24

Sonic

Damn, she tasted good, I thought as I kissed Amy. We were hiding in one of the maintenance closets at the gym, our tongues tangled and our hands wrapped around each other in a tight embrace. Amy's back was pressed against the door, and her arms were looped around my neck. Her hands alternated between running through my hair and tracing the muscles in my shoulders. Her palms were soft against my skin, and her lips were so fucking sweet. On her tongue, I could taste hints of strawberries and vanilla. I eagerly lapped up every inch of the delicious flavor, devouring her for all she had to offer.

My hands tightened around my hips as the thought of claiming her - every single inch of her crossed my mind. As soon as it came, I quickly banished it from my mind. Amy wasn't like the other girls I'd been with. I wanted more than just her body. I wanted her heart, her soul, her mind - all mine to protect and cherish. I'd meant it when I told Amy that she was the only girl for me. The ruby ring was just a stepping stone towards the real thing. In a few years, I was going to put a real diamond ring on her finger, and I prayed she'd wear it just as proudly as she did this one.

"Sonic," Amy said, a giggle escaping her lips as she pulled out of our passionate kiss. "Knuckles is going to kill you if he can't find you within the next ten minutes."

"I'll gladly take that ass whooping if it means ten more minutes of kissing you," I replied. I leaned down to recapture her lips, but she pressed her hands against my shoulders.

"You will get to kiss me as much as you want after you win your match tonight."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you're already confident I'll win, huh?"

She smiled. "Of course. I've gotta have confidence in my boyfriend, don't I?"

A grin took over my lips. I absolutely loved when she called me that. "Give me five more minutes, and I promise I'll make you proud."

"If I give you five more minutes, Knuckles is going to break your face." She pecked a kiss at my lips. "Let's go."

Groaning, I let her tug me out of the closet.

Amy froze in front of me as she nearly bumped into Tony.

My trainer happened to be walking by, no doubt looking for me. His eyebrow raised as his eyes bounced between Amy's frazzled expression, our intertwined hands, and the open closet door.

"Excuse me, Tony," she said with an innocent smile. She released my hand and scurried off down the hall.

"Clothes better have stayed on while y'all were in there" he asked, turning his eyes to me.

"And if they weren't?" I asked with a sly smirk.

"Don't make me kick your ass right now, Guerra." He grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me down the hallway. "You need to get your head straight before this match."

I wiggled out of his grip. "My head is perfectly clear," I assured him.

Tonight was the final match in the tournament I was competing in. According to the word on the street, my opponent, Deon, was a tough cookie to break. He'd been on an undefeated streak for a while, like me, and he was a little bigger than me in size. I'd seen him around school before. He was a tall guy with long black braids and dark brown skin. We'd never really interacted with each other before tonight. I hoped it'd continue that way after our match. I really did not need any more petty beef with the boys at school. I just needed to get my diploma and move the hell on with my life.

In the octagon, Deon didn't waste any time swinging at me. I danced around his fast punches, delivering a few of my own in between. He caught a right hook at my cheek, knocking me into the stitching of the cage. I held my arms up, blocking Deon's punches as he tried to corner me there.

I threw punches at Deon's stomach and caught him a few times in the torso with my knee. My attacks managed to put some distance between us - enough for me to deliver a swift kick to Deon's ribs.

A groan of pain escaped Deon's lips from the impact, and he momentarily paused his punches.

I gave another kick to the same location.

This time, Deon was ready for the attack. He grabbed onto my ankle and swung me down onto the ground.

My back slammed down against the mats. I didn't have time to comprehend the pain from the impact before Deon was on me. I blocked my face as he lay harsh punches on my face. Taking advantage of Deon's position between his legs, I wrapped them around him and used the hold to flip the two of us over.

Mercilessly, I pounded down on Deon's face and torso with his gloved hands. O only stopped when Deon's fist connected with my cheek. The force behind the punch knocked me off of him.

I spat blood from my mouth just before Deon wrapped his arm around my neck. He pulled me down into a headlock. He wrapped his legs around my torso to restrict my movements. With his free hand, Deon gripped his wrist and increased the pressure around my neck.

"You motherfucker," I muttered as the boy's bicep squeezed my windpipe.

Deon chuckled. "You're not getting out of this. You might as well tap now."

"Over my dead body." I dug my elbows into Deon's thighs.

The pain caused Deon's hold to weaken.

