012. Back to you
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"What did you say happened to Dash?!"
She couldn't believe this!
"Amy, he's fine!" Sonic quickly said from the other line of the call, "He's just got a little bruise-"
"But how could this happen, Sonic?!" Amy shouted unable to keep her temper in check, "You should have been watching him!"
"Amy... Ames," he lowered his voice, the way he normally would when he tried to calm her down in the past, "Breathe, please. Dash is fine. Everything's fine. Besides, he thinks the cast makes him look cool!"
Amy took a deep breath and leaned back against her car seat, a light watery laugh escaping past her lips. Dash was still her brave little boy...
"He's good. I'll tell you what happened properly when you're here, okay?" Sonic said, his voice gentle and soothing and dammit, she would be lying if she said it wasn't working because it was doing its natural charm.
"Okay, okay. I-I'm sorry for screaming at you," Amy added with a bit of guilt. It had taken a while... and a bit of therapy but she was trying to be much more civil towards her ex these days.
"It's all right. I'll see you soon!" he said cheerfully before disconnecting the line.
She sighed and focused on the road ahead. Her baby needed her.
...
"Moooom," Dash whined, "I'm okay!"
Her baby did not need her.
In fact, Dash was gently trying to push her away when she rushed to gather him into her arms. Despite the cast around his arm, he looked perfectly healthy and fine. Thank goodness.
Sonic's chuckling sounded from behind her. "See?"
Amy stood and turned around to take a good look at her ex. His emerald green eyes crinkled with amusement as he ran a hand down his blue quills. Heat rose against her cheeks and she crossed her arms with a huff, mentally thinking that the gesture could act like physical barrier from his annoyingly handsome visage.
"I can't believe you're so level-headed about this," she said with a sharp tone, more sharper than she would've liked. She was still embarrassed... That after all this time, she still found Sonic so exceedingly attractive. He was so bad for her heart. "And wipe that smirk off of your face and explain."
"It's not dad's fault, mom. It's my fault," her five year old said immediately. Dash's green eyes were nervously bouncing between his parents. There was alarm and fear in his voice and Amy's stomach dropped a little at the guilt in her son's expression. She knew he'd wrongfully blame himself for his parents' separation if he could, when that was far from the case. Dash was just like that and Amy still questioned where he got the trait from.
Amy nodded and leaned down to kiss Dash's forehead. "I know, baby. Let me just speak to your dad real quick in the other room, okay?"
She didn't want argue with Sonic in front of their son. That had always been off limits.
"But mom, it's really my fault," Dash repeated and she only nodded again with a soft sigh.
"Don't worry, buddy," Sonic said, ruffling their son's head before kissing it, "We'll be right back!"
Once she and Sonic were inside another room, the door firmly closed behind them, Amy rubbed her temples with her hand. "Chaos, help me."
"Listen, it was just an accident," Sonic said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked exhausted, a bit of his dark circles showcasing underneath his eyes. She knew it must've been a worrisome to get Dash into the hospital since Sonic didn't particularly like hospitals himself. All that happened whilst she was running her café and it frustrated her even more that her ex didn't call her sooner. Sonic was a genius masking his feelings around his work colleagues and Dash, only ever dropping it when he was with her.
She appreciated the fact that Sonic could still be so real with her.
Amy sighed. "So what happened?"
"Well, we were playing hide and seek around the penthouse..."
Nodding, she silently urged him to go on.
"Dash was trying to find me and since I was hiding upstairs, he ran up the stairs but went too fast and ended up losing his balance and fell down."
Closing her eyes briefly before opening them, Amy forced herself to nod again, her teeth almost clenching inwardly.
"It was a freak accident, I guess. He wasn't crying all that much, just a few sobs. But I knew something was wrong right away and took him to the emergency room," Sonic shook his head, "I'm just... I'm so sorry, Ames."
She thinned her lips before letting her arms fall to her side. "It's fine, it was a freak accident and you guys were just playing. You shouldn't be sorry."
"But I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner," the blue hedgehog clarified.
"No job is worth prioritising over my child, Sonic," Amy said.
As if struck, Sonic flinched ever so lightly. It took a moment to realise what she just said and how loaded her statement was and how it inevitably linked to their break up. It made shift uncomfortably on her feet. They had broken up five years ago. Why did it still feel so awkward?
