Finally! Chapter 18 of this series. Sorry it took this long, but I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am enjoying writing it. I'll let you read it, and at the end I have an announcement to make. Enjoy!

Chapter 18: R Stands for Romance

I headed back to Amy's place as quick as I can, dodging some of the trees that my quills sensed, since it was getting dark. Once I arrived at her house, what I saw was kind of odd. Her house was still dark. It looked like Amy didn't enter yet. Being curious I called out to her from the only window that was open: Amy's window.

"Amy?"

I waited for a few seconds, and then tried the door. Strangely it was open. I walked around the living room looking around to see if she was inside.

"Amy are you in here? Say something!"

I walked upstairs, and saw a lump on her bed. From my perspective, it looked like she was sleeping. I walked up to her, and tapped her shoulder. From the result, I heard her groaning in her sleep.

"She's asleep? How long was she waiting?"

I kept my voice down to a whisper, and looked around to see her diary. For safety reasons, that is not getting beaten to a pulp by her hands, I left that alone, and tried to tiptoe out.

"Maybe I should get out of here while I got the chance-"

"Hehehehe, oh Sonic~"

I immediately froze in place and turned around to see if Amy was awake. Unsurprisingly, she was talking in her sleep.

"Of course you would be dreaming about me."

I went back to tiptoeing out of the room, and every time she spoke I could hear her conversation about her fantasizing about me in her dream.

"I hope I don't wake her up."

"Huh?"

I had to open my big mouth.

"Oh… Uh… Heh heh, hey Amy. I hope I didn't disturb you."

"Sonic? You're back?"

"Yeah."

I gave her a nod as she got up from her bed. I turned around to face her, and from what I saw, I was in some sort of overload. She was wearing a nightgown, one of those girl pajamas you usually see princesses wear. However the right hoop, the part where you stick your arm through, was right around her shoulder, making me catch a glimpse of her bra and cleavage. I immediately turn around in embarrassment, trying to cool myself from my speeding heart.

"I was wondering if you were still awake, but when I came inside you were sleep. I didn't want to wake you, so to tried to leave quietly."

"Ah I see. Turn around, Sonic. It looks kind of weird talking to your back."

"I'm fine like this."

"Why?"

"Well, uh… You see…"

I tried to come up with something, but failed, so I stood there in front of her with my back turned.

"Is it because of my pajamas?"

"If you want to call it that."

I could hear her giggle from her bed.

"It's ok. I understand. Let me prepare myself so you can turn around."

"Alright."

I heard the bed creak, signifying that she was about to change, so I waited for her to change. However, I felt her arms wrap around me, and her chest press against my back. Experiencing that feeling made me blush redder than the color itself.

"A-Amy!? What are you doing!?"

"Hehe~, I'm embracing you, Sonic. It's what lovers are supposed to do."

"With that outfit on!?"

"Yes."

She started to laugh a little as she kept her embrace. My posture became frozen stiff from her being behind me, and hugging me in a position where if I ran she would cling onto my neck like last time.

"I still don't remember you being this bold towards me!"

"Funny how you bring this up, Sonic, when I have been bold towards you plenty of times. For example, remember when we went to future city, and I winked at you because I wanted to keep my eyes on you during the Grand Prix?"

I remember that well. It was because of my first encounter with Jet the Hawk there. When Knuckles, Tails, and I were walking through the city, we were looking for the Chaos Emeralds using Tails's emerald radar (I still wonder why we don't use that. Think of how easy it would've been if you had one during an adventure). However, our patrol was interrupted when Jet and his gang busted out of the window of a building with their Extreme Gear. We tried to follow them, but they escaped. The next day we found out that Eggman was hosting a Grand Prix, and Jet, Wave, and Storm were entering. The gang and I entered, and we went to the finals with Jet, only for my victory to end up short. I always wondered who planted a bomb on my Gear, but I managed to figure it out that Wave was the one who did it. I got my revenge on Jet on his home turf though, and managed to kick Eggman's butt for trying to nab their treasure, but he got it in the end, and he was very disappointed with it. We did have two more adventures, one of which involved saving the world from being absorbed into a black hole by a damaged robot who was codenamed SCR-HD, and the other which involved another grand prix, which Eggman hosted again. However, this tournament Metal Sonic wanted another match with me. Talk about being a big fan, huh? After remembering it, I looked down at my shoes, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"Oh… That…"

Amy laughed a bit, and smiled at me as her hug got a little stronger.

