I own nothing. Inspired by I'll Follow You- Shinedown
'Why am I here again?' The blue hero thinks to himself as he eyes the audience, shifting uncomfortably on the white, pristine couch.
'Because you're too lazy to work,' he reminds himself. His emerald green eyes shift over to the hostess sitting across from him, making last minute adjustments to her appearance before they're both live.
This same thought process happens every time the cobalt blue hero goes on a talk show with a female hostess. They're all the same: chatty, obsessed with gossip, always having to touch him at some point, can easily get emotional, and most importantly, they all- including every other female it seems- need to know about his personal life. The male hosts don't do pry like that; no, those guys are fun. With them the hero is most comfortable.
Maybe it's not too late! Maybe he can just say the deal's off, that he and his friends can work for the money instead, and he wouldn't have to deal with this anymore!
"We're on in five..."
But, then he and his friends would have to get jobs...
"Four..."
... be under someone's orders...
"Three..."
... they'd always be busy with fighting Egghead and working...
"Two..."
... no more lounging when he pleases...
"One."
Damn. Talk shows in exchange for money it is!
"Hello my dear viewers!" Courtney Walker, a light yellow vixen smiles brightly into the camera. "Today I have with me the hero of Mobius, Sonic the hedgehog!" Cheers erupt and Sonic plasters a smirk on his muzzle, winking and doing his signature thumbs-up at the camera, causing females to shriek and swoon.
"Okay, Sonic." Courtney turns towards him, a small grin on her muzzle. "We're going to try something different this time." Sonic slightly tenses, well-aware of what 'different' horrors female TV hostesses can plan.
"I want you to look at that screen," she points to the back of the stage, "where pictures of people you know will appear, and use one word to describe that person, not reusing any of those words for the others. Got it?"
"Bring it on, Court!" he grins at the yellow vixen, still uneasy. Somehow, it'll turn into Twenty Questions all about Sonic; he just knows it!
An image of Tails pops up on the screen.
"Genius." Sonic states. The next image is Cream.
"Innocent."
Knuckles – "Hardheaded."
Shadow – "Grouchy."
Eggman: – "Dumb."
And on it goes. Sonic even begins to relax as he lists off words, sometimes smirking at his choices. This isn't as bad as he feared!
Sonic was enjoying this activity so much, he failed to realize who they had saved for last until her picture popped up.
Amy Rose.
This is dangerous grounds right here; one wrong move and SMACK! A flyin' he will go!
"Uh, friendly." he answers uneasily.
"Ah ah!" Courtney wags her index finger back and forth. "You've already used that one for Big."
"Caring?"
"That's Vanilla," Courtney slyly grins at the increasingly nervous hedgehog. This was planned! He knew they were going to pry! Especially when it comes to Amy!
"Uhhh... pr-"
'WHOA! Shut up, you fool! Do you even realize what you almost said?!' Sonic gulps and frantically looks around the studio, looking for something to safely describe the pink hedgehog.
'Hurry up! The longer you take, the more they get they wrong impression!' He also knew she was watching. She always does.
His panicked green eyes land on a magazine resting on the coffee table to his left, the cover title reading, 'Teenagers obsessed with technology?'
"Obsessive!" He blurts out.
...
...
...
'Oh Chaos...'
"Well, uh, time for a break! Next up-" Courtney's voice fades into nothing in the hedgehog's ear, his whole body rigid.
What... has he done? The urge to just fall flat on the ground and bash his head in becomes very tempting. He might as well, 'cause the next time he sees that pink hedgehog, she'll do just that with her hammer.
'Obsessive'? Of all the words in the English language, he picked that damn word?
"Thank you for coming, Sonic!" Courtney smiles at him while shaking his glove hand, a look of pity in her eyes. See? She knew too; he's a dead man.
"Yeah, thanks," he mumbles, heading towards the back stage and to the exit.
Before he reaches the exit, however, one of the stage crew members stops him.
"I don't think you should go out there, Sonic," the green raccoon warns. "There's quite the snow storm out there, and I've heard it's going to get worse in a matter of minutes now."
The blue hedgehog ponders the situation. He could stay and delay his meeting with the female...
An image of Amy curled up on her couch, wrapped in a blanket, and crying out of both anger and sadness flashes across his mind.
The blue speedster exhales in defeat. "I'll be fine. I've gotta be somewhere." He opens the exit door, snow and wind immediately bursting into the room and flinging his quills back.
"Maybe the storm will kill me first," Sonic mutters lowly before forcing himself into the bitter storm.
