Chapter Text
"So...i think i am finally done." A cute pink hedgehog spat out while on brunch with her closest friends,confusing them.
It was a bright sunday morning in what was supposed to be the coldest day of autumn so far,leaves decorating all the streets in their numbers of colors yet Amy didn't find them as beautiful as she usually did,not with all the things that were plaguing her mind,making it hard to focus.
"What do you mean,Pinky?” A bat,with beautiful long lashes,asked while stirring her long forgotten latte in her hands.The liquid was most definitely cold by now,yet Rouge seemed more interested in her friend’s dilemma.
All her friends were too,as the happy atmosphere seemed to be crushed with overbearing silence and varying degrees of worry stares at her.It wasn't that they didn't notice her not being as bright or as cheery as she usually was,but they just didn't want to pry considering she would open up sooner or later.
"I think...i’m finally done with chasing Sonic.” and now,they could really hear a pin drop.The whole place continued to move but Amy could see in slow motion how her friends all got frozen the moment the whole sentence got out.
Cream actually choked a bit on her apple pie and Blaze was quick on patting her back (a bit too hard) to make sure it didn't escalate.
"What?!” Rouge screamed,the white bat not believing what her good hearing had caught.
"Shhhh!!don't make such a big fuss about it..." The hedgehog shrank on her chair,feeling the stares of the people in the diner diggin' on her back waiting to see what was happening and why were all these girls so...worried?Were those worried expressions?
"Amy...is everything alright?Do you feel fine?" Blaze,an extremely pretty lilac cat, spoke,still patting Cream’s back yet staring her up and down “This is just...did something happen?" One set of eyes soon turned into three sets of eyes looking all around her face and body,scanning,trying to see what was off.
But Amy was fine,she felt fine,and she was sure as heck she looked fine too! She took extra time today to look good!
Oh but her expression didn't lie,she looked confused,anxious and distressed.Some dark circles even showing under her big green eyes,not at all like the good ol' Amy everyone knew,the happy and bright one.
Somehow,today,all her colors seemed dull,as well as her feelings.
"I'm fine,really!...i just.." she sighed "i don't know girls...im just,tired" She practically deflated right then and there,almost melting into a puddle of weird and complex emotions she didn't have the strength to figure out anymore.She had been feeling all week like this and thought that maybe telling her closest friends would make her feel a bit less heavy.But she didn't account for the questionnaire that was inevitably gonna be brought upon her.She hated how nosy they were despite being the one who brought the subject up.
Maybe she shouldn't have said anything?
"How so?You gotta explain yourself a bit,sweetie,dropping that on us and not expecting us to react is kind of dumb,no offense." Rouge acclaimed,having gone back to her usual smug expression but still having a bit of worry in her eyes.
"None taken. I guess I just...don't see it as a big deal myself anymore." Taking a sip of her now lukewarm tea (ew,but that's what you get for brainstorming ideas to tell your friends your longtime crush is no longer your crush)
"You no longer like Sonic?" Cream,the pale yellow bunny questioned,passing down her pie to Blaze,her appetite fully gone from the choking earlier,and instead,choosing to finish her chocolate milkshake.
"It's not that I don't like him...i just..." The words just wouldn't come out.She felt a block on her throat,her eyes watering a bit but she didn't feel like crying anymore,she already spent the whole night doing so.
"Did you find someone else?" Blaze was brainstorming ideas to come up with a good theory as to why Amy was no longer in love with Sonic.
Sonic! the one guy Amy has always been head over heels for!This was certainly weird,and honestly,Blaze always looked forward to the crazy ideas and plans Amy had about how she was going to try and swoon Sonic over.
And now,suddenly and out of the blue,Amy decided on just…moving on?
"No! Chaos no!...i just...got tired" Repeating herself and pushing her tea away,she started to fidget with the hem on her sleeves on the table,growing a bit more anxious as her friends waited for more.
She wanted to tell more,but she didn't even know when it happened.Or how it happened.it just did.