I took advantage of the small opening and used my elbows to free myself of his legs' grip. I rolled his torso away from Deon's legs before he could try to grab me again. But, Deon still had a good grip on my head. I punched at his chest and stomach to take his concentration away from his hold. My diversion worked, and Deon's grip let up.

I pushed my head out from underneath his arm and grabbed his wrist. Taking his hand with me, I lay down against the mats and wrapped my legs around his arm, pinning his shoulders down. Smirking, I tugged at Deon's arm.

"Fuck," Deon groaned.

"What were you saying about me tapping?" I added more strength to my pull. "Now how about you tap before I pull your arm out of its socket?"

"Fuck you," Deon replied. He let out another groan as I tugged even harder.

"I will rip out your goddamn arm if you don't tap pretty soon."

"I'm not tapping. You'll have to knock me out if you want to win this one."

"That can be arranged."

Quickly, I unwrapped my legs from his arm and swung myself on top of him. I straddled him as I delivered quick, hard hitting punches to his face. I only stopped when Knuckles grabbed my arms, whispering quietly that I'd done enough.

The crowd's cheers rang through my ears as I allowed the red tinting my vision to fade. I offered a small grin as Knuckles held my arm up and announced me as the winner of the tournament. My eyes scanned the crowd, and I immediately found Amy. She was sitting with my sister and Silver , clapping and whooping for me. My smile grew just for her, and I sent her a wink. She blew me a kiss in return.

Knuckles walked with me to the locker room. There, he handed me a cup of water and the cash prize for the tournament. "I'll give you the trophy after it's engraved," Knuckles explained. He nodded to Silver as he walked in. "Can you clean him up?"

Silver saluted him. "Yes, sir." He whistled at the sight of my bruised face.

My left eye was beginning to swell, my cheeks were turning purple from the bruises, and blood was fusing like water from my mouth. Every five seconds, I needed to spat blood into the now empty cup Knuckles had given me. My torso looked just as bad as my face; black and blue bruises were scattered around my ribs, and my neck was still red from the Deon's tight hold.

"Are you alright?" Silver asked as he dabbed a wet towel at my busted lip.

I flinched away from the pain. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I am. I just need a hot shower, some pain medicine, and sleep."

Silver grabbed his first aid kit from his locker and opened it up.

I grimaced at the sight of the alcohol bottle. "You touch me with that and I'll knock you the fuck out."

"Guess you'll have to knock me out. You're not going anywhere until I patch you up."

I grinded my teeth as Silver cleaned the open wounds on my face.

He dressed them with white bandages. His eyes lingered at the bruises lingering on my torso. "Maybe you should go to a doctor," he suggested. "Your opponents have been hell on your ribs lately, and the last thing you need is one of them getting fractured."

"I'll be fine," I repeated. I suppressed a groan of pain as I tugged my tee shirt on. "What's the move after this?"

"You are taking your ass home," Silver said. "You may have won the match, but your body really took a beating. You need to get some rest."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine."

Silver raised an eyebrow. "Then walk without making a face. Go ahead."

"Man, fuck you."

He chuckled. "I'm just looking out for you. Come on; I'll walk out with you."

We headed out from the locker room, walking a bit slower than I'd like due to the aches across my body. Even my legs were killing me from Deon's hits when he was trying to get out of my armbar. I give the guy props - his punches hurt like hell.

Blaze, Amy, Cat, and her tutor, Noah, were standing near the doors of the gym, chatting quietly. I raised an eyebrow at the sight of Noah - and his close proximity to my sister.

"You look like shit," Sonia said as we approached the group. "Do you need me to call Manic so he can pick you up?"

"No," I replied quickly. "I'll be alright walking home."

"I can give you a ride if you want," Noah offered. "I was planning to drive Catalina home anyway."

"Thanks, man, but I'm good, really." I looked down at Amy as she intertwined her fingers with mine. "Are you staying out with them or do you wanna go home with me?"

"I'll go home with you," she replied.

We bid our friends a quick farewell before heading off into the night. We stopped at a local shop to pick up some cheesesteaks and french fries for dinner on our way home. Amy followed me into my townhouse and upstairs to my room.

"I'm gonna take a shower," I told her. "You can help yourself to my clothes if you wanna get changed. You know where everything is."

