She felt ridiculous as she curled up on the floor holding on to the remains of her dress, Mighty stood before her and fighting off the few bots that were still coming their way. She had been swiped by a long metallic claw, suffering only light scratches while her dress had taken the brunt of the tear. Her frankly embarrassing squeal of shock had caught the attention of the armadillo, who had been guarding her while she shuffled out of the battle ground.
“Are you hurt?” he called behind him, smashing another oncoming badnik with his bare fists.
“Just my pride,” she grumbled, “I need to get out of here.”
“I understand Miss Rose,” Mighty replied, ever the gentleman, “but I don't think it's safe until we know the area is clear.”
She snorted “Of friends or foes?”
He laughed sharply, “Sonic and Shadow were up ahead. Hopefully they halted the advance, we just need to make sure nothing else tries to come through from back here.”
Amy remained quiet this time, pulling the remnants of her dress tighter around herself. Shadow was with them a lot more of late, Team Dark having set up base in the city to be closer to the core of the action. Though headquarters was just outside the city limits, knowing at all times he was so close put her on an illogical edge. Though their relationship remained a secret, Sonic showered her with attention when they were alone together. They fit as a pair naturally and once the war was over she hoped they could start living a normal life. Whatever normal would be for those who had only ever known war.
Sonic was a good soul and had few bad words to say about anyone, beyond the obvious exceptions, but even then he had seen good in Eggman. He would still brag and boast and make the girls swoon, but it was only his admiration of Shadow that got her back up. It was hard to tell if it was pure jealousy, or if she could see a sparkle in Sonics eye whenever he spoke about him. They had fought each other and side by side, when they turned Super together they saved the world and theirs was a mutual respect no other could touch. To be jealous of someone taking Sonics attention was the girl she had once been and no longer wanted to be, but his deepening friendship with Shadow was on a different level to Tails or Tangle. It was more...more...
She didn't know what.
She heard footsteps approach, and recognising the lighter footfall as friend and not foe she jumped behind a wall to hide her shame. Being the respectable gentleman he was, Mighty decided not to rat her out, and didn't mention that she was there. She wasn't just ashamed of her exposed body, but the very fact she had allowed herself to be caught out like that was more than a trained warrior to handle.
“I'm guessing they didn't get very far?” she heard Mighty ask.
“No,” came the stern but feminine voice of Blaze, “Sonic and Shadow were able to stop them passing through.”
“Naturally,” she heard Sonic say in his most humble tone.
“They are getting smarter though, we cannot let this get to our heads.”
Amy rolled her eyes. Of course Shadow was there too. She stayed low and waited patiently for them to leave so she could sneak away.
“Nah there are no badniks that can outsmart our team. Speaking of which, where is Amy?”
There was a pause before Mighty spoke again.
“She...returned to headquarters. She thought we might need the help of the converted bots that Tails had in his lab. I will go back myself now and tell her there will be no need,” the armadillo said with conviction. He left the scene, but a knock on the wall she hid behind as he walked by was his acknowledgement he still knew she was there. She would have to thank him later.
“I shall rendezvous with Silver and Whisper,” Blaze told them, “it was their intelligence that gave us enough warning to prepare. They should know this.”
That left the two male hedgehogs and herself. In the silence that followed she swore she could hear all their heartbeats. The lack of sound after a fight was different to other silences, and now it threatened to betray her hideaway. Shadow had never been one to talk, but for Sonic to be quiet sent warning flags up. The temptation to jump out was almost stronger than her logic, but she stayed secreted away and strained her ears to hear their quiet back and forth.
“They are getting smarter,” Shadow sighed.
“Like I said, nothing we can't handle. We're too strong for them, especially together.”
There was a snort from Shadow, “you're not the greatest at being subtle.”
“Fine I'll go for the less tactile approach. Don't leave,” Sonic replied, his voice growing quieter as he spoke.
Amy held her breath. She had no idea that Shadow might be on the move again. Team Dark had been settled near them for months now and were becoming a vital part of the resistance, much as she hated to admit it.