Ignoring her statement, Sonic awkwardly cleared his throat. "The doctor said it was just a tiny fracture. He just needs to not move around a lot for a while and go to his appointments. I've booked a few already but I wanted to get your approval on the days which I put onto our online shared calendar."
Amy checked her phone and saw the calendar as she reviewed the dates. "Mm, okay that's fine. I'll have to move a few things around but it's no worries."
"Those days won't affect the time I have Dash for the weekends, right?"
She raised an eye, somewhat stunned at his question. Did he really just say that? "Of course, that doesn't change anything."
He suddenly shot her a dazzling smile, causing Amy's heart to quickly flutter. He was such a beautiful assault, charming her so easily like that. It... It was so unfair!
Why was he punishing her?!
Without warning, he bent down and planted a chaste kiss onto her cheek. "Thanks, Ames!"
Startled, Amy's eyes flew up as she blushed at least many shades of red. Sonic was already starting to make his way back to Dash as he said: "C'mon, buddy. Let's get you ready for bed!"
Amy only gaped mutely at the doorway, wondering what that was about.
She quickly shook her head. Force of habit, probably. No big deal.
No big deal at all...
...
Amy got out of the shower and readied herself for bed. She slipped into her black night dress and slid into the covers as she laid her head down against the pillows, her mind travelling around what happened today. The booming business of her café, her son's injury, and her ex sending her mixed signals. She wasn't imagining them, was she? Sure, she and Sonic have been more friendly towards each other since their break up but... it was still so infuriating that he did that! He did it a few times before but even before that, he never did, so why now? Kissing her cheek like they were still together...
She wasn't interested in a reconciliation with Sonic! She made that clear the first time when they broke up. They had shared custody of Dash and that was what mattered. Their son came first before anything that had to do with their relationship.
Amy heard her phone ping from her nightstand. Curious as to what it was, she leaned over as she took a hold of it.
Sonic had taken a selfie with Dash dead asleep along side him. Her poor boy must've been exhausted with everything that had happened, and so Amy smiled when she finally saw him sleeping safe and sound. Her eyes then slowly shifted to Sonic. He was winking, one finger against his grinning lips as if he was saying, "Shhh."
She bit the corner of her lip, her heart beginning to race again. Her face was already hot.
How did he always manage to do that? Making her feel flustered and nervous, even when he wasn't physically there with her? Sonic always had this charm... this aura. It was so hard to ignore it when he'd flaunt it to her every time they'd see each other.
Amy groaned. Maybe she was just feeling melancholy and emotional. That was normal. Though without a second thought, her finger hovered over the heart emoji as she sent it to Sonic.
After she hit send, she immediately panicked. It was harmless, right? Sending a heart emoji to a really cute picture of her ex and son. Nothing was behind it. Sonic wouldn't think anything more of it, right...?
The three dots showed up, indicating that he was typing. It disappeared for a second before it showed that he sent her a blue heart back.
Amy stared at her phone, swallowing down the lump that formed against her throat.
She wasn't going to cry... She was not going to cry.
She was strong, she was going to be strong in all of this.
She roughly shoved her phone underneath the pillow, cursing at her own stupidity. She wasn't a teenager with a stupid little crush anymore. She was a grown woman, a mother with her own business for crying out loud!
Closing her eyes, Amy drifted into a peaceful slumber.
...
"Is something on your mind?"
Amy jumped, her fingers stopping against her keyboard as she looked over to see Tikal peeking her head out the doorway of her office. "O-Oh!" she nodded shortly, "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just filing an order for more stock for the café. Why do you ask?"
Tikal stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind her as she sent her a soft smile. "You seem more distracted than usual. Did anything happen yesterday?"
She stared at her friend for a moment and leaned back against her chair, a sigh breathing out from her lips. "Dash fractured his arm last night."
"My goodness, is he okay?" Tikal asked concerned.
Amy laughed a little. "Yeah, he's fine. Sonic already took him to the hospital to get it bandaged before I even knew," she explained.
The echidna nodded and sat on the chair opposite her desk. "That's good. Do you want me to tell Shadow to pick him up from school so he can be with Ark and Crystal at my house? Shadow won't mind looking after him so you can get some of your work done."
"Thank you so much, Tikal. That would be great," Amy said with a bit of relief, "I was thinking of letting him go with Sonic, but I think he's going to be busy with a conference today."