"'OBSESSIVE'?!" A shriek resonates from within a small, tan house, causing the foot-deep snow on top of the roof to slide off and plop to the ground.
"HE CALLED ME OBSESSIVE?!" The pink female snarls at her TV, her flaming jade eyes focused solely on the blue culprit.
"Well, uh, time for a break!" Courtney smiles into the camera with a hint of uneasiness. "Next up, a talk with Meredith and her beauty secrets!"
The show goes to commercial, making Amy loose sight of the blue male.
She saw his tension; oh yes she did, and he would be a fool to not be afraid! She knows he knew she was watching – how could she not – yet, he chose that word to describe her! The nerve! She can be a lot of things, but she is not obsessive!
Her eyes glance at a framed picture of her hero on the table next to her, remembering she has at least one picture of him in nearly every room of her house.
...right?
Sure, she tracks him down almost every day, but it's not obsessive. That makes it sound like she's some stalker, which she's not. To be classifies as that, she should have constantly follow him, memorize his usual trips, watch for anything that could inform her of his likes and dislikes, take every opportunity to be... by... his... side...
The pink hedgehog's anger suddenly dissipates, leaving her to feel empty, and her ears flatten against her head.
Is that why... why he flees from her? Because she is obsessive? Because she really is nothing but an annoying fangirl? She watched him just minutes ago easily describe all of their friends, not once having to stop and really think. Then it came to her photo, and not only did his confidence leave, but he also struggled to think of a word for her. She watched his panicked face, and she watched as he blurted out what she knew was the first thing that came to his mind.
Obsessive...
She was nothing but an obsessed fangirl...
The buzzing of her wrist communicator snaps her out of her crushing discovery, and she answers it.
"What?" she forces herself to sound angry. She knows everyone expects her to be angry rather than depressed, and so, for the sake being alone for now, she'll act like why they expect.
"Uh, h-hey Amy!" Tails smiles nervously, it more looking like a grimace. "I, uh, after you're through with S-Sonic there, could you tell him-"
"That coward's not here," she spits out. 'Nor will he ever be here. Not while I'm around...'
"What? He's not there?"
"Should he be?" she asks, unable to think of any reason he would visit her. Well, he might be trying to apologize, but then again, does he care if he hurt his annoying fangirl's feelings? For all she knows, all of his other apologies could've just been empty words; words only meant to calm her down and unintentionally add to her fantasy world.
"He told me he was heading to your place seven minutes ago." Now that is unusual. For the blue speedster, that is a long time. If he left from that TV studio to go to her house, he should've been here in two minutes tops.
"Maybe he chickened out," Amy suggests, unable to help the ache in her heart.
"I don't think so," Tails's namesake swish anxiously behind him, his blue eyes growing concerned. "I just tried contacting him, but his signal is gone. I thought you were the reason for that, but now I think he's outside; these things stop working if they get cold enough, and it's certainly cold enough outside."
Concern immediately overrides Amy, pushing aside her sorrow. Sonic is outside, alone, in this blizzard?! If she knows him – which, she thinks with a cringe, she has made her top priority since laying eyes on him – then he will also be lacking the necessary winter wear. He prides himself on not feeling cold when the average person does, but even he has a freezing point!
"I've gotta find him!" she exclaims, springing up from her couch.
"Don't, Amy! It's too dangerous out there! I'm sure Sonic is just fine!" Tails argues, not wanting Amy to endanger herself like that when Sonic is probably just chilling in some stranger's house. But then there's that 'what if'...
Amy looks down at the screen on her wrist, and with a determined look, she says, "Sorry Tails, but Sonic could be out there, and I'm not going to let him freeze!" With that, she hangs up on the worried fox and sets off to packing.
He may see her as a nuisance, but dammit, she loves him, and she'll do anything for him, even if he doesn't want her too.
Amy packs a two-person, windproof tent – a birthday gift from Knuckles – blankets, a first aid kit, and her winter wear. Her plan is to wear the gear meant for Sonic so it'll be warm for him when she finds him; she doesn't care that she'll have to lose her layers out there in order for her to share her heat with him. He's worth it. Before she bundles herself up, though, she heats up some soup and puts it into a thermostat.
After being fully clothed, Amy slings on the large hiking backpack onto her back, and she takes a deep breath to steady herself.
"Alright, Sonic. Here I come, ready or not."
She cautiously opens her front door, and she stumbles back as the forceful wind flings the door wide open. Burying her face deeper into her scarf, she fights back and enters the white, chaotic land.