“Rouge and Omega will be on hand still. This is a solo mission,” he finally answered.
She heard the clank of Sonic kicking a stone along the floor.
“Six months though, it's a long time.”
“The same amount of time you were gone for.”
“Aww, I didn't realise you counted the days.”
She waited for Shadow to retort with a snide remark or a dismissive sound, but he gave none. Her heart was in her throat, feeling like she could actually taste the sexual tension between them. She pulled at the remains of her dress, biting on to her lip to stop from revealing herself.
“You should probably track down your girlfriend,” Shadow piped up.
She hunched down, worrying she had inadvertently made a noise.
“G..girlfriend?” Sonic laughed, “W....who?”
“I can smell you on each other,” Shadow said bluntly, “I have for some time.”
Sonic didn't respond, and she could only imagine the look of confusion and embarrassment of his face. She was likely sporting similar herself. She would show Shadow the meaning of 'subtle as a flying hammer'.
“I understand that it is safer keeping it a secret. I have no intention in revealing your...nightly visits. You are hiding well, especially Amy surprisingly. I think only I can detect it, the mix of your scent; it must be in our DNA.”
After a short pause Sonic gave another nervous laugh, “OUR DNA? Since when have Amy and I been alien hybrids too?”
Amy was biting down on her knuckle to keep from screaming.
“Thank you, Shadow,” Sonic coughed, “that...is it....a bad thing? Do I smell...kinda gross?”
“No,” was the mumbled reply, “it offers rather an odd comfort. It is natural for us to want that bond.”
*****
There was one other who discovered their secret sooner than they intended. Amy had managed to steal away after Shadow had departed, and found herself sneaking through the back door of Honey the Cats store. Honey had been on hand for years to help Amy with any of her outfit issues, both in fashion and in war.
“But this dress is ruined forever,” Honey sighed.
“I thought you re-released this range?” Amy asked with a head tilt.
“When you were only just a teenager. You're seventeen now,” she muttered as she helped Amy out of the remains of her old dress, “it's about time your dress reflected that.”
When her dress was shed and she was looking at her bare form, Amy really noticed how much she had filled out. Her backless dress didn't offer much support and it was too short for flipping around the way she did. A new outfit for a new Amy. That didn't seem like such a bad idea, but her mind was still elsewhere.
“It will still look familiar,” Honey said, taking out her measuring tape, “but we won't have the girls bouncing around so mu....”
When Honey suddenly stopped mid sentence, Amy scanned the area around them for signs of danger. The dressing room was too small for anyone to hide and they were bolted in.
“What's up?” Amy asked, suddenly feeling very exposed. She crossed her arms over herself.
Honey's lip curled up in one corner, and with one claw she carefully traced the line along Amy's neck where Sonics mark had faded in to a light scar. Amy's hand shot up to cover it, but with the sly smile on Honey she knew it was futile.
“That's gotta be our boy Blue,” the cat purred, licking her lip.
Amy sucked in a deep breath, “Nobody knows about this you can't say anything we've been trying to hide it while...!”
“Woah woah strawberry butt,” Honey laughed, “calm down, I won't be saying anything. And look I'll put a collar on the new dress too huh? Make sure it stays secret. Your fur will grow over it in a couple of years.”
“Thank you,” Amy said letting out a long breath, “it's been a bit of a stressful day, I guess I'm worked up.”
After passing Amy a blanket, Honey set to task making the dress, taking the final measurements from the hedgehog and picking out a fabric, “I'm a good listener if you want to spill? Not much can distract me when I'm making art.”
Amy eyes her curiously, “you don't need to design the dress first?”
Honey tilted her head back and laughed, “I've got outfits planned for you until we're both old women. Just try to shock me.”
Amy wasn't sure if it was right, or if she really did want to, but once she started talking she found it hard to stop. Honey worked around her without losing focus on either task, her ears flicking this way and that while her nimble claws worked their magic on a new dress. When Amy finally stopped talking she regretted saying even one word of it, but the fashionista took it all in her stride, hardly even pausing to look up.
“Haven't you ever fantastized about him?”
