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“Are you really, definitely, absolutely sure about this, Shadow? Don’t feel pressured, I mean it. For real!”
“Of course,” he replied, far too quickly for what should have been a casual response. “You’re one of my best friends. I’d do anything to help you.”
Amy’s smile was genuine. “I can’t thank you enough, Shadow. You’re a true friend!”
Shadow scoffed inwardly. If only you knew... He took a step forward. He realized he must have been looking at her too intensely, as she had that look on her face, the slightly wide-eyed one she got when he looked at her a bit too long. He averted his gaze to try and make her more comfortable, resisting the urge to throw a smug grin in the direction of the control room to taunt the hedgehog he knew was inside.
Luckily, Amy took the next step by reaching her arms around his neck. He locked eyes with her again and slid his arms around her waist. He leaned in as she did, still marveling at the convoluted situation that had landed him in such an enviable position.
Shadow teleported to the rendezvous point exactly fifteen minutes before the agreed meeting time as he always did. If there was one thing that irritated him most, it was a lack of punctuality, and the last thing he wanted was to show up late himself. To pass the time, he mentally ran over the plan. He scrunched his nose in annoyance when he remembered how little preparation they’d done. Sonic was the leader as he always was for missions, but he was far too carefree about planning for Shadow’s taste. The only factor that kept him from snapping at Sonic was his tendency to succeed, prior planning be damned.
He heard the footfalls of a fast hedgehog race up from behind him, but they were far too light and nimble to be Sonic’s. He knew who it was even before he turned around, and his irritability immediately disappeared.
“Hi, Shadow! You’re on time, as usual.”
He turned around. He was unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face at Amy’s megawatt smile. Before he knew it, his eyes were raking across her body. Tight burgundy compression shorts hugged her toned thighs. Over these, she wore a form-fitting pale rose tank top and a short skirt that would allow for a range of movement. The look suited her, showing off her curves while still allowing for flexibility and an active lifestyle. By the time he’d looked high enough to see the quills she’d kept short to keep them out of her face, he noticed she was tilting her head and fixing him with a confused expression, hands folded behind her back. It took all his strength not to face-palm. I was checking her out. Inappropriately. Again. It had been getting more and more difficult over the past few years to stop himself from staring.
“You look...ready to go!” he forced out, trying to provide a reason for his staring that wasn’t creepy.
She beamed, evidently having bought the excuse. “Thanks for noticing! I’ve been trying for sleeker outfits lately. I’m ready to get serious, for real!” She twirled around endearingly and pumped her fist in the air, showing a cute but determined look.
Before Shadow could inevitably embarrass himself further, he heard the unmistakable sound of Tails dropping in from above. He landed next to Amy and greeted her with a fist bump. “Morning, Amy! Shadow! Is Sonic here yet?” Shadow crossed his arms, staying quiet to make sure he didn’t say anything too snippy. He and Sonic were allegedly friends, but sometimes...
Amy shrugged. “It’s Sonic. Knowing him, he’ll be five minutes late.” She sounded too fond for Shadow’s taste. He tried his best to ignore it.
The next few minutes were altogether quite pleasant. Shadow had been fond of Amy since they’d met—not the same way he was now that they were adults, but they’d always been friends—and he’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t get along with Tails. Tails always wanted to hear about Professor Gerald’s old but advanced tech, so conversation always flowed easily with him. Conversation flowed well with Amy, too, though he always had to resist the urge to give her a suspicious number of compliments. He still didn’t understand why Sonic continued to reject her.
Amy’s estimation of his lateness proved to be correct. By the time Sonic got there, Shadow was fuming. How can someone so fast be late so often?! He’d have felt better about it if Sonic ever apologized or provided an excuse, but everyone was so used to him being late to missions that he didn’t bother, and most people didn’t even care at this point.
Except Shadow. And sometimes Knuckles, depending on the situation. They bonded over this sometimes.
“Alright! Let’s check out those blueprints! Tails?”
Shadow flinched upon hearing Sonic’s strident voice. Lateness wasn’t the only thing he’d started to find grating about Sonic over the last three years.
“Right here, Sonic!” Tails replied, his voice even deeper than Sonic’s now that he was fully grown. He handed over a tube of paper, which Sonic unrolled for him. “The Chaos Emerald we need is right...here,” he pointed out, “and the entrance closest to us is...here.” All four of them looked up toward the building and spotted a door guarded by a handful of robots. “I picked it because it has the least security of all the entrances. Does that make sense?” he asked, mostly looking at Sonic.
“Well, I think the four of us can handle anything...” he said to them, shrugging in a way that made Amy’s eyes sparkle. “But you’re probably right, Tails. What do we need to do to get to the Emerald? I assume it’s not just out there for the taking, right?”
Tails nodded. “The doors to get to the Emerald’s room are locked and heavily fortified, and the case containing the Emerald itself is locked, too. There’s a way to unlock them...right here...but if we knock out any robots along the way, the controls automatically lock for fifteen minutes, so whoever’s in the Emerald room will be stuck there for fifteen minutes, and whoever’s in the control room can’t let them out until time’s up.”
Shadow frowned in curiosity. “Weird security system...” he observed, noticing some other odd quirks about the rooms, “but couldn’t Sonic or I just get to the Emerald and Chaos Control us out of there?”
“Doesn’t look like it,” Amy spoke up, frowning and pointing to a note on the corner of the blueprint. “The whole building is reinforced in a way that suppresses Chaos energy, probably to prevent anyone from using the Emerald once they get to it.”
Shadow thought for a moment. “If the Emerald room locks, how do we get into it in the first place?
Sonic and Amy looked stumped, but Tails pointed to the map again. “Here. There’s a set of ventilation shafts above the entire place. It’s complicated, but you can drop into the Emerald room...if you can navigate it.”
Everyone looked at Amy, who was easily the best navigator, if only because she used to track Sonic so extensively. She didn’t even notice, as she was already examining the map fastidiously. A grin popped onto her face, and she looked up. “I’ve got it! Left, right, left, right, skip over one, right, right, left, skip, avoid the fan, knock out a screen, and drop!” Her grin brightened further at the proud smiles her friends were giving her. Shadow’s heart skipped a beat at her cute demeanor.
“Great!” Sonic rolled up the map and nodded decisively. “So Amy leads the ventilation shaft team, and they’ll go in first to get to the Emerald room...and Tails is the best with controls, so he’ll be on the control room team. Shadow can go with Amy for...extra muscle, and I’ll go with Tails for speed. I’ll carry him if he needs it.”
