A/N: I was feeling sad and lonely lately, so I wrote this to cheer me up. I'd also like to dedicate this fic to KagamiPINKAgreste, who's kept me sane and grounded for so long.

It was a cold, cloudy fall day in Emerald City, and Shadow the Hedgehog and Amy Rose were beating the frigid air by hanging out at the Silver Bird Café. The whole outing was Shadow's idea, mainly because he wanted somebody else to go with other than himself, plus he liked Amy well enough that he felt he owed her for helping him to realize that not all people were bad. Even so, things hadn't always been easy since then, and he needed somebody besides Rouge the Bat to talk to. Besides, he thought Amy looked cute in her current outfit: a red sweater and black leggings with her usual boots. He too had dressed up for the weather by putting on a G-1 bomber jacket. Usually, he could withstand cold temperatures just fine, but Rouge was always insistent that he dress for the weather. Besides, he wanted to impress Amy, who expressed her approval of the establishment:

"Thanks for taking me here, Shadow! This is the best hot chocolate I've ever tried!"

Shadow put down his black coffee. "You're welcome, Amy."

Amy's look turned serious. "Although I have a feeling that something's on your mind. Is everything OK?"

Shadow nodded. "Mostly. I've just been troubled by something lately."

"Oh? What?"

"I may have learned basic etiquette and customs, but even so, I've been feeling increasingly out of place in this world."

"What do you mean?"

"My attitude, my general mannerisms, my tastes in pop culture…they're just so different from everybody else's."

"Shadow, being different isn't a bad thing! Besides, there's no such thing as 'normal people'."

"I know, but it's just…when I try to be myself, people treat me like I'm a bad person. Just yesterday, I told a woman that I was into heavy metal, and she yelled at me, told me how offended she was and called me a misogynist, which is the exact opposite of what I really am."

Amy smiled. "Of course you're not a misogynist! You're one of the kindest, sweetest guys I know, and you'd do anything for the women in your life!"

Shadow averted his gaze. "Too bad other people don't know that."

Amy got out of her seat and approached Shadow. "They will; I'm sure of it! Besides, the only person you really have to live life for is yourself! No matter what, I'll always believe in you, too!"

In that moment, Amy's emerald green eyes touched something deep within Shadow's soul. He couldn't explain it, but he felt as though things were truly going to be all right.

"Amy…thank you."

Shadow got out of his seat, and when Amy gave him a big hug, he returned the gesture, albeit not without shedding a few tears, which she took notice of:

"It's OK, Shadow; I'm here for you."

Shadow continued to hold on to Amy like his life depended on it. In this increasingly mad world that made less and less sense as time went by, she was one of those people who kept him safe and grounded, who reminded him that yes, life was indeed worth living. Ever since that day that she accidentally glomped him, he'd wanted to hug her back because that was the best he'd ever felt since Maria's death. Speaking of Maria, he didn't think about her death or anything else that troubled him. All he could think about was how he had some wonderful women in his life who cared about his physical, mental and emotional well-being and how fortunate he was to have them. Aside from her cheerful attitude, he also enjoyed hugging her because she was so soft, warm and cuddly, especially with that sweater.

Amy enjoyed hugging Shadow as well. From that first time she accidentally glomped him, she could tell that beneath that dark, brooding exterior, there was a guy who was sad and confused, who really needed somebody to love. As she got to know him more, her inkling about him being a really nice guy deep down inside was confirmed. Feeling that soft, fluffy chest fur, not to mention having those strong, manly arms around her, she not only felt all secure and snuggly, but she got a great sense of satisfaction in being there for him when he needed it most. Granted, it was difficult for her to know that he was crying, but it also appealed to her motherly instincts to hold on to him and comfort him. Shadow stopped shedding tears soon enough, but he continued to hold on to her like his life depended on it, only letting go when he felt good enough.

"Feeling better, Shadow?" asked Amy.

"Mostly. There's just one thing I need…" Shadow flagged down their waitress, a pink wolf. "Excuse me…"

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"May I please have some milk for my coffee?"

"Sure!"

The waitress went to get Shadow some milk for his coffee.

"May I ask what that's about?" said Amy.

"Whenever I feel upset, I always feel better after drinking warm milk."

Amy nodded. "Very interesting."

Soon enough, the waitress returned with a small pitcher of milk.

"Thank you," said Shadow.

"You're welcome!"

The waitress left to tend to other customers, while Shadow felt the pitcher.

"Figures the milk would be cold. No matter, I know just how to take care of that…"

Shadow poured as much milk as feasibly possible into the coffee, mixed it up and drank it. When he felt the milk-infused coffee going down his throat, he purred and blushed, which Amy took notice of:

"Awww, you're so cute when you purr!"

Shadow put down his coffee. "Speak for yourself. You my dear Rose are extremely beautiful."

Amy smiled. "Awww, stop!"

"What's the matter? Do you not like being complimented on being the nicest, most beautiful girl I've ever had the fortune to meet?"

Amy giggled. "OK, that's enough, Shadow!"

"But Amy, you make me feel really happy."

"Oh, fair enough! You make me happy, too!"

"That aside, I had something I wanted to ask of you…"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I spend the night with you some time?"

"No, go ahead! I'd love to spend the night with you!"

Shadow smiled. "Thank you, and thank you for helping me to feel better about myself. I don't know what I'd do without you or Rouge."

"You're always welcome!"

Shadow and Amy continued to enjoy not only their drinks, but each other's company, knowing that they were there for each other if they got lonely.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.