"I heard Hedgehog Holdings is doing a big deal with a company from Asia," she said, "He really does have his work cut out for him, doesn't he? Being a CEO, especially in New York, must be so complicated."
Amy's smile faltered a little bit, her gaze drifting off to the side. "Yeah..."
Tikal sensed the shift in topic and gave her another reassuring smile. "I'm assuming that's why you've been distracted? Something seems to have happened between you two..."
The pink hedgehog sighed. "Mixed signals, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"W-Well..." Amy blushed as she cleared her throat, "I don't know if he's hinting that he wants to rekindle our relationship or if he's just teasing me. I'm confident it's the latter. O-Or maybe I'm just overthinking it!"
"I think it's best if you talk about it with him, Amy," Tikal exclaimed, "I know the two of you are on better terms now, but if it's eating you up like this, then you guys really need to sort it out for the sake of both of you and Dash."
"But what if he wants us back together?" she pressed softly, the lump on her throat threatening to form again, "I-I wouldn't know what to do. Sonic's been busier than ever and the reason why we left each other in the first place was because he put his work before me. I'd be damned if he did that to Dash, I would never forgive him!"
"Sonic's priorities have changed now, I'm sure of it," Tikal reached out for her hand, squeezing it, "He's a lovely father to Dash, isn't he?" To that, Amy nodded before her friend continued on, "I can't see him leading you on like that, Amy. You said it yourself a couple of times before. If Sonic wants something, he'll make sure he gets it."
Amy felt her cheeks growing red. "You think he still wants me?"
Tikal laughed. "Well, I think the answer is obvious at this point. What about you?"
She swallowed again, nibbling on her bottom lip before shrugging slowly. "I don't know yet."
"That's all right. Just take your time, okay?"
Amy exhaled shortly after, smiling at Tikal as she nodded. "Okay."
...
Amy was at the medical centre with Dash sitting on her lap. It was an early Friday evening and she was waiting to be called so her son could get his arm checked.
Dash had been so tired from school that she almost wanted to cancel the appointment so he could get some sleep. She did suggest he should stay home for a couple of days, but her son insisted saying that he really wanted to go to school. Being the worrisome mother she was anyway, she asked one of caretakers in the school to look after him while his arm healed.
As they sat, Amy turned her head just in time to see Sonic walking into the waiting room, looking a little breathless as if he just ran all the way here.
Several women's heads turned to him and their eyes stayed for obvious reasons. He looked like he had just burst out of a fashion magazine, wearing his usual business attire consisting of a black blazer, a black tie with a white button down shirt tucked into his black tailored pants with matching dress shoes.
She tried hiding the fluster on her face. She forgot how handsome he looked whenever he was dressed for business. Seeing him in the newspapers and her phone was never the same thing as seeing him in person with it. Sometimes... she forgot who Sonic really was until he'd be in business mode.
"Sorry I'm late," Sonic said, oblivious to the attention he was gaining as he bent to lift Dash from her lap, "Hey buddy."
Dash giggled, matching his father's grin. "Hi, dad!"
"Heya Ames, how've you been?" Sonic asked, as he settled on the seat beside her. He smiled at her, his expression nonetheless innocently open and curious.
"G-Good," Amy stammered with a small cough, feeling slightly mortified at her previous thoughts, "I'm all right."
"How's the café running?"
"Pretty good, nothing out of the ordinary."
From the side, an elderly lady leaned over to them. "You look like a lovely family."
"Gets his looks from his dad, right?" Sonic said easily, winking at the lady. The woman waved him off with a laugh.
"Your wife is very lucky," she went on to say pleasantly, nodding off to Amy.
"Oh," Sonic blinked before grinning again, "We're not together."
All the ladies in the room who had been discreetly eyeing on him were now openly gaping with heavy interest.
There was no holding back in their sultry looks.
She was sure she even heard one of them squeal in excitement.
Amy pressed her lips into a forceful smile at the elder lady. Inside, she had never felt so humiliated before. But she had no right to be upset about it since it was the truth after all.
She and Sonic were not together.
"Dash the Hedgehog?" a nurse called out.
"C'mon buddy, that's us," Sonic said in the same pleasant and calming tone, lifting Dash to his hip. He went ahead and Amy trailed behind him.
"Hello, Dash! My name's Doctor Barnes."
The female brunette, Doctor Barnes, knelt down to Dash's height and offered her hand to him.
