Chapter Text
Closing the door behind her, Amy felt like the entire weight of the day suddenly crumbled onto her shoulders. Did that really just happen? It wasn’t all a dream was it? The tired yawn of her adoptive mother waiting for her, as Cream slept peacefully on Vanilla’s lap, jolted the pink hedgehog into reality.
“I was starting to get a little worried when you weren’t answering my calls.” The older rabbit whispered, as to not wake her daughter.
“Sorry…! I was probably on the road by then.”
“It’s alright dear, I figured you would’ve shown up sooner or later.” She smiled patiently. “Poor Cream, she wanted to hear how your day had been.”
“I’ll tell her everything tomorrow for sure.” Amy giggled quietly. “And I’m sure she’ll forgive me after I got her some Chao cookies. There’s one for you too!”
“You’re too kind dear, all is forgiven.” She joked and yawned once more. “For now, I think it’s time for us to go to bed.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I should be going too… I’m pretty tired.”
“You should definitely get some rest dear. Tomorrow will announce even more customers than usual.”
“Oh gosh… today wasn’t too bad was it?” The pink hedgehog obviously felt guilty about leaving her adoptive mother at the shop with such a rush.
“It’s alright sweetie, you know I can handle myself. I was a bit worried for Silver, but he was very quick on his feet today.” Vanilla reassured her.
“Well, I’m glad.” She smiled gently.
Truth be told, she completely forgot about Silver, but it also made her happy to hear how he was doing so well at the bakery. Amy felt a sense of pride at being the one to suggest him working there as a stable job. Still, despite the change of subject, her mind couldn’t help but return back to another certain hedgehog that invaded her thoughts recently. Watching her mother and sister sleepily walk upstairs to their bedrooms, Amy found herself frozen in the living room, rewinding today’s interactions with Shadow over and over again. She absorbed every detail of their conversations, his facial expressions, how patient he was, how warm his hands were – how warm he was. It all made the pink hedgehog’s heart flutter. She could only stand there in disbelief that so many little things made her want to see him more. It was a bit embarrassing to feel so desperately in love all over again. Worse is that she knew how much she really wanted to not only be closer to him emotionally, but today’s outing made her realize how much she wanted to be closer to him physically. She wanted to scream – both out of excitement and shame – but there was no way Vanilla wouldn’t notice. Amy could only cover her own reddened face from absolutely no one but herself. Despite knowing she would need it, Amy knew deep down that she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
~~~~~~
Fall had come and gone by so quickly, before Amy knew it. As the weeks pass by, so did her feelings for Shadow become even stronger, since they’ve hung out together. She gazed dreamily at the cloudy winter sky, as a light slowly tickled the tip of her nose. Of course, things were busier than ever at the bakery, especially with the holidays coming up, but nothing stopped her thoughts from filling itself with romantic imagination. Not even almost accidentally burning a dozen donuts once or twice. Thankfully, Silver had easily managed to pick up whatever accident she’d made while the pink baker tried her best to reign her mind from going too far. Still, it had all felt as if, at any moment, she would wake up from this dream and be jerked back into reality – a reality before her and Shadow had begun talking more regularly.
Unfortunately, they never had the time to see each other again, Shadow had become even busier at G.U.N. headquarters, to Amy’s disappointment and worry. The pink baker often wondered if maybe she had actually been an annoying friend to him, and he simply did not want to spend more time with her. Thankfully, those insecure thoughts quickly faded when he’d answered her messages or called her. It wasn’t anything special, but it always made her glad to especially hear his voice again, even if it was just to catch up for the past couple days. Even when he’d frequently call her rather late into the night, she would always answer. That wasn’t too obvious, was it? Regardless, she gladly accepted any chance to know him a little bit more – to listen how his day went, his thoughts, how he talks, how she can hear when he smirks. Her heart skipped a beat whenever she noticed more and more of his quirks, however small they may be. Still, Amy would make sure to take her time, promising herself not to rush into it and to simply enjoy the little things. Though some habits are difficult to stop – her mind was always ruminating with endless thoughts about him.
However, there were slightly more important things to think about, rather than fawning over a newfound love interest. There was a Secret Santa event to plan. Not that there wasn’t much to do anymore: gifts were taken care of, invitations had been given, a meal had been prepped. Most of it was to complete either the day before or the day of the event.
Speaking of the day of the event, Cream was obviously the most excited of the Rabbit family to help in its organization. Well, it was only for the decoration parts, besides, she was always a great help on that front, especially with Cheese’s assistance. Still, the pink hedgehog felt awfully nervous, to which she herself wasn’t exactly sure what for. It wasn’t as if this would be any different than the years prior she had organized it. Her little sister had beautifully decorated every corner of every room with adorable Christmas ornaments and her mother was dutifully preparing the feast for tonight. All Amy had to do was to make sure that everyone was still showing up and to decide what clothes to wear. Everything was done, what more was there to prepare for? Still, Amy couldn't help but feel restless making sure everything was absolutely perfect, checking the house for anything, but obviously the two rabbits were simply happy to finish their tasks and didn’t need any help. Still, she felt the unnerving urge to be prepared for anything that might happen. Like what? It was a question she couldn’t answer, either. All she knew was that her gut instincts were usually right about things like this. However, that only made her feel all the more nervous, as she stared at herself in her full body mirror. Amy tried her best to shake this feeling away.
“Ugh… if I could just shut my brain up for a second to choose what to wear.” She bemoaned to herself.
“What about this one?” Cream’s voice suddenly chimed, as she pointed.
“Wah!” Amy jumped.
“Oops! Sorry Amy!” The young rabbit giggled.