Slowly,with time,Amy realized it was never meant to work out,no matter how much she wanted to believe on her cards,or how much she tried to push for it,or how many times she begged to something bigger than herself.The smallest hint that pursuing something with the blue hedgehog wasn't a waste of time never came,not matter how much she wished for it.
He was never going to look at her with the eyes Amy always dreamed for.And she felt it was okay,she didn't want something forced either,and believed love could reach her in many other ways,but it made her dawn on all the lost time.
How since she was a child,you would always find her next to Sonic,sharing her toys and going in adventures with him and his brother Tails,getting her big brother Knuckles to go with her because she was a bit scared but she so desperately wanted to be brave so Sonic would as so much take a glance at her.
When puberty hit,and she tried all the latest trends on her ever growing teenage body just to feel pretty in his eyes.But only getting a tiny pat on her shoulders and a smile that didn't feel all that sincere.
All her diary entries filled with his name and how much she cried because he couldn't remember her favorite flowers,or her ice cream order,or when was the last time they saw each other.How she could see that other girls got the treatment she felt it was deserved only for her,catching up in all the flirty looks he would send to their classmates back in highschool.And even after years of that time being done,she can sometimes still feel the knot on her stomach when she remembers.
Because Sonic just didn't like her,he wasn't desperate for his attention like Amy was.
And one morning,she realized it was never gonna change,and so she cried,for all the wasted years,for all the times she rejected every confession of love because it wasn't from him and for all the times she made a fool of herself just for…a guy.
Feeling a warm sensation,Amy snapped back on herself and glanced up again,seeing her three friends grabbing her hands and giving tiny encouragement by squeezing them lightly.Suddenly,she realized she was crying,some tears staining her cheeks and her nose becoming watery and stinging all of a sudden.
"You went to dreamland sweetheart" The bat said,giving her a little smile in hopes to cheer up the mood a bit “You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to,you know that,right?Yes we are nosy,but never to you,not when it obviously pains you so much baby"
Locking her green eyes with Rouge's big turquoise ones made her feel more at peace,nodding slightly.Cream took the moment to slip from her chair and bring a handkerchief to Amy's cheeks,wiping away at the remnant of tears.
"Thank you Cream." The bunny gave a little squeak of happiness,smiling proudly and returning to her seat next to Blaze after Amy ruffled he bangs lovingly "i know,and thank you...if im being honest,i don't even know myself,i guess i've been slowly thinking about it and one day it just...hit me,that it's never gonna work" Blaze squeezed her hand a bit harder sensing how it was taking a lot of Amy to confess all of this.
They were always the closer duo on the group,having known eachother since their primary school days and sticking like glue ever since,Blaze adored her,and knew when things were getting rough for her,it was frustrating to see her pink and bright friend look so sad and lost.
"I feel...like I wasted a lot,chasing someone that never looked at me in that type of light,and was never going to...so now I think I'm just mourning the time and my oh-never-to-be-reciprocated-love." She suddenly felt a bit lighter,realizing that she finally put a name to it.She was mourning what was never there,and she missed something she didn't get to have,and now,probably never will.
"So now it's time to move on from blue?" Rouge tilted her head,and suddenly her eyes sparkled with a new idea popping out on her head. "Oh my!Does this mean I get to play cupid?!" Letting go of Amy's hand,she grew excited while she reached for her phone to fish out high potential boyfriend material from her contacts.
Blaze,not so subtly,kicked her under the table,making the bat curse "Do not!"
But Amy started to laugh,evolving from a tiny snicker to seeing Rouge so excited to play cupid and Blaze defending her mourning to a full on laugh.
"Sucks to suck kitty,i made her laugh on her sad girl moment" Rouge winked in Blaze direction and posed her hand on her chest,feeling almighty superior on making her pink friend feel a bit of easiness and to forget for a bit about the subject of her sadness.