"Hi," Dash said shyly as he shook her hand.
She stood before looking over at Amy. "And you must be Dash's mom."
"I'm Amy, nice to meet you," Amy said politely with a smile, shaking the doctor's hand.
However, that polite smile immediately dropped when the brunette doctor practically purred when she saw Sonic. "Hello, Sonic."
Sonic shot her his usual charming grin. "Hey, Diana."
Amy wanted to choke. He knew this woman?!
The doctor's smile was easily flirtatious, the glint in her eyes all so obvious. The suggestive touches she was giving him on his shoulders and hands...
Heat could be felt coming out of her ears as Amy pressed her lips tightly, her jaw clenching in. By now, she was sure she resembled a train's steam engine.
She was not jealous. She was not going to make a scene.
Breathe, Amy.
She was an adult. She could handle this.
Amy calmed down when Doctor Barnes started examining Dash's arm. She came to realise that the brunette had a calm bedside manner, already making her son feel comfortable when she performed an x-ray on his arm and dabbed some lotion on it. The x-ray had confirmed that the bones had set nicely and it was time to take the cast off, but Doctor Barnes told them that he'd need to wear a sling for a week or so and take it easy for the next few days. She even bottled up some medicine in case Dash felt any sort of pain still.
By the time everything was done, Dash happily thanked Doctor Barnes and gave her a hug. When Amy saw that her son was walking back to her, she smiled and picked him up, being careful of his sling as she rested him on her hip.
She would have thanked Doctor Barnes as well... but the brunette already decided to dive into a conversation with her ex. Amy clenched her teeth inside her mouth and walked off out of the clinic without a word, Dash resting his head against her shoulder as she softly kissed his temple.
When she got to her car, Sonic's footsteps came from behind.
"Jeez Ames, you couldn't wait for a bit?"
Amy didn't turn around as she gathered her car keys. "You looked busy," she said, her tone clipped. Dash had fallen asleep so she carefully put him inside the backseat, fastening his seat belt and made sure he was comfortable for the drive home.
She couldn't even close the car door since Sonic stopped her and leaned down to kiss Dash's head. He closed it gently before looking at her. "All right, you wanna tell me what's going on?"
She kept her features neutral. "What are you talking about?"
He rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that. You were pissed for the entire appointment and left without saying goodbye to Doctor Barnes."
"Well, you guys were having a conversation with each other so I didn't want to interrupt," Amy bit out before adding, "Plus, she seemed really comfortable with you."
Sonic narrowed his eyes at her. "Is that what this is about? Are you jealous?"
Startled by his accusation, Amy's eyes widened. "N-No!" she protested, smoldering a glare at him, "I'm not jealous!"
"Well, it sure sounds like it..." Sonic trailed off before frowning at her, "I was never like that with her. She's just a friend."
She turned her head away from him as she tried to get into her car. "Sure, whatever."
"What's wrong with you?" Sonic asked and managed to take hold of her arms, making her gasp and look back up at him, "I just wanna know what's making you upset. Is it because of her?"
Amy didn't even know herself either. She knew she was acting unreasonable and making a scene. Nobody was around where they were thankfully, though she still felt exposed.
Just... seeing him how casually he had acted with Doctor Barnes made her think how he was with other women. Other women that were not her. Amy hated being distrustful. She hated thinking about it when things between her and Sonic were over. They were over. Have been for a long time.
He was free to do whatever he pleased.
But then why? Why, why, why...
Why couldn't she bear to see Sonic settling down with someone else?
She wasn't going to beat around the bush. Amy knew the reason. She was just so stubborn to admit it, she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her ex after all this time of trying to distance herself away from him. It would take away all the effort from the last five years.
Amy suddenly felt the unshed tears building up in her eyes as they stared at each other. She saw his beautiful emerald green eyes widening— realisation holding within them when she felt her cheeks becoming wet. "Sonic, let go of me," she finally whispered.
"Amy-"
"Please."
A muscle formed against Sonic's jaw before it loosened. He gently let go of her arms and sighed, running a hand down his quills like he normally would when he was either stressed or confused, or even both.
She felt bad.
"All right, I'm gonna start making my way back to the office," he said, his tone uncertain but he nonetheless remained a safe distance from her, "I'll have Tails pick up Dash tomorrow from yours."
Amy felt the deep pits form in her stomach. She nodded warily, wiping off the tears from her cheeks with her palm.