Tails met Sonic’s grin with a scowl. “I’m not slow! You won’t have to carry me!”
Sonic’s smile grew cheeky. “Now’s your chance to prove it, then!” Tails crossed his arms and let out a “humph,” but didn’t argue further. “Is that alright with everyone?”
Amy nodded, but Shadow could tell she was disappointed. He and Tails nodded as well, so Sonic gave a thumbs-up. “Great. Now...” He scratched his chin. “We need team names!” he declared, face lighting up. “Shadow and Amy, you guys are going through ventilation shafts, so you can be...Team Shaft!”
Amy cackled with laughter. Shadow glared. “Do not call us that. Just call us by our names.”
Sonic pouted. “Man, you’re no fun...alright then, Tails and I will follow you in five minutes. We should reach the control room a few minutes after that. Shadow? Amy? You ready?” Both nodded. “Alright! One...two...three...GO!”
Both hedgehogs dashed forward. With their impressive speed, they closed the 500-meter gap between themselves and the robots within two seconds. Their combat skills were unparalleled as well, and they’d scarcely taken out their hammer and chaos spears before the robots were cleared out. Luckily, the hallway was empty, so Amy led them to the first vent. She could get higher with her double jump, so she knocked out the screen with her hammer and easily leapt up and pulled herself in. Shadow could get high enough to latch onto it with his hands, but she had to pull him the rest of the way up. He was torn between being impressed at how much she’d improved and being embarrassed that he couldn’t make it on his own. He replaced the screen and turned forward. She gestured for him to follow her.
The system of ventilation shafts was just as convoluted as described, and he counted himself lucky to be following Amy—that is, as lucky as he could be considering he was forcing himself to look anywhere but right ahead of him. He’d already beaten himself up for looking at her indecently once today, and he wasn’t in a hurry to do so again.
There were a few parts where they had to sidestep other screens, and even a few gaps they had to spin dash over. Thanks to Amy’s memory, however, they soon found themselves over the right room. Thankfully, the room was devoid of guards.
Amy kicked the screen out and hopped gracefully to the floor. She stepped aside to make room. “Why do you suppose there are no robots in here? You’d think they’d be worried most about this room.”
Shadow landed next to her. “If this room was empty once the alarm sounded, they would have assumed no one could get in. They’d probably see it as a waste of guards to leave anyone in here.”
She scratched her chin. “Hmm...makes sense. Good thinking, Shadow!” She walked around a little. “So now we just wait, huh? I wish we had radios so we could check up with the other two.” She stretched her arms over her head and then behind her back.
He didn’t answer for a moment, as he was fixated on the way the stretch arched her back and pushed her chest out. The tight confines of her tank top didn’t hide much from his view. He then forcefully looked away, growling quietly and scolding himself for staring at her body again. He frowned and responded to distract himself. “We don’t have radios, but do you see that box? That’s the control room.” He pointed to a black rectangle high on the wall. “That’s basically a two-way mirror. We won’t be able to see them, but they can see us.”
Amy looked up excitedly and started waving. “Sonic! Tails! It’s us!”
Shadow put a hand on her shoulder. “Amy. They’re not there yet. We took maybe three minutes to get here. They haven’t even left yet.”
“Oh...heh. Right.” She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. “I would’ve had no idea that was the control room. It doesn’t even look like a window from here.”
Shadow nodded. “And they won’t be able to hear us, either. I checked the blueprint, and there aren’t any microphones, just the two-way mirror.”
She raised her eyebrows, clearly impressed. “You’re observant, Shadow! And here I thought my vent work was impressive.”
“It was impressive, Amy. I only looked at one room. I never would have gotten that whole network like you did.”
She smiled at the compliment, but her smile faded soon after. Shadow could tell something was still bothering her. He had a hunch as to what it was, but he decided he’d rather hear it from her.
“Are you okay, Amy? You’re not as chipper as you were before.”
She looked up and grinned sheepishly. “You’re really perceptive, Shadow, you know that?” When it was clear he wasn’t going to be distracted, she clasped her hands in front of her. “It’s just...Sonic and I are getting along so well these days...but he refuses to be alone with me. Anytime there’s a mission, he finds a way to not be on my team. Like he’s...afraid of me.”
Shadow’s heart hurt at the tears in her eyes. He put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, hey, you never know. Maybe things just haven’t worked out that way. The teams this time make sense, don’t they?”
She looked at the hand on her shoulder, then shrugged and looked away. “Yeah, but...sometimes it’s not like that.”
Shadow pulled his arm back and tsked to try and lighten the mood. “You have a really wide skill set, Amy. You’re strong, fast, smart, a great navigator, a great jumper, you get along with everyone...” he pointed out, counting off on his fingers. “You can fill a lot of different roles on missions. You’re too valuable to waste on the wrong spot. You have faith in Sonic as a leader, right?”
Her cheeks were rosy from the flattery, and she looked away. “Of course I do! But...”
“Then you know he does what’s best for the mission, first and foremost.” He tipped her chin up to look her in the eyes. “Right?”
Her sorrowful face made way for a small, crooked smile. “Really? Are you sure that’s it?”
He smirked. “I can’t answer that. I don’t know what goes on in his head. But if it makes you feel better...he basically called me a musclehead today, like he didn’t know where to put me,” he pointed out. She gasped quietly, then thought back and couldn’t seem to deny it. “But I didn’t care. You know why?”
She replied in a small voice. “Uh...no?”
He snorted a little. “Because it meant I got to work with you. If Sonic really is avoiding you on missions, then he’s really missing out. You’re my favorite person to have on a team.”
“Wh-what?” she laughed. “There’s no way that’s...why?!” She kept glancing around nervously, looking everywhere but at him.
He ignored the anger tugging at him that she was apparently unused to such compliments. “Of course you’re my favorite. Nothing ever goes wrong when we work together. Ever. Right?”
“Of course not!” she insisted. “I have a record to maintain!” She crossed her arms, then thought for a moment. “And...we work really well together, don’t we?” she questioned, as if just now realizing it.
He nodded. “We always have. And it’s fun to work with you...” He considered ending his statement there, but he couldn’t help but finish with, “it’s fun to work with you because you’re one of my favorite people.”
Amy’s wide eyes indicated that she hadn’t expected that. “You...really?”
He nodded immediately. “Isn’t that obvious?”