The cat faked annoyance to please Rouge,but was happy to see a bit of color get back on Amy's face,her laugh really did know how to light up a room
Coming down from her laugh,Amy let out a big breath she didn't even know she was holding. "Yes,it's time to move on from Sonic...but slowly,I'm just now coming to terms with it." Smiling,feeling a bit more warm on her body and squeezing back the hands that still hold hers "So im sorry,but no cupid for some time Rouge"
"Booooo,throwing tomatoes your way Pinky,boooo" Playing with her,and smiling mischievously,all four girls erupted into laughter and the tension seemed to be lifted as quick as it was settled in.
Amy didn't feel as dark as she did when she woke up that day,feeling a bit better already having spoken about it with real flesh mobians instead of her sixth journal at 3 am with nothing but self deprecating thoughts eating her alive.
Putting the whole Sonic thing in the back of her mind for now,the conversations steered into more of their usual topics while hanging out,like talking about their current classes and jobs,speaking about the recent drama that surrounded Cream's classmates from school, and trying to prevent Rouge from creating Amy a profile on a dating site.It was hard,she was really sneaky about it too.
They stole food from each other's plates and laughed while scrolling through their socials to gossip for a bit.And without realizing,time went by and they all had to go their separate ways.
"Oh oh oh! At what hour were we supposed to be at Tails today?” Cream chirped in,moving the conversation to the hangout that was going to happen later in the day.
"Wasn't it at eight?Were we in charge of anything?" Blaze looked around the table,it was movie night.
"Nu-uh,we were in charge last time,it's up to the boys.Just gotta show up and look pretty" Stacking the plates and spoons and moving it right where their mugs and glasses were,she fished out for her wallet to tip the staff.
"What movie are you guys choosing?I feel like watching a drama today" Amy commented while grabbing her scarf and her big pink puffy coat and getting ready to head out.Adjusting her purse on her shoulders before tying her scarf into a bow-like knot.
"I feel like romance!'' Cream jumped out of her seat,adjusting her backpack and lightly dusting the crumbs of food from her skirt.Amy was glad she gifted Cream some really thick stockings so the rabbit didn't had to suffer the cold so much.Seriously,with this weather that was only gonna get worse,why couldn't the girls wear the boys uniform for the season?
"Honestly,I have no idea,I do feel like a bit of a thriller" Blaze checked their table making sure they didn't leave anything behind.
"Are we ready girls?”Rouge asked,they all gave sounds of approval and they started to head out to the exit,saying their goodbyes and thank yous to the staff that will see them again next week.
"Are you gonna be okay tonight?” Blaze put her hand on Amy's shoulder and tilted her head to look at her.
Going to Tails meant running into Sonic,with them being brothers and all (and it actually being Sonic´s place),and sure,she could come up with some excuse...but this was the time for the bothers to be the designated hangout house and she had to face this problem front and center if she was ever going to get over it.
Doubting,she looked at her feet feeling a bit anxious again. "I will,I need to get over it." Lifting up her glance again to look at her friends ''And what better way to do it than to start today! It's gonna be easy,movie night! I don't even need to talk to him!" It sounded so unnatural for Amy Rose to say so happily that she wished to not talk to Sonic,her longest and only love.
But it needed to become natural,she needed to start to see him as what he was,a friend,a best friend even,but nothing more than that.
Not fully convinced,Blaze nodded,letting her friend go "Well,I'll see you all tonight,lovely to catch up,I need to go now,I must get in time to my practices." Giving a warm smile,Blaze separated herself from the group and started to walk towards the bus stop to get to the hospital.Amy always admired the dedication Blaze gave to her studies.
And so followed Rouge,who had to go to her workshop to finish a dress she was working on,and Cream who had school activities she needed to tend to.The bat offering a ride to Amy's place of work,but her declining,since Rouge was already lifting Cream to school and it was on contrary directions,opting to walk because it was close anyways and it will help her to clear her mind.Saying goodbyes with Rouge jokingly threatening to make her a profile on a dating site when she least expects it.
Once alone,Amy turned around and started the walk to her job,a well known bakery that also served as a café.