“It’s okay.” She giggled nervously. “I guess my head was in the clouds again.”
“Thinking about Mr. Shadow?” Cream’s head tilts innocently.
“W-What? No! Not this time anyway! I-I just don’t know what to wear.” She denied sheepishly.
“What about this one? I like this one!” Her sister points once more.
Amy finally turns to what the little one had been pointing at: it was her cute Christmas outfit – a short white and red faux-fur dress with an off-shoulder neckline and a black belt resembling Santa’s iconic coat. She had worn it only once, two years ago, at the last secret santa event. The pink hedgehog bought it specifically to impress Sonic – or at least it was a last ditch effort to make him notice her, after all those years. It obviously hadn't worked, despite the fact that she did receive as many compliments on it from the blue blur, as she desperately longed for. Ultimately, the outcome was not what she wanted, at the time. The memory of it all made her cringe, especially now. At the very least, Amy was glad that they could still be friends, even after her whole obsession with him had a rather explosive end. Maybe, now that things aren’t as awkward anymore, she could wear it again, with new memories associated with it. It was a really cute dress. The thought of wearing it only once would’ve been such a waste. Maybe Shadow would… No, stop that.
“Yeah, sure! Why not? I like this one too.” She chuckled.
“Yay!” Cream cheered.
“Thanks for the help, Cream, you’re the best.” Amy patted the rabbit’s head.
“I know!” She laughed, rushing downstairs, as quickly as she came in.
Still, despite agreeing to it, Amy felt even more nervous as to what Shadow would think of it. Sure, it wasn’t the first time she wore it, but the pink hedgehog never asked him back then. Although, she might not have the courage to, now, either.
~~~~~~
In the middle of touching up her makeup, the bell of her door suddenly rang. With all of her fussing, she hadn’t realized how much time had passed. Her heart nearly stopped with conflicting thoughts between wanting it to be Shadow and not being ready to see him just yet, as she rushed downstairs to the door. Thankfully, Vanilla had answered first: it was Silver and Blaze. Amy let out an involuntary sigh. Relax, you don’t have to be so nervous.
“Merry Christmas.” The lavender princess spoke first, smiling dutifully. “Although I’m aware that it was technically a couple days ago. I also brought some customary wine for the occasion, if that’s appropriate.”
“Oh, it’s alright, Blaze, we are still celebrating it, after all. And thank you, merry Christmas to the both of you.” Vanilla returned the gesture.
“Yeah! Christmas is still Christmas! So merry Christmas!” Cream jumped excitedly, as Cheese copied her with enthusiastic Chao babbles.
“S-Sorry, if we’re a bit early.” The ivory hedgehog continued, scratching his head sheepishly.
“You don’t need to worry about that either, Silver.” The older rabbit chuckled. “Besides, you know us, we always try to be extra punctual. Especially Amy.”
“H-Hey! It’s just a good habit to have!” She pouted.
They all chuckled at her response, which she returned in kind. The rabbit family invited their friends inside, insisting on taking their coats and gifts to place them. Upon closer inspection the couple looked absolutely adorable together. Silver wore an oversized black Christmas sweater – she remembered Shadow gifting it to him last year – with a white blouse underneath and brown checkered pants. Meanwhile, Blaze somewhat matched him with a white turtleneck sweater and a dark blue tweed vest with matching dress pants. They barely started dating and they were already matching their clothes together? Saying that Amy was envious was an understatement.
“I absolutely love your outfits!” She smiled brightly at them.
“T-Thanks! Honestly… it was mostly Blaze’s idea.” Silver admitted shyly.
“It wasn’t exactly my idea either.” Her feline friend began blushing in denial. “I only modified my attire to slightly fit yours.”
“But, still… you didn’t have to.” The futuristic hedgehog blushed even deeper.
“I know that, Silver. I only thought it would be nice.” She gave him a soft smile.
“You two are sooo cute together!” Amy interjected, as she giggled playfully.
“Amy…!” They both simultaneously scolded her for the teasing.
“I’m just telling the truth!” She laughed even more.
“Either way…” Blaze coughed and shifted her expression into an honest smile. “You look lovely yourself, Amy.”
“Thanks, Blaze.” She returned the smile.
Then, the bell rang once more, indicating more guests had arrived. Amy immediately opened the door and was surprised to see Team Heroes being early to anything. Tails wore an adorable oversized red Christmas sweater with blue denim overalls, which Sonic had matched with the same sweater – and still no pants. Knuckles, on the other hand, was surprisingly well dressed, as he wore a green jacket, matching pants, a white shirt and a simple gold necklace.
“Happy Holidays!” They all cheered.
“Happy Holidays to you too!” She giggled. “Honestly I’m surprised you guys are here early, even if it is just a little bit.”
“Ugh, you don’t know the half of it.” Tails bemoaned. “It’s hard enough with Sonic’s awful sense of time…”
“Hey! But, also… not entirely wrong.” The blue blur attested.
“But, also having to make a detour to Angel Island when I told Knuckles to park it near our place…” The kitsune continued complaining.
“And I did!” Knuckles immediately protested.
“Near doesn’t mean near the atmospheric border above our place!”
“Oh, boy…” Amy smirked wryly at their brotherly quarrel.
“It’s safer up there! You didn’t make it clear and I don’t trust Sonic’s place not to get invaded by Eggman.” The echidna retorted sternly.
“Double hey!”
“*It’s my place too, y’know? I got tons of security measures that I made myself! I swear you’re worse than Sonic when it comes to taking instructions, sometimes…” Tails’ sighed in exasperation.
“Triple hey!”
