This chapter has been updated as of 09/08/2020
Sunday, November 28th, 11:15am, The Twinkle Park Area
Amy is paired with Manic when they split into smaller groups, and as soon as the others are out of earshot, she decides to take advantage of this opportunity to apologize. "I'm sorry I gave you a hard time when you tried to tell me about Sonic."
Manic gives her a surprised look then laughs the apology off. "Don't sweat it, you were just seeing what you wanted to see. I get that. I mean, I'd've been pretty mad at you if it were the other way around."
"I have trouble believing that," Amy replies with a laugh of her own. "I don't think I've ever seen you get legit mad at anyone."
Manic grins, and it does nothing to lend credibility to his following statement. "Brah, I get, like, loser mad. You don't even know."
"Really?" Amy asks, more than a little skeptical. "Name one time."
"You're on! Okay, so... when we were, like... eight, I think? I had this toy truck that I loved; I would even sleep with it. You remember that?" Amy nods. "Cool. So like, one time Sonic wanted to play with my truck, but he had his own so I said no, but Sonic being Sonic just, like, takes it anyways, and I start crying. Really bawling, right? Cause I'm eight, and what else am I supposed to do? So I try to take it back from him, but he won't let go and so it winds up breaking, and like that was my favourite truck. So I'm pissed. Like, just hella pissed, right? There was steam coming out of my ears, fire in my eyes, the whole shebang. So I go to his side of the room and mess everything up. I take all his clothes out of the dresser, dump his toys on the floor, and pee on his bed—"
"Wait, what?" Amy cuts in, staring incredulously at Manic.
"I peed on his bed," he repeats.
"Manic!" Amy squeals. "Ewwww!"
"Well, I mean, heat of the moment and all that. I also melted one of his CDs last year, but only because it was terrible and he played it so loud I could hear it in my room."
"Chaos, Manic!" Amy laughs, collapsing into him as they walk. Sometimes Amy forgets how easy her relationship with Manic is, how easy everyone's relationship with him is. With him, you can forget your troubles and just laugh. Sure, as they've grown older she's spent less of her time around the youngest triplet, but that never changes anything between them.
Once their laughter subsides Manic speaks up again. "So, you and Shadow?"
Amy can't help but smile at that. "Yeah."
"Huh, that's surprising. He doesn't really seem like your type."
Amy frowns. "Are you trying to say he isn't right for me either?"
Manic laughs at that. "Not at all, it's just unexpected, y'know? I mean, it took two years of nearly daily interactions to get him to speak two words to me, then you come along and he gets so thrown out of sorts that he actually starts opening up to me." Amy stares. Has she really made such an impact? "I mean, I'm kinda jealous, yeah? But as long as you two are happy, then whatever." He shrugs and gives her one of his warmest grins, and all at once something clicks into place, something Amy should've noticed weeks ago. She wonders if she'd be so supportive in Manic's shoes.
After that, their walk is a mix of idle conversation and companionable silence until the gates of Twinkle Park come into view. It's strange seeing the park so empty, so silent. Paths designed to accommodate hundreds—maybe thousands—of people seem too wide. Concession stands normally filled with snacks and surrounded by hungry patrons are empty and alone. It feels like something out of a horror movie, in Amy's opinion.
Standing ahead by the information booth are five figures. Amy's heart skips a beat at the sight of Shadow standing slightly to the side and looking utterly indifferent. His closed expression and uninterested posture do nothing to hide the riot of emotion dancing through his eyes. Amy and Manic speed up to a light jog, waving as they approach the others. It looks like only Rouge and Blaze are missing, but it isn't long before they arrive as well. While waiting for the final two, Manic grabs some discarded maps from the booth next to them, pulls a brown marker labelled 'scented' along the side out of a pocket, and marks each of them with an X. Once everyone is there, he hands the maps out.