Taking her time and finally breathing the chill air of autumn on her surroundings,she basked herself in the warmth feeling of the sun on her fur after so many cloudy days.Her eyes wandered everywhere,looking at all the leaves on the floor before crunching them with her boots,checking out all the cute fall colors on the ground and the shops,at all the patterns on people's clothes.She loved watching,she loved exploring and looked for details in everything that surrounded her,she prided herself on being really attentive,maybe that's why she gave the best gifts every holiday.
Certainly,she felt easy,even daring to say lighter on her feet,definitely much better than what she felt in the early morning.Thinking it was good that she took the afternoon shift because it gave her the opportunity to get this whole mess out of her chest,feeling a bit guilty for her morning regulars that couldn't tell them their mundane histories while she grabbed them a slice of their favorite sweet treat.
She worked as a part time baker and cashier for Vainilla's,Cream's mother and the sweetest woman she knew.She loved working there,It was good for the experience and she had solid ground for when she finally finished culinary school.
Vainilla always said that she saw potential in the way Amy would cook for Cream when she would babysit.Many years ago,like any teenager would,she looked for a simple job to cover going out with friends or getting take out food,so she took babysitting,simple and easy.She loved to take care of kids,cook,play dress up and even helping with their homework was easy and it came natural for her,so it was an obvious choice.
That's how she met Vainilla,with the nice rabbit lady being a good friend of her grandmother,and in subsequent,meeting the tiny Cream.She was young,and Cream was a really nice and well behaved child to take care of,both of them enjoying their time together,playing around,watching silly cartoons and baking the most delicious things.
And with time,Amy got to see Cream grow up into a young and extremely intelligent rabbit that would still call her sometimes for help with her homework,it bloomed some sort of pride in her chest that she would consider her rather than Tails,the clearly most intelligent one.And Vainilla wasn't that much of a boss,treating her and the rest of the staff more like her own kids,she was easygoing and really sweet,creating a work atmosphere that Amy was every day grateful for.
Snapping back,she entered through the big tinted pink glass door and realized,happily,that she didn't think about Sonic during her walk,then getting a bit sad because she did in the very end.Putting up a smile so as to not bring down the happy and cozy mood of the bakery,she started saying her usual hello’s to the regulars and not regulars while making her way to the break room.Inside,she got to her locker,opened it and quickly took off her big puffy pink coat and her red scarf and stuffed it in.Laying her purse atop of it all and moving swiftly to get her pink apron from where it was hanging on the other side of the room.
Tying it neatly on the back and dusting it a bit,she felt a weird tickle on the back of her shoulders “Oh…it's really gotten long now,I should probably book to get it cut.” one of her hands searched in the pockets of her apron for a hair tie,slipping her quills into a low ponytail and smoothing out a few wrinkles in her apron.
Getting out of the break room,she went behind the counter with a happy smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.Today she had to be a cashier,but before getting into position she looked towards the drink station to greet one of her coworkers.
“Hello Tang-”.
“Amy!My good friend!” Tangle,the two shaded lemur,practically jumped into Amy's arms the moment she realized she was clocked in ”It's been so long since we shared a shift!”
“We saw each other last week when Jewel couldn't make it in.'' Reciprocating the hug,Amy commented,seeing how Tangle started to pout,she laughed.
“A week is a lifetime of events for people our age Amy!” Letting the pink hedgehog go,Tangle returned to her station with a big grin “This morning was a bit slow,I'm doing a double shift today to make up for the time I'm taking away for exams! Can you believe it?!Exam week already for me!” Tangle started,to unironically,tangle on her own words as she was catching up Amy to the latest events in her life.
The pink hedgehog nodded accordingly and made sounds of surprise when it was needed,the conversation stopping briefly when she took customers orders and got cakes out of the big glass display,but resuming quickly.With Tangle making all types of sounds to add onto her wilds stories,making Amy laugh along with some people that got to overhear (the lemur wasn't really the quiet type,more of a really over excited sports locutor).She felt more comfortable chatting up with Tangle and her favorite customers,enjoying her usual work tasks and vibing to the playlist her and Jewel had so carefully curated so many weeks ago.