“Okay, okay, calm down!” The pink hedgehog chuckled. “It’s supposed to be holiday cheer, not holiday bicker!”
“Yeah, yeah…” The echidna backed down, awkwardly scratching his head.
“Why don’t you come inside and give me your coats?” Vanilla suddenly appeared to diffuse the situation with a calming smile.
“Sorry…” The fox obliged.
As the rest of Team Heroes followed through with her mother's instructions, the situation quickly reverted into realizing how ridiculously they'd been acting, chuckling in unison. It wasn’t very often that the three of them bickered, but Amy would admit it was always entertaining, it reminded her a bit how Team Dark always ribbed at each other. She realized a long time ago how, in contrast to her gentle and calming family, friendly ribbing was common with people who knew each other well. Though she couldn’t say that she was completely innocent from it – Rouge had especially taught her how fun it was to tease people. However, Amy may have only just realized how she was especially prone to do so with Shadow. The sudden realization made her blush a bit.
“Anyway, Ames, it’s been a while!” Sonic continued. “You seem pretty busy lately.”
“I-I guess I am.” She nodded, trying to focus her mind to the present. “It’s mostly the shop taking up my time, like usual.”
“Hey, well, at least that means business is booming huh? Silver lining and all.” He gave her a cheerful thumbs up.
“Yeah, I guess so.” She chuckled a bit. “What about you?”
“Eh… just the usual patrolling, looking for another adventure, beating up Egghead’s robots.” The blue hedgehog shrugged smugly.
“So, you’ve also been busy.”
“I dunno about that. I think there’s a difference between being busy and keeping yourself busy, y’know? Not that I mind, you know me, always gotta be on the run doing something.” He joked.
“That is true.” She giggled.
It felt good talking earnestly with Sonic again. Sure, they’ve technically been normal – well, she’s been normal – about each other for months now. Still, it felt good to talk like this again, with everything going on, the events she’s been busy with, the shop, and Shadow, they haven’t had time to just… talk. It almost felt too good. For some reason, it made her feel guilty, as if a simple conversation like this shouldn’t make her feel this good. But, why? Suddenly, Amy noted that there was still something she couldn’t shake, deep down: she couldn’t help but still be attracted to Sonic. It was a cold awakening she slightly regretted noticing. It wasn’t the same as the feelings she had before, of course, those had long shifted into more platonic emotions. However, there was something disheartening about, after everything, she still felt drawn to him. It almost felt like a betrayal to her feelings for Shadow. How could you love someone else, when you’re attracted to another?
“Amy? You okay?” Sonic’s concerned voice suddenly popped her thoughts away.
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine! I just… thought I forgot something.” She feigned a cheerful tone.
“Fair enough. Oh! Speaking of… it’s been bugging me since I saw you. The fit you're wearing.” He put a thoughtful hand on his chin.
“H-Huh? What about it?” The sudden mention of it made her blush.
“It’s nothing bad, I promise! You look great!” He shook his hands defensively. “It’s just that… I feel like I’ve seen it before… didn’t you wear it like-?”
“The cavalry has arrived!”
Thankfully, before Sonic could finish his sentence, Rouge’s distinctly mischievous voice suddenly cut him off, as the bat announced her arrival with the rest of Team Dark. Rouge, of course, went all in with her attire, wearing a fluffy and glittery red crop top that laid under her shoulders with a matching long slitted skirt. Omega only had a red and Christmas scarf with matching hat, which looked hilariously cute on a death machine. Then there was Shadow, who looked awfully handsome, wearing a tailored dark red blazer, a black turtleneck shirt and black dress pants. Her face exploded into several shades of red. The way he had looked at her – staring at her – didn’t help. The moment felt like an eternity, until she noticed his gaze had shifted towards Vanilla who had greeted the group and led them inside.
“HAPPY HOLIDAYS, MISS VANILLA.” Omega announced with the most enthusiasm as a monotone robot could.
“Happy holidays! Of course, I also brought my famous homemade spiked ‘nog.” Rouge smirked playfully, waving about three of the aforementioned large bottles.
“Happy Holidays to all of you too.” Vanilla returned with a bright smile. “Please, make yourself at home.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Rouge joked and then shifted towards Amy. “Love the dress, by the way, you look like an adorable Miss Claus.” She winked, indicating that she knew exactly what was going on, to Amy’s embarrassment.
It’s not like that! Though, if she said it out loud it would've been immediately obvious to the teasing bat that it kind of was like that.
“T-Thanks…” The pink hedgehog finally had the courage to say.
“That’s it!” Sonic suddenly chimed. “That’s what you look like, I remember, now. You wore this a couple years ago for… Oh.” He suddenly covered his mouth, remembering something else – something he probably shouldn’t have.
“Y-Yeah, it was for one of the last secret santas!” Amy desperately feigned ignorance covered by her trademarked cheerfulness to rectify the situation. “Cream suggested it! So, I thought… why not?”
“Well, I agree you should wear it more often.” The fashionable bat nodded approvingly.
For some reason, however, Shadow had glared at Rouge for that comment and then coughed, which she only returned with a mischievous grin. It was as if they were talking through each other’s mind – probably a normal occurrence when you live and work with someone for almost a decade. Still, Amy wondered what that meant.
“Anyway, Sonic, we’ve got lots to catch up on. HQ is becoming more like an office job than a spying agency. But, hearing what adventures you’ve been to’s gotta be way more thrilling than mine~.” The winged rogue lamented jokingly, grabbing his arm.
“Hey, you know me, can’t say no to bragging about my adventures.” He chuckled in return, as he led her forward towards the rest of the group.