"The entrance to the tunnels is in the old Aquatic Mine ride, which I've marked on these," Manic explains. "If for some reason we get split up, we should all meet just inside the tunnel." When he passes Amy her map, she immediately sniffs the brown X; it smells pleasantly of cinnamon.
They've just started walking when a strange humming noise starts behind them, followed by a popping sound and a flash of light that hits the ground at Shadow's feet. Where it struck is a small, blackened patch of pavement with a thin wisp of smoke rising from the centre. Amy's eyes shoot to where the light came from and her gaze settles on red and white robot with a ball shaped body, long limbs, and a canon mounted on each of its arms. On the equivalent of its chest 'E-1000' is printed in white. The robot is taking aim again, canons preparing to shoot. She doubts it will miss a second time. Without thinking, Amy grabs Shadow's wrist and starts running as fast as she can. Shadow matches his pace to hers. She glances over her shoulder as they take a sharp left and sees the robot following. They're outpacing it, though.
A second robot, identical to the first, emerges in front of them. Shadow curses and activates his shoes, and then he's gliding and dragging Amy behind him. She works her legs as hard as she can, struggling to keep her feet under her. They're going to make it! They're—
They're cornered, trapped. It's a dead end. Shadow curses again and Amy very nearly does the same as she collapses. She looks behind them and wants to cry. Her lungs are burning, she's not sure if she can stand, and there are four robots closing in. In a moment of what must be pure instinct, Shadow snarls and throws himself at one of their pursuers. He rains blow after blow on it, enhancing his kicks with quick bursts of his skates timed just so. Amy watches from her spot on the ground, desperately trying to get her breath back. Shadow's movements flow smoothly, his attacks like a dance. It's like he was made for this. Unfortunately, he's flesh and blood while the robots are armoured metal. He destroys the first one, but not without taking a considerable beating himself. He doesn't give up, though; every time he's knocked down, he gets up immediately.
There's that hum again, the strange popping sound, and Amy nearly screams as a ball of light takes Shadow in the leg, driving it out from under him. He grunts as he hits the pavement but doesn't stop fighting. He's losing. Even as he pries one of the guns off the second robot, she knows he's done for. He is fighting so hard, but it isn't enough. He needs help.
Amy looks around, looks at the carnival games surrounding them, but it's no use. Weighted darts and water pistols won't help against plasma blasters and thick metal casing. It isn't until her eyes are passing over the games a second time that she sees it. Laying on the ground next to the strongman game is a massive hammer, red and yellow like something out of a cartoon. It will have to do. She crawls over to it, praying to go unnoticed. When she reaches it and tries to lift it she's surprised by how heavy it is. She gets to her feet and gives it a good heft to test its weight. It has to be at least forty pounds, and it's sturdy. Any swings she makes with it are likely to carry her with their momentum, but that's fine by her.
With a wordless cry, Amy raises the hammer over her head and charges into the fray. She brings the hammer down on one of the robots and the weight of the weapon combined with her momentum crushes its metallic body as easily as a careless child crushes papier-mâché. She doesn't celebrate, though; Shadow's still in trouble. She begins her swing as she turns to her next opponent, building up momentum and using the force of the hammer to carry herself in the right direction. The robot goes flying, crashing in a heap several feet away. When it doesn't stir, she turns to Shadow, who's just finished off his own opponent. She watches him slowly get to his feet and wonders how he can bear the pain: One of his legs is a mass of burns and bruises from what she can see, which isn't much due to the blood. His arms are also bruised and bloody, and there are holes in his shirt and his pants with singed edges. And yet, rather than grimacing in pain, Shadow looks at Amy as if he's never seen her before. There's a warmth to his expression that makes it easy to ignore the scrapes on his face and the dirt in his hair.
"You were brilliant," Shadow says, sweeping Amy up as he does so. She drops her newfound weapon in surprise and he spins her. Of course, spinning turns out to be a mistake. His leg gives out, but even as he falls onto his back, cradling Amy against his chest as it happens, he's laughing. It's a rich, throaty sound. "Where did that come from?"