I closed the door behind me as I left the room. I lingered in the shower for longer than I expected, the hot water soothing the bruises on my skin. After I'd changed into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and popped some ibuprofen, I headed back to my room. I knocked softly and waited for Amy's permission to come in.

As I entered, my breath was stolen by the sight of Amy in my clothes. My tee shirt swallowed her petite figure, covering most of her arms and thighs. My basketball shorts fell low on her legs, covering her scarred skin to the point just below her knees. She'd pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail at the top of her head. A few tendrils escaped the ponytail, hanging around her round face and the back of her head like a halo. She was standing in front of my dresser with her phone in her hand and her painted fingers moving rapidly across the screen.

I slowly walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. My face fell into her neck, pecking soft kisses at her neck. Her sweet perfume filled my nose, wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

Her soft hands rose to my arm and rubbed gently. "Are you ready to eat?"

"Mhm," I muttered against her skin.

Reluctantly, I released her small frame and moved to sit on the bed.

We watched a few episodes of All American while we ate. I only managed to eat half of my meal, the pain in my body stronger than my hunger. I ignored Amy's raised brow as I wrapped my food up and lay down on my bed. The bruises on my torso screamed as I tried to stretch out on my bed. Damn, I could not wait until the pain meds kicked in.

"Are you alright?" Amy asked, noticing my scowl.

"Yeah."

She tilted her head. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

I smirked. "A few kisses might help."

A smile graced her pink lips. "Oh really?" She asked, leaning her torso down over me.

"Mhm."

Giggling, she pressed her mouth against mine, initiating a sweet kiss. Her lips moved slowly against mine at first as she carefully threw her leg over my hips to straddle me. She tried to hold her weight above me so as not to hurt my bruises, but I didn't care about that.

I grabbed her hips and pressed her down against my abdomen. Her curves fit against my body perfectly, like two puzzle pieces coming together to create a picture. Eagerly, I traced my tongue against her lips, desperately needing access to her delicious taste.

Her lips parted just enough for her tongue to slip through, colliding against mine. As our kisses deepened, my hands tightened on her hips. Slowly, I glided my palms down her legs, caressing and squeezing her thick thighs. One of my hands traveled to her tee shirt, slipping beneath the fabric and rubbing against the curve of her spine. Beneath my palm, I could feel the hills of her scarred skin. With my fingers, I gently caressed one of the marks, tracing it from one side of her back to the other.

Amy immediately pulled out the kiss. Quickly, she grabbed my hand and yanked it out from beneath her shirt. "Sonic," she murmured, tearing her body away from mine and sitting up.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I know, I know." She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to shield the exposed scars on her forearms and wrists. "No one's ever touched them before."

I frowned. I sat up, ignoring the roar of my muscles from the movement. Gently, I uncrossed her arms and pulled her close again. I buried my face in her neck, inhaling the remnants of her perfume. "Lo siento," I whispered again into her soft skin.

"It's alright," she replied. She shifted her weight against me, forcing me to lay back down. She moved to the side of me, curling between the nook of my arm pit with her head on my chest.

My hand stroked her back, rubbing my palm up and down against the fabric of the tee shirt she was wearing.

The television filled in the silence for a few moments before she spoke again. "Do you think they're hideous - my scars?"

"No," I answered honestly. The ibuprofen was beginning to set in, making my head feel light and my eyes heavy. "I think you're beautiful - every single inch of you."

Her cheeks rose, a sign of the small smile on her lips. "Really?"

"Mhm. If you gave me the opportunity, I'd kiss every single scar on your skin and worship you like the goddess you are."

"Hm, I'm far from a goddess."

"You're right; you're an angel." My arm wrapped around her, tugging her closer to my body. "My angel."

She shook her head. "Go to sleep."

I grabbed her chin and tilted her head up, so she'd look at me. "I'm serious," I said firmly. "You're absolutely perfect. God took his sweet time molding every inch of your being, from swirling gold pieces from halos into your hair to bedazzling the sparkle of the stars in your eyes to painting the colors of a sunset on your lips and fusing the remnants of sunshine on your skin." I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "No one can convince me you weren't hand crafted in heaven."

"How much ibuprofen did you take?" She asked, her brows rising in bewilderment.

"None of your damn business."

She giggled. "Go to sleep."

"Fine, fine." I turned onto my side, enveloping her in my arms and pressing my face in her hair. "Te amo," I whispered into her curls.

"Yeah," she murmured, her skin brushing my shoulder. "I love you too."