“OR SHOWING OFF, IN GENERAL.” Omega interjected, following them both.
“Heh, got me there.”
Before leaving completely, Sonic threw Amy an apologetic shrug, either for bringing up an awkward memory or for being dragged away so suddenly, in the middle of their conversation. Probably both. Either way, her and Shadow were now alone, together, for better or for worse. Not that she didn’t want to be alone with him, but it was particularly difficult for her to stop herself from blushing profusely, at the moment. She tried her best to shake away the awkward air between them, as she noticed him awkwardly digging a hand in his pocket.
“So, uh…” They both mumbled simultaneously.
“Oh, s-sorry, you go first.”
“No, it’s fine, go ahead.” He insisted.
“Okay, um… I just wanted to say merry Christmas.” She giggled shyly.
“Merry Christmas, Rose.” Shadow returned with a small smile, which made her heart skip.
“What did you want to say?” Amy tilted her head curiously, sheepishly holding her hands behind her back.
“... Nothing really. It was basically the same thing.” His eyes remained low, as his voice had a hint of hesitance.
“Y’know we’ve been doing that a lot lately.” The pink santa chuckled a bit.
“What are you talking about?”
“Talking at the same time, thinking the same thing.”
“... I’m not so sure about that.” He gave her an ironic smirk.
“Well, I think so, it’s been a growing pattern.” She joked. “Soon enough, we’ll be finishing each other’s…”
“I can’t believe I’m barely at your door and you’re already starting with this.” His voice sounds annoyed but he’s obviously grinning.
“Starting what?” She grimaced playfully.
“You know exactly what.” Shadow implied clearly.
It was true. Somehow, she always found herself teasing him. It became too alluring to catch him off guard and see him blush again. Maybe reel it back a bit.
“Sorry, I can’t help it.” The pink hedgehog chuckled sheepishly.
“Yeah, well, don’t expect me to forgive you just because you look like that.”
“H-Huh? Like what?” She blushed in surprise.
“... Festive.” Shadow had covered his muzzle when he said that.
“Oh, I get it, you’re laughing at me.” The pink santa crossed her arms, pouting. “You’re just trying to get your revenge by making fun of my outfit, huh?”
“I’m not.” He denied immediately. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“... Look. All I said was that you look festive.”
“And then you covered your mouth to stop yourself from laughing!” She pointed firmly, though she wasn’t seriously offended.
“I wasn’t laughing. I just thought…” Though, he never finished it.
“You thought…?”
“That you look good, okay?” Shadow finally blurted out, though he covered his face again.
“... Oh.” Amy was completely red.
She understood now, he’s been covering his face out of embarrassment, not out of laughter. She may have slightly regretted pushing him for an answer. However, she also couldn’t help but feel giddy at the comment, her heart bouncing excitedly. Calm down, it’s just a compliment.
“... I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Shadow suddenly mumbled apologetically.
“You’re not making me uncomfortable, Shadow.” She gave him a bashful smile. “It’s not like it’s the first time you gave me a compliment and, anyways, I appreciate it. I-I like your style too. So, there.”
“You don’t have to say that.” The spiffy hedgehog averted her gaze, as his cheeks became a couple shades redder.
“I know. But, I still mean it, though.”
“Well… thanks.” Shadow timidly combed at his quills, as he fiddled with his other hand in his pocket, which she found disarmingly cute.
Her brain would put this adorable quirk of his in her internal “Things I Love About Shadow” folder. Even though it was nothing but small, honestly, inconsequential things, she couldn’t help feeling joy at discovering new things about him. They were the steps into knowing him better, after all, and that was all she really wanted. Other than the urge to tackle him with her affection. It was a habit that absolutely had to be kept in check.
“Anyway, come on! Let’s go join the others!” Amy cheered.
“... Sure.”
~~~~~~~~
The festivities first began with dinner. The lovely feast Vanilla had prepared was quite extensive, but she always went all out when it came to cooking, especially for special occasions: prime rib roast, mashed potatoes, roast turkey, honey glazed ham, stuffing, gratin, macaroni salad, a charcuterie board of cheeses and crackers… without even counting the deserts. Thankfully, they would only worry about that later. Just looking at the beautifully decorated family table, surrounded by adorable Christmas-themed throwable tableware – to avoid too much dish cleaning, later – made Amy feel a mixture of unending hunger and immediate fullness. Everyone had gladly begun serving themselves a plate, to the motherly rabbit’s joy and insistence to take anything they wanted. Of course, everything was delicious, to nobody’s surprise, but it still made Vanilla just as happy to hear all of the other’s compliments to the chef. Blaze had opted to serve everyone the wine she had brought, both as a thanks for the meal and as a festive toast. Cream and Tails had been given complimentary grape juice to participate. Together, they all cheered one more “happy holiday” to each other. The excitement in the air relieved the pink santa, feeling a weight coming off from her shoulders. Deep down, she knew she was worrying over nothing, but it was comforting to know that everything really was going perfectly.
As they all chattered about, catching up with how they’d been for the past month, the young rabbit made a point to add some Christmas music to fit the mood. With everyone’s stomach full, Rouge had encouraged the group to taste her hard egg nog: not only did she make the eggnog from scratch, but she had also added some nutmeg, cinnamon and, of course, Mazurian rhum. The batty mixologist boasted about her drink for a good reason, as usual, it was delicious, though a bit too strong for Amy. She could absolutely not handle more than a single glass. The pink hedgehog was barely a third through hers when she noticed Shadow already asking Rouge for seconds, though not without the mischievous bat teasing him about it.
“... You say that like you haven’t easily drunk a whole bottle to yourself.” Shadow pointed, though Amy hadn’t been close enough to hear how their conversation started.