"It was nothing," Amy murmurs as she rolls off him, suddenly self-conscious.
"Nothing? I wouldn't say so. It was stupendous! And you call yourself weak?" He shakes his head, another throaty chuckle escaping him. The sound makes him seem softer, less intimidating. Even his injuries seem less severe when he laughs like that. Or, wait, no, they are less severe. As she watches, the nasty pink burn on his leg fades. It's slow enough to be nearly imperceptible, but his skin has definitely regained some of its copper hue. She swallows, and of course Shadow notices.
"Amelia? Are you alright?"
She nods, forcing her eyes away from the medical impossibility occurring on his leg and focusing on his face. His beautiful, concerned face. When she speaks she can't keep the breathlessness from her voice. "Yeah, just a little freaked I guess."
He traces her cheek with his fingers, touching so lightly she barely feels it. "I'd promise to protect you, but I'm not sure you need it." She wants to say something to that, but she's not sure what. For a moment they just stare at each other, and then a fleeting look of anxiety crosses Shadow's features. "Amy?"
She swallows, for an entirely different reason this time. "Yes?"
"Wold you like to go out to dinner when this is over?"
Amy feels a fluttering in her chest. "Like a date?" she asks, and he nods. The fluttering explodes, erupting into a warmth that engulfs her entire body. She feels the stupidest grin forming on her face, but she's powerless to stop it. "I'd like that."
Shadow's tiny return smile makes her wonder how she ever found him scary. He gets to his feet in a surprisingly fluid motion before offering her a hand. She takes it, and can't help the surprised laughter that escapes when he pulls her up fast enough to make her stumble into him. He kisses her, and it isn't at all like their previous kisses. It isn't the chaste kiss she'd initially given him, and it isn't the passionate kisses that followed. It's soft and slow. His lips have the metallic taste of blood, but that's okay. Amy goes weak in the knees.
All too soon, Shadow pulls away. "We need to get going," he reminds her, before walking over to where she dropped her hammer. He's limping, but it doesn't seem to bother him too much. He picks up the weapon and frowns, testing its weight. "...How did you-?" he begins, before shaking his head and offering the hammer to her. She hesitates a second before taking it. It's so heavy, but it's already proven useful.
Slowly they make their way to the Aquatic Mine attraction, keeping a sharp eye out for more robots along the way. Every time they hear something, Amy's heart leaps into her throat. The idea of getting surrounded again leaves her feeling panicky and on edge. Her worry is for naught; they make it without incident.
The ride itself was closed down years ago due to lack of interest and the resulting lack of upkeep has it in a nasty state of disrepair. Originally, it was the kind of ride that has you float along in a little boat through a series of tunnels, but now it looks more like a sewage tunnel. She's not sure what's more off-putting, the look of the water, or the smell of it. She looks hopefully for one of the mine-cart shaped boats but can't see any. Then, a slender figure emerges from the tunnel, sloshing through water that comes up to his hips.
Manic shields his eyes against the sunlight as he looks up at them. "Ames? Shad? What took you?"
"We had an altercation with some robots," Shadow answers in the same tone Amy's dad might have said 'we got stuck in traffic'.
Manic lets out a low whistle. "Dang, glad you made it. Everyone else is waiting inside." Shadow pulls a face at the water before going to the edge of the pool. "Whoa, hold up. If you wade through the water you'll get my pants soaked, and there's no way they'll dry out in the tunnels."
"What are you suggesting?" Shadow asks, voice thick with disapproval.
Manic raises an eyebrow as if to say 'isn't it obvious?' "Um, duh? Take off your pants and carry them. You can put them back on once we reach somewhere dry." Amy flushes; she'd suggested something similar that morning.
Shadow crosses his arms. "No."