Amy's jaw fell open, “excuse me?”
Honey's eyes remained on the red dress taking shape in her hands, “Shadow, have you not had the odd dirty dream about him too?”
The pink hedgehog made scoffing noises, but she did not reply. Eyelids clenched she tried to fight off the image of Shadow in her head. His velvet fur, his muscular form, his piercing red eyes.
“He is handsome,” the cat continued, “a perfect specimen if I understand his history correctly. The pinnacle of the male of your species.”
“Technically he is genetically perfect,” Amy snapped, dismissively, “so yes I suppose he has crossed my mind now and then. In passing at most. He is close by quite often as I have just told you. So?”
Honey finally met her eye and smiled sweetly, “why can't he cross Sonic's mind too?”
The blanket fell from Amy's shoulders but she didn't even blink. In the same moment a thousand words screamed in to her head, and were all silenced. When Honey shrugged and continued with her work, Amy barely breathed, the only signs of life coming from her was the occasional flick of her ear.
“I think that mark on your neck has twisted your perspective a little bit,” Honey said, breaking the silence, “while it could practically KILL you to mate with someone new now, Sonic is still fairly free to do as he wishes. But that doesn't mean he wants to. So he's getting closer to Shadow, but probably only in the way he's close to Knuckles and Tails. It's just in this case, Sonic is dealing someone far more mature than the rest of us.”
Amy made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and at the sudden outburst Honey hissed loudly. After a moment of shock for both of them, the girls fell about laughing, Amy wrapping the blanket around her head as she flushed red.
“Oh Chaos, I have been paranoid haven't I? Sonic is just looking up at the man he could one day be” she laughed, “maybe I was reading it all wrong. I thought I would grow out of this.”
Wiping away a tear, Honey bit through the excess thread and finally held up her creation. Similar to her old dress it was still vibrant red, but the white trim was gone and a sexier harness look covered her bust and back. There was added length and best of all, it came with pockets.
“Built in support too,” Honey said with a wink, “in case the girls get any bigger.”
Amy twirled like a child dressed like a princess, loving her new but familiar look. Honey never asked for payment, just so long as everybody knew the famous hero Amy Rose was wearing her brand.
“Even more to thank you for this time” Amy beamed.
Honey wrapped her arms around her friends waist as they both looked at her in the mirror in front of them.
“I have exclusive rights to dress your wedding though right?”
Amy rolled her eyes, “Sure, might take a couple of months before I can persuade him to propose.”
The cat gave her a tight squeeze, “just keep that man of yours happy. And have more confidence in yourself! You never know, Shadow might take a liking to you instead.”
*****
The doubts never left Amy completely, but after a few months of Shadows absence her fears became no more than a whisper in the back of her head. She was in the middle of a season, and though both their sexual urges were in overdrive they were trying their best not to give in. After getting too deeply in to the moment they nearly had an accident that they couldn't yet face. Sonics split second reflexes saved them.
He sat on the end of the bed, looking out in to the night. Now and again, when they felt the need to be alone, they took the chance to sleep above ground and chance a moment of normality. Amy had finally joined him, but with her barely speaking and making no move closer to him they had fallen in to a peaceful, albeit unusual silence.
Amy had arrived later than expected, and Sonic had spent much of the time pacing the room like a caged animal. He had no patience as it was, but during this time especially he felt running the globe would have no effect on him. Whatever way they could touch each other is what kept him grounded and her satisfied, but as she slowly sank on to the bed he felt his luck might be out.
“Amy I know we discussed the..erm.” he flustered, “back way in, but I'm not going to push this if you really don't want to try.”
From her seated spot by the pillows she sighed, “Oh. No, I don't think I can tonight.”
“I might go for a midnight run instead,” Sonic declared, standing up, “not done that in a while.”
Amy sighed heavily, “I'm sorry, I know just kisses and fondles must get a bit boring.”
His head snapped to look at her, “what? No, I didn't mean like that. I told you I find it more than a little challenging keeping little Sonic at bay while you smell so delicious.”
She made a hum in her nose, “there must be lots of stuff you want to try that I can't give you.”