"Sonic!" The pink hedgehog calls out as she trudges through the two-foot deep snow. The howling wind instantly captures her call, however, and whisks it away, leaving her no choice but to rely on what little sight she has and on what her feet feels. She shudders from an image of her accidentally stepping on Sonic, buried in the snow, and discovering his frozen body.
"Please be okay," she whimpers, straining her eyes as she searches for her blue love.
It isn't long before the female herself is lost, making the already-difficult situation more dire. Her nose hurts with every breath she takes – forcing her to breathe through her mouth – her legs are screaming with exhaustion as she pushes her way through the frozen land, and the snowflakes fling onto what little face she does have showing, making her exposed flesh sting. However, she pushes on. Sonic would do the same for anyone, and by Chaos, she would repay the favor!
Eventually she spots a tree, still not having a clue where she is, and she makes her way to it. Just a little break, long enough to stop those damn ice flakes from scratching her face!
Before she could cuddle up to the tree, though, she steps on something, an "Oof!" sounding right after.
"Sonic?" her hopes rise, and sure enough, a blue head pops out of the snow, teeth chattering, and he looks to see what stepped on him.
"Sonic!" she cries happily and throws her arms around him, happy to see her hero alive.
"A-A-A-Am-m-m-my?" he stutters as e violently shivers, recognizing that voice from anywhere. And here he thought his ears had long frozen off!
"Oh, Sonic! You're freezing! Hang on!" She tosses her backpack next to him and whips out her hammer. She swings at the ground, clearing away the snow so she can set up the tent, also conveniently building outer walls of snow to surround the tent and help deflect some of the wind.
Once she clears a spot, she pulls the tent out of her pack and positions herself.
"Okay, Sonic!" she calls out over the raging storm. "This tent automatically sets up! I'm going to need help keeping the wind from taking it once I pull the cord, okay?"
"K-k-k-k-kay!" he answers, shivering like he's never before, and somehow manages to pick himself up from the ground. Chaos, this wind is horrible!
Once he's positioned, Amy starts the count-off. "One, two, three!" She pulls the cord and the tent starts setting itself up. The wind tries taking it the second it begins the process, but the hedgehogs were ready. They snatch the tent and guide it to the ground.
"Get in!" Amy orders once the impressive tent manages to fully unfold. Sonic unzips the opening and climbs in, immediately appreciating the shelter. Amy climbs in after him, and she shuts the entrance, also happy to be rid of the biting wind. She'll definitely have to thank Knuckles again for this!
"A-A-A-Amy, I-"
"Hush," she interrupts, and she unzips her coat. "Here, put this on." She shrugs off the coat and hand it to him.
"N-n-n-n-no! Th-th-that's y-your-"
"Relax, I've got anther one packed, but you need all the warmth you can get right now." She wraps the warm coat around him, and he sighs, instinctively putting on the coat to extract more of the heat. She gives him a smile, her face full of concern, and she takes off the rest of her winter gear, giving it all to him. He tries refusing, saying he is fine, but she flat out ignores him and practically dresses him, ignoring the stinging cold biting her flesh. 'Sonic comes first.'
Sonic watches her as she does this, both blissfully basking in the warmth she's providing and weighed down by guilt. She risked her own life for him, even after he accidentally insulted her on television! How can she be tending to him like this? Shouldn't she be angry with him?
"There!" she sighs, finishing up by wrapping a wool blanket around the frozen hedgehog. "Now let me get my things on and I'll get you some soup." She turns away and moves to her back pack.
"T-t-t-that's it-t?" Just some clothing and a blanket? In all honesty, he kinda expected the pink female to take advantage and cuddle him to share her warmth!
She stops and turns her head to show her confused face. "What do you mean?"
"W-well, you're not-t-t gonna... h-hug me or something-g?" Then he blushes, realizing how that makes him sound. "I-I m-mean-"
"No, I understand," Amy smiles, it not reaching her eyes. "You expected something more 'obsessive' from me."
Shame floods into the freezing hedgehog. "L-l-look, I'm s-sor-"
"I would've too if I were you." The pink hammer wielder states, turing back around to unpack what is needed. Chaos, it's cold here!
Silence follows after that: a stunned Sonic unsure on what to say, and Amy just focusing on staying warm. As Amy bundles herself back up, Sonic realizes what she just did for him: she wore his size of clothing first, just so it would be warm for him. Even after what he did to her just over an hour ago, she still makes him her top priority!
The pink hedgehog takes out the thermostat and pours a steaming cup of soup for the blue male.
"You won't have to worry anymore, though," she says as she hands him the cup, nearly making him groan from the wonderful heat being emitted from the food. "I won't cuddle you. I'm going to stop being a nuisance and give you the space that you deserve." Amy smiles in shame, failing to hide her sorrow from the hero.