But her brain was still making up scenarios in her head,tormenting her that movie night was gonna be a bust and all the feelings she was currently wearing on her skin were gonna make her look pathetic.The sole idea of Sonic made her nose sting and feel that weird sensation of tears coming up,how was she supposed to face him?How was she supposed to sit next to him like nothing?!
Was she even gonna be able to go past Tails doorstep knowing what awaited her inside?
Brimming with emotions she wasn't used to,she felt down,being the type to usually see the glass half full,this time she only could picture broken glass and water spilling everywhere.Cracking her knuckles,she tried to focus on something else.But alas,it was a wasted cause,her ugly thoughts made her feel dizzy and the knot of her stomach grew tighter with each passing hour.
With her mind full of voices,the smell of sweet treats and hot coffee getting brewed in the air by Tangle and her crazy stories that seemed never ending,the day went by quite uneventfully.
The last drops of sunset peered through the shop’s big windows while Amy and Tangle finished sweeping the floor,the money already accounted for and all the dishware neatly put away.
“Woo! Another successful day at work!” Putting the broom back on its place in storage,Tangle rushed to the break room to get ready and head out.Amy following quickly behind,Vainilla was there not that long ago but left to give Cream a quick dinner before she would leave,giving the keys to the hedgehog and trusting her to do the closing herself.
Taking out her apron and getting the stuff out of her locker,she started to get ready while doing some mindless chatting with the lemur,sharing the plans they had for the night and finally turning the lights of the bakery off.Closing with the key entrusted to her,she had a quick hug with Tangle before going opposite ways.Her house wasn't that far,daring to argue the diner that she and the girls ate at every week was a longer walk.
She hummed along to one of her favorite songs while trying with all her might to not bring up that damned cobalt blue nuisance into her mind (did she just think of him as a nuisance?maybe it was working after all!).Seeing her house in the distance and feeling her phone vibrate on her purse nonstop,she kicked her pace.
Taking her keys out of her coat and getting inside in a quick motion,she sighed after a long day that wasn't even over yet,kicking her boots on the entrance and slipping on her comfy slippers.squirming out of her scarf and big coat and just dropping them carelessly on the hanger by the door.Taking her phone from her purse and locking the door behind.
Amy ran full force from the entrance to her big green couch that waited for her in the living room,forgetting to turn the lights on but still landing perfectly in it.Belly down,all the tiredness from her body made her melt into the couch,her phone still vibrating and even more than before.
Raising it to eye level and taking her head out of a cushion,she checked to see what the fuss was about.
25 unread messages.
Shadow ☕
1 message.
GC: Bewejeled girlies (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧.
23 messages.
Knuckles🥊♡
1 message.
She felt sad,she expected a message from Sonic,but why would he text her? She gave up on him,fully accepted the idea and came to terms with it this morning.Still,her unrelentless heart ached for him to take action,but he didn't know anything about this,and was never going to.
He was never the texting type anyways.
Sitting up,she opened up the group chat she had with the girls.
Bewejeled girlies (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ .
Rouge✧,Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡,Blaze🔥
23 unread messages
Rouge✧
It's so cold outside! I was gonna wear my new coat but it doesn't warm me as much…bummer
Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡
yes!!! my ears were freezing in band practice,i swear playing the violin never felt worse DDD:
Blaze🔥
The hospital is already a chilly place,is it as bad as you all make it sound or are you just exaggerating like always?
Rouge✧
You hurt my pretty little heart Blaze.
Blaze🔥
Surely you'll be used to it by now.
Rouge✧
I'll never recover emotionally from this.hope u know that.i expect monetary compensations.xoxo.
Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡
I texted Tails to remind him that the boys were in charge of the snacks!
Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡
had a feeling they would forget 🥴
Blaze🔥
Always one step ahead Cream.
Rouge✧
If i don't get the only thing i asked for,i'm leaving.it aint that hard to get sour gummies,i already warned knucklehead.
Blaze🔥
It went in one ear and out the other.