He noticed her voice wasn't as crisp as it usually was and her eyes were dropped as if half asleep. It dawned on him quickly enough. She had only been this way in front of him a couple of times, but for a creature eager to keep his wits about him it always unnerved him to witness.
“Amy, have you been drinking?”
She held her head aloft and shook it vigorously, but the motion must have made her dizzy as she toppled sideways even though she was sat down on the bed. She righted herself and gave him a wink.
“Vector knows a guy in this bar so we got lots for free,” she giggled, “I had one with crumbly bits that went crackle on my tongue.”
Sonic grumbled, “Amy you know better than that!”
“It tasted like bubblegum and it was blue!” she squealed loudly, “sucking on them made me think of you.”
She snorted with laughter as her head fell forward, and he grabbed hold of her before she fell off the edge of the bed. Lying her on her back he now realised the sugary, minty smell on her was tinged with alcohol. Her sweet tooth had got the better of her. He would throttle Vector.
“They had a liquorice one,” she grumbled, pawing at his chest, “would you have liked that one? Would you have taken a biiiig mouthful of the black one?”
“I don't like liquorice Ames, you know that,” he muttered, pulling a pillow beneath her head.
She hummed loudly again, “but you like Sssssshadow!”
He shook his head, “okay I think it's time you went night night.”
“You're blushing,” she laughed bitterly, jabbing him in the chest, “you're thinking of him right now aren't you?”
“You're the one who brought him up.”
“Know what else I can get up?” she cooed, making a clumsy grab for his crotch. He lightly took hold of her wrist, and though she pulled against him her movements were growing weak.
“Why don't you go get him to blow you instead then?” she squeaked.
He was growing impatient, “Stop this. Just settle down and sleep this off.”
She sniffed, “you won't even admit it will you? You won't admit you...you want him! You think you have to stick with me now.”
“Where the hell has all this come from?” he barked, “why would think I'm just sticking with you?”
She had begun to cry, and he realised his grip on her wrist had grown tighter as she had pulled away. Dropping her arm he sat on the end of the bed while she hiccuped and sobbed.
He didn't want her words to penetrate, but they dug in to his brain. There was no question he was with her because he wanted to be, but her accusations about Shadow had struck a small nerve that was working it's way up his spine.
He had grown closer to his counterpart, but that was a good thing whichever way it was looked at. They fought well together, able to almost perfectly match each others movements. Sonic was faster and Shadow could teleport, but when it battle side by side they only used these to their advantage as a pair. It just felt right to have Shadow there with them all. Sonic admired the guy, that was all there was to it. He was in peak physical health, he was smart, he had a dry but witty sense of humour and something about him just made Sonic feel...
Amy was always going to be jealous, but the fact she had harboured this fear instead of voicing it as she usually did frustrated him. He wanted to sooth her tears but at the same time he needed to be away from her accusations before they both said something regretful. The alcohol had loosened her tongue but it had probably heightened what she thought she knew. If she had just told him before he could have explained that any romance with Shadow was preposterous. Who was to say Shadow even felt that way?
He couldn't speak as he sat and waited until she either fell asleep or threw up. Her crying subsided as quickly as it started, and the heavy breathing indicated she had fallen in to a heavy sleep. With the romantic evening gone to ruin, he bundled the various covers and cushions around her so she couldn't roll on to her back, and after leaving a glass of water by her bedside he ran out the door and in to the long night.
*****
Barely making it to the bathroom before emptying the contents of her stomach, Amy had more than a few regrets. Letting slip to Vector that she needed a drink to calm her nerves had been the start of her downfall. She had drunk too many drinks in a short space of time, feeling no effect at all until they all hit her at once. Her bile tasted of acid and bubblegum mixed with a heap of guilt.
Once she had sat down on the bed next to Sonic, her world had gone fuzzy and her memory even more so. She wanted to sit and talk with him. She wanted to confess her fears and apologize for them, knowing that they were childish but that she was working hard on ridding herself of them. She loved Sonic so much it felt like her heart could burst whenever he was close, but at the same time she would do anything to make sure he was happy and keeping secrets was something he despised. There had been so much in her heart to say but the alcohol had silenced her. She hoped at least she hadn't been sick in his fur or playfully punched him a little too hard as she had done the last time she got drunk. That had been because of Rouge. That bat could put them away!