Sonic stood there for another pending moment before he nodded as well, turning away from her as he walked off, disappearing into another corner of the sidewalk.
She closed her eyes for a second and then looked up at the evening orange sky.
Breathe, Amy told herself, Just breathe.
...
The next morning, Amy made herself and Dash some breakfast. At the breakfast table, her son went on about how excited he was to play in his dad's office for the weekend and how he'd get to see his Uncle Tails and Uncle Knuckles.
She was told Dash was easily lovable whenever he'd come to Sonic's company building. People would apparently gush over him and look at him with curious and nosy eyes.
She never saw it for herself, of course. She hadn't stepped into the building of Hedgehog Holdings ever since five years ago. Not because she didn't necessarily want to but... Amy felt it was for the best. Her relationship problems with Sonic occurred in that building and because of his work ethic. While she was happy that he was successful in doing what he loved, Amy would always feel somber about it.
Chaos, it was so selfish.
She could barely sleep last night. After dinner, she got Dash ready for bed and read him his bedtime story until he fell asleep. Her shower was scalding hot and once she stepped into her bedroom, the rest of the tears she'd been holding in flooded her eyes.
She felt pathetic.
She even checked her phone to see if he had left her a message. He didn't.
Why would he anyway? She made their entire situation more awkward and more complicated than it already was. She was the one adding in the baggage not him.
"Mom, are you okay?"
The sound of Dash's voice finally made her snap out of it. Amy blinked over to her little boy before giving him a reassuring smile. "Yes baby, I'm okay."
Dash finished the last bit of his orange juice as he curiously tilted his head. "Are you missing dad?"
Amy nearly fell off her chair, her son's question surprising and scaring the hell out of her! She steadily looked at Dash, who was oblivious to her reaction and waited for her response.
She felt like crying all over again. Her baby was so innocent.
Not knowing what to say, Amy quickly tried coming up with an answer but nothing came to mind.
Dash only smiled at her and giggled. "You should come with me and Uncle Tails so you can see him again!"
Amy thought of all the reasons why she couldn't and didn't want to go, however nothing came out of her mouth whilst her mind went into a panic. "W-Well..."
"Please, mom?" Dash then pleaded softly, his green eyes glowing adorably at her.
And dammit if she could ever resist, because she couldn't! It was near impossible when it came to Dash. He was her every day light.
She needed to get over this. Fix things.
Amy was twenty six years freaking old! She needed to be brave.
For her son.
And for herself. Because to hell with it!
"All right," she said, enjoying the lit expression on her son's face, "I'll go."
"Yay!"
She texted Tikal telling her that she won't be coming into the café and asked if she could take take over for the day. She gave Dash a quick shower, using most of the time to apply some lotion on his arm before getting him dressed. Amy got dressed herself, looking into the mirror as she wore a simple grey cardigan over a black dress. She didn't know whether to wear her heals or not but eventually decided to go with her all-black high top converses instead.
She wasn't dressing for Sonic. She had to remember that. This was her casual fit at its best.
Dash rushed out the door when Tails arrived and Amy had to tell him to be careful of his arm.
"Uncle Tails!"
"Hey!" Tails laughed and picked Dash up into his arms, "Ready to go?"
"Mhm!" Dash said happily, "My mom's coming too!"
Tails looked over to her and smiled. "You are?"
"He wanted me to," Amy said with a smile back as they headed over inside the car, "How have you been, Tails?"
"Not too bad," he answered her as they drove off, "Hedgehog Holdings has an investors meeting coming up next month in Japan so we've been busy preparing for that."
This was news to Amy. "You guys are going to Japan?"
"Yup, for three weeks I think! I'm not sure how long Sonic wants to stay there but it'll probably be for a while at least," Tails said before raising an eye at her, "Did Sonic not tell you about it?"
Amy felt her throat growing dry. "No... No, he didn't."
"He was planning to take you and Dash along," he exclaimed, somehow sensing how she felt, "That's only under your approval though, I'm just telling you the details."
She nodded. "Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem," Tails threw her another smile, "If it's bothering you, you can always talk to him about it. I'm sure he'll understand, Amy."
"N-No, it's not that," Amy shook her head before sighing, "I just wish he would've told me sooner..."
"Right."
When they arrived, Tails parked his car before they eventually made the walk into the Hedgehog Holdings building. She felt a sudden rush of anxiety speeding past her body as they stepped inside.
