Heh, bought this CD and now it's my jams when I'm not rocking...

Death of a Bachelor - Panic! At the Disco

'How?'

That word – that one, little word – has been plaguing him for the past month. No matter what he does, it's there in his mind, and you better believe he has tried forgetting! Oh how he has tried! Not even a good ol' chill dog can help with this problem!

How...

How could this have happened?

For once since he could remember, his life actually had equilibrium: he'd defeat Eggman as quick as the mad doctor would appear, and he and his friends were getting some much deserved rest. That was probably the problem, though; he is not made nor born for a normal and routine life. He really should have seen this coming. Well, maybe not this, but definitely something to throw him for a loop! Though, this didn't throw him for a loop. This flipped his world completely upside down!

It isn't fair. He didn't really have any warning. He wasn't prepared!

'You wouldn't of had been ready for it anyways,' his 'logical' side scoffs. Pfft. This inner voice of his sure has been pretty vocal lately. Especially this past month. Logical and How are pretty good buddies at this point.

"Agh," he groans, removing his hands from behind his head, and he settles for watching the sky rather than taking a nap like he really wanted. He's really tired of all this thinking. It's especially terrible when he can't enjoy a simple nap. Sleep: that's all he wants! Does he get it, though? Of course not! If he does get sleep by some miracle, then he gets those... dreams, if that's what he dares classify them as.

He knows what he's dealing with, but he doesn't know how to deal with it – see, there's that blasted word again! She would know just what to do, she's dealt with it practically her whole life! He, however, has spent every moment trying to outrun it and avoid it. He doesn't have time for it. He doesn't need it...

...but he wants it.

Some good all that running did him. He didn't get the normal seed that gets implanted and slowly grows and blooms with the passage of time. No, the seed he got decided to sprout, then stay dormant, waiting for that one, perfect moment. When that moment finally came, the sapling shot up and blossomed before he could even register it's existence! He never stood a chance.

The elusive trout is hooked.

The predator has gotten it's prey.

The weather has finally worn down and cracked the solid boulder.

Or in simpler terms – considering his life is currently far too chaotic to keep hitting around the bush like this – Amy Rose has finally caught Sonic The Hedgehog...

...and she doesn't even know it.

He would love nothing more than to be in denial and just shrug off these foreign feelings, were it not for the fact that the female pops into his mind every time it wanders now and that every time he sees her, he temporarily stops breathing. Seriously. Tails is even beginning to think he is starting to develop some allergies!

He's got it bad, and he's made sure only he knows that. He has taken great measures to stay away from the pink hedgehog – yeah, yeah, he knows it's hurting her, but if it's any justification, it's hurting him too – so he can hopefully figure out what his next course of action will be.

Does he dare risk her safety for his personal desire? He has a lot of enemies, and all it takes is one slip-up to lose someone. Just the mere thought of that fate befalling his Amy – or any of his friends, really – makes him ill. He couldn't possibly risk that...

However, should he decide to leave her be, he's not very confident in his acting skills. He's nearly compromised his cover so many times already, how on Mobius will he able to act normal once he starts seeing her regularly again? Of course, there's also the matter of their misery. Her hopes and dreams will wither more with each and every rejection he'll give her, and his very being will suffocate with the knowledge that he both has the power and the secret desire to make those dreams of hers a reality. She absolutely deserves to be happy, but she also deserves to be promised a normal, full life. Like he stated earlier, he was not made nor born for normalcy, therefore, he can promise no such things.

As the sun begins to set, the twinkling of a single star can be seen in the orange sky, reminding the blue hedgehog of the ever-constant sparkle in Amy's jade eyes-

"It never ends!" he half yells and groans, standing up now and beginning to pace. His mind is somehow able to tie almost everything he encounters back to that blasted female! And the scary part? It's so easy! Since that day, thoughts like that have only been getting worse...

"Hey, Ames," he greeted as she took a seat next to his stretched-out form on the picnic blanket, the rest of their friends off playing in the creek located at the bottom of the hill they were set up on. If wet was part of their definition of fun, then they could have at it, just as long as they didn't include him.

"Hi, Sonic!" his pink friend beamed at him, and she shook her quills free of water droplets.

"Hey, hey! Quit it! You're gettin' me wet!" he grimaced and wiped the water droplets off of his muzzle.

"Hehe, oops," she giggled, not sounding very sorry.

"So sincere," he grumbled.

"What? Would you like a hug?" A dangerous glint flashed in her jade eyes as she leaned forward, an evil grin on her muzzle.

"Oh no," he paled. "No, no, no, nononononono- ACK! COLD! COLD!" he hollered as he struggled to pry the soaked female off of him, the cold water starting to seep through his fur.

"Oh Sonikku," Amy giggled. "You know you can't escape! You couldn't years ago, and you can't now!"

"You'd think you'd give a guy a break?!" he whined, still trying to achieve the impossible. Her hugs had definitely gotten stronger over the years!

"Of course not!" she snorted. "That would signify me letting you go!" She then lifted her face from his chest and locked eyes with his emerald ones. "And let me tell you something, Sonic the Hedgehog: I will never let you go."

He froze, the sincerity in both her words and her gaze stunned him. 'She really means it...'

"Miss Amy, look!" Cream called out excitedly from the bottom of the hill, distracting the pink female. "Wild raspberries!"

"Oh my! We just simply have to pick some for your mama then!" Amy cheered, and before she raced off, she hesitated, then pecked his cheek, his body still frozen.

"See ya later, Sonikku," she winked and released him from her arms. He watched her retreating form, his mind failing to comprehend what had just happened.

'My poor noggin never did fully recover.' He sighs, reliving the memory once again. Why did she have to go and say that? Why did she have to absolutely mean it? And why on Mobius did she decide to kiss his cheek?! He didn't ask for that! Sure, her lips her soft and- ack!