She sniffled, clearly holding back tears. “Can I hug you?”
He pulled her into an embrace, and she latched onto him. “Of course you can.”
He heard her sniff once again against his chest. “Shadow, you’re the best.”
“Of course I’m the best. I’m the ultimate life form.”
“Don’t ruin it!” she laughed, gently thumping her fist against him.
“Yeah, yeah.” He held her and softly rubbed the back of her head while she calmed down. In time, she pulled away, wiping her reddened eyes. She had the look of someone who’d almost, kind of, but not quite cried. They exchanged smiles.
She looked down as she wiped her face again. “Sometimes I wish he knew how valuable I really am. Like I wish he could realize how much I’ve grown.”
Shadow frowned. “Frankly, he’s an idiot not to have noticed by now.”
Amy gasped and smacked his arm. “Shadow! How could you say that?! Sonic’s very smart! He’s—”
“Ok, fine. He’s oblivious. Better?” Shadow’s brow wrinkled. He could feel his bad mood returning a little.
“Well—! We kind of...grew up together? So he...” she rambled, looking away in uncertainty.
“Amy Rose, plenty of people who grew up with you have noticed. Sonic’s just oblivious.” Her face showed only disbelief, but he stayed firm. “I’ll say it again: Sonic’s going to miss out on a fantastic person if he doesn’t act soon.” He crossed his arms decisively.
Amy’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, ‘soon’?” He just shrugged and smiled, so she turned and started pacing slowly in front of him. “If he really is just...oblivious...” she said, frowning in displeasure at the word, “...then what am I supposed to do? What would make him notice?”
“Welllllll...” Shadow drawled, “...jealousy is an ugly emotion, buuuut...dating someone else is the best way,” he replied honestly.
Amy stopped pacing, horrified. “I could never—that wouldn’t be right! I still love Sonic!”
He shrugged again and put a hand on his hip. “If you don’t want to date anyone, kissing someone might even work better, provided you can make sure he sees you.”
Amy frowned. “Isn’t that kind of mean? I don’t want to use someone like that.”
“It’s not mean if you tell them beforehand. Like I said, plenty of guys would be up for it.” He snickered when she went red in the face.
She crossed her arms and kept her nose in the air to try and regain her dignity. “Well, if you think it’s so...” Her head dropped as she frowned in thought. “Wait a minute...”
Shadow’s laughs petered out. “What?”
She looked up, eyes lighting up with an idea. “Sonic’s gonna be trapped in that control room up there for a while, isn’t he?” Shadow looked at her with suspicion, but she didn’t react. “He’ll be able to see us, but not hear us...” She tapped her foot rapidly as she thought. “...and he’ll think we don’t know he’s there because we barely looked at the plan!” She grabbed Shadow’s shoulders. “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!”
Shadow’s eyes went wide. I think I know exactly what this means...but maybe the day will play out better if I can play dumb long enough. He gulped. As much as I want that physically...this is a bad idea. A very bad idea. Ethically...morally...platonically...there’s no way I can............
Amy was ignorant to his mental panic. “Oops!” she said, embarrassed. She pulled her hands away and clasped them behind her instead. “Right...I have to, um...ask you. First.”
She’s too cute...way too cute...this is bad...
“Well, Shadow...” Amy cleared her throat. “Do you want to, um...help me out here? You said yourself that plenty of guys...would...oh, but feel free to say no!” she hastily tacked on. “I know it’s a weird request, and maybe you don’t want to and maybe it’d be awkward and maybe it wouldn’t even work and—”
“I’ll do it.”
He hadn’t meant to say it, but she’d looked so embarrassed, and he knew he’d never get another chance, and her lips looked so soft...and when he saw her face light up so brightly, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
“Great—oh! Let me know if you change your mind, okay? Really!” she assured.
He nodded back seriously. There’s no way in hell I’m turning back now, not unless she wants me to.
“Awesome! This has to work!” She was as bubbly as Shadow had ever seen her. His joy at being the cause of her happiness was tainted by the deception of agreeing to kiss one of his closest friends without telling her how he felt about her. He tried to convince himself that his feelings for her didn’t matter, but it didn’t work.
She nodded, determined. “I’m totally amped! How much longer before they get there, you think?”
Shadow checked his watch. “The fifteen-minute lockdown started when we set off the alarms by knocking out the robots. We got here in three minutes. They started five minutes after us and will probably take another three minutes to get to the control room. We’ve been talking for about five minutes, so...um...about now...if we leave another minute as a buffer, then we’ll have six minutes to...ah...we’ll have six minutes before the doors unlock.” She was staring at him with wide eyes. He panicked. “We don’t have to kiss for the whole six minutes! I’m not—”
She giggled. “I know! I’m just laughing that you have this down to the minute, that’s all! I’m glad one of us is keeping track.”
Shadow felt she was being far too peppy for a person who was about to do something potentially awkward with a friend, but he didn’t comment. “...Since we’ve got about a minute left...do you have any questions about it? I know you’ve had your heart set on Sonic, so I assume you haven’t—”
She was suddenly sad. “Yeah, it is my first time...any tips?”
He hid his hands behind his back so she couldn’t see them shake. “I don’t think you’ll have trouble. You’re a quick learner. Some bad kissers shove their tongues down other people’s throats. I can’t picture you doing that.” Both of them laughed, dispelling some of the tension.
Amy’s giggles petered out. “This is gonna be kind of weird, isn’t it?” Despite the awkward question, the smile didn’t leave her face.
Shadow somehow felt better acknowledging it. “Yes. It will.”
He smiled, and she laughed again. “So blunt! But, y’know...” She looked away and twiddled her fingers a bit. “If I’m going to do this, I’m glad it’s with someone so honest.”
A pang of guilt stabbed Shadow at her words. Luckily, he was rescued from the daunting possibility of responding to that when he heard some light footsteps from the direction of the control room. He tilted his ear toward the sound. “Looks like we won’t have to estimate. Don’t look now, but there are footsteps coming from the control room.”
Amy’s eyes sparkled eagerly. About making Sonic finally notice her, Shadow reminded himself. I’m not the factor here.
“Now remember, Shadow: this all hinges on Sonic thinking we don’t know he can see us. Keep your eyes on me, got it?”
Her features held a whimsical seriousness that made her face look even cuter than usual, from her button nose to her excited eyes to the silly pout that made it look like she was trying not to laugh. “Eyes on you? Of course.” Easiest request ever.
