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Amy Rose rarely had bad days.
Bad moments? Certainly, but one bad moment was nothing in the grand scheme of things in Amy’s mind. She faced life head on with the optimism only she could possibly possess.
Especially now, with Eggman having retired years ago, Mobius & its citizens were finally able to live life without looking over their shoulders for world dominating events. As such, bad days were very far & few between for the pink hedgehog.
Today was an exception.
It was looking to be the perfect day out, enjoying the last bouts of warmth before the cold weather made its presence constantly known. Amy had taken advantage of the fact that she finally had enough trustworthy employees at her bakery to keep it running smoothly without her being there around the clock. So, she took the liberty to plan a day out; take herself on a date if you will.
It felt like ages since she had gone out on her own like this. Of course, nothing would compare to her grand solo adventure after Starfall Islands. She sighed as she recalled the memory, content with where it had led her. At the time, she still adored Sonic, but she was finally seeing him less as her heroic crush she idolized, & more as the hedgehog he was. Not only that, she wanted to find out who she was outside of Sonic, outside of following him on his adventures.
I suppose that’s when I fell out of love with him, Amy mused.
She shook her head, no, I’ll always love him, but now I love him in the way I love my found family. Amy’s love for the Blue Blur hadn’t faded, it had shifted, from admiration to fondness.
A chill breeze brought her back to the present moment. The accumulation of all of today’s bad moments were enough to make Amy wilt in defeat.
Today has not been my day, she thought.
It started with breakfast, her waffles all sticking to her waffle maker, leaving her with a crumbled catastrophe. She then got done up in her outfit of the day; a white pleated skirt, red crop top, white tights, red boots, a long red sweater, & her favorite white fingerless gloves with a heart cutout on the back. She had twirled, feeling wonderful in the outfit, only for her brand-new tights to get snagged as she headed out the door, ripping them right above the knee. When she finally got to the city proper, she was surprised to find the streets open to oncoming traffic. She opened up her social media to find out the market she had been looking forward to had been postponed. The cherry on top of this disaster of a day was her favorite café being temporarily closed due to plumbing issues. Not to mention it was much too cold for the sun to still be out. It was that time of year where early morning & late night brought with them a cold breeze, one that would be chased away as the sun shone down. It was barely midday, but the cold seemed to mock the Sakura hedgehog & her failed attempt at a day out.
She adored going out with her friends, but days out on her own were just as nice. When they went well, anyways. She considered calling one of her friends. Perhaps she could ask Cream. The little rabbit had grown up to be a wonderful girl, always keeping in touch with Amy, even inviting her to meet her school friends. Cream was probably with them now, & the rabbit family lived near Amy. Meaning, on the outskirts of the city. Blaze was back in the Sol dimension, & while Amy could call her regal friend, they had one of their regularly scheduled calls coming up soon in any case. Tails was more than likely tinkering away in his workshop. Knuckles & Rouge were off on a date. Amy’s friendship with Rouge developing due to their proximity to Knuckles & their love of fashion, two mobians so different that they got along incredibly well. Much like her & Shadow.
Amy’s heart fluttered at the thought of the stoic hedgehog. While she had always dreamed of finding that one true love, that possible lover became faceless as Amy went on with life.
That was, until Shadow captured her heart.
It had been their love of music that brought them together in the first place, & that connection only deepened as they continued to meet up outside of concerts. Amy would make sure to find the coffee shops with the best black coffee so that Shadow could enjoy his preferred drink. Shadow would often find new places for them to stargaze. While she taught him how to bake, he taught her how to cook. They often spent quiet moments together, Amy sewing, while Shadow read. They often trained together, finding that they learned a lot from each other, Shadow teaching Amy about physical strength, Amy teaching Shadow about emotional & mental strength. They balanced each other out perfectly, it came to no one’s surprise that they became best friends over the years.
Yet, her heart yearned for more. It had been a quiet realization, on a day when they were in Amy’s kitchen, cleaning after one of their baking get togethers. At least, it had started as cleaning, until they each held their brooms up like microphones, singing along to Sabrina Carpenter. They locked eyes as they belted out the lyrics, & as Amy looked at those ruby eyes, she knew she was in too deep. She had fallen in love with her best friend.
