the boat and was standing halfway up the beach. The pink hedgehog blinked a few times – she was obviously used to Sonic's speed but when he really wanted to move, he was still able to surprise her. His posture and facial features were already back to normal; the comfort of being back on land was like flipping a switch inside him.
"Oh, er, sorry – lemme help you…" Sonic said sheepishly, walking back toward the shoreline. Amy let out a small laugh, grabbed the basket and stepped out onto the beach with a smile.
"No, no, it's okay." She pulled the canoe up so there was no chance for it to drift out while they left it unoccupied and turned around to meet him halfway. "You deserve as much time as you can get on solid ground." She smiled at him, a hint of humour in her eyes.
Sonic gave her a chuckle and took the basket from her so she didn't have to carry it. He casually placed an arm around her shoulders as they began to walk toward the foliage.
"Yup, nothing like the earth beneath your feet." He replied – in his tone had a hint of bittersweet in it.
She looked up at him, studying his face.
"I don't mean to sound rude but I'm kinda of surprised that was such a big deal for you." Sonic glanced down at her as she continued, "You were secure in a boat and it wasn't like it was storming out or anything. I didn't think something like that would affect you that much."
Sonic lifted his arm off of her in order to scratch his ear uneasily, "Eh, yeah. It's not called a phobia for nothin'…"
They continued their walk toward the destination, Amy leading the way but Sonic still remaining side by side with her. There was a vague, barely worn out trail that they were following but for the most part it was all overgrown. Amy looked over at him again,
"It's just… You've had to deal with water numerous times, in battle or on your adventures, and you've seemed fine then. I just figured it would have to be pretty dire for your fear of water to affect you."
Sonic took a big step forward and held some branches back, allowing for her to go through before following behind, the branches snapping back aggressively once he let go.
"What can I say Ames? I had to put on a brave face during all that." he simply said. Amy just nodded, accepting his answer but something still bugged her about it. If it was so easy for him to put on a brave face, how come he couldn't have done that just now? It was clearly obvious the entire trip he was as stiff as a board. Amy knew he was uneasy around water but she would have never suggested going if she knew just how bad it was. Her thoughts got interrupted as she saw the opening to the clearing.
"Ah! Here we are!" Amy grabbed his hand and ran toward the opening. As they walked through, the drastic change from shade to sunlight made Sonic hold his hand up to shield his eyes. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust but when they did, the sight before him made his mouth drop. Every inch of the field in front of him was covered in the rare vibrant flowers - it was a kind he had never seen before despite his many travels around the world. There seemed to be two different kinds, one a series of purples and the other a series of yellows.
"Whoa…" The more he looked the more he realized why these flowers looked so vibrant – each petal resembled something along the lines of dragon scales. As they blew softly in the breeze, the petals reflected off of the sun in different manners, causing the colours to change shades, their reflective properties creating a dazzling display.
Amy had let go of his hand and took a few steps forward, looking out at the field in front of him. After a few moments she turned back to look at him, "Gorgeous, isn't it?"
Sonic just stared. He was all for living in the moment, hell that was one of the core mottos he went by, but seeing Amy in front of him with that breathtaking scenery behind her… He wished he had a camera. Amy was always effortless beautiful but the way the sun was shining and the field of flowers was shimmering behind her, it looked like something out of a dream.
"Yeah, that's an understatement…" he replied. He kept starring at her while she stared at the field, a peaceful smile on her face.
As she admired the flowers, he admired her.
She was so happy, it made his heart soar to know that. He often felt like he took Amy for granted and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that most people did. Not purposefully of course, but she was just such a sweet, caring soul; always looking out for everyone, always so selfless, never giving any of it a second thought. But at the same time she was strong and independent – you never had to worry about her, she was a force to be reckoned with. She graciously handled both sides of the coin so seemingly effortless that it was easy to not pay gratitude as much as one should.
Amy spun around, "Well, this is a great spot to set up our picnic, don't you think?"
Sonic blinked a few times, pushing his thoughts to the side and then grinned, "Better than great." He placed the basket down and opened the lid, pulling out the folded blanket that was inside. Grabbing the corners he shook the blanket out, causing it to stretch out to its full size before he laid it on the ground. Sonic extended his hand as if to present the blanket to her.
"Ladies first."