She smiled and clapped in preparation. “Right! So...”
He placed his hand on her head and laughed under his breath. “Calm down, Amy. We want to make this believable.”
She chuckled a little, then planted herself more firmly and took a deep breath. “You’re right. Is this better?”
He pulled his hand away and looked at the soft but determined look on her face. He matched her expression as best he could considering his nerves. “Much better. And if you want to stop—if I make you uncomfortable even for a second—let me know right away, and I’ll stop. Immediately.”
Amy smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. “I’ll do the same for you, of course! And I know I’d never have to worry about you. You’re a perfect gentleman.”
Her smile was so bright that the compliment hit him like a ton of bricks—and not in a good way. She’d never say that about me if she knew how I felt...how I look at her...why I even agreed to this. He forced a smile onto his face, hoping he didn’t look as queasy as he felt.
He must not have, because she kept smiling, seemingly as ignorant to his crush as ever. Her look turned serious after that, though.
“Are you really, definitely, absolutely sure about this, Shadow? Don’t feel pressured, I mean it. For real!”
“Of course. You’re one of my best friends. I’d do anything to help you.”
Amy’s smile was genuine. “I can’t thank you enough, Shadow. You’re a true friend!”
If only you knew. He stepped forward, then averted his gaze when his intensity seemed to startle her. In response, she reached her arms around his neck, which drew his eyes back in. They locked eyes, and he slid his arms around her waist. He didn’t pull her in, as he felt more comfortable with the idea of her initiating things. She closed the distance between their bodies and tilted her head up toward him. He glanced down at her lips and almost swooped in too quickly at how enticing she looked. Instead, he reined in his instincts and leaned in slowly. She had that surprised look on her face again, the one she wore when he got too intense and looked too long, but she moved in anyway, matching his pace. He wet his lips, and she did the same. Shadow tilted his head down to meet her lips at last.
Her lips were even softer than they looked.
The last thing he wanted to do was pull away...but he did anyway. “Is that enough, or do you think we should do more in case he didn’t see it?” Her eyes were wide, and he twitched with the urge to lean back in...but he knew it wouldn’t be right without making sure she really was okay with it. Why does doing the right thing have to be so hard?
She tore her eyes away, almost looking regretful. “Well, um...................it was pretty brief, and if he’s still looking at the controls, then.......” She looked up at Shadow for a moment, only to look away again.
If Shadow didn’t know any better, he’d swear she was blushing, if only a little bit. “...then?”
She opened her mouth and paused. Past the suspense, it occurred to Shadow that they were still holding each other. He sure as hell wasn’t planning on letting go, and it didn’t seem like she wanted to, either. Eventually, she quietly continued. “That was pretty easy to miss, so...we should probably keep going. To be sure. Just in case! Um...if you still want to?”
The shy, endearing way she looked up at him through her bangs would have made him fall in love all on its own if he weren’t already head over heels for her. His instincts chanted YES! YES! YES! YEEEESSSSSSSSS over and over in his head. He held them off and shrugged in a hopefully casual way. “Sure. I don’t mind.”
Her voice was small as she replied. “Okay.” She turned toward him again, and it felt more natural than before to press their lips together. He didn’t stop there this time, though. He pushed a little harder and moved his lips against hers. She mirrored his actions and matched his slow rhythm with no trouble, just as he’d known she would; not only was Amy Rose a quick learner, but she was the most sensitive person he’d ever met, and that was one of the most important traits for being a good kisser.
Of course, he hadn’t mentioned that to her. The last thing he needed was for her to realize he’d spent a considerable amount of time wondering what it was like to kiss her, just like she didn’t need to know it was somehow even better than he’d imagined.
Every second that passed made his body feel warmer and more energized. He had to stifle his desire to press farther, to do more with her. She hadn’t shown any interest in pulling away, either, just seemingly content to match his pace. He couldn’t help but wonder what he was making her feel. It couldn’t have been nothing, or she would have stopped him by now; they’d reached the point where Sonic had to have noticed, no matter how oblivious he was, so that excuse was out the window. No, the only logical reason for her to want more was that he was making her feel...
Good.
Good enough that she was willing to keep doing this with him even though she knew the man she loved was watching. Shadow almost growled in satisfaction with the knowledge. He resisted the urge to smirk up at the control room. She’s not your girl. Not right now, she isn’t. Now, she’s mine, because she wants to be. He pulled her closer, feeling her back arch into him. She gripped him a little tighter. Wanting to double check, he pulled his head back, just enough that their lips were barely touching. He waited to see if she would end the kiss. He locked eyes with her, enjoying the way hers looked hazy and unfocused. Her breathing was rapid, just as his was. He pressed their foreheads together and waited patiently until she willingly dove back into the kiss. He smiled against her lips and lifted one of his hands to touch her cheek and thread his fingers into her quills. She leaned into his touch, and one of her hands drifted up to rub underneath his quills. His breathing hitched as hers did.
Remembering that Amy was only a few inches in front of a wall, Shadow gently, gradually guided her backward until her back was pressed against it. It was a risky move, but it paid off, at least if Amy’s reaction was anything to go by. The hand that wasn’t in Shadow’s quills latched onto his shoulder and yanked him closer.
Thanks to years of hammer-wielding, those arm muscles were nothing to be trifled with. Shadow instinctively pulled his arms away to catch himself against the wall when Amy pulled him in. He wound up nose-to-nose with her. Both were red in the face from arousal: Amy from being pinned against a wall, and Shadow from being overpowered by a woman—a preference he hadn’t known he had until now, given how rarely he was overpowered by anyone. They panted as they stared at one another. Amy wet her lips, and Shadow quickly followed suit. He swallowed. “So...uh...how are you feeling?”
A breathless laugh escaped her lips. “Is that even a question?” Shadow snorted, and she smirked. “I’m doing good. Yeah. Hm...” She trailed off and thought for a moment, then smiled. “You’re totally right. There’s no way in hell Sonic won’t be jealous about this. He has to notice, no doubt.”
Every corner of Shadow’s mind darkened. His muscles tensed, and a bit of jealousy made its way onto his face for a moment before he could banish it. He tried to make himself look more neutral. He pulled his hands back and stood up straight to give her some breathing room. “Yeah! Definitely. How could he not?”