"Just stop! Sssstooppppp!" he groans in exasperation. He's not sure how much more of this he can take! Despite not having been around the female responsible for his inner turmoil for more than a few minutes since that day, those thoughts are just getting worse...

'Hey, that flower is the same shade as Amy.'

...and worse...

'I wonder if it'll smell like her too.'

...and worse.

"Alright! I give! You win! I surrender! Consider your mission to drive me insane completed!" He yells up to the heavens while throwing his arms up in the air, not really sure who he's yelling at. Either way, it feels nice to let off some steam, especially now that he's admitting his defeat. At this point, it'll be impossible to treat the pink hedgehog as just a friend!

"Just... Just tell me what to do!" he groans after lowering his tan arms, not wanting to royally screw things up. Knowing their past, that is a lot more of a possibility than he likes.

"Sonic?"

He nearly jumps out of his fur, and his heart hammering against his chest. He composes himself before he turns around with a forced smile.

"O-oh, hey Ames!" Oh dear Chaos, how much has she heard? What does she know?!

"Who were you yelling at?" Amy asks, both worry and fear in her jade eyes.

'Fear of it being directed at her,' he realizes.

"Not at you, Ames, that's for sure," he says warmly, then rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't even know you were here, so..."

"Oh." He sees her shoulders relax and the sparkle return to those alluring eyes of hers. "Are you okay then? Is someone giving you trouble?" A dangerous look flashes across the female's face, ready to hunt down whoever is bugging him.

'She's so cute like that,' he muses involuntarily, then he fights against physically grimacing. 'Hedgehog, you're so screwed...'

"Well, no, not really. I, uh, am just having some, uh, personal troubles," he explains, hoping that'll be enough for her.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Of course, this is Amy: she wants to know everything about him – something he secretly appreciates.

"NO!" he exclaims. He can't tell her now! He only just accepted what he feels, and he-

"Oh, sorry. I-I thought I could help," Amy says forlornly and lowers her head, her ears lowering as well.

'Now look at what you did.' His ears also flatten and his inner struggle starts to break free. He takes a step closer to her, and his arm twitches, wanting to lift her chin up. Of course, he is too cowardly to actually do it.

"Amy, it's not... I..."

"Did I do something wrong?" she suddenly asks, her glassy eyes returning back to gaze at him.

He looks at her in confusion. "What?"

"Well, i-it seems like you've been avoiding me lately. I- I just..." Tears begin to well in her eyes, making him feel even worse. "What did I do? Was it because I kissed your cheek? I'm sorry, I just get carried away, I guess, and-"

"Shh." Before either of them know it, he is suddenly in front of her, holding his finger against her lips to silence her. "Just... shh." She obeys, but he's pretty sure it's because she's paralyzed from his close proximity. Truthfully, he would be too if he didn't have this heavy weight to get off his chest.

"You didn't do anything. Well, uh, not anything to make me mad at you," he says slowly, not really sure what he should say. "I've been doin' some thinkin' and, uh, well... We're older now, and, uh, stuff, and- Aagh!" He rubs his other hand down his face, frustrated with how his words are failing to convey his thoughts. "You know I'm no good with words!" he uneasily exclaims, wanting to run and go back to how things were a month ago. Then he notices his finger still shushing her. He suddenly becomes mesmerized with how soft her flesh feels and how intoxicating her scent is.

"Sonic?" she murmurs against his finger, her soft breath sending tingles down his spine. He eyes the utter confusion on her face, his blasted words also failing to make sense to her. His gaze is drawn back down to her pink lips.

Maybe he doesn't need words...

Slowly, he slides his finger across her lips, and he gently cups the side of her face, scared beyond belief right now, but also just as thrilled as he is on his adventures. Maybe even more.

"Sonic?" Amy asks again, this time her voice airy sounding and just above a whisper: all because of him...

"Shh," he silences her again, no longer in control of his movements. He slowly starts to lean in.

"Hard..." What is he doing?!

"to think..." 'Nuh-uh hedgehog! There's no goin' back after this!'

"with you..." Is he really doing this?!

"around." 'Wait just a min-'

Soft.

Oh Chaos, her lips are so soft! 'I never imagined it feeling like this, and- oh goodness! She's kissing back!'

All other rational thoughts are wiped from his mind, the sensation powerful enough for him to barely comprehend. All he knows is he finally did it. All those dreams he's been having this past month has finally happened. He, Sonic the Hedgehog, is kissing Amy Rose. He did it, not her!

He pulls back, letting them both replenish their air supply. The ecstatic, adoring look she gives him washes away all the doubt he has left.

He dares his enemies to simply look at her; he'll rip them apart!

He won't be tied down, he'll be carrying her with him!

Does he know what their future will hold? Nope, but he knows they'll have one together.

"Yeah, that kiss on my cheek did a number on me." He pecks her lips again, relishing the feeling. "I've spent the whole month wondering what a real kiss from you would feel like," he murmurs, his forehead now resting against hers. "Sorry I've avoided ya, but, uh, I obviously wasn't in good-enough shape to be with ya for long."

"Well, I'll forgive you if you kiss me again," she whispers, a beautiful smile blooming on her face. All because of him.

"Oh, you can expect at least one a day now," he grins, not joking, and he gives the pink female what she asked for.

The world of relationships still scares and mystifies him, but as long as Amy is happy and he gets to call her his, he guesses it won't be too bad. He's willing to give up his bachelor life for that. Heck, once a certain red echidna inevitably makes fun of him, he'll even have enough of a reason to beat up Knuckles!

'Oh yeah, I could get used to this.'

So, what'd you guys think?