The first thing Amy did was glance around the reception. It looked different. Sonic must've done a ton of renovation over the years. For a change, it was really nice.
It then dawned on her that they were getting closer to where her ex was, and Amy hesitated the next few steps when she followed Tails and Dash over near the elevator. Even after the prep talk she gave herself, she still felt incredibly anxious. She ended on a bad note with him yesterday and while Amy was the type of person to resolve things, Sonic was a completely different matter on her list.
She briefly closed her eyes.
Shut up, Amy! Just do it! Do not chicken out this time!
"Tails?" she called out to the yellow fox when they entered the elevator, "Do you mind looking after Dash so I can go talk to Sonic?"
"Oh," Tails blinked before nodding, "Sure, I don't mind!" he knelt down and picked up the blue little hedgehog, "Do you wanna go see Knuckles, Dash?"
Dash beamed and nodded as Tails pressed the two floor buttons on the elevator.
Once it reached his floor, Amy pressed a kiss against Dash's forehead. "Have fun, baby!"
"Bye, mom!" Dash said.
Tails gave her a knowing smile. "Good luck."
Amy nodded, smiling as the two got off the elevator. Once the door shut again, it began moving up. Her anxiety only increased even more as she saw the numbers going up and up.
It was just Sonic. It was just going to be Sonic.
Under newer and more uncomfortable circumstances- but still!
When the doors opened, Amy took another deep breath before stepping off the elevator. Looking around, the floor was definitely the CEO's and it just had the feeling of Sonic all over it. Her legs moved along the hallway, it feeling the exact same as it did five years ago. Other than the obvious room changes and renovation, nothing could get rid of the memories she had here. It was a good thing... yet being a bad thing as well.
She ignored the looks she was getting from the people she passed. Most were curious, some were judgmental. Particularly from some of the women. But Amy didn't care if they know or didn't know her. Her focus was going to Sonic. Nothing more.
The air became thicker when her eyes spotted his office door. It was separated from all the other rooms on the floor and Chaos, it even looked intimidating, which definitely didn't match Sonic's laid back personality at all. But she had to remember not to undermine his position, even when she knew him inside and out. Sonic was an important figure in the business industry and the sweet loving father to her child, she wasn't going to think any less of him.
As she stood in front of the door, Amy recited her words in her head. She was so happy that his office was secluded from everything and everyone. It would give her the privacy she needed with him.
She knocked once.
Sonic's voice sounded immediately. "Come in."
Amy's heart raced, her small hand hovering over the giant door handle as she took hold of it with a push. She stepped inside, quickly laying her eyes upon the blue hedgehog. He had his gaze focused on his computer and files in front of him before he teared his attention away from them, looking up to meet her eyes.
The door closed behind her as silence filled the room. She couldn't tell if Sonic was surprised to see her or being very blatant about her sudden appearance. At first she assumed both, but when she saw his eyes purposefully travelling down her body and then back up to her, Amy felt her face heating up as she gnawed against her bottom lip.
She quivered a smile. "Hi."
Sonic gave her a small smile back. "Hey."
"Can... Can I sit?"
"Of course."
Relieved, Amy nodded and made her way towards the seat opposite his desk. Once she sat down, she couldn't help but glance around his office. It was huge. She could see why Dash had so much fun playing here. It was literally the size of her own house, maybe even bigger. A snack bar, a gigantic balcony locked behind the glass stained windows, the New York skyline being directly behind his back. She was sure Sonic had his own room and bathroom because it changed so much from before. It looked like a home.
The last sentence stung her a little but Amy was strong enough to swallow it down as she asked, "How much did all this renovation cost?"
"Uh," Sonic went into thought and shrugged, "Probably a couple million, no big deal."
No big deal. Amy shook her head with a light laugh. That was something you don't hear everyday. "It feels... so you."
He grinned at her. "Thanks. That's the aim I was going for."
She nodded and intertwined her fingers together as another moment of silence dawned on them.
Sonic broke it first of course. "Did Dash come with you?"
"He's with Tails," Amy promptly answered him, "He wanted to play with him and Knuckles."
"Ah," Was all the blue hedgehog had said, his attention shifting back onto his laptop, his fingers typing away.
It was quiet again.
It was so deafening that it made her shift uncomfortably against her seat. She was so used to Sonic leading on the conversation with confidence that she honestly forgot to put faith on her own.