He frowns. "Why?" Did she loose her faith in him? Was she disgusted by his actions and treatment towards her? He'll admit, he hasn't treated her as well as he should've, but her pursuit of him, in a way, helps him get through the day! With her around, it's impossible to get bored! Always on his toes, he keeps an eye out for her pink fur, unable to stop that smile forming on his muzzle when he finally spots her. Or, rather, when she finally finds him. Losing that daily thrill is not sitting well with him...
"I've finally realized how I've been acting: an obsessed fangirl," Amy refills Sonic's already-empty cup, relieved to see his shivering muscles decrease their speed. "I followed you every day and memorized all that I could about you. And for what? Because I thought you had undying love for me? That by forcing myself to be by your side, you'd just accept and return my love?" Amy shakes her head and scoffs at her naive self.
"I am obsessive, but I never realized it until today." Her jade eyes lock with his distressed emerald ones. "I still love you, but this will be the last time you'll hear this from me. I'll finally be the friend you've wanted me to be. Amy Rose will no longer be known as 'Sonic's number one fan'." She breaks her gaze and takes the cup from the hedgehog. Before she could retreat her arm, however, Sonic grabs her wrist.
"Ames, I'm sorry," Sonic looks sincerely at her, keeping a tight grip. "Out of all the words I could describe you with, 'obsessive' is not one I'd ever purposefully use. It only popped into my head because of a stupid magazine on the table next to me." 'Please don't give up on me...'
"Really?" she says doubtfully, not feeling like he's being truthful. He could be saying that just to cheer her up. It doesn't matter; she needs to change.
Just by looking at her, he could tell the pink hedgehog before was still determined to change – for him. But he didn't want that!
"Amy," he says hesitantly. Only the truth will help him right now, and she deserves nothing but the truth. It doesn't mean he's not nervous as hell though! "do you know what one of the words I was going to describe you as before I made an idiot out of myself?" She shook her head, thoroughly curios and a little cautious.
'Here goes nothing...'
"I was going to say, 'pretty'." He admits, a blush staining his muzzle red. Her jade orbs widen in shock, her face also tinted red. Sonic moves his grip from her wrist to her hand, clasping it gently. He focuses on their hands, unable to watch her face. 'Coward'.
"I don't really know what I want anymore," he says slowly, trying to find the right words. "but I do know this whole 'change' business isn't going over well with me. Your chases are what keeps me from purposefully finding trouble out of boredom. Your dedication inspires me even in the darkest of times, and that big heart of yours makes it impossible for any sane person to hate you."
'Alright you coward, lift this pathetic head of yours and look at her!' Emerald eyes meet tearful jade ones.
"I'm touched you're willing to change for me, but I think the Amy Rose now is just fine," he smiles warmly, then says teasingly, "Well, maybe less hammer attacks, but other than that-"
Arms fling themselves around his neck and a mixture of crying and laughing is heard from the female. Pushing aside his usual discomfort, he wraps his own arms around her, returning her hug for once.
"You stubborn, confusing hedgehog," Amy chuckles into his chest, making a tingly feeling form wherever she's touching him.
'This... feels nice. She even smells nice too,' he unknowingly admits as he inhales her floral aroma.
A powerful gust of wind suddenly slams against the tent wall, ruining the moment between the two hedgehogs. Amy reluctantly pulls out of his embrace and bashfully moves a quill out of her face.
"Well, I guess I'll set up our beds, since we're stuck here."
"If you don't mind," he says and grasps her hand once more, "I think it'd be better if we shared one bed. I mean, you are pretty warm..." he says 'shyly', hiding his sly smirk. He's not lying, technically, but he's actually not as cold as he's making it seem right now. What? He never knew how nice she feels when she isn't crushing the life out of him!
"O-oh, sure. Okay." she says nervously, blushing once more. Hmm, he should do that more often...
She quickly sets up their sleeping place – demanding Sonic stay put and keep accumulating warmth – so she can return to his warm arms and his refreshing scent. She didn't get her confession of love she's always fantasized, but this is actually better. It's like both of their eyes are open now, and they get to start things anew, in a sense; they are finally ready and willing to know who the other truly is.
As the two hedgehogs hold each other and enjoy the other's presence, one of the blue hero's last thoughts before sleep takes him is, 'Obsessive definitely doesn't fit her. However,' he takes another whiff of her increasingly addictive smell. 'at this rate, it might come to fit me...'
There! A happy one, see? Heh... ^^'
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