As Amy was deep in thought, she didn’t realize someone had approached her. A gentle hand on her arm jolting her back to reality & she was face to face with the hedgehog that had just been on her mind, as if she had unwillingly manifested him.
Much to Shadow’s surprise, as the years went by his body had grown. He was now taller, muscles developed from fighting & training. He was satisfied with the outcome, as it would have been irritating if Sonic had grown while he did not, knowing the blue hedgehog would take the opportunity to playfully jab at his rival turned friend. They would always respect each other, but that didn’t stop Sonic from relentlessly teasing him. He had once overheard Sonic thanking Amy for befriending him.
“He’s less of a stick in the mud nowadays” Sonic had joked
Amy had opened her mouth to respond when Rouge cut into the conversation.
“I have to agree with Blue on this one, you really softened that hedgehogs sharp edges”
Everyone in their close circle saw the change. His constant frown replaced by a face of calm, he was less guarded, even though he was never much of a talker, he would go to group gatherings, listening & chatting with those he respected. He found hobbies to occupy his time & bring him peace. Above all, he talked about Maria much more often, but instead of recalling those memories with pain, he spoke of her with fondness. Not everyone was privileged to hear the stories of his late sister, even so, Shadow knew she would have adored them all.
& Shadow knew she would have especially adored Amy Rose. He had spotted her outside of the shop window, almost curled in on herself. When she clearly hadn’t heard him approach, he lay a hand on her arm. She snapped out of whatever thoughts were consuming her & looked up at Shadow with those sparkling eyes, the green giving way to turquoise over the years. Shadow was no stranger to Amy’s physical affection, he had learned to reciprocate it, but he rarely ever initiated it.
“Shadow” Amy breathed, practically melting in relief.
Shadow guided his hand back to his side, despite his minds protests to keep it there, maybe even hold her hand-
He chased away those thoughts. No need to expose what had been eating away at him for over a year now. Only Rouge, his closest confidant, knew he was in love with the Sakura hedgehog. He had initially thought it was a crush, that it would fade with time as Amy’s crush for Sonic had. But as he kept confiding in Rouge, her teasing demeanor had shifted to something softer.
“Oh cariño, you’re in love with her”
& Shadow had no idea what to do with that information. It made sense to him, now being able to put a name to what he was feeling. Part of him wanted to court her, to be close to her in the way only a lover could. Another part of him feared scaring her off, shattering this friendship between him that meant everything to him. So, he shoved those emotions aside. Easier said than done when she was standing in front of him looking beautiful & radiant as she always did.
Amy was glad to see her friend, but now she didn’t want to weigh him down with the whirlwind of a day she’d had. Shadow, ever the observant one, didn’t miss the defeat in her eyes.
“What’s wrong Rose?” he asked.
Amy let out a sigh, his genuine eyes chasing away her doubts. This was Shadow, he would listen, he would never make her feel silly about her mess of a day, he truly cared.
“It’s just been a bit of a disappointing day,” she admitted with a sigh.
Shadow gave a small nod.
“I’ll listen” he said.
Amy’s mood lifted, basking in the warmth of her friend’s care. He led her inside what Amy now recognized as Shadow’s favorite bookshop. A cozy second-hand bookstore, walls covered in vintage posters & thrifted décor. Amy followed Shadow to his unofficial corner of the bookstore, where he often had a small stack of books on the table in between the two plush couches.
Amy let herself fall onto the couch with an oomf, & she leaned back into the plush cushions. She sat there for a while, relishing in the cozy warmth, smell of books, & the presence of caring company. She opened her eyes to find Shadow looking at her, his eyes soft & unguarded. She tilted her head to hide the slight blush that grazed her cheeks & cleared her throat.
She went on to retell the events of her day, Shadow listening intently, nodding every so often for her to go on. She felt a lot lighter once she finished her recount of the events, sinking further into the cushions.