Amy’s forehead was knotted in concern, but she gave a half-smile back. She looked like she felt bad for him. He tried not to cringe. I really need to watch myself. I can’t just suddenly get pissed over Sonic when that’s what we agreed on in the first place, but something about the way I’ve actually touched her now makes it feel—
“Soooo...you want to keep going?” Shadow was yanked out of his brooding by Amy’s calming voice. She was twiddling her thumbs in front of her and looking up at him with her big green eyes.
“Really?” Shadow blurted out.
“Wellll...” She looked up, purposely not in the direction of the control room. “The more the better for...uh...our...purposes—”
“Yes.” He cringed at his too-fast response.
She laughed a little, though she did him the favor of trying to hide it. “So where were we?”
Shadow wasted no time in slapping his hands back on the wall beside Amy’s head and leaning in again. He pressed their foreheads together, and his face turned intense again. “Right here.” Many would interpret her wide-eyed expression as fear, but Shadow knew better than that. Amy Rose approached fear with a glare and a hammer. This face...was something else. He smirked.
She opened her mouth several times as if to speak, but she didn’t seem to know how to start. His passion for what they were doing was quickly reignited by the state he’d already reduced her to, just from a couple of moves. I love how sensitive she is. Makes me wonder how sensitive she is in other places...
Amy wrenched his head out of the gutter by grabbing him and pulling him into a kiss. Shadow grinned at her actions and took her face in his hands. He tilted his head to the side and softly poked her lips with his tongue. She barely hesitated before opening her mouth to let him in.
He started out gently so as not to overwhelm her. She rubbed her tongue against his, and he could feel her relax against him. He felt his stress unwind again. He started interspersing regular kisses, too, feeding just as much passion into each one. He could feel her hands slide to his back to grip at him desperately. Her responsiveness made a quiet growl echo in the back of his throat. He hoped against hope that she didn’t hear it. To distract her, he trailed a hand softly down her neck and pushed her harder against the wall.
When he pinned her closer to the wall, he hadn’t meant to push his leg between her thighs—he really, really hadn’t—but he wasn’t about to argue with the effects.
Shadow could tell Amy tried to choke back her moan and hide it against his lips, but it didn’t really work. Her fingers scratched his back at the sudden stimulation. Her thighs clenched his leg as if to keep him there, and he could practically see the shiver that made its way from her head to her toes. She tried not to whine.
His eyes nearly clouded over at what he’d made her feel. She’d pulled her head away to breathe. Her cheeks and lips were rosy, and her eyes were half-lidded. Shadow didn’t even try to hide his staring this time.
The longer this went, the easier it was to imagine how it would feel to be inside of her. He didn’t know whether that was a blessing or a curse.
Her arousal was undeniable at this point, and it awakened a hunger deep inside of him. The way he’d wanted her for years, the way she obviously wanted him back, the way he knew Sonic was watching helplessly as he kissed and pleased the beautiful woman Sonic had been too dumb to notice all these years—the same woman who was kind enough to stop mentioning Sonic the second Shadow showed the slightest discomfort—hell, even the guilt he felt about taking advantage of the situation was urging him on in its own perverse way.
He kissed her once again, more ardently than before. If Amy noticed the additional eagerness, she didn’t complain. She only pulled him closer and kissed back with just as much enthusiasm.
Shadow opened his eyes to look at her expression once again. Lust pushed him onward. He threaded his fingers into her quills and gently pulled her head to the side. He trailed his kisses along her cheek and very slowly down her neck, purposely giving her plenty of time to stop him if she felt uncomfortable. Judging from her whimpers and the way she submissively turned her head to give him more room, she didn’t seem to mind. He ran his free hand down her side, applying slight pressure to her waist and hip that made her shudder. She leaned into him, and he held her, still pushing his leg firmly between her thighs.
When his lips were halfway down her neck, he paused. From raunchy conversations with their friends, he knew for a fact that she understood what he wanted to do—hell, she knew he was particularly fond of doing so. He’d told her so once when he was drunk, and she’d poked fun at him for his juvenile kink the next day. Still, he took his time and sucked just once, judging her reactions and allowing her time to change her mind. Instead, she gasped softly and combed her hand through his quills to pull his head closer. He growled openly. That was all the encouragement he needed.
Shadow held her body against the wall again and tugged her head to the side a little more. He pressed his lips firmly to her skin and started sucking, gently at first.
Shadow wasn’t entirely sure why he enjoyed doing this. Amy was right, after all; it really was juvenile, and whoever was on the receiving end of it had to wear a scarf or be prepared for embarrassment the next day. He had a few theories, but most of them felt...incomplete. He held her closer in his arms as he started sucking harder. Necks were always sensitive, so that was probably part of it. Amy, sensitive as she was, proved to be a great example. She was already panting and shuddering in his arms from his ministrations. He closed his eyes.
He had other theories, but they weren’t too solid...except for one he tried not to think about. Unfortunately, this particular situation brought it too far into focus.
Amy’s fingers dug into his back and his spines from the pleasure, and he kept going. It was impossible for him to ignore that he’d never taken so long on anyone else. It wasn’t even just because he liked Amy so much, either. That would have been far more palatable.
No, it was definitely because of who was watching. Every craving he felt pointed in one direction.
You want to see something, Sonic? I’ll show you something. She’s mine, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
He gave one last particularly hard suck, then pulled away to look at Amy, trying to pretend he hadn’t just marked her in a skeevy show of possessiveness. He felt a little less weird about it when he heard the soft, aroused whine she let out at the feeling. He fended off the urge to stare at her neck by looking at her giddy face instead.
“Wow! I get it now!” she exclaimed through breathless laughter. “I can see why you like it so much.” She casually looped her arms around his shoulders.
Shadow smirked. “So you won’t make fun of me the next time I admit something like that when I’m drunk?”
Amy burst out laughing. “No promises.”
He smiled with her, then checked his watch and cleared his throat. “Well, then...time’s almost up, so we should probably...”
“OH! Right...heh. I guess we needed the full six minutes after all!” She scratched her head self-consciously. “It felt like a lot longer than that, didn’t it?”
Shadow stayed quiet at first and tried not to look sad. So...it’s over. The only time I’ll ever get to kiss you...and it passed by in a flash. Instead of saying that, Shadow put on a mock frown. “Oh, was it that painful? So sorry I was so unpleasant.” He pushed off the wall, crossed his arms, and looked away, ignoring the way his instincts protested about having been separated from their favorite hedgehog.
Amy looked legitimately upset. “Oh, I didn’t mean it that way! It was fun, really! Of course I didn’t mean that!”