"Bro," Manic huffs. "Everyone else has done it, and those pants you're wearing weigh, like, a billion pounds when wet. If you don't take them off now, you'll have to take them off after, and I doubt you want to save your mum in a ratty band tee and wet boxer-briefs."
Shadow flushes. After a moment, he starts undoing his pants. Amy stares in shock, and when Shadow glances at her his eyes narrow. "Amelia, would you please turn away?" She blushes and complies. She hears the soft sound of a zipper being undone, and then "Do you mind?"
"No, this is good," Manic answers, sounding way too entertained.
Silence for a beat, and when Shadow speaks again there's an edge to his tone. "No, I meant could you please turn away too?"
"What, why?"
"Because you're staring."
Manic makes an indignant sound at that. "So what? It's not like you have anything I haven't seen."
"Manic!" Shadow barks, and she hears Manic muttering something in response. It sounds suspiciously like 'no sense of humour'. She also hears the sound of something moving in the water, followed by the rustling of some heavy fabric. The rustling stops and she hears another zip, likely Shadow's bag being opened. There's a third zip, and then a splashing noise. When she turns, Shadow is standing in the water looking distinctly uncomfortable.
A thought occurs to Amy. "Aren't you worried about getting that in your injuries?"
He shrugs, "I heal fast."
"Ah, right. Well, that's… good." She eyes the water. There are trails in the surface slime behind Shadow and Manic. The idea of going in there is bad enough, but taking off her pants first? Then again, the alternative is wearing crusty, sodden pants for who knows how long, and she's positive they will be crusty if not immediately rinsed with clean water after getting out of that filth. "Don't look," she stammers before removing her own pants and tucking them into her bag. Then she jumps into the foul water. It's slimy and thick, and she shivers at the feel of it on her skin. The bottom of the ride is entirely sludge.
Manic leads them into the mouth of the tunnel, and sure enough the others are there. Inside, the water only reaches mid-thigh; which is still awful, but less awful. It's too dark to make out anyone's faces until Manic remedies that with a small lantern. Amy doesn't remember the Aquatic Mine being all that scary when she was little, but it is now. The walls seem to close in and she keeps seeing something moving in the darkness. She tells herself it's just the shadows jumping around with their light. When she feels something glide across her foot, she can't help but scream and throw her arms around Shadow, dropping her hammer in the process. The scream echoes horribly in the tunnels and everyone stops to stare at her, their expressions varied. Shadow's arms had instinctively wrapped around Amy, but he shoots her a harrowed look. Tails, Manic, and Silver all have matching wide-eyed expressions, though Tails and Silver's expressions have more fear whereas Manic's just seems surprised. Sonic is giving her a concerned look, Blaze a sympathetic one. Rouge's hands are clamped over her ears and she's shooting a murderous look at Amy, and Knuckles just looks bewildered.
"Sorry guys," Amy squeaks, releasing her grip on Shadow.
"Are you alright?" he murmurs for her ears alone. She shifts, and almost jumps when she realizes her thigh is pressed against his. Even in the disgusting, tepid water she can feel how soft it is, feel the warmth radiating off him.
"I thought I felt something," she answers softly, and he nods.
"Did you just drop your hammer?" Manic calls from ahead.
"Shoot! Yeah, I did." Amy pouts. That hammer had been such a good weapon. She makes to continue, but Shadow grabs her wrist.
"Just like that?" he asks.
"Well yeah, unless you want to reach in and grab it for me?" She means it as a joke, but Shadow wastes no time stepping away from her and passing her his bag. "Wait, Shadow no," she protests as he removes his shirt and shoves it into her arms, and then he's crouching in the water, holding his hair up with one hand and searching the slimy ground with the other. After a moment he finds it and stands back up. She tries to take the weapon from him, but he pushes her hands away.
"It's covered in slime," he explains. "I'll give it back once it stops dripping."