“Now that I’m talking about it, well, I suppose it wasn’t so bad. Not when you compare it to the days we had when Eggman was trying to conquer the world.” She said with a small laugh.
Shadow gave a small smile & shook his head.
“Only you can keep your head up despite a bad day Rose,” he said sincerely “but sometimes we have bad days, & we do not need to compare bad moments. It still made you feel down, & it is alright to just let yourself feel that.”
Amy scanned his face & her heartbeat quickened just a bit. It was in moments like these that she was reminded why she had fallen for the dark hedgehog. As much as she treasured their friendship, there was this inkling that maybe he had fallen a little for her, too. Rouge was his other best friend, but he hardly gave her the satisfaction of smiling at her & shared less of his hobbies with her. Cream he smiled at often, letting his guard down, they were close as could be. The little rabbit was always jumping for joy when Shadow & Amy would hang out with her.
“You two are my favorites, but don’t tell the others!” Cream had exclaimed during one of their get togethers.
Amy had asked Shadow once if there was a particular reason he had let Cream in so quickly & willingly.
“She reminds me of everything Maria wanted to protect.” He had admitted.
It was small, but it was there. A small flame of hope that maybe, just maybe, Shadow liked her a little more than he let on. The smiles & soft glances, just like in the romance books she adored. But she always hesitated. The fear, not so much of rejection, but that he may not feel the same & she was simply fantasizing, always lingered in the back of her mind.
“Thank you Shadow,” she said with a smile “you always know how to bring me back down to Mobious.”
She glanced out the nearby window, the sun getting ready to set. Well, the day isn’t quite over yet, Amy thought.
Shadow observed her, watching as she ran her thumb over one of her weighted bracelets. He had realized a while back that it was something she did when lost in thought. He followed her gaze out the window. The day had yet to end, & while he had originally set out with similar intentions as Amy, to have a day to himself, the prospect of being able to spend time with the hedgehog that held his heart was exciting. Not only that, but he was now determined to give her a good ending to this troublesome day.
He scooped up the books he had picked out & stood in front of her, admiring the way the soft lighting made her eyes brighter, & her pink fur glow. Her quills cascaded down her back, she had mentioned that she liked being able to let them grow out, a bob was easy to maintain & keep out of the way in emergencies. But now she had the time & freedom to try different styles, it was often in a braid of sorts during their training sessions. But what he loved most was that she had stopped straightening them, the long quills free to show off their natural waves. It looked so right, so her. He once again held back the urge to touch her & cleared his throat, shaking her out of her trance.
“As Rouge would say, the night is still young, I think we can try to turn it around.” He said & held out his paw.
Amy looked at his outstretched paw, his white gloves long gone & replaced by pairs Amy gifted him throughout the years. Today he was wearing his favorites, bright red & fingerless, showing off his paw pads & his claws. It was a nice pop of color against his dark gray jeans, white shirt with a low-cut V-neck for his chest fur to pop out, & his black bomber jacket that Amy had made for him a while back.
Amy was no stranger to physical contact, she hugged & clung to her friends all the time. Shadow had become accustomed to this, letting her grab him by the arm & drag him around, even returning her hugs as of late. But he never initiated the contact, & Amy was okay with that. But the small gesture alone had her mood lifted instantly.
She took his paw & stood up, her pink & white contrasting against his black & red.
“I think so too!” she said with a dazzling smile.
Shadow gave a nod & gestured to the bookshelves.
“I overheard the staff mention that they had new additions in the romance section.” Shadow said, giving her a knowing look, ears down.
Amy bounced on her heels before leading Shadow to her favorite section. Shadow happily let himself be led away, taking advantage of the fact that she was facing away he smiled at the light she seemed to radiate.