Shadow smirked. “I’m kidding, Amy. I’m just messing with you. I had a good time, too.”
“Oh, you—!” She pushed herself off the wall and pouted. “So rude! But...yeah. It was...nice.”
“Yeah? You liked it?” Amy was looking away and fidgeting with her fingers. Shadow observed the behavior. Since when does Amy fidget?
She looked up and nodded shyly. “Yeah! Well...” She twirled one of her quills, another odd behavior for her. “I’m pretty sure you noticed that much...but if you ever want t—”
She stalled out in the middle of her sentence. Her eyes were wide, but Shadow was fairly sure it wasn’t his fault this time. “If I ever want to what?”
Amy wouldn’t look at him. “N-nothing. Just...thank you for helping me.” She glanced up at him, then stood on her tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek.
Shadow was dumbfounded. He touched his cheek. That one felt...different. He looked down to see she was blushing. He just replied with, “Anytime. You’re one of my best friends. I’d do anything to help you,” echoing his words from before they’d kissed.
The effect was different this time. Amy blushed even brighter. She quickly looked away. “So...um...should someone stand by, um...the Emerald?”
Shadow looked down at her curiously. “I’ll do it. I can warp us back with Chaos Control once we’re out of here.”
“Good! Good.” She bit her nails and looked away.
Shadow gave her a flat look. “Since when do you bite your nails?”
She immediately hid her hands behind her, then looked at him sideways. She opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by several loud clangs, indicating the doors and Emerald were unlocked. She grinned. “Alright! Let’s go!”
Shadow had a sneaking suspicion that most of her joy stemmed from not having to answer the question, but he grabbed the Chaos Emerald and followed her out, hardly having to do anything with her hammer clearing the way.
They beat Sonic and Tails outside. Shadow counted himself lucky that he and Amy were both great actors when they needed to be, because Sonic and Tails were red as tomatoes. Shadow calmly held out the Emerald. “Grab onto me. I’ll warp us out of here.”
Sonic turned up his nose. “You know, I can use Chaos Control, too.”
“I have a better record transporting multiple people, and you know it.” Sonic looked like he wanted to argue, but Shadow was right. He grabbed onto Shadow’s hand like the others without a word.
“CHAOS CONTROL!”
Once Shadow dropped them outside the Resistance Headquarters, Tails immediately hopped into the air. “Well! I have...stuff to do. Things. Y’know.” Without even waiting to be dismissed, he zipped up and away.
Shadow watched him go. God, Tails, I am so sorry...I completely forgot about you. He decided he’d have to leave an extra large tip the next time Tails fixed his bike. Maybe...“just because” or “for doing so well planning the last mission.” He shook his head a little bit. At least Tails is 20 now so we don’t have to worry about scarring a child anymore.
“Well, then! Great job on the mission!” Sonic gave a thumbs-up that was diminished by the fragile smile on his face. Shadow could see Sonic’s gaze flick over to the red mark he’d left on Amy’s neck, and he reveled in the way it made Sonic’s eye twitch. “Shadow, you can get going. I have to talk to Amy about some things. From the mission.” The awkward smile remained on his face.
Shadow shrugged. “I’d love to, but I usually warp Amy home since I don’t need an Emerald to do it.” He tried not to sound smug about it.
“Oh, no worries!” Sonic snatched the Emerald out of his hands. “I can just use this one!”
“Doesn’t the Resistance need that?” Shadow shot back, raising an eyebrow.
Sonic spun the Emerald on his finger and grinned widely. “They won’t miss it for five minutes! I’ll be fine if I—”
“Guys?” Amy cut in swiftly, pushing them apart. “I can run home in two minutes. I’m almost as fast as you two, remember?”
She looked between the two, and Shadow caught the look in her eyes. Right. She wants to be alone with him. That was the whole point of today. He looked away for a second to gather himself, then nodded. “Alright. See you later, Amy.” She smiled. He didn’t care enough to say goodbye to Sonic, even if he caught heat for it later.
“Chaos Control!”
Of course, he didn’t go too far. He hid behind a building a little ways down the street from the Resistance HQ. It was close enough to watch the two without being seen if he was careful enough, but it was too far to hear the two of them. I feel like I’ve done enough creepy things today. No need to add eavesdropping to the list.
He read their body language as well as he could. This kind of thing was more Rouge’s forte, but he could do a decent enough job with it. At the beginning, the exchange seemed to go well. Sonic was scratching the back of his head and possibly laughing, while Amy was doing the pose she always did when she wanted to look cute, the one where she clasped her hands behind her back. Rouge said keeping your torso exposed means you’re open to the other person...right?
Sonic folded one hand in front of his body and scratched his chin, which Shadow thought made him look curious, while Amy had one hand on her hip. Wait...both hands on hips means irritation...I think? Maybe? So what does one hand mean? He shook his head. I need a refresher from Rouge.
But then Sonic’s arms crossed, and Shadow suddenly didn’t need a refresher anymore. Oh...oh, he’s mad, isn’t he? Then, Amy was clenching her fists and lifting her shoulders, and then they were both pointing fingers. And yelling. And suddenly...Shadow wasn’t too enthused about the talk not going well. Sure, he didn’t want them to date, but seeing the way Sonic stormed off while Amy wiped her eyes and dragged her feet made him feel rotten. He raced forward to meet up with his friend.
He skated to a stop a few feet away from her. “Hey.”
She didn’t look up, as if she’d been expecting him. “Hey.”
Asking how it went seemed unnecessary. “Do you want a hug?”
She sniffed and smiled bitterly, then closed the few feet between them to accept his embrace. He held her as she let herself shake and sob. “How much did you hear?” she asked in an unsteady voice.
“None of it,” he admitted, muttering into her ear. “I stayed too far away for that. Figured you’d want privacy.”
She laughed into his chest. “I appreciate it. I didn’t get much privacy today, did I?”
He chuckled. “Guess not. Making out in front of two of your best friends doesn’t exactly scream ‘privacy,’ does it?”
“Oh God...” Amy pulled away and buried her face in her hands. “Poor Tails! I can’t believe I didn’t even think about him.” She groaned.
He put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. “You were distracted. It’s understandable.” He snickered.
She lifted her head to look up at the sky. “Yeah, I guess so. What with Sonic being there and all.”
“Actually...” Shadow gave a smug grin and smoothed his hands through his spines, fluffing them up to show them off a bit and winking. “I meant someone else.”