“Hey! I’m just saying I’m glad you like my batch.” Rouge guffawed.
“Then say that, instead.” He rolled his eyes.
“You’re no fun today, hon, maybe you do need some more alcohol in you.” She whined dramatically and then shifted into a devilish smirk.
“Whatever.”
Amy had giggled at the scene in front of her, to which Shadow abruptly turned his head towards her, clearly surprised to see her behind him. Rouge, on the other hand, only had an even wider grin plastered on her face, to the pink hedgehog’s mild concern and flushed cheeks. It was never a good sign when her impish friend looked at someone like that.
“Here for another round, Miss Claus~?” Rouge teased.
“N-No, I haven’t even finished yet.” She shook her head sheepishly at the nickname.
“Don’t start switching victims now, Rouge.” Shadow threw daggers at her.
“Why not? It's fun.” She chuckled.
“Well, stop having fun.” He ordered, crossing his arms exasperatedly.
“No.” The mischievous bat simply said, grimacing. “Besides, that’s her proper title, today.”
“I-I dunno about that…” Amy protested.
“Well, I say it how I see it. It’s not like I can call her Mrs. Claus just yet.”
“Rouge…!” Both hedgehogs whined in unison.
Unfortunately for the two of them, their synchronized embarrassment only fuelled the bat into letting out her trademarked devilish cackle, whenever she successfully teased someone to filth. Worse was how, despite Amy hiding her face, she was even more caught off guard by how embarrassed Shadow was. It wasn’t like Rouge was teasing him. Why was he so red right now? The question only made her blush even more. Thankfully, probably hearing their mutual friend’s evil laugh, Knuckles had come to the rescue.
“Hey, you better not be harassing Amy, again.” He growled.
“Harassing really is a strong word here. But, I am teasing her.” Rouge affirmed playfully.
“Well, stop that. She’s our host.”
“And when were you so chivalrous?" She grimaced.
“Since right now! You know damn well Amy’s like a sister to me.”
“Aw, Knuckles.” Amy was surprised to hear him say that, but also very glad to hear it.
“Oh, uh… I guess I never said that before, huh?” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “But, my point still stands!”
“So? What are you gonna do about it~?” Rouge dared, leaning forward with an enchanting tone in her voice.
“Listen you-!”
“Ugh… get a room.” Shadow bemoaned.
“Hey!” The two suddenly turned towards him with offended, yet reddened faces.
Amy couldn’t hold her laughter from his comment and their reaction to it, it was hilarious how they were now the ones who fell victim to the teasing. How the tables have turned.
“Come on, Rose. Let’s leave those two alone, before they start making out in front of us.” Shadow smirked.
“What the hell!?” They both shouted in outrage.
“Okay.” She giggled even more.
Just as asked, Amy followed Shadow towards the dining room, where the rest of the group chatted among themselves, completely unaware of what scene they had just missed. Besides, they were more focused on Cream’s announcement: a gingerbread house competition.
Once everyone had excitedly gathered around the young rabbit, she had distributed each of them an equal amount of gingerbread plaques, frosting and edible decorations. The rules were simple: make the best looking house in thirty minutes. Vanilla abstained from participating, as she would be a secondary judge to Cream and Amy. Besides, her family would’ve won otherwise, as they were all experts in the art of baking. Everyone else had begun energetically assembling their pieces, with an air of competitiveness to win. Although, it wasn’t like there would be a prize at the end. It was all in good fun. Unfortunately, Sonic, Blaze and Knuckles had struggled the most, as they were terrible in baking, but it didn’t stop them from trying their best. It was a pretty close match between Tails, Silver and Shadow, who all used their different skills to carefully place each of their pieces into wonderful houses. However, Tail’s house was on the plain side, taking too much time assembling instead of decorating. Shadow, on the other hand, had rather messy decoration, barely able to control his strength while using the piping bag. Is it bad to find this adorable? Ultimately, Silver had easily blown the competition, as he used his telekinesis to make an impressively large and adorably decorated house. A lot of it was probably thanks to him practicing so much at the bakery. Amy felt a great sense of pride at the thought. However, the kitsune did complain about the advantage, though the pink hedgehog quickly scolded him for it, as it was all the more proof of her coworker’s improvement.
Then came the rest of the desserts. As if her guests were starving and definitely not still digesting their previous meal, Vanilla placed another array of food on the table: strawberry cheesecake, tiramisu – Amy’s only suggestion to the menu – vanilla sugar cookies, chocolate chip panettone and lemon knot cookies… without counting the gingerbread houses. Honestly, she could feed the entire group for the next week or so. However, the pink santa would never complain about it to her mother, let alone anyone else, for that matter. The older rabbit’s cooking was worth the few extra pounds and mild stomach aches. Anything to make her happy.
Still nursing her spiked eggnog, now added with a slice of cheesecake, Amy observed the rest of the group as they ate and chatted among themselves. She debated if she should maybe get rid of the rest of her drink, not that it wasn’t good, but this last quarter was even stronger than the rest. It was probably because of the alcohol slowly sinking at the bottom, after all this time. As she contemplated between just downing the rest in one fell swoop or rinsing it away, Amy felt stuck between the living room and kitchen, standing under the cased opening that connected the two. That was until she suddenly felt a light poke on her shoulder.
“Ames… Mobius to Amy? Hello?” Sonic’s voice popped her out of her indecision.
“Oh! S-Sorry I didn’t see you there.” She chuckled awkwardly.
“Don’t worry about it, Ames. I just noticed you were standing there and then when you didn’t respond the first time…” He gave her a wry grin.