Once there she used one hand to guide her eye along the titles, while happily still holding on to Shadow’s. He let his eyes wander the shelves in order to help keep his face neutral. His eyes fell on a few romance books he had read, all recommended by Amy. He had been hesitant at first, but he quickly found that Amy knew how to cater to other’s tastes outside of baking. Mystery was by far his favorite genre, he often took pride in being able to resolve the case before the characters. Amy’s hand appeared before his eyes as she tiptoed to try & reach a title. Shadow paused before slipping his hand from Amy’s, even as he briefly missed the contact, he easily picked the book off the shelf, his height an advantage. The happiness on Amy’s face when he handed her the book made the loss of touch worth it.
“What is this one about?” he asked, leaning forward to look at the cover.
Amy was acutely aware of how close he was, her ears pressed against her head as she felt shy, her face warming up.
“It’s about a girl who gets sent abroad over the summer by her family after she loses some of the people closest to her. She meets a local boy & starts to wonder if she can make a new life there, or go back home to what she thought her future would be.” Amy says softly.
She looks up at the stoic hedgehog through her lashes, a soft smile on her lips. Shadow becomes aware of how close he’s gotten & takes a step back, fighting the urge to run his hands through her quills, cup her cheek even.
“Sounds like your cup of tea” he says factually.
Without a second to waste he plucks the books from her hands & makes his way towards the register.
“Shadow please, I can pay for it myself!” Amy says as she falls into step beside him, reaching for the book. Shadow lifts it out of reach, expression remaining neutral.
“I have told you once before Rose, you always do so much for others. Let me do these things for you.” Shadow states as he gets to the register.
Amy relented, but pouted, playfully crossing her arms as she pretended to be bothered. Shadow was paid a generous salary by G.U.N., & he wasn’t one to spend. When it came to those close to him, he was diligent about getting them the perfect gifts. But when it came to Amy, he liked being able to return that love & devotion she shared with others, with him. While he knew where he stood on his feelings, he was unsure how she felt towards him. He knew Amy considered him her best friend, he was the first she would share information with, seek for advice, the one to hang out with her the most whether it be planned or impromptu. Her blushing & touching had become more frequent. The way she looked at him at times, it wasn’t how she had once looked at the Blue Blur. He couldn’t quite place it. As direct & blunt as he was with his words, as easily as they came to him when writing poetry, they failed him to ask her how she felt. A strange fear settled in his stomach when he thought of admitting this love he felt. Rejection he could face, it would be painful, but he could face it. His fear did not only stem from losing what had blossomed between them. What he feared was how far he was willing to go for her, that despite all his training, all he had lived, this had him nervous, hesitant. She saw right through him, was patient & caring, she crumbled his walls, it was dizzying, confusing. Despite living on this planet & being able to firsthand find everything about it that was worth protecting, he would put her before the world.
The thoughts raced through Shadows head; it was not the first time they had done so. As they left the bookstore he glanced at her, happily clutching her book. He made up his mind. He would tell her tonight. If he didn’t, these thoughts might just consume him. Amy hooked her arm around his, causing Shadow to tense in surprise before relaxing as he looked at her.
“Where to now?” she asked.
“There’s a place I have in mind. I found it recently, it seems like a place you’d like.” He said.
Amy’s adored how thoughtful he was, always attentive. She smiled & they walked on in comfortable silence. They reached a crepe shop, small & cozy. Shadow, ever the gentleman, opened the door for her as he always did. They walked in, the smell of batter, sweet cream & coffee greeting them.
“They source the coffee from our favorite café, I happened upon the shop while on my way to the bookshop the other day. I thought of bringing you here since you are always the one to find places that appeal to my taste in coffee. This is something we can both enjoy.” He said.
Amy squeezed his arm, eyes full of adoration.
“It’s perfect Shadow” she breathed.
Amy ordered a sweet crepe with strawberries, cream, & chocolate drizzle. Shadow ordered his usual black coffee. When Amy asked the employee to make the order to go Shadow gave her a questioning look. Amy simply flashed him a smile & winked.