Amy giggled and sat down, Sonic sitting beside her not long after. She began to pull out the spread – crackers, cheeses, meats, fruits, veggies and two sandwiches all laid out in front of them. Sonic raised his brows at all the food in front of them.
"You and little Cream were going to eat all this?" he said, surprised. Amy laughed, grabbing a strawberry.
"No, not all of it. Any leftovers I was going to send her home with for Vanilla." She twirled the fruit in her fingers, inspecting it before popping it into her mouth. Sonic gave her a sympathetic look,
"Well now I feel bad eating it... We can save my portion for them, I'm not that hungry."
Amy picked up a sandwich and gave it to Sonic, "Oh please, you're always hungry. Cream would want you to enjoy this, I can always stop and get more goodies before I visit them."
Sonic gave her a small smile as he accepted the food – he knew she was right and he knew she wouldn't hesitate to restock but he still felt somewhat guilty. He decided he'd give in but make sure to eat the bare minimum; a compromise.
They both sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes enjoying the food as well as the view; Amy sitting upright with good posture, her legs crossed while Sonic leisurely leaned back on his hand, one leg straight with the other bent. He took the last bite of his sandwich.
"Gotta tell you Ames, this was worth the trip over." She looked over to him as he spoke, his focus still on the field of flowers, before he turned to look her way, their eyes locking. "Thanks for sharing this with me." Sonic smiled softly – everything about this atmosphere was so relaxing, including the company. His emerald eyes seemed to glisten along with the flowers against the sunlight– it made her chest tighten looking into them.
"You're welcome…" she managed, their stares remained interlocked, neither of them making a move to look away. It felt like they were slowly gravitating towards each other, it was like a force that was outside of anything they could control. There were no thoughts, no distractions, no outside noises leaking in – all that mattered was this strange moment of an alluring instinct happening. As their faces got closer, Amy placed her hand down in order to keep her balance. Her hand landed on top of his, causing the spell to be broken as both hedgehogs looked down at the sudden contact being made.
They both withdrew as they stared at each other again, blushes forming on both of their cheeks, the unexplainable trance ending. Sonic immediately grabbed a cracker with some cheese and proceeded to shove it into his mouth, looking away in embarrassment while Amy looked the other way as well, trying to get her heart to stop beating so loudly in her chest. He chewed quickly in a feeble attempt to use it as a distraction from his thoughts; what was that about!? At least she seemed equally embarrassed but man, why does he always act like this around her! What is it about Amy that always makes him loose his cool?!
Amy took a sip of her water, suddenly being very aware of just how close they were sitting. She was rarely nervous or timid around anybody, but Sonic made her heart sputter and her mind wander like no one else.
Sonic inhaled sharply and immediately started coughing like crazy, causing Amy to jump a little in reaction. He keeled over to the side, coughing and sputtering while he lightly pounded his chest with his fist. Amy propped herself up on her knees and grabbed his one shoulder lightly, leaning over to offer the water.
"Here, here, take this!"
Sonic gratefully accepted it from her and took a few big gulps when he could, which helped subside his coughs after a few moments. He coughed once more before falling onto his back in defeat, staring up at the sky with a groan. Amy couldn't help but laugh at the conquered hedgehog lying beside her, his unfortunate choking breaking the tension.
"You alright there?"
"I think I breathed a whole cracker into my lungs." He grumbled hoarsely, little coughs still coming out as he spoke. Sonic glanced over to her, "Can't believe I'm saying this but good thing for the water." He let out a chuckle, "Turns out the stuff is good for some things, eh?"
Amy smiled and shifted her weight so her legs were tucked to the side, her body leaning against Sonics torso lightly as he laid there. "Yeah, good thing." She tilted her head slightly, noticing something as she leaned forward, her face getting closer and closer to Sonic's again.
He just laid there frozen with a wide eyed expression, unable to move while he watched and felt her close the distance. She paused a few inches away and lifted her hand to wipe some crumbs off his muzzle, giggling softly.
"There, that's better." Sonic felt her breath lightly brush against his face as she lingered and all he could do was continue to stare at her, his heart hammering in his chest like a prisoner trying to escape. She eventually leaned back to her relaxed sitting position, her arm now draped over Sonic's chest comfortably. He let out a breath and wiped the back of his hand across his muzzle for good measure.
