It's been a year since the last one! Good thing these are one-shots!

This song was suggested by starfiction123. Hope you enjoy it!

I'd Come for You – Nickelback

Sonic lands on the pavement, not looking back to watch as Eggman becomes nothing more than a twinkle in the sky. Just another day's hard work! With a grin of anticipation for the mad doctor's next plan, the blue hero straightens and dusts his gloves off.

Suddenly, a high voice happily squeals, "SSOOONNIIICC!"

The blue hedgehog's body automatically tenses, and he whirls around, hoping that this time she'll listen to him and stop hugging him; he hasn't had any luck with that so far. Instead of seeing the expected shade of pink, though, Sonic only sees Tails and Knuckles, the latter grinning wickedly back at him.

"Knuckles! Don't do that!"

"Aww, but Sonikku!" Knuckles bats his eyelashes, still speaking in his horribly high voice. How the heck did Sonic mistaken that voice for Amy's? "You're my hero, and a hero deserves a kiss!" Knuckles takes a step towards the blue speedster, his grin becoming more sinister-looking.

Sonic scowls and crosses his arms. "Dude, come on. Dealing with one Amy is enough!"

"Er, Sonic?" Tails eyes him.

"I'm not insulting Amy, Tails," Sonic reassures the young fox, well aware of how uncomfortable that would make the boy. "I'm just saying she's exhausting me! It's like no matter what I say, she only hears what she wants to! I tell her to stop hugging me, she then hugs me every chance she gets! I try telling her I like her as a friend, and she only winks back!"

"Sonic," Knuckles tries saying, suddenly not looking amused.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm starting to rant, I know," Sonic heavily sighs and rubs the back of his neck. "Just, don't do that again, okay? I don't need the extra stress and-"

"SONIC!" both fox and echidna yell, cutting off the hedgehog.

"What?" In the quiet moment that follows, Sonic's ears twitch as they catch the sound of a sniffle. Slowly, the blue male turns around, and what he sees makes him freeze all over again.

Standing right behind him is none other than Amy Rose, tears flowing down her face as she stares at Sonic. As he locks eyes with her, Sonic cringes at the sight of her heart breaking, the sight of those sparkling jade eyes dimming.

He takes a step towards her, his chest aching. "Ames, I-"

"Don't!" she squeaks, clapping her hands over her ears, her body trembling. "I don't want to hear any more," she gasps, trying desperately to keep the sobs from surfacing. She then dashes off. Sonic thought she was quick before, but at the speed she's running away from him now…

He watches her go, strangely having trouble breathing, before he turns back to his two friends; his two disappointed friends, that is.

"I-I'll let her cool off and then go apologize to her," he murmurs, feeling a little better. She always forgives him after he apologizes. After all, he wasn't trying to hurt her!

"Oh, Sonic," Tails sighs sadly, his baby blue eyes welling up with tears.

Before the blue hedgehog can reassure his little brother, Knuckles interrupts in a flat voice, "You wanted her to listen to you. I think she reads you loud and clear, now."

Sonic's ears lower in uneasiness. Why are they looking at him like that? Sure he wants space from the pink female, but he honestly wasn't trying to hurt her! She will realize that and forgive him. After everything else he's done, she has to forgive this!

He cringes at that thought, realizing how bad that sounds. "I'll, um, see you guys later," he awkwardly waves goodbye, their grim faces staying in his mind as he zooms off. What did he do that was so bad? Knuckles was the one who mocked her in the first place! It's not like he lost his temper and ranted mercilessly about her! This is just a little misunderstanding, nothing but a little communication can't fix. Maybe now she'll respect his space. Everything will be fine.

Sonic settles in a treetop and takes a nap. She'll forgive him, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be prepared for her wrath.

Knock knock knock!

The blue speedster taps his foot nervously. What will she do to him this time? Bonk his head the second she opens the door? Screech at him for several minutes before he can say a word?

His musing is interrupted as the door opens. No hammer or voice pelts him, though. Instead, Amy stands there, her eyes puffy and red, and weariness written all over her. He grimaces and his ears lower in guilt.

"Yes?" she asks, her voice raspy and also tired.

"Amy, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings, and…" he trails off as he watches her watching him, more despair crossing those still-dim eyes of hers.

"I know you weren't trying to hurt me. I forgive you."

"Really?" he asks dubiously. Where is that smile he always gets after he apologizes? Why does she still look so heartbroken?

"Really. I just- I need time. I need to be alone and think about things. I'll be okay. Promise." She gives him a small smile, it reaching nowhere near her eyes, though.

"I-I, well, uh," he stutters, not sure what to do. She's obviously not okay, but he knows he has no right to refuse her request to be alone, not right now. She also said she forgives him and promised she will be okay… "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yes, you will" she smiles sadly and closes the door.