She stares at him in awe. Sure, it's not the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her but it's certainly up there. "Thanks," she says, hugging his bag and shirt to her chest and vowing to make this up to him.
"Wonderful," Rouge says, voice flat. "Can we move on, now?"
A few turns later, they reach an area with a ledge covered in terrifying animatronics. Manic is the first to pull himself onto the ledge, not concerned in the slightest by the fact that this means everyone can clearly see his underwear. Sonic is hot on his brother's heels, and Amy is reminded of his hydrophobia. How had he managed to pull himself together enough to go through this way when he'd barely been able to handle the ride as a kid with a nice boat between him and the water? Knuckles is climbing out when Manic turns off the lantern and turns on a flashlight, pointing it away from the group and leaving them in inky darkness.
"I don't know about you guys," he says, "but I'm going commando. Once y'all are ready, step into the light."
Everyone is silent as they change. Amy's cheeks burn at the thought of following Manic's lead, but she doesn't exactly relish the idea of continuing to wear grimy undergarments if she doesn't have to.
Shadow is in the edges of the light before her, arms wrapped around himself as if for cover. She grimaces at the sight of him, covered in mud and slime and, underneath that, blood. Under the filth are some nasty bruises, though between the darkness and the grime it's hard to say how bad they actually are. Once she's dressed she walks over and wordlessly returns his shirt, which he dons immediately.
Once everyone is dressed and in the light, Manic grabs the flashlight. "The entrance to the tunnels is just through here," he explains as he leads them around a prop to a door labelled 'maintenance'. On the other side is a dusty room filled with more decrepit animatronics, a table, some chairs, an empty work bench, and two more doors. He walks toward the one on the right with all the confidence of someone who's walked their path hundreds of times. The door leads into a dank corridor that smells nearly as foul as the ride itself. Cobwebs hang from pipes along the ceiling, and dust covers everything. Manic explains that this hall only leads to other maintenance rooms for the Aquatic Mine attraction and doesn't really see much use these days as a result. About halfway down the hall is an empty vending machine, which Manic shoves out of the way to reveal a painted-over door. It doesn't budge when Manic tries to open it, but Knuckles gets it. Behind the door is a concrete tunnel that smells of mould and something unidentifiable, and leads into blackness; when Manic shines his flashlight down it, the light is engulfed. Fear claws its way up Amy's spine. Anything could be hiding in there. The tunnel is too small. It could collapse at any second. There could be robots waiting in there. There isn't enough room to swing her hammer if she needs to protect herself. It's so dark.
It isn't until Shadow takes her hand that she realizes she's hyperventilating. "I'm right here. You're safe. I will protect you." She stares at him, and his eyes catch the dim light in a strange way, reflecting it like a cat's. He squeezes her hand before giving her a gentle nudge. They're arranging the travelling order, because it's too narrow for anything other than single-file. Manic is in the front with the lantern, a bright point for everyone to focus on. Behind Manic is Tails, then Sonic, Silver, and Blaze. After Blaze is Rouge, then Knuckles. That leaves Amy and Shadow to take up the rear, and a feeling of dread forms in Amy's stomach. Manic hands Amy a flashlight before heading in.
"Whichever one of you brings up the rear should keep that on so we notice if you get separated from us," he explains before heading into the tunnel and stealing away their light.
Amy feels the shadows crawling into her heart, leaving her cold and empty. She's never been afraid of the dark before, but it's different underground where there aren't even stars to guide her. Shadow takes the flashlight from her and switches it on, and though the light helps drive her terror down, it's still there. She watches Knuckles disappear into the darkness but can't bring herself to follow until Shadow gives her another nudge.
Time loses all meaning in the tunnels. The only light sources are the lantern way ahead of her, and the flashlight behind her. Occasionally the lights sputter and die, causing someone else to pass their own flashlight forward or back. The only sounds are footsteps, breathing, and dripping. The further they go the worse the air tastes. Conversation could potentially lower their tension, but no one feels like talking. Well, except for Manic, who seems ecstatic to be showing off the tunnels and maintains a constant stream of stories and trivia, but the tunnels give his voice an eerie echoing quality that makes it hard to understand his words.