"Hehe, yep! So, I HAVE been coming at you, Sonic. My memories of chasing you down have never been wrong."

"I guess…"

I immediately remember what I wanted to talk her about.

Oh! Amy. I wanted to speak to you about something."

"About what?"

"About that incident."

I could tell Amy's face was feeling sad after hearing my words.

"O-Oh…"

"Shall we sit down?"

"No. I want to stay like this for a bit…"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sonic. I hope you don't mind."

"It's no problem."

"Thanks."

I took a deep breath, mustered up the courage I had, and began to speak to her.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened."

"You? Apologize? But wasn't that my fault?"

She must've been really surprised that I would apologize to her for something that was her fault.

"I mean what happened after the kiss. I just pushed you away like that, and I didn't have any intention of doing such a thing."

"Sonic, I understood how you felt, which is why I did what you asked. That clone kissing you was entirely my fault so you shouldn't apologize for something you haven't done."

"I know, but I felt like if I left things as they were, you'd still be sad, Amy, and knowing me, you know how I am about that."

Amy giggled and put her head on my back.

"You're a real sweetheart, Sonic. Thank you."

I held her hands with my own while they were still wrapped around my neck, shocking Amy a bit.

"You're welcome. I just wish I could adapt more easily to these types of situations."

"It takes time, Sonic. I understand you want to get better at this, but you can't learn it as fast as you can run."

"That's true. Well, what can I do to start?"

"Right now, holding my hands and hugging me every now and then is a start."

I nodded my head and kept my grasp on her hands like I have been doing. Then, something hit me. I wonder what would happen if I offered to kiss her.

"What about the kiss?"

"No."

"No?"

I was completely shocked, and turned around to look at her, trying to stay calm from her outfit.

"What do you mean no?"

She looks away from me with a sad face. I could tell that incident hit her really hard.

"As much as I really want that, Sonic, I can't force you to do something you're not comfortable to do. It wouldn't feel right for the both of us. For example, if I kiss you, then it will be understandable on my part, but if you kiss me, then it'll only hinder me, because you're forcing yourself. I want the kiss to be natural, and have the feeling that we really love each other the same way, Sonic, and only until you feel the same way about me, the kiss will not happen."

I looked at her with a surprised expression. She must've been thinking about this for hours.

"I see. I didn't know you felt that way about it."

"That's because I love you, Sonic. I'd want you to fall for me naturally. My dream and goal is to get you to say 'I love you, Amy,' and then kiss me with the feeling and intention that you really love me."

"Oh. Well is it ok to say that part then?"

She shook her head, and then looked up at me.

"No, because then it'd be too easy. Just like with the kiss, I want it to be natural, and the feeling of you loving me. I don't want to hear or feel something that is forced."

"Ok. I won't ask that again."

She smiles at me and hugs me. I felt my heart skip a beat as I returned the embrace. This feeling really does feel natural to me, but for Amy, she might see it as it being forced.

"Thank you for taking my feelings into consideration, Sonic. I appreciate that a lot."

"You're welcome. I thought if I offered you'd might agree to it."

"You expected me to say yes to someone who's just started learning how to love someone intimately?"

"Well…"

She got me there, as I had no words to say to her after that.

"Riiiight."

"I wanted to at least show you that I'm trying, but I guess that offer was rushing it, huh?"

Amy nods her head, but puts on a big smile.

"It may have been, but it was a sweet offer."

"Huh. I didn't expect to spend this much time with you."

"Neither do I, and I really enjoy it this way."

"I could say the same thing, but my old self is arguing with me."

"I understand, Sonic. It's hard being tied down like this."

"Yeah, but at the same time, it's not bad. Having someone to rely on can feel great sometimes."

Amy lays her head on my chest, keeping her smile as she agreed.

"Yeah. Just having someone you really love to help whenever you need it. Oh such a wonderful feeling, isn't it, Sonic?"

Amy happily sighs, making me chuckle a little bit as I brought her a little closer to me with a slightly stronger embrace. She giggles before looking up at me.

"Getting comfortable?"

"A little bit. I just have to get used to being this close."

"Oh I can do this for hours, Sonic. Just clinging onto you and, caressing your body this close to mine. It's all I dreamed of doing."

"I'm glad I can at least make you happy. I may be new to this, but I want to make sure I do my best and leave a good impression."

"Believe me, Sonic. You're doing a wonderful job."