Amy pressed her lips together, curing her fingers against her lap. Say it. "I-I'm sorry about yesterday."
Sonic stopped typing and mutely looked back at her. Amy took that as an opportunity to continue. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It was wrong of me. I-I'm really sorry, Sonic."
After another pending moment of excruciating silence between them, Sonic finally let out a sigh as he closed the lid of his laptop. "It's fine, Ames. I was never even mad about it! I was just..." Sonic paused for a second and then said, "Confused."
She knew what was coming but couldn't help to ask, "About what?"
"About us."
Amy flinched, his immediate answer catching her off guard as her eyes widened at him. Sonic only pinned his emerald gaze back at her, as if he had been looking for that type of reaction coming from her. As if he had expected it.
He was serious.
Oh my god. All the confidence she built up towards this moment fell down the drain, washed away and wasted.
She felt like throwing up.
She wasn't cut out for this anymore. She wasn't ready, she wasn't ready...
This shouldn't have been so hard. Asking him if he wanted to try again, it shouldn't have to be difficult. It shouldn't.
Embarrassment flooded her. She found herself standing, looking around helplessly for an exit, a way to escape the situation, a way to escape from Sonic. Her already fragile courage crumbled beneath her and she felt weak. So weak.
She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this. If she tried remembering hard enough... she would surely break down and lose it.
Sonic stood up as well. "Amy-"
"I-I'm... I'm sorry," Amy stammered, blinking rapidly as the all too familiar rush of tears brimmed her eyes again. Her mind was telling her to run, run away before he'd hurt her again, before she'd hurt herself again. "I need to go, I need to go-"
She was already halfway towards the door when she felt Sonic tugging on her arm. Before she knew it, she was spun around to face him. Amy gasped and then yelped at the close proximity of their faces, her own face flushed when she tried look at anything but him. Anything.
"Let me go," Amy hiccuped through her sobs, struggling against his hold, "L-Let me go, Sonic!"
"No."
She stopped, startled at the unfamiliar tone he gave her, quickly shooting her eyes up at him as she blinked out her tears. The handsome features on his face were tense, frustrated. Something she couldn't remember seeing from him for years.
"Stop running away from me, Amy," Sonic was soft with his words this time, his hand cupping her face, "Just stop."
"N-No, no!" Amy vigorously shook her head. "Y-You're just going to hurt me again, you're just going to forget about me again."
"That's not true, that won't be true," he said, his voice still so calm and soothing, "I can manage my time now, Ames. You and Dash come before anything."
Her breathing began to jitter and she slipped past his hold, her steps walking backwards towards the door. "H-How can I believe you this time? After all this time? How do I know you're not just saying that, Sonic?"
Sonic kept walking forward just as she was walking back. "Because I'm not. It's been five years, Amy. Do you think I would know by now what's more important to me?"
"Yes," she said quietly and swallowed the lump on her throat, "Dash and your job."
"And you," he added, his eyes betraying nothing.
Amy bit her bottom lip, her hand pressing the door handle whilst she pulled it open from behind. "Why?" she croaked out.
Sonic took the last stride, his palm pushing the door shut and then locking it making her seize up. Her back had been pressed against the door and she'd been shyly focusing her gaze on the floor, until he lifted her chin up with his hand so their eyes were dead set on each other's.
He gave her his signature charming smile. "Do you really think any of the women I've encountered over the last five years could compare to you?"
She didn't respond, not trusting her voice. Though her heart raced faster at his words.
"They didn't, Ames," he chuckled out and ran his thumb down a strand of her hair, "They couldn't. I'd be damned if they did."
Amy's knees buckled and he used that opportunity to trap her between his arms. Compared to him, she felt so small. She always was when he was by her side. "Y-You're not just saying that?"
He tilted his head.
"You're the most goddamn beautiful woman I've ever met... inside and out."
Amy burst into tears.
Sonic immediately panicked.
"A-Amy? What's wrong? Why are you crying? I thought I said-! Dammit Ames, I just complimented you!"
"I-I know!" Amy shouted, the tears continuing to roll down her rosy cheeks, "I just can't help it! Y-You're so stupid!"
"Huh-?"
Amy grabbed his tie and pulled him down to crush their lips together. Sonic froze for a second, but luckily for her he didn't waste any time and reciprocated. All coherent thought left Amy's mind as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Sonic tightened his hold around her waist and did the same, their kiss becoming deeper and deeper.