As they walk, they take more turns than Amy could ever remember. The tunnels change in size a lot, too. Sometimes they walk through sections large enough to stand up straight and travel in a group, and other times they pass through areas so small that they have to crawl on their bellies with the walls scraping their arms. It's the small places that Amy hates the most. What if she gets stuck? What if she goes too slow and they leave her behind? What if none of this is real and she's actually alone? The longer she has to crawl the more prominent her fears become until they're so overwhelming that she feels she must have died and gone to hell years ago, and this is all there is now; endless crawling through a concrete maw that is slowly closing in on her as familiar voices echo in the distance, mocking her with their false existence.
And then the tunnel opens up, the hole she's crawling through coming out of a wall in a larger tunnel where she can stand, can move, and can see the others properly. There's still the all-encompassing darkness eating at the edges of the lights, but she's upright again, can move her arms, and Shadow is next to her instead of behind her. He slides an arm around her waist, and she leans into his touch. She doesn't even care that she's crying like a child, because she can move. Up ahead the she can see her friends taking comfort in their newfound freedom as well, and it's nice to know she wasn't alone in her fear. All around her come relieved sighs as everyone stretches out their sore, cramped limbs. They're not even bothering to start walking, she realizes. At one point she might have been upset by the delay, by the idea of staying in here longer than necessary, but not now. Now all she cares about is the fact that she's free. She turns to Shadow and presses a firm kiss to his lips, pressing herself against him and enjoying his proximity.
"We're only about ten minutes away now," Manic announces. Amy reluctantly pulls away from Shadow, wondering how Manic can tell. She can't even tell how long they've been down here.
"How do you even know the way?" Sonic asks, Manic shrugs.
"I stayed here for an entire summer, you eventually get a feel for it. I mean, I wasn't in here all the time, but I came and went often enough that I formed a sort of internal map. Like, I'm pretty sure I could get us anywhere in the city through these tunnels if you gave me enough time."
Amy frowns. She remembers the year Manic went missing all too well. She'd been eleven at the time, and Aleena had spent most of the summer crying. Then he'd just turned up one day, filthy and acting as if he hadn't been missing for weeks and weeks. He'd been grounded for forever as a result, and Aleena still wasn't the same. She wonders if Manic ever feels guilty about making everyone worry like that.
About ten minutes later, they reach a door that seems very out of place. It's shiny, new, and modern. There is no handle on it, though. It looks as if it only opens from the other side, if it opens at all. Amy stares in horror. From Manic's disgruntled expression it's clear that this was to be their destination. She wants to scream. They came all this way for nothing. They're tired and filthy and they've wasted who knows how long in these tunnels. She rounds on Manic.
"What the hell is this?" she demands, forcing her way past everyone else in the line and catching everyone off guard.
"Whoa, hey," Manic protests. "Easy Amy, it's fine."
"Fine?" she demands. "I just spent an eternity crawling through slime on my stomach for nothing and you're saying that it's fine?"
"Amelia," Shadow cautions, awkwardly sidling past the group to put a hand on her shoulder. She ignores him.
"This was a terrible idea!" she continues. "How are we going to get out? We only have two flashlights left, and I doubt they have much longer in them. Why did we even listen to you? You never do anything right!"
"Bro, chill!" Manic snaps, voice sharp enough to shock her into acquiescence. Manic never speaks to anyone like that. "This place is a lot easier to get out of than into, so just breathe, okay Amy? I've got this." She exhales sharply through her nostrils, but keeps silent. She's already starting to feel bad for being so mean to her friend. She didn't mean it, she was just upset and frustrated, and she knows she'll have to apologize to him later.