When she said that, I felt really happy just being like this in her arms. I never felt this way before, but I hope it stays this way. Who would've thought that being together with someone you like would make your heart flutter, and skip beats just by being close, and embracing them? If Tails felt this way from Cosmo, then I think I know how love feels, but I won't know for sure until I explore some more on this.

"Is there anything you want to do for the night, Amy? Let me make it up to you."

Amy thinks about what we could do for the night. It took her a while, but she manages to get an idea.

"How about we just sit close together, and enjoy each other's company like this?"

"Eh? Are you sure?"

Amy nodded her head, looking up at me with a smile.

"I'm sure. It's been a long day, and I want this to be a chance for us to act like how couples act around each other, so I'm going to be your coach."

"I… See... "

"Come with me and sit down."

Amy smiles at me, gets out of my embrace and proceeds to pull me towards the bed. For some reason, I have a really bad feeling about this.

"Amy wait."

Amy stops in her tracks, and turns around to look at me with a little curiosity

"Yes, Sonic?"

I looked away in embarrassment.

"What if…"

"What if something happens?"

I nodded my head after looking into her eyes.

"Yeah. I don't want to give you the wrong impression."

"Don't worry about it Sonic. I assure we won't go any farther than what I promised to teach you."

"Ok, Amy."

We reach the bed, and sit down on it. I'm so embarrassed about what she's about to teach me that I look down and think to myself. What if I mess this up? Will she be mad at me? Many thoughts form in my head as I turned to look at her.

"How shall we do this? What should we start with?"

"Holding hands."

"Ok. That I can do."

I held her hands as the first step, although I really don't understand why holding hands is the first step.

"Alright. What's next?"

"Wait a minute, Sonic. Take it easy, and get to know this kind of feeling."

"Ok. If you say so."

I kept holding her hands as she asked me to, and looked at them for a moment. I never noticed this, but the feeling of holding hands isn't really that good if I'm wearing gloves.

"Um… Shouldn't I take off the gloves first, Amy?"

"Go ahead, Sonic."

I took off my gloves, and then held her hands. I thought about the feeling of her hands. They were really warm and soft, and they felt… How should I say this… They made me feel as if I want to keep them locked to mine.

"How is the feeling of holding hands to you, Sonic?"

"The feeling is a bit… Um… Your hands are really warm and soft, Amy."

Amy blushes a bit from my compliment.

"T-Thanks."

I took a closer look at her hands, and I noticed they're a little smaller than mine.

"I just noticed this, but your hands are also small."

"Of course they are, Sonic. They're not big and manly like yours."

"When you wear gloves all the time, it's kind of hard to tell the difference."

"I guess you can say that."

I explore holding hands with her by locking my fingers together with her. Amy could tell that I was curious and let me get the feeling of holding hands with her. I have to admit that I have never been so curious in my life to wonder how a girl's hand felt. I held her left hand with both of my own, and noticed that feeling again. The feeling of my own heartbeat. It began to speed up as I held her left hand. Amy was a little concerned about what I was doing.

"Sonic?"

"..."

I lifted her hand up, and put it onto my cheek, wondering how it felt. Amy's blush got redder as she looked at me with a slightly surprised face.

"S-Sonic? W-What are you-"

"How does this feel, Amy?"

Amy looked at me with a feeling of nervous, before looking away in embarrassment.

"It feels… Wonderful Sonic, but why the sudden decision of putting my hand on your cheek?"

To be honest, I was really letting my heart do the thinking at this point, because I had no idea why I was curious. It was that feeling of needing to be held by her hands. The feeling of being embraced by her soft petite form, and longing to be by her side. This feeling in my heart was causing me to do this sort of thing.

"Hmm… I was curious. Is that wrong?"

She shook her head and looked at me with the blush on her face appearing visibly more than it was a few minutes ago.

"No. It's not. I-It's a bit surprising to see you so curious."

My curious face looked into her eyes as she was wondering what was going on.

"Is it now? Then what about this?"

I let go of her hands, and proceed to put my left hand on her cheek. The action I did made Amy blush so much that she looked at my hand before looking at me with the most shocked face I've seen.

"S-Sonic!?"

"I wanted to see how my hand felt upon your cheek."

"Sonic… I-I've never seen you act like this before. Are… Are you sure this is curiosity?"

I shook my head, since that wasn't the case. I took a few breaths to prepare myself for the answer I'm about to say, and looked into her eyes.