“Sorry… I always find myself day dreaming somehow.” Amy returned with a similar expression.
“Like I said, it’s no problem. Just making sure you’re alright.”
“I’m fine, Sonic, just being my regular self.” She tried her best to display her cheerfulness.
“... Are you sure?” However, it seemed like he could see right through her.
“It’s nothing serious, I promise.” The pink hedgehog reassured him.
However, she wouldn’t lie and say that there was nothing, in general, but there really was nothing that serious. Deciding between drinking and not drinking the rest of this eggnog wasn’t a big deal. Amy knew Sonic always had a knack of seeing through people, it was a skill she felt overjoyed when she had first discovered that they both shared it.
“Listen, I just, uh…” His voice began hesitantly. “I just wanted to apologize for earlier.”
“What are you talking about?” She tilted her head in concern.
“You know… for bringing up the dress thing.”
“Oh… that.” She cringed a bit at the memory. “Don’t worry about that. I’m just trying to make new memories with it, now.”
“Geez… that bad, huh?”
“W-What do you mean?”
“Sorry… I dunno how I always manage to put my foot in my mouth about things like this.” He face-palmed himself. “I’m just trying to make sure we’re still cool.”
“Of course we are! We talked and we’re still friends.” Amy affirmed though shifted into worry. “Unless you think we aren’t?”
“Yeah we’re good! I just…” He sighed. “Sorry, I can’t find the words right now. Is it okay if we talk at some point? Maybe later?”
“Y-Yeah, sure!”
“It’s not that big a deal or anything. I just really want it to come out right and obviously I don’t really think before I speak so… yeah.”
“It’s okay, Sonic, you really don’t have to beat yourself over it. We’ve talked through some more awkward things.”
“Yeah you’re right… thanks.”
With that, he patted her on the shoulder and zipped back to the others like nothing happened. Really, seeing Sonic being so apologetic and hesitant was definitely unlike him. She’d rarely seen him act like that, and when he did it was usually because something had been at the last brink of gnawing away at him. Unlike Amy, while they were both good at reading people, the blue blur also had the keen expertise of hiding his own true feelings, especially negative ones. Maybe that gut feeling was right after all. However, before she could mull over it too much, the pink santa had realized that she had locked eyes with Shadow, who had begun walking over to her, suavely holding a hand in his pocket. She stood still under the cased opening, as she watched him approach her. All of her previous thoughts had immediately vanished, as her mind raced, wondering if he heard any of her conversation with Sonic. Her heart couldn’t keep up with this whiplash of emotions.
“Oh, hey Shadow! Do you need anything?” She smiled brightly at him, trying to hide the faint blush from her face.
“No. Just checking in on you.” He answered so directly it made her heart skip.
“I-I’m fine! I was just thinking if I should put this away or not.” Amy pointed at her drink.
“... You’re not gonna finish it?” He raised a brow.
“It’s good, don’t get me wrong! But… I’m kind of a lightweight, y’know?” She giggled awkwardly.
“Give it here then.” Shadow put his hand forward, with a low sigh.
“You don’t have to finish it for me!”
“Why not?” He gave her a small smirk. “I can handle my alcohol better than most…”
“... Because you’re the Ultimate Life Form?”
“Because I’m-... hey.” He frowned, realizing Amy had finished his sentence.
The pink hedgehog couldn’t help herself from laughing at that. Wordlessly, while she was distracted by her own laughter, Shadow had incredulously taken the glass from her hand and immediately took a swig at it.
“Looks like we will be finishing each other’s sentences after all.” She joked.
“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes ironically. “I’m just saying my resistance to poison also extends to alcohol.”
“And I’m saying you always start showing off when you try to help me.” Amy teased lightly.
“No, I don’t.” He denied firmly.
“Yes you do!”
“Give me at least three examples.” He challenged.
“Easy! When I got scared at the Halloween party, for one.”
“I wasn’t showing off, I just…”
“You literally said you could withstand me crushing your arm because of your status!” Amy corrected him.
“I guess, I did…” Shadow sheepishly crossed his arms, clearly not expecting her to have remembered that.
“Then! There was that time you drove me to Cream’s school because she got sick.”
“What did I even show off?” He waved an arm up incredulously.
“The fact you had a personal cleaner, so it wouldn’t matter if I dirty Rouge’s car!” She pointed firmly, though still playful.
“I dunno if I would count that… what else?”
“Well…”
Of course, Amy knew what to answer, but even she was a little embarrassed to admit it out loud. The fond memory of them ice skating together and Shadow holding her hands gently yet firmly, as they both sped through the rink thanks to his great skating skills. His warm hands, the wind blowing through their quills, the scarlet glint in his eyes, his soft smile – her heart thumped at the memory. Relax.
“Do you really want me to continue?” She mimicked his pose, crossing her arms.
“I said give me three.”
“Okay, you asked for it.” Amy took a breath. “When we were skating together…”
“Stop. I get it.” He immediately cut the conversation short.
From his facial expression, – well, hiding his facial expression – Amy could immediately tell by the reddened tips of his ears that Shadow knew exactly what she was talking about. She isn’t sure how he seemed so caught off guard by remembering it, somehow more embarrassed than the pink hedgehog saying it. Though, maybe it was because he didn’t realize how, despite her being the one teasing him, mentioning the small details about his personality almost felt like subtle confessions. Either way, seeing him blush again made her heart flutter. Despite being quite a few shades of read herself, she couldn’t help wanting to tease him more. Still, she will show restraint, lest her deepening feelings for him become too obvious.
“I think you might need to hang out with Rouge less.” He half-joked.