“I—!” Amy choked as she watched him do so. She crossed her arms and looked away once he was done. Shadow thought he could spot a reddish tinge on her cheeks. The reaction puzzled him. Normally she just rolls her eyes and laughs at me when I do something obnoxious like that.
“So do you want to head home, or should we idle in front of HQ all day?” he asked, wondering if he was imagining things.
Amy looked back up and frowned. “You know, I really did mean it when I said I didn’t need Chaos Control. That wasn’t just a show for Sonic.”
“I know. I was offering to run with you. If you’d want that.”
Amy’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh...really?”
He looked out toward the forest that separated them from Amy’s home. “I find running clears my head when...” He glanced at her, trying to phrase it tactfully. “When times are stressful.”
She looked at him for a moment, then rubbed her eyes with her palms one last time and grinned widely. “Yeah. Let’s go.”
Shadow’s heart grew soft. “There’s that smile.” He usually punched her arm lightly to keep things casual when he said things like that, but something made him poke her cheek instead. She was thrown off at first, but then she giggled and smiled wider. The endearing sight was almost too much for him, so he faced the woods and cleared his throat. “Ready to go?”
Her laughs faded out, and she got into a running stance to match his. “Great.” He nodded, and they took off.
Amy was one of Shadow’s favorite friends to go running with. She wasn’t overly competitive like Sonic was; she’d spent so much time chasing that all she wanted to do now was run with someone. At the same time, she really was as blisteringly fast as she claimed, so he didn’t have to slow down for her, either. Even if they did get separated, he never had to worry. She could track down anyone, so she was never helpless, and she was bright pink, so it was nearly impossible to lose her in wooded areas. Running with Amy was relaxing in every way, and on top of that, she was great company. No one else really came close.
“Feeling better?” Shadow asked. I know I am.
Amy stared straight ahead as always just like he did, but she answered easily. “Yeah. It’s always nice running with someone who’s my speed, but who isn’t trying to leave me in the dust.” She chuckled once or twice, but it died out quickly. Shadow could sense her melancholy even without looking over.
“Do you want to talk about it, or would you rather I left it alone?”
Amy’s expression was strained, but it was clear her tears had dried by now. “I had assumed he would think the two of us were just kissing casually given that we’ve never dated and Sonic would usually be one of the first people I’d tell about a relationship, right? But...instead, he assumed we were a couple, which...y’know. Fair. We did probably look pretty committed.” She let out a brief, awkward laugh. “I would’ve been fine if he’d just been disappointed that I was taken, but...that’s not what happened.”
He could hear the way her tone soured. He resisted the urge to look over. The last time he did that, he tripped over a rock and made a fifty-foot skid mark on the forest floor with his face. “What did he do?”
She sighed. “He started acting...entitled. It was really weird. I’ve never heard him talk that way.”
Shadow wrinkled his nose, torn between confusion and indignation. “What did he say to you?”
“He wasn’t sad that we were dating, he was pissed off about it! He got mad that I was dating you because he said you weren’t a ‘good match’ for me!” He could see the air quotes out of the corner of his eye. She sped up a little, the way she always did when she was angry. He was hard pressed to keep up. “He tried to press me about it, talking about how he thought I liked him. That it blindsided him out of nowhere. I thought he was kidding at first, but now...”
Shadow glared, but he tried to keep his cool. “That seems really out of character for him. Sonic and I don’t always get along...obviously...” Amy snorted a little, and he prided himself on having made her laugh even at a time like this. “...but he’s normally a decent guy...well, half-decent,” he added with a cheeky smile. Amy slowed down to her original pace, indicating she’d calmed down a bit. Good. “If it makes you feel better, it’s probably half my fault. He and I have been butting heads a lot recently, so he’s probably particularly opposed to you dating...well, the idea of you dating me.”
“Why are you two butting heads?”
Because you’re in love with him and I’m in love with you, so every fault he has pisses me off, and I pick fights with him to let off steam and rub it in his face anytime I have something he doesn’t. And today, that unfortunately meant you. I’m so sorry. He cringed but shook it off. “It’s just one of those phases. I’m sure we’ll all have an opportunity to save the world like we always do, and we’ll get along again. It goes in cycles.”
It sounded like Amy wanted to laugh, but there was too much truth to it to do so. He heard her sigh again.
“To be clear,” he added, sensing her dissatisfaction, “I don’t approve of the way he treated you. He’s had the privilege of enjoying your affections for over a decade, and he’s suddenly realized he’s lost his chance with a kind, intelligent, athletic, talented, beautiful woman, and he’s—”
Shadow saw Amy’s body tip forward out of the corner of his eye. Knowing something was wrong, he turned his shoes around and propelled himself back. He was just in time to catch her before she could hit the ground. Her yelp was cut short. “Gotcha.”
He pulled her upright and held onto her for a moment until she opened her eyes. “You alright? I haven’t seen you trip in years.”
She looked up at him, then stiffened and pushed away a little bit. “YUP! Thanks, I just...” She looked behind her and gestured vaguely. “There was a root. Yeah.”
Shadow followed her gaze to the smooth trail behind them. “I don’t see any roots. Are you sure it wasn’t something else?”
“It was nothing! I’m fine.” He looked back to see she was looking away and fidgeting with her quills again.
He fixed her with a blank look, then thought back and smiled. “Nothing? That’s your story? It wasn’t anything I said, was it? I’d feel guilty if you tripped because of me.”
Her head whipped around, and he saw panic in her eyes. He looked forward as they started walking more slowly to Amy’s home. He grinned and scratched his chin. “Let’s see, what could it have been? I mean, all I did was call you a kind, intelligent, athletic, talented, beautiful—”
He was interrupted when Amy practically jumped onto him and frantically covered his mouth to muffle him. "DON’T DO THAT!”
He successfully pushed her hands away enough to laugh and say, “But it’s the truth. Do you trip every time someone tells you the truth?” She scoffed and tried to push his head away. He could still see her flustered expression, and it made him smirk.
She put her free hand on her hip and tried to look away to hide her face. “You can’t give someone that many compliments all at once. Don’t you know that? It’s compliment overload.”
Shadow took Amy’s hand from his face and held onto it. “Is that the proper term?”
“Yep. And I’m sticking to that.” She nodded decisively. She didn’t let go of his hand. He wasn’t sure whether it was Amy Rose’s typical love of physical contact or whether it was something more.