Content. Relief.
She missed this.
She missed him.
She missed them.
The comforting taste in Sonic's mouth, his hold, his breathing- everything.
Oh my god. How could she have ever thought to survive this long without him?
She needed him, she needed him, she needed him...
So close. So close.
They were moving too fast, it only made her want more after being so deprived for so long. Sonic's hands caressed her sides before pinning her against the door even more. She squeaked, their lips breaking apart slightly, but he only just kissed her again.
His lips were the same. They were so so soft against hers.
"Dammit, Amy," Sonic whispered raggedly, his hand underneath her dress trailing up her thigh, "You drive me crazy."
A thrill went across Amy's body as he began kissing the salt away from her cheeks.
His lips reached her ears, another tentative whisper. "Jump."
Amy bit the corner of her lip and complied, wrapping her legs around him as he held them tightly. Sonic walked and sat her down on his desk and they resumed kissing.
He was trapping her under his spell. She felt so weak, barely immune to stop his advances. Her thighs squeezed his hips in longing desperate anticipation-
But they slumped when she realised they needed to be aware of what exactly they were doing. As much as she wanted to continue, the desk wasn't exactly comfortable.
"We should stop," Amy said breathlessly, regrettably.
Sonic stole a few more kisses from her lips before pulling away, his smile still shining at her. "Yeah."
She blushed, pressing her lips together to hide her smile. Sonic noticed and widened his grin, making her fumble out a laugh before she did so freely. He laughed along with her, placing a kiss on her forehead as they intertwined their hands.
Amy sighed, suddenly remembering something. "I think this is a little unfair to do this right now considering you're going to Japan soon."
"Oh," Sonic blinked and scratched the back of his head, "You heard about that?"
Nodding, she said, "Tails told me. He said that you'd take Dash and I along with you too and while I think it's sweet you thought about us, I'd be leaving the café for a month and I'm not too comfortable with Dash missing school."
"Yeah, I thought you might say that," he shook his head with a sigh, "To be honest with you, I was thinking of just send a few of my colleagues there instead of having to go myself. I just got done finishing interviews for a bunch interns last night so I might give them the opportunity too."
"Sonic, I don't want to stop you from going. I know how important this is to you and I'm sure we'll find a way to make Dash understand."
"Thanks Ames, but it's fine," he smiled again and pressed his forehead against hers, "I just got you back and after what happened a few moments ago, do you really think I can survive without you for another three weeks?"
Amy's eyes filled with tears again. "I love you."
His dazzling grin was perfect. "I love you too. We're going to make this work again and this time I won't fail you. Dash comes first. You come first. Both of you come first. I promise."
She couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you."
"C'mon," Sonic helped her off his desk as they headed their way out of his office, hand in hand, "I was thinking of taking Dash to the park today. You're free for the rest of the day, right?"
"Mm," she replied, "Tikal's running the café for me today."
As they turned the corner they were met with Dash, Tails and Knuckles, the three of them sitting in the waiting chairs. When Tails and Knuckles noticed them, their knowing grins were unmistakable when they saw their linked hands. Amy blinked, her blush coming back onto her cheeks as she glanced at Sonic, who only sheepishly grinned at his best friends.
Dash stopped playing with his toy tractor and looked up at his parents. He smiled when he saw them but blinked when he saw their hands, his eyes then darting between them. His smile suddenly got bigger and bigger than Amy had ever seen it before.
"Does this mean dad's coming home for dinner now, mom?"
She burst out laughing, looking in Sonic's direction again as he started laughing too. Tails and Knuckles joined in, while Dash was completely baffled as to why. Amy quickly picked him up and peppered kisses around her son's face for being so adorably innocent.
"Finally decided to stop being a wuss, ey Sonic?" Knuckles snorted out, "Good for you!"
"Knuckles, shut up!" Sonic yelled, his cheeks reddening along with hers.
She knew it would be different this time, for the better. In spite of whatever difference and arguments she and Sonic might encounter in the future, Amy knew they wouldn't let go of each other. Not this time. A lot of arrangements would need to be made with housing and a few dinner dates too to properly catch up with each other, but she didn't mind all. As long as they went through it together, Amy wasn't afraid.
They were healthy now, much healthier than before and she planned to keep it that way.
Forever.