“W-Why do you say that?” She chuckled sheepishly.
“Because…” He paused, combing at his quills. “You’re getting too good at teasing me.”
“I’m not trying to, sorry.” Amy tried her best to hide the growing shades of red on her muzzle.
“You don’t need to apologize, Rose. I’m just saying you got a knack of catching me off guard.”
That's kind of the point.
“You can always fight back, y'know?" She joked shyly.
“Fight back?”
“You know, make things fair, silly.”
“... I can’t.” He grinned wryly.
“Why not?” Her head tilted curiously.
“I wouldn’t know where to start…”
“You’ve made fun of me plenty.” She pouted.
“That’s not the same.”
“Why not?” Amy whined in protest.
“That won’t catch you off guard.”
“... Oh.”
Ironically, hearing him say that certainly did catch her off guard. If anything, it didn’t take Amy much for her to be, especially when it came to Shadow. He always seemed to have a knack to be disarmingly honest about the most random things, while being utterly secretive about others. Of course, the pink hedgehog knew her edgier friend was anything but dishonest, but he always managed to keep the most important things close to his chest. However, lately, he’s been so open with her, it always managed to surprise her – not that it was a bad thing. If anything, it comforted Amy that they’ve seemed to have grown a bit closer over the past couple months. Still, it didn’t do her heart or her face any favours, no matter how much she tried to be subtle about her feelings.
“Anyway…” Shadow continued, aloof to her fervent flush. “When do you think the exchange is gonna start?”
“O-Oh! Well… probably around now, should be good. I want to do this before Cream’s bedtime.” She affirmed, looking at the time on the living room’s wall clock announcing 8:32 pm.
“Alright then, let’s go.”
Resisting the urge to excitedly drag him by the hand, Amy watched Shadow take a final swig at his drink, before immediately tossing the plastic cup into the kitchen’s trash bin. He let out a satisfied huff at his victorious throw, which caused her to giggle a bit. Joining the others, who were still chatting among themselves, the pink santa announced the start of the actual secret santa. All gathered to the Christmas tree, where her mother had placed all of the guests’ gifts under. A mixture of excitement and nervousness filled the room as everyone waited for who’s turn it would be first. Of course, as the diligent host she was, Amy designated herself to be first to give her secret gift to: Knuckles. Although she had wished it was Shadow, her expertise of gift-giving was not wasted. Especially after what the echidna had admitted to how brotherly he felt about her, this choice ended up having a lot more significance. She had bought him a cowboy hat, knowing his old one had been quite run down by now. It was something Rouge had mentioned previously. Though Amy did feel a little guilty for stealing the gift idea, she knew deep down that her bat friend would have done the same. Thankfully, her bat fiend said nothing on the matter, though clearly both proud and offended by the thievery, through her facial expression.
As traditions go, the one who receives becomes the next gift giver, and Knuckles had fallen onto Rouge. He had thoughtfully given her a wooden jewellery box, to which all of her previous transgressions melted from her face upon seeing it. Next, Rouge had given Tails a sort of swiss army knife, though instead of knives, it was filled with variously sized tools that fit a small portable box. Then, Tails had specially crafted Omega some sort of special battery infused with chaotic energy. Though the kitsune did mention that the war robot would need to recharge it once often, as it apparently had a very short battery life. Omega, on the other hand, had surprisingly landed on vanilla, to which he gifted her a set of titanium baking equipment to “bake without fear of unreliable strength”. It was funny to see him be so thoughtful. Now, it had been Vanilla’s turn, who gave Silver a comfortable and functional pair of black work boots. He only had the one pair for so many years, he almost cried at the gift. Regaining his composure, Silver nervously exchanged his gift to Shadow: it was a warm red sweater, embroidered with “Not-So-Nice” lettering on the front. Everyone laughed upon seeing it when the edgy hedgehog turned it around, to his mildly displeased eye-roll. Still, he clearly liked it, wearing it immediately. The pink hedgehog awaited with bated breath to which person Shadow was the secret santa to… revealing it had been Blaze. He’d given the feline royal a set of books, which were apparently recommendations from him, as they did so before. Since when were they in a book club together? Amy couldn’t help but feel a little envious, but she knew she shouldn’t feel that way, the princess was already taken, anyway, so it wasn’t like that. Regardless, Blaze had shifted her attention towards Sonic, giving him this vintage-looking green varsity jacket. It impressed him on how she’d even gotten hold of it, especially at the fifty rings budget everyone had agreed to. Either way, after everything was set, this only meant one thing: Sonic had been the one chosen as Amy’s secret santa.
The blue hedgehog sheepishly approached her with a small box in his hand. Carefully, she sheepishly opened it to reveal a cute little bracelet with rainbow crystal flowers. Amy was relieved to see the cursive engraving “BFF” onto the small metallic plate, causing her to giggle a bit. She knew how notoriously bad Sonic was at gift-giving – he gave her the same spa set every year – but this was actually very heartwarming. Though she knew he definitely had some help, Amy felt a hint of guilt in her chest, realizing he had probably made so much effort to make sure that their friendship was intact, after everything. With a mixture of remorse and gratefulness, the pink santa gave her friend a well deserved hug. He didn’t need to worry so much.
“Aw… thanks, Sonic, this is so sweet.” Amy let him go, giving him a gentle smile.
“It’s no problem, Ames, I’m glad I did a good job, this time.” He half-joked, chuckling.