Conflicted and unsatisfied, Sonic slowly steps back from the door. He doesn't get it. Why is this time so different? What does everyone else know that he doesn't?

'Maybe she really does need time,' he slowly nods to that thought. Amy is such a passionate girl, so maybe she was wounded deeper than he thought. Yes, time is what she needs. Then she'll be his cheerful fan once again. Even if her hugs squeeze the life out of him, it's better than having her drown in her sorrow.

"That's all that she said?" Tails asks after Sonic relays what happened when he apologized to Amy.

"Yeah. Don't worry about her, lil' bro. Like she said, she just needs time!"

"Right," Tails eyes him doubtfully. Sonic does not enjoy that look.

"What?" the blue speedster sighs in exasperation. "You think she was lying to me?"

"No, it's just-" Tails cuts himself off and shakes his head. "I'm worried, that's all."

"It'll all be okay, you'll see!" Sonic claps his little brother's shoulder with a reassuring grin on his muzzle. "We just have to be patient!"

And patient he was, all eight days before he saw Amy again at Knuckle's barbecue on Angel Island.

"Hey, Ames! Mind if I sit here?" he gestures to the open spot next to the pink hedgehog, unsure if she has had enough time away from him.

"Not at all." She pats the ground. Grinning in relief, he plops down and starts munching away on his cheeseburger; there's no point of eating a hot dog if it's not slathered in chili. Not for this guy.

After he's through eating – Knuckles's cooking isn't so bad after all – Sonic turns to ask how Amy has been when Shadow appears in front of them, holding a plate of food.

"Shadow, you came!" Amy beams, a smile she certainly has yet to give the blue hedgehog.

"Hmph. Between you and Rouge…" the ebony male mutters before thrusting the plate of food towards Amy.

"Oh?" She looks quizzically up at him as she takes the plate.

"You need to eat, Rose," Shadow says firmly, and he takes a seat on the other side of her, not even glancing at Sonic.

Stopping his fur from bristling, Sonic snaps, "You can't just order her what to do! Maybe she already at-" It isn't Amy's grip on his arm that makes him fall silent; rather, it's the glare of utter loathing Shadow gives him once he finally acknowledges the blue blur. Shadow has given him some pretty hateful looks before, but they all pale in comparison to this one!

"Shadow." Amy now grips his arm, and his crimson eyes meet hers. They have some silent conversation – since when are they close enough to do that? – before Shadow huffs and stands up.

"Eat," is all he says, and he walks away. In irritation, Sonic observes Amy as she watches the ebony hedgehog with a smile.

"What's going on between you two?" Their closeness is unsettling to the blue hedgehog.

She looks at him and arches an eyebrow, saying, "Why do you want to know?"

Sonic looks back at her, stunned. Normally, Amy would've indignantly yelled 'Nothing!' and talk about how he was her one and only. What does this mean?

"Sonic!" Tails rushes over to them, snapping Sonic out of his stupor. "It's Eggman! He's attacking Station Square!" Pushing aside his uneasiness about Amy, Sonic stands.

"Well then, let's get goin'!

"Shadow, Tails! She called for Shadow!" Sonic fumes as they walk into their home, and he plops himself down on the couch.

"I heard, as I've heard you repeat for a million times too," the young fox replies, going to the fridge to get a soda.

"I just don't get why she would call for him! I can understand if she's still mad at me, but…" he trails off, his anger finally dissipating and being replaced by hurt. Amy has always come to him for aid, has always regarded him as her hero. How did things come to this?

"Sonic," the two-tailed fox sighs. "have you actually talked to her lately? Or even checked up on her?" The blue speedster's ears flatten themselves against his skull.

"She said she wanted space…"

"Yeah, well, while you completely disappeared from her world, Shadow lent her his shoulder. You would know this, if you had bothered to at least ask one of us how she was doing," Tails scolds his older brother. He knows the blue hedgehog is rather clueless when it comes to serious feelings, but he also knows Sonic wouldn't have acted the same way were Amy any of their other friends.

"How did this get all so messed up, Tails?" Sonic groans, now wracked with guilt. Why is this time so different? What was he missing?

"Sonic, this was bound to happen," the yellow fox sighs wearily, softening towards his distressed friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Between you and Amy. Either you finally would've caved to her, or she finally would've been rejected enough to move on." At Sonic's silence, Tails elaborates. "It's not so much of what you said this time that hurt her, it's more of all the other rejections finally sinking in, of her realizing you really don't like her that way."

"So… She's letting me… go?" Sonic nearly whispers the last word, as if no one can hear it, then it isn't real.

"Yes?" Tails eyes the blue male curiously, noting the stricken look on his face. "Isn't that what you want? What you've wanted for years now?"