Once they had their orders Amy led Shadow out of the shop, which lucky for her was close to the edge of the city. It didn’t take long for Shadow to realize where they were headed. They headed towards the forest, walking on until they reached a clearing, surrounded by trees, small purple flowers dotting the grass. The sun had long ago set, leaving the moon & stars to illuminate their night. Amy sat in front of a tree at the edge of the clearing, looking up at Shadow expectantly. He sat down beside her & they started on their treats, admiring the stars. Amy gave a content sigh & leaned her head on Shadows shoulder. He tensed, suddenly aware of how close their legs were, how practically touching their arms were. His heart hammered in his chest, but he let out a breath, allowing his body to relax even if his mind was buzzing. He leaned his head against the tree & squeezed his eyes shut. It hurt how much he loved her.
Amy glanced up at Shadow, taking in his pained expression. She lifted her head off his shoulder. What happened? Is it his Doom powers? His head?
“Shadow what’s wrong?” Amy asked, her voice full of concern.
Shadow opened his eyes, meeting her gaze.
It’s now or never he thought.
“Rose” his voice came out small, so he cleared his throat & tried again.
Amy sat up & waited for him to find his words, wondering what could possibly have him at such a loss for words.
“Rose, since the moment I met you, you brought light to my life. You reminded me of the promise to my sister, you showed me that I am more than I was created to be, you proved to me time & time again that I can lead my own life.” Shadow let out a shaky breath & reached for her hands, cupping them in his own. He stared at their hands, unable to look her in the eyes just yet.
“You have shown me love, patience, dedication. You walked into my life & showed me how to find the light. You are resilient, kind, compassionate. You are strong in more ways than one, you showed me that strength is not only physical. But at the same time, you have brought me to my weakest point. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, I would burn this world for you. You bring down my walls, my control, my logic. I-“ he swallowed, “I love you Amy Rose.”
He finally gathered the courage to look at her. Her eyes were wide, rimmed with tears, mouth hung open in surprise. Shadow panicked, no longer holding back, his hands flew to her face, brushing away tears. He leaned down, coming closer to her, unsure of what to do. Of all of the romance books he had read, none of the characters had cried when they received a confession.
Amy felt like her heart was going to explode. Never had she heard such beautiful words, much less directed at her. All her life she had been dedicated to saving the world, when she was younger, she knew that she could go down fighting for it. Yet here Shadow was, declaring that she came before the world, & it scared her a bit too. It scared her that she liked how it felt. To be prioritized like that. No, to be loved like that. He loved her. She met Shadows eyes again & fully leaned into his touch, placing her hands over his. A laugh bubbled in her chest & she let it out, Shadow’s brow creasing further.
“Shadow, you showed me that I could carve my own path, be my own hero. I never knew how strong I was until you showed me all I am, all I could be. I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I knew what my picture-perfect life would be like. But then I fell in love with you.” She laughed shakily, “& suddenly my perfect picture was shades of gray compared to what a life with you would be like. I love every part of you, I love who I am with you. I was so afraid of scaring you off, of my feeling being too much. But you’re all I need, all I ever wanted.”
The tears were flowing freely but she was smiling & holding his hands tight, the moonlight bathing her in a gentle light, & Shadow was certain he had never beheld a more beautiful sight.
Amy launched herself into his arms & they held each other tight, hearts beating as one. When they broke apart Amy was on Shadows lap, arms around his neck. His hand rested on her waist, & he looked at her with so much love she didn’t know it was possible to be so in love & loved in return. His other hand reached for her face, his thumb brushing her cheek. Amy leaned her forehead against his, her heart soaring.
Shadow’s thoughts had stilled. There was no more fear, no more doubt. She loved him. There was no one else he would rather be besides, there was no future without her. He knew what a privilege it was to be by her side, how incredible & wonderful it was that Amy Rose loved him.
“Could I be your boyfriend, Rose?” He said softly.
Surprise crossed her features before her face broke into a smile so dazzling it rivaled the night sky.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, before peppering his face with kisses.
Shadow held her waist, laughing openly as they both blushed.
Amy leaned back & giggled, their laughs mixing to form a melody of love. Shadow sighed, looking at his girlfriend through half lidded eyes before leaning in to kiss her, soft & sweet. Amy sighed into the kiss. Their hearts toppled into one another; the stars shined just for them.
It had been a perfect day after all.