After taking a moment to think, Manic leads them back the way they came, stopping in front of an old rusted door that looks far more in line with the rest of their surroundings. Amy's heart soars at the sight of it, and without waiting she rushes over to open it, but when she tries the knob it doesn't budge. It's locked. Her knees start shaking and tears begin to sting her eyes, but a soft hand falls on her shoulder before she can devolve into a full-on panic attack.
"Easy, Ames. I've got this," Manic assures her, smiling when she shoots him a startled look. "I'll have you out of here in a jiffy, so just breathe mmkay?" She nods, and he squeezes between her and the door. It takes him less than a minute to pick the lock, and then the door swings open and he steps aside so everyone can stream through it.
The door leads into what looks like an old laundry room, and Amy takes a deep breath. The air tastes of mildew, but that's a marked improvement over what they'd been breathing. It's still dark in here, but it isn't as claustrophobic. She can't stop a relieved giggle from escaping, and she isn't the only one.
"Toldja I'd get you out," Manic announces as he slings an arm around Amy's shoulders. "Who rocks?"
"You rock," she answers with a laugh, wiping relieved tears from her eyes.
"Damn straight!" he says before planting the biggest, sloppiest kiss imaginable on her cheek and releasing her.
She grimaces and wipes saliva off her face. "Ugh, why?" she whines, and he laughs in response before heading to the only other door in the room.
She follows and Shadow slides in beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist as he does so. She glances over and sees him glowering at Manic, which makes no sense. Until it does, and she abruptly stops in her tracks. Shadow stops with her, giving her a quizzical look. Everyone else passes them.
"Shadow, are you… jealous?" she asks, too stunned by the idea to be more tactful. Of all the things to get through his unflappable exterior...
He frowns at her. "Why would I be jealous? That's absurd."
She considers his words. "I'm not hearing a no," she points out.
"There's no reason for me to be jealous," he answers. "For one thing, Manic's gay. For another, we never agreed to be exclusive. You are your own person and can do whatever you want, and I'd have no right to be jealous." He sounds like he means it, but his grip is even tighter, clutching her in an almost possessive manner.
"That still doesn't sound like a no," she points out. Shadow makes a disgusted noise and drops his hand from her, pushing it roughly through his hair. "I'm sorry, are you mad at me?"
He starts. "What? Now that is truly absurd, of course I'm not mad at you. You've done nothing wrong." He sounds mad.
"But I let another guy kiss me," she protests. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"There is no reason for it to bother me," he growls.
"But it does," she observes, and he shoves his hand through his hair again.
"No. Yes. I don't know. I dislike that he kissed you, because it reminds me of the way he kissed you during spin the bottle, and I dislike the idea of him kissing you like that again, but more than that I dislike that it bothers me. You are not a possession."
She's not entirely sure she follows. "So... you are mad at me?"
He groans. "No. Are we even having the same conversation? You have done nothing wrong. Manic has done nothing wrong. Even if me and you were exclusive, neither of you has done anything wrong."
"Oh..." She frowns and shifts uncomfortably. "You can still be jealous, you know. I would be."
He blinks at that. "Why?"
"Because I really like you. I know it's selfish, and not a good way to think, but I want you to be mine." She waits for him to tell her off, to tell her that it is selfish and that he doesn't belong to her. She braces for it.
"Amelia?" he asks instead, and she looks up expectantly, peers into his faintly glowing eyes. "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Yes," she breathes, leaning in to kiss him before pulling back suddenly, eyes wide. "We're still going on our date though, right? I still want that, this doesn't get you out of it."
Shadow rolls his eyes at that, but the way they crinkle at the edges betrays his true feelings. Amy tangles her fingers in his hair as she grins and kisses him. His hands find her hips and he pulls her against himself as he returns the kiss. They're interrupted by a flashlight hitting them and Manic's voice calling from down the hall.
"Seriously guys? Not the time! Now come on, we've found a way upstairs."