"Uh, thanks..." he said lightly, doing his best to keep his emotional recovery under wraps. Jeez, was she doing this on purpose?
Amy stared at him for a long moment, her facial features conveying she was deep in thought about something. It made Sonic on edge.
"Sonic, I can't help but think…"
Sonic looked at her, a guarded expression already taking over as she continued to study his face. Oh boy, here we go.
"I'm sorry to keep bringing this up, but I just can't stop thinking about it. How you were in the boat, I've never seen you that shaken up by being near water before."
Sonic let out a half-breath-half-chuckle; thank Gods that was the question. This girl is going to be the death of him. Sonic lifted his arms up, placing his hands underneath his head, his body language easing up considerably.
"Oh… Well, I do try to stay away from the stuff. It makes sense that you wouldn't have seen that before."
"I've seen you around water tons of times. I witnessed you battle Chaos, for crying out loud! Y'know - the water God that flooded Station Square? You were barely phased."
Sonic was silent for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts in a way that he would be able to explain to her. To be honest he wasn't so sure himself, he never sat around and thought about it all – contemplating something like fears was just not his style.
"I don't really know, Ames. I was definitely freaked out, that much I know for sure... I guess when the stakes are that high, I'm able to push through more easily than when they aren't."
Amy tilted her head to the side, "Maybe because you were in your Super form it helped?"
Sonic paused, pondering. "Hmmm, no, not really. I mean, being able to fly during that was a bonus of course, it made it a lot easier to navigate, but I still could have lost power in a bad spot and ended up drowning." Sonic paused again, his eyes trailing up to the clouds while his face scrunched in thought once more. Amy couldn't help but smile softly at him, he looked so cute.
"Yeah, maintaining Super form isn't all that easy, especially when the added distraction of a phobia is there. I was very aware that whole battle about the water surrounding me."
Amy, still sitting up facing Sonic, laid her head down on her arm that was across his chest, starring up at him. "Kind of poetic, isn't it? You had to physically fight your phobia, with Chaos being a water God and all."
Sonic chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so, if you think of it like that."
"What caused your phobia to water, anyway?"
Sonic shrugged his shoulders up slightly, "No idea. I've just been afraid of water for as long as I can remember. And since I never learned how to swim, the amount of near death experiences I've had with it…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "I couldn't even begin to count them all."
Amy just looked at Sonic in admiration as he spoke so casually about the very thing that petrified him. The thing that was very much still actively in his life, the thing that was not so easy to avoid and yet he soldiered on despite his fear. She always knew Sonic was brave, that fact was just a given, but learning about this gave him a new kind of dimension of bravery. She couldn't imagine experiencing near death situations so often by something that it developed an extreme phobia, and yet still having to deal with that thing on the regular.
"Have you ever thought of learning how to swi-"
Sonic cut her off instantly, "-Nope. Never going to happen, absolutely not." He shook his head, a disapproving look on his face at the very thought.
Amy laughed at his abrupt response, "Why not! It would be worth a shot, wouldn't it?"
"I could name a million reasons why not, there's no way it's happening, nope, not a chance." Sonic closed his eyes as a way to stubbornly end the conversation, "I've made it this far just fine, thank you very much."
Amy smirked softly at his childish response, "Alright, alright. Just trying to help."
Sonic peaked one eye open to look at her, "And I appreciate it, but… No."
Amy rolled her eyes with a smile and turned her body so she could lay beside him. She laid on her side, Sonics hands were still under his head so she was able to rest her head on his inner arm, snuggling up to his chest. Sonic could feel his cheeks burning up but in his stubborn stance, he remained how he was, allowing her to lay on him. The two were silent for a few beats, the mild breeze caressing past them like a loving touch. Once Amy knew Sonic was comfortable, as he didn't give her any protest, she spoke up.
"Thank you for coming today. It means a lot that you would do that for me." She used her index finger to absentmindedly trace circles on his chest as the two laid together on the blanket. Sonic swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeing very dry at the intimate predicament he found himself in.
"Y-Yeah, don't mention it Ames... Glad to be here."
Amy let out a content sigh, causing Sonic to peak down at her; she had closed her eyes.
"What a beautiful day…" she said softly, so soft it was almost a whisper.