She looked at the pillows she had untangled herself from, and despite her pounding head she smiled broadly. It didn't matter he wasn't there, given she had probably fallen asleep moments after getting to him. Sipping the water he had left for her she took a breath and regained her composure. She would speak to him that evening instead rather than drag her inner demons any further. Vector was going to suffer for encouraging her but losing one more night just made her more determined.
What had made her suddenly down all those shots? It was something Vector had told her she was sure of it. Something about...someone coming home...
She heard a howl. It was a mournful sound to hear amongst the bustle of reality going on in the streets below, and despite her agonising hangover she got herself tidied and stepped carefully out in to the world. There didn't appear to be any sounds other than that of a regular passing day, and nobody else heed the call she had heard. Perhaps so many years at war had made her listen for things that weren't really there.
At the second cry she started running towards it's source. The autumn sun was low in the sky and with guilt she realised she must have slept almost the entire day. If someone had been hurt while she slept off the drink she would never forgive herself. The victories did not mean they could rest on their laurels.
She stopped dead at the source of the commotion. The glare of the setting sun burned in to her eyes, but she recognised Infinite all the same. No more mask, no more Ruby, no more power but his eyes and his scar gave him away. He was howling at an empty scene. When his gaze locked on to hers she felt a chill run down her spine, the same chill that haunted her ever since they had first lost Sonic to the wicked Jackal. Sonic was now safe but not without his scars, and though Infinite had attempted to atone for his crimes Amy found his presence more than enough to scare her. No Ruby did not mean he was not deadly.
“My old pack were here,” he told her without prompt, “they ambushed your male counterpart.”
She growled and charged at him, taking hold of the thick, white hair on his chest and pulling him towards her. He looked taken aback and she inwardly patted herself on the back for being able to surprise him.
“What did you do?!” she hissed.
He growled briefly before taking a deep breath.
“I chased them off.”
“Bullshit.”
“What will it take for you to trust me?” he sighed, “the resistance has accepted me as one of you and Sonic bears me no grudge.”
“I am not Sonic,” Amy whispered harshly, “what did you DO?!”
He pointed behind her while trying in vain to prise her hand away.
“He is back there being tended to by one of your comrades. The pack is silent when they're stalking, but a danger cry will send them running for the hills mindlessly. They didn't realise it was me making it and they bolted. Simple enough?”
Her eyes flicked toward where he was pointing before locking back on his.
“How do I know this isn't an ambush?” she enquired.
He scanned her face before answering, and her weaknesses all at once felt under the spotlight in the wake of his piercing glare.
“They're mercenaries. And there is no value in you.”
She scowled, but the blunt truth of his answer was enough, and the onset of a new wave of nausea made her let him go and follow to wear he had guided her. If Sonic was hurt she would deal with him first and Infinite another time. If Sonic said Infinite hurt him, she would be making jackal soup despite feeling sick.
The world was silent here, where once a library had stood was now no more than rubble and discarded books. She could hear voices mumbling quietly, and her worry eased when she heard a chuckle that couldn't be mistaken for anyone but her Sonic. It didn't mean he wasn't hurt, but he wasn't losing a limb.
Peering around a doorway she looked in to the dark remains of a room, the contrast of the sunset behind her making her temporarily blind. It was like looking in to the night ahead of her but the voices didn't seem to have noticed her either. She squinted harder, realising that the darkness had a few crimson streaks cutting through it. It was not blood; to some degree it was so much worse.
Shadow was on all fours, leaning over the indigo blue Sonic. She knew that glint in her boyfriends emerald eyes; that same, playful, lusty sparkle she saw whenever she flicked her tongue suggestively. He smiled wider as Shadow crawled closer to him and around them the air fizzled with heat and desire.
It only took one swing of her hammer to bring the wall hiding her crashing down around them.