"It's not curiosity. I've been listening to what my heart says, Amy, and the feelings I have are slowly beginning to seep out. However, I still have this aching feeling of wanting to be free in the wind. The feeling of being this close to you, holding your hands, and feeling your warm embrace makes me think that it's ok to be close to someone like this, but I'm still not sure how I feel yet. Amy, I wanted to let you know that I'm really trying my best to understand how love works. Just have a little more faith in me, and we could make this work out. We might have our ups and downs in the future, but as long as we work it out, we can make this real, and one day, when I really feel the same, I will say those words back."

Amy smiles after hearing my speech, holding my hand onto her cheek with her own.

"Don't worry, Sonic. I'll wait as long as it takes, because I love you."

Amy closes her eyes while nestling her cheek on my hand, smiling at me. She opens her eyes, and looks me with those twinkly eyes.

"I'm so happy you agreed to be my official boyfriend, Sonic. I've always dreamed of being this close to you, and since this… us… is a reality, nothing makes me more happier than what you've said to me. For many years I've chased you down, trying to force you to marry me, be my boyfriend, while never asking your opinion about it. However, now that we've sat, had a talk, go for walks, spending a lot of time together, so to speak, has really made me think differently now. Instead of trying to force you, I should be more caring of your opinion, and thanks to you agreeing to do this, I think I'm beginning to change myself as well."

"I'm glad you are. We both need to change ourselves for the better if we want to stay together."

I smiled at her, holding her hands after taking my hand off her cheek.

"Tell you what. Tomorrow's the final day before Tails is done with your armor for the Chaos Shards. What do you say we spend the day together like an actual couple, and take things at our own pace?"

Amy nods her head, showing me a her usual smile.

"I'd love to Sonic."

"Alright. Then, it's a date."

I got up and started to walk out of her room, but before I opened the door, I turned around to look at her. She was getting back under her blankets.

"Oh! Before I turn in for the night, I wanted to give you my very first compliment."

She looks up at me with curiosity.

"What is it, Sonic?"

As she wonders what I'm going to say, I prepare myself again for the first compliment I'm about to give Amy for the first time since we've been together.

"You have a beautiful smile, Amy."

The blush on her cheeks that vanished reappeared. I could tell that her heartbeat skyrocketed after that comment I gave her, but making her happy was what I wanted, as much as my old self is disgusted about that. She couldn't help but giggle, and smile and looked at me with a happy face.

"Thank you, Sonic. I think you deserve a reward for that."

"What kind of reward?"

"You'll see."

Amy gets up, and walks toward me. She brings her face closer to mine while smiling. She then whispers in my ear, the words I'll never forget.

"You're my number one, Sonic."

Amy kisses my cheek, making me blush before returning to her bed. She tucks herself in, and looks at me with that same smile that didn't disappear.

"Good night, my darling Sonic."

"Heh, good night, Amy."

I walk out of her room, and back downstairs to the couch, where I had slept before. I put my body onto the couch, laying back first, and began to think about what just happened tonight. My bond with Amy increased, and I'm happy about that. I mean, there's no shame in it, right? Tails and Knuckles are like brothers to me, so I guess Amy counts as my first official girlfriend, even though I'm twenty, and she's seventeen. A three year age difference shouldn't matter so much as long as her and I are happy together. I think about all of the adventures we've had together, and for the first time ever in years, I began to think of my parents.

"Hmm… I wonder what they'll say about this… It has been a long time since I've seen them last, and I wonder what they've been doing all these years."

Now that I think about it, I rarely think about my parents, since I have two brothers, and a new girlfriend that kept me company throughout all of the years I've spent battling Eggman, and other villains stronger than him. Well, I guess that'll have to wait, but right now, what matters is deciding my feelings for Amy. It may take a while, but the battle still continues until I've come to a decision.

I hope you enjoyed this spicy update! How sweet is Sonic for strengthening his bond with Amy? Well, time for the announcement. I've been thinking of putting an end to this series. However, we're only at the middle of it, so I'm going to spend the rest of my time perfecting this series by including new ideas, and one of them is extra chapters, or filler chapters so to speak. These new chapters will not tie in to the story. Just something I'd want to do to keep you guys entertained, so you can reread them over and over, and to spoil you guys a little bit, I'm going to take some anime tropes and put it into the first ex chapter. I won't tell you the exact tropes though, so until then, stay tuned for the very first Ex Chapter!