Sonic hummed in agreeance and looked up to see the clear blue sky, not a cloud in sight. He closed his eyes as well, feeling the sun beam down, providing a blanket of warmth on them. The anxious, nervous feelings that seemed to course through his veins anytime Amy was near gradually simmered, allowing the pitter-patter of his heart to slow down. Amy's touch, the same touch that would shock his internal systems dead, was now a touch of comfort, soothing and inviting. As she traced her fingers along his chest, he felt at ease but at the same time alert.
It was as if now that he was more accustomed to her, the electricity took a back seat, but was still dancing just below the surface; enough to make him relax but still have that feeling of excitement and danger pulsating in reach. It was a comfortable thrill. Sonic had grown to enjoy it rather than run from it; despite his uneasy feelings sometimes, it was always exhilarating being around her - he never knew what to expect or what he was going to feel next.
Her delicate touch flirted with his emotions the way Sonic himself flirted with danger.
Amy was a little surprised Sonic seemed content with how they were laying but she was definitely not complaining. Their relationship was ever growing and she found now that he often surprised her with his actions. A few years ago there was no way this would have been possible. It made her wonder where exactly he stood with her, how exactly he felt. Was he just growing more comfortable around her in a platonic way? They had been through a lot over the years, she's known Sonic longer than Knuckles has, it was entirely possible. But again, there have been certain mannerisms she's picked up from him that would suggest differently.
Oh how she wished she had a crystal ball so she could take a peek inside that brain of his, help her understand what she should be feeling. But that's the thing with feelings, there was just no controlling how you truly feel about someone. And she was undeniably, uncontrollably still in love with him - it didn't matter how hard she pushed it down or buried it. The years rolled by and her love remained unwavering, but yet she still felt in the dark. Amy hand stopped caressing his chest and she froze, the painful realization causing her hand to stop in its place.
Sonic could feel the shift - along with her hand stopping her body went rigid. He opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side in order to get a better look at her.
"Ames?"
He didn't have to ask what was wrong, his tone conveyed it all; he knew something was up. Amy let out a small sigh and adjusted her head so she was looking up at him. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds, unsure what to say.
That was a mistake, looking directly into those eyes. The way he looking at her, his eyelids half down in an alluring, relaxed manner; it made her lose any train of thought she once had.
"I…."
Sonic brows drew together gently, his expression accenting his confusion, softly encouraging her to continue. Amy paused again, staring thoughtfully at him, only a hint of a hesitation gracing her features. As much as she wanted to be straight forward with him, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want to chance ruining their close friendship or making things uncomfortable, they were finally in such a solid groove.
"I was just thinking how much you mean to me, that's all."
She studied his face but he remained unchanged; the only shift was a slight surprise but otherwise he remained relaxed. Another example of how much their relationship had matured – a comment like that before and he would have made it seem like she poured a bucket of ice on him.
"Oh…" he replied softly, his lips curling up into a small smile. She was looking up at him with such a strange expression, he couldn't place his finger on it. She was confident yet nervous, bold yet timid – it was as if she was internally battling on what lane to choose. "Is that a bad thing?" he simply asked, still confused as to why a thought like that made her react so suddenly.
Amy's finger started to twirl absentmindedly again on his chest and a jolt of excitement went through him – even in that short time she had stopped, he now realize just how much he enjoyed her doing that. She gave him a small smile,
"Well that depends. Do you plan on sticking around?"
Her question was vague, open ended. There could have been a million different innuendos attached to it. Sonic couldn't help but grin at her sly response.
"Sorry to say, but you're going to be stuck with me for a long time."
Amy's smile exploded into a grin and Sonic continued,
"I'm being extremely serious. And extremely literal. You're literally stuck on this island with me. You think I'm getting back in that boat? HA."
Amy laughed at him, her prior worries and pain melting away so fast it was as if they never existed. Her face playfully scrunched with distaste, "Stuck on this island? With you? In that case I immediately take it back."
Sonic grinned, closing his eyes with a triumphant expression plastered on his face, "Nope, too late. Just be happy you have me, you could be stuck with only that dumb rock like Knuckles on his island."
Amy poked his side playfully, trying not to laugh at the blue hedgehogs antics. "I think I'd prefer the rock."
Her poke made Sonic flinch away from her, his eyes shooting open as he chuckled in alarm, "H-Hey, watch it!"