Blaze🔥
I'll be out just in time,Silver is picking me up.
Rouge✧
Oh la la,look at the kittyyyy..Need a ride @Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡ ?.
Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡
Yes pls!1!!1╰(*´︶`*)╯♡i'll start getting ready!.
Rouge✧
Okkkkkk,i´ll text u when im near.You better pick up your phone!
Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡
yes miss rouge!!!!(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄).
Blaze🔥
I'll see you guys later,gotta head back.
Rouge✧
Break a leg,beautiful.
Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡
pls dont break anything o(〒﹏〒)o, good luck miss blaze!!
Rouge✧
Break someone's leg!!!!
Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡
nOOOOOOOOO Σ(°△°|||)︴
Rouge✧
Hey pinkyyyyy,are u out of work?
Rouge✧
Need a ride as well?@Amelia Rose 🎀
Leaving the chat without answering,she opened her other text messages.
Knuckles🥊♡
1 unread message.
HELP M3 OUT WHERER CAN I GET SOURW GUMMIESS
THE TYPW THAT ROUGR LIKESD
They sell them in the corner store near
Tails house,she prefers the ring
shaped ones 👌🏻.
YPU ARE THE LIGHT OF MY LIFW NEVER FORGET IT
ILL GWT YOU SOMWTHING TOO
Laughing at the quick and clearly written rush response,she checked her final message.
Shadow ☕
1 unread message
Hello Amelia,after being pestered nonstop by a certain annoying bat we both know. I've been forced to attend tonight´s so-called “movie night”.I wondered if you needed a ride there. I hope you had a good day at work.
Shadow was a friend of a friend (Rouge),who she met not so long after meeting the bat back in highschool,they didn't talk that much in their first years of friendship as he was some years older and went to another school,so she rarely saw him anyways.They became closer in the latest years due to Shadow becoming a regular at the bakery and through some small talk they realized they had more in common than what it appeared on the surface,quickly growing on a routine of continuous texting soon after.Talking about the mundane,recommending each other artists (and going to said artist concerts together) and sometimes going out sightseeing or in the search for the perfect pastry.
Glancing at the clock on her phone she shrunken on herself even more,her knees being pressed into her chest and holding them with her arms thightly.She had thirty minutes to get ready and be at Tails’s house.With the girls up to date with the state of her emotions towards her one true love (not anymore!) and knowing them to be the type to do a little pep talk to get her feeling a bit more easy into the night,she decided right then and there to spare herself just a little more time before feeling fully consumed by the dread of having to deal with this whole messy thing.
Bewejeled girlies (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Rouge.,Cream( ◕▿◕ )♡,Blaze🔥
Rouge✧
Need a ride as well?@Amelia Rose 🎀
No need!Going with someone
else,thank you thoooooo <3<3
Rouge✧
Suit yourself darling!xoxo.
Shadow ☕
Hello Shadow!Can i?you
don't mind?
Today was great also!
I wouldn't have offered it if I did.
I'll pick you up in 20.
i'm glad it was.
okay!!thank uuuu <3.
Jumping from the couch,she made her way towards her bedroom on the second floor,making a mental image of her wardrobe and what she could wear,surely something cozy and warm yet cute.Easy enough.She definitely had try a bit harder to appear as if nothing was wrong,maybe even going as far as putting on the tiniest bit of makeup to hide her distressed state.
And hey! Maybe she was just working herself too much,it surely couldn't be as bad as she was imagining it to be,just…don't focus your whole attention into the one boy you've been dreaming about your whole life and instead focus on not making it obvious that you are avoiding him!
Feeling now more anxious with the sole idea that she was gonna see him in a bit and doubting that she could even pull through with this decision,she stepped into her room and was greeted with a framed picture of Sonic and her in their high school graduation,staring right at her from her vanity.Feeling mocked and defeated,she sighed heavily and walked towards to grab it and hide it inside a drawer.
Oh,she was bound to have a bad time,but if stubbornness had a name and image,it would probably be Amy Rose in the flesh.