With that, it was the end of the exchange and the night’s event began winding down. Vanilla had opted to put Cream to bed, as conversations became quieter. Though Shadow hadn’t spoken to her since, Amy had noticed how she always somehow managed to catch his eyes, whenever she glanced at him. He was always with Rouge and Omega talking about who knows what. Still, for some reason, the withdrawn look in his eyes, whenever they glanced at each other, erased her courage to butt in. Was he upset? But, what would he be upset about? However, before she could decipher his expression, Amy felt a warm hand on her shoulder – Sonic’s.
“Hey, uh… before we all get going. Can we talk for a bit?” Despite the grin plastered on his face, the serious tone in his voice surprised her.
“Oh! Y-Yeah, sure!” She nodded nervously, caught off guard.
“Is talking on your front porch, okay? It’ll be quick, I promise.”
“Of course, that’s fine, silly.” She gave him a patient smile.
“Okay, good.”
Awkwardly, they both headed outside to the balcony. It was somewhat cold, as expected for late December winter, but the pink santa barely felt any of it, too focused on how nervous she felt. She sat down on one of the chairs, not exactly knowing what to expect. Her mind raced with various questions, knowing that Sonic wasn’t the type to need “talks”. It didn’t help that the last time they spoken seriously had ended dramatically, even if things are normal between them now. However, that was what worried Amy the most. What if things weren’t normal again?
“So, uh…” He began, awkwardly scratching his nose. “I dunno where to start, really, so I’m just gonna go out and say it.”
“O-Okay.” She nodded, though only felt more tense.
“So, after we had that one talk… this isn’t bad, by the way… but, I kinda went through some soul searching.”
“What do you mean?”
“Okay, I know soul searching isn’t exactly clear when I’m always out doing something.” He joked, but continued more seriously. “But, I really wanted to know what the hell was wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong about you, Sonic. You just… didn’t like me that way.” She smiled ironically.
“Well, yes and no.”
“W-What do you mean yes and no?”
“Sorry, I’m saying things wrong again.” He face-palmed himself. “I’m talking about what was wrong with me. It wasn’t just you.”
“... I’m not sure I understand."
“I’m trying to explain…” He sighed. “I’ve been doing some research, with Rouge, about that stuff.”
“What stuff?”
“You’re right, I’m being vague again, sorry. This is more embarrassing than I thought.”
“Sonic… whatever you have to say, I won’t judge you or anything. You’re just making me more nervous by not saying it.”
“Okay, okay… you’re right, here goes.” Sonic took a deep breath before blurting out: “I’m aromantic.”
“H-Huh?”
“You know, when you like… don’t feel romantic feelings and-”
“No, I know what that means. I’m just… confused on why you’re telling me? Not that I mind, I’m just… confused.”
“Well… I thought you should know. Since… I didn't want you to feel like it was your fault.” He sheepishly scratched the back of his head
“Sonic…”
“Tails knows, and obviously Rouge does too. I just thought… maybe it would be good for you to know too.”
Despite really not needing to do all of that, Amy definitely appreciated the gesture. Unfortunately, a growing shame filled her heart. That really was never gonna happen, huh? It felt worse, when she was supposed to have moved on by now, there was still a part of her that hoped for what could have been. It kind of hurt to cut out that last part of her that still felt attached to her old feelings for him. However, it also felt strangely comforting. Although she had stopped blaming herself that there was something wrong with her, months ago, it felt good to know that everything really was fine between them. There was never anyone to blame for their bizarre start to their friendship, but it made her at ease to realize that everything was going to be okay. The wound that had opened could also be fully healed, now. More importantly, she realized that she had something important to tell Sonic too.
“You know… this actually makes a lot of sense, thinking about it, now.” She chuckled.
“It does, huh?” He returned the gesture.
“Since we’re on the subject, though… I actually, um… I’ve actually been in love with Shadow, right now.” Amy admitted shyly.
“... Oh.”
“Y-Yeah, so… you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“That actually makes so much sense too.” Sonic laughed freely.
“What is that supposed to mean?” She pouted.
“Oh, so when I say it, it’s a bad thing?”
Amy could hold in her laughter after he said that, to which Sonic contagiously followed with a hearty chuckle himself. It was freeing to laugh like this with no more tension between them. Everything was so much clearer, there was nothing to worry about anymore. The pink hedgehog couldn’t help herself from giving him another heartfelt hug, grateful to be truly friends again.
“I’m really glad you told me, Sonic.”
“I’m glad you told me too.”
Suddenly the front door opened, revealing Shadow who was just as stumped to see them as they were to see him. Without thinking, Amy quickly retracted her arms away from Sonic, embarrassed to be seen in such a position after just confessing her crush on the blue blur’s edgy counterpart. Unable to find any excuses, she let Sonic take the lead on this one, staring at him with pleading eyes. Scratching his head, he understood.
“Hey, Shadow. Where are you-”
“I’m leaving." He abruptly announced.
It was only for a moment, but Amy saw his eyes burn with an indecipherable expression – one she never saw from him. He wasn’t annoyed, he wasn’t embarrassed, his face remained completely blank, but the tone of his voice was heavy. Without another word, Shadow did just as he said, and left. The pink hedgehog barely managed to catch that he was holding something out of his pocket before the hedgehog suddenly became a blip into nothingness. Before she could even process everything, Rouge had suddenly barged out the front door.
“Uh… have you two seen Shadow?”
“Well, he kinda just…” Sonic chuckled awkwardly.
“... He just left.” Amy responded under her breath.
“He what!?” The bat guffawed dramatically. “Nevermind, I'll have a stern talking to when we get home… Omega?”
“WHAT DID HE DO THIS TIME?” The robot followed.
“Forget about that, we gotta go.” She rushed him out to her car.
And… the rest of Team Dark left in a rush. What just happened?