A mischievous grin appeared on her face – it turns out he's ticklish. Before Sonic could react she started to poke and tickle his ribs and sides, making him wiggle and worm around in an attempt to escape her, exclaiming for her to stop in-between laughs. Amy laughed along, very pleased with herself in discovering this interesting fact as she continued her light hearted torture until Sonic grabbed her arms. In an attempt to make it stop he brought her in close and lifted her body up on top of his with ease, continuing the motion until she had rolled onto the other side of him, his body now on top of hers.
Sonic was directly over top of Amy, her wrists were pinned down on either side of her head by both of his hands in order to stop the tickling. As he continued the last of his chuckling, still recovering from her last jabs, Amy just stared up at him with widened eyes, her face growing hot. The way he was hovering over her, holding her down gently… The sun was also shining brightly behind him causing his silhouette to glow and accent his features. She couldn't function. Ironically, just as she took Sonic's breath away from the tickling, he managed to take her breath away too.
"Ahh ha ha – phew, don't ever do that again!" he said with a chuckle, smiling down at her. The look on her face made him pause as he realized the position they were in. Their eyes trained on each other and silence swept over them as Sonic lingered – for whatever reason he couldn't bring himself to move. There was a type of yearning that took over, daring him to lean in further, daring him to close the little distance that was between them.
'Snap yourself out of it, Sonic!' a voice seemed to yell inside his head. He hovered for a few more intense seconds, staring down at her crimsoned but inviting face, before clearing his throat awkwardly. Sonic then eased off of her, allowing her hands to be free, without saying a word. These wants have been bubbling up more and more recently with Amy and he didn't know why. Each time he seemed to struggle a bit harder to resist them. He felt closer to Amy than he ever had before, he couldn't ruin it over doing something stupid with his actions. Sonic never thought before acting, it was a bad trait of his but with Amy he swore to be more mindful. She deserved it. He couldn't afford to lose her companionship, she was too special to him.
Amy laid there, feeling him shift off of her and every fiber of her being screamed against it. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and bring him back down, every muscle in her body pleaded with her to make him stay. But she just stayed frozen, watching him sit back beside her and instead she chose to focus on breathing normally again. It was moments like this which made her believe he felt something deeper – friends don't have chemistry like that. Amy sat up, the sexual tension so thick you could cut it; she needed to break it, for her own sanity.
"I-I didn't know you were ticklish, that's a fun new fact."
Sonic, relieved Amy was willing to move past the moment so quickly, gave her an exaggerated disapproving look.
"And that fun little fact is staying between me and you, right?"
Amy laughed, already feeling a little lighter from the heavy moment that was still clinging to the back of her mind. "That depends, this is pretty good blackmail." She smirked playfully as he threw a cracker at her in retaliation.
"Ah, so you play dirty then, Miss Rose?"
"You have no idea."
The hedgehogs stared at each other, and just as the tension eased up, it was back again. Amy didn't mean to make her response flirty, it just came out before her brain could control the impulse. Sonic didn't seem to mind though, he stared back at her with a certain look – it made her heart race.
"Good to know…" he replied, unmoving but he didn't need to, his piercing eyes left her emotions in a whirl without even lifting a finger. Suddenly, her communicator beeped loudly, bringing both hedgehogs back to reality. She glanced down,
"Oh- It's a message from Vanilla, she's asking if I could pick up some medicine for Cream."
At that, Sonic stood up, stretching his arms high above his head, before offering his hand down to Amy.
"Sounds like duty calls." He smiled warmly at her. She grabbed his hand and stood up beside him, her hand lingering in his for a moment.
"Yeah, I guess that's our que, huh?"
Sonic scratched his head and looked off to this side, "It's only 'our' que if you can get me back in that boat…"
Amy laughed, shoving him playfully as he laughed along with her.
"I'm serious! I think you should send Tails for me, I'd much rather take the sky route."
As Amy laughed at Sonic's dramatics, she felt hope blooming in her chest. She couldn't doubt herself now, no – she had to believe that her love would not go to waste. There was something between her and Sonic, she could feel it in her bones. She won't rush it though, the back and forth between them was fulfilling enough. She decided she was going to just enjoy the ride, live in the moment and let destiny take its course.
Faith is a beautiful thing and she had all the faith in the world.