“Anyway...what Sonic said today was inexcusable, but that’s probably why he said it. If it’s any consolation, I bet he’ll have the decency to apologize to you pretty soon. Otherwise, he probably will—ah, I mean...” He trailed off, and she looked up in concern. “Well, I don’t know if he’s actually lost you or not, that part’s up to you.”
A bark of laughter escaped Amy, startling Shadow. “It feels weird to say it, but after twelve goddamn years, I’m finally over Sonic, and all it took was one frank conversation. Just thirty seconds, and now...I couldn’t. I don’t want to anymore. Isn’t that weird?”
Her face looked confused, yet elated. He looked back, bemused. “Are you happy?”
She looked up at the sky for a moment, and then her grin turned mischievous. She took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs, “I DON’T WANT TO DATE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! NOT ONE BIT! HAH!”
The shout echoed, and Shadow could hear a few birds flutter away. He cringed at the volume, but beamed at her exuberance. She swung their hands a bit higher and looked over at him with the lightest, most carefree smile he’d ever seen on her. “I do feel happy. A little empty, but happy.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Sounds like it was one ugly conversation.”
“Ugh,” Amy sighed, rolling her eyes. “On top of the way he reacted, I had to tell him I couldn’t date someone who didn’t pay any attention to me until I made out with someone else. He had the nerve to get all defensive about it, like it wasn’t his fault I was basically cellophane to him. As if I’m not one of his closest friends who’s paid him far too much attention all this time.” She kicked a rock.
“Well, in his defense, weren’t we doing this to make him jealous in the first place?”
Amy shook her head. “Kind of, but I didn’t want him to act like he owned me, as if he only had to do something once someone else touched me.” She pulled her hand away to cross her arms and hunch up her shoulders. “I just felt more and more rotten the longer he talked.” Her face was sour.
Shadow walked a little closer and put an arm around her. He didn’t say anything further, but he could feel her relax. The two were silent until they reached her door. She pulled away and reached for her keys.
“Wait!” Both of them froze. Goddammit. Goddammit. This was going so well, why did my big mouth have to open itself again— Amy kept staring at him, so he shrugged. I can’t play it off as nothing. “I need to tell you something.”
“Okay.” He stared down at his hands, afraid he’d lose his nerve if he looked her in the eye.
“I like you. A lot. Romantically, I mean. I have for a long time, but I couldn’t tell you because you liked Sonic. And I didn’t tell you today because I thought you wouldn’t want to kiss me if you knew. I figured it was the only chance I’d ever have to kiss you, so I hid the truth. It was deceptive and scummy of me. I’m sorry.” He gulped and finally looked up.
Amy was shaking her head in sympathy. “Oh, Shadow.” There was no anger in her voice, just empathy and a sliver of humor. She took his face in her hands and met his scared, confused expression with a smile. “I know.”
Shadow didn’t know whether to feel relieved or humiliated. “Since when?”
“Not long. I figured it out a couple minutes into the kiss because you were so dedicated and into it and...” She pulled her hands away and blushed. “...and, well, a bunch of other things fell into place, and now I wonder how I didn’t notice before. Like...you check me out. A lot.” She started laughing, but kept talking. “I always figured you were doing something else because you always had an excuse, but MAN, you must really want—”
Shadow covered his face with his hand, then groaned in embarrassment. “I don’t—well...I do, but...it’s not on purpose, okay? I’m sorry.” He looked at her again. She seemed to revel in his troubled face.
“Guess it’s your turn to be embarrassed, huh?” she teased. He dropped his hand from his face and sighed. “Don’t worry, Shadow, I’m not angry.”
“Are you creeped out?”
Amy shook her head tiredly and laughed. “No, I’m not. I don’t mind. I’m just mad at myself that I was so preoccupied with one person that I didn’t even realize one of my closest friends has been lusting after me for...”
“It’s not just lust! I really am in love with you,” he countered. “I have been for years.”
“...For years! And I didn’t even notice! Doesn’t that make me just like Sonic?” She grabbed Shadow’s hands and looked up at him nervously.
“Hardly. You’ve been openly in love with him and he ignored you, while I’ve been purposely hiding my feelings and you just haven’t noticed. If anything, I’m surprised you don’t think I’m a bad person for kind of going behind your back today. You really don’t think that move was sleazy at all?”
“Pfft.” She rolled her eyes. “I asked if you wanted to kiss me. You said yes. I don’t think it matters, do you?” He must not have looked convinced, because her face went blank. “Shadow, I made out with you today for several minutes for the sole purpose of trying to make someone else jealous. That’s way sleazier than kissing someone you have the hots for and helping them in the process. I was way worse than you today,” she insisted.
Shadow gave a crooked smile. “If you say so. I’m just glad we’re on good terms despite all the sketchy things we did today.” He squeezed her hands in his own, and she smiled back. “So now that you’ve gotten over...our friend, what do you plan to do next?”
Her eyes widened a little, and her nose wrinkled cutely. “Hmm...maybe I should start dating around. To see who’s out there, I guess...? I’ve never done that before.”
Shadow swallowed and tried to give his most confident smile. “If you’re looking for candidates to start with...I know a guy who’s been in line for a while. Single. Likes you a lot, from what I hear. He’s free this week, too.”
She stepped a little closer and smiled coyly up at him. “I don’t suppose I know this guy, do I? This sounds a little too easy.”
“Hmm...you might think you know him, but he’s a bit of a handful to date. Standoffish, kind of perverted, has this weird habit of marking people he likes.” He leered at her and rubbed his thumb against the sensitive spot, just to watch her shiver. “But if none of that scares you off, I think the two of you could be very happy together.” He lifted her hands and kissed them, keeping his eyes on hers. “I’ve thought that for a long time.”
Amy’s eyes were wide and watery from the sentiment. She grinned and jumped into his arms. “Sounds like a deal to me!”
Shadow chuckled. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “So do you think I could have a real kiss now?”
Amy gave a fake, dramatic gasp and lightly slapped his arm. “Shadow the hedgehog! Do you really think I’m the type of girl who’d kiss a guy on the first date?!”
His face broke a bit from laughter. “No, see, this is before the first date. It doesn’t count.”
“Oh, I guess you’re right,” she admitted with a smile. Shadow pulled her close and lost himself in the warm, pleasurable feeling of her soft lips, all guilt banished from his mind, with no one watching aside from the wind and the trees.
The next day, Sonic immediately made a point of seeking Amy out to apologize for the things he said. She knew he was sincere, so she forgave him...but romantically, he was too late.