"I- I…" Isn't it? He's wanted her to stop chasing him, to stop tackling him, and to stop proclaiming her love for him wherever they go. So why does this hurt so much? If this isn't what he wants, then what is it?

"I think you and Amy need to talk," Tails gently tells him. He's surprised he hasn't realized this before, but then again, Sonic is very stubborn and Amy is very persistent. "Go on," he nods to the door when the blue hedgehog looks nervously at him.

"O-okay." Tails is right. This isn't something that should be ignored, not if both he and Amy are going to come out of this okay. Whatever this is.

The cobalt-blue hedgehog, for the first time ever, forces himself to run rather than walk to Amy's house. He actually wants to walk, to take his time and think more on this, but he's also afraid of talking himself out of seeing the girl. As rotten as it sounds, it's only Amy he ever runs from, and he's tired of doing that to her.

Once he's on her front step and his nerves nearly knock him off his feet, Sonic knows he made the right choice. Taking a deep breath, and hoping to dear Chaos this all gets worked out, he knocks on her door.

A quick set of footsteps sound from inside, making the blue male smile. Like waiting a few more seconds is going to kill him.

"Oh, Sonic!" she blinks, surprised. "Is something the matter? Is Eggman already back?" she tenses, getting ready to deal with whatever problem Sonic has. After everything he's done, she's still there for him.

He's terrible.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Can I, um, can I come in?"

"Uh, sure?" She steps aside and lets him in. He heads over to her couch and takes a seat.

"Listen, Ames, I wanted to talk, to really apologize to you. For how I've treated you. I've ditched you, talked behind your back, and I guess I just realized how hurtful that must've been to you. So, Amy, I am sorry. For all of it."

"T-those were all accidents, though, you said. I shouldn't have overreacted when they were just accidents," she stammers, thrown off by how serious and sincere Sonic is being.

"That still doesn't excuse my thoughtlessness."

"Sonic, really, it's okay. I'm actually sorry too, for pestering you so. When I realized you really didn't l-love me back, it- it's hard. I was just so sure, you know? It's like the rug was pulled from under me. I'm still figuring it out, how to treat you. As a friend, and not like… that." Amy's a mess of nerves, but that soothes him, because he is too. He's just no good at expressing it.

"Well, maybe I can help? You can ask me what you're not sure I'd be okay with, or you can tell me how you plan to act so far," he offers, wanting to ease her sorrows. He's not sure the price of her sadness for his breathing room was worth it.

"W-well, okay. Just- it's not all worked out," she warns, twiddling her fingers nervously.

"That's okay," he smiles reassuringly, pained to see her this nervous and unsure around him. He didn't break her, did he?

"Okay. Well, for starters, no more chasing you."

"How else will you get your exercise?" he winks teasingly. She cracks a smile.

"No more tackling you with hugs."

"Except after won battles," he nods. See, this is already going better!

"Why? I-I mean, I could if you want, but I don't do that with anyone else?"

"No?" She shakes her head. What else does she do differently? "How do you normally treat your friends?"

"I don't know, the same as you do, I guess? I'll hug them when the occasion calls for it, sometimes I'll ask them to hang out or they will ask me, and I'll always have a shoulder for them to cry on or an ear to lend when they're mad."

"Oh." What did he expect? He's seen her with the others, he knows she's not nearly as affectionate with them as she is – was – with him. So why does the thought of knowing that Amy bother him?

"Sonic?"

"Could you hug me? I-I mean like you would with the others," he flushes. "Just to see what it's like."

"O-oh, Uh, s-sure," she blushes. He stands and she slowly walks towards him. She gently wraps her arms around his neck, and he leans down to wraps his own around her waist. They are very close now, and he is suddenly very, very aware of Amy Rose.

Her jade eyes flit away from his, breaking his stupor, and she rests her chin on his shoulder, bringing him closer as she does so.

All too soon, she breaks away and steps back. "Like that," she whispers, not looking at him. He has too many thoughts of his own to worry about right now, though. That was… nice. Very nice. Those kinds of hugs, he realizes, he wouldn't be against, even if they happen constantly. She was so warm, she smelt nice even, and the way she fits in his arms…

"Ames," he says softly, finally realizing why Amy treating him like the others bothered him. "Don't change anything but the hugs. Just hug me like that for now on."

"I- What?"

The blue hedgehog steps forward and gathers the stunned female back in his arms. Yes, this feels right. This is what he wants.

"Maybe I don't love you yet, but maybe I also like you more than just a friend," he murmurs softly, squeezing her closer to him.

He's not sure what love really feels like, but as the girl in his arms trembles and hugs him tighter, he knows that if he sticks with her, he'll soon find out.

Well, that turned out a bit longer and different than I thought! xD Hope this worked for you, starfiction123!