Chapter Text
It was that time of the year again. The time of year where the air felt a little crisper, the lights felt a little brighter, and the city felt a little louder. The time of year where everyone got together to celebrate happily amongst themselves. Some, more than others.
Amy hummed happily to herself as she walked up the familiar steps of her porch and into her home. The warm air engulfing her immediately and thawing her from the cold that was outside.
This was her favorite time of year. No, this was her time of year. A rare occasion where she could truly let herself shine through the spirit of festivity. A time with friends and family that she wouldn’t pass up for the world. A time where everyone could slow down from their otherwise chaotic lives. Heck, even Eggman knew to take it down a notch!
As the chill wore off, Amy walked further into her home, taking off her scarf and tossing it onto her plush sofa. She plopped down on it after, sinking into it and letting herself take a much needed breath after such a busy day. Her eyes wandered, glazing over the Christmas tree she had set up a while ago. The twinkling fairy lights reflected perfectly against the mob of ornaments, creating a beautiful sparkling effect.
Amy smiled to herself as she gazed at the tree. It was just another reminder that the Christmas season had just started and was ready to erupt in full swing. It was a nice sentiment. However, Amy sighed, her thoughts drifting elsewhere. Christmas was a time of joy and togetherness, but not everyone shared that luck. For some, the season felt like just another day slipping by, and the thought lingered painfully in her mind. Her shoulders slumped as she fished her phone out of her dress pocket. She didn’t like to think about such depressing thoughts. So for now..
Her fingers glided over her screen, tapping away quickly at her keyboard. A group chat consisting of her closest friend group: Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. A group that was also well accustomed to her holiday antics.
“Hey guys! I’ve got some ideas for some things to do before Christmas comes along. I thought it’d be fun to celebrate together again this year! My house tmr at 2 for details, don’t be late!!”
She sent the message and scrolled over to another contact: Rouge. She texted her about the same thing. That was four friends total!
Four..
Amy couldn’t help glaring at her screen, biting her cheek as the that number lingered. She hesitated for a moment, considering extending her invite to a few others. Everyone deserved a little jolly, right? Totally!
Unconsciously, her fingers began to type once more, double texting Rouge to add another detail. “And ask Shadow if he’d like to come too! It’d be nice to have him join us.” She knew Shadow wasn’t the most popular, but that was exactly why she had to invite him! Maybe all he needed was a little Christmas spirit to cheer up. A little nudge in the right direction. Mhm!
With that sent, she navigated back to the group chat. Her mind danced through some more faces she could invite. It didn’t take long before she shot another text. “And Sonic, see if Silver and Blaze can join. Haven’t seen those two in a while!”
Three extra invites down and Amy felt content with herself. Her heart jumped at the thought of everyone coming together and enjoying themselves. The more the merrier, right? At her side, she could already hear her phone buzzing with responses.
With her invites sent and her fingers set down, Amy leaned back into the couch, her mind whirling with excitement. She would definitely make this season one to remember.
“No.” Shadow’s gruff tone of voice left no room for argument. The flick of his ears at Rouge’s suggestion was the only other acknowledgment he gave, but it was more than enough for her to catch the subtle hesitation in his words.
Rouge narrowed her eyes slightly as she studied him. Shadow was very much stubborn, but she knew him too well: courtesy to their years of friendship.
“What, not even a maybe?” She teased with a scoff.
What was supposed to be a quiet evening in their shared living room had gone interrupted by Rouge’s statement.
Shadow shot her a flat stare, one that reiterated that this conversation was over. But Rouge was never one to back down so easily.
“Oh, c’mon, Shadow. Amy asked me to personally invite you. She wants you there.” Her voice carried that usual airy charm, but he could tell she was serious The tinge of concern she always tried to hide lingered at the edge of her words.
“It’s just a waste of time, Rouge. I don’t even know why you bother to go to these things.” His arms crossed tightly over his chest, the subtle tension in his jaw betrayed the calmness of his voice.
Rouge arched her brow, clearly unaffected by his intimidation tactics. “Because unlike someone, I know how to enjoy myself from time to time. You should try it someday.” Her words felt harsh, but the subtle smirk on her face lightened the jab.
Shadow went quiet, his gaze flicking away. The underlying weight of her words settled between the two of them.
Rouge sighed, breaking the silence first “Look, just give it a chance. Knowing Amy, she’ll have all sorts of things planned. If there’s something you don’t want to do, fine, don’t do it. No one’s going to force you.” She leaned in slightly, her tone lowering. “This could be good for you, you know.”
“I don’t need anything—” He shot back quickly, defensive at the implication in her words.
Rouge leaned back, raising her hands in surrender. “Alright. Alright.” Her usual playfulness crept back into her tone yet her gaze remained steady. “If not for you then just try it out for me. Please?”
Shadow eyed her for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as he thought over her words. He didn’t answer right away, and Rouge, fluttering her lashes innocently, knew better than to push further and simply waited.
Letting out a long sigh, he finally muttered, “Fine. I’ll go. Just once. And don’t expect me to enjoy it.”
A victorious smile spread across Rouge’s face as she clapped her hands together triumphantly. “That’s all I’m asking for. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”
Shadow didn’t answer, only grumbling lowly in response. But she didn’t miss the way his posture softened just a bit.
The rest of the night was relatively quiet, with both Rouge and Shadow retreating to their own respective rooms. By the time morning rolled around, Shadow found himself begrudgingly preparing to leave. He wrapped himself in a thick coat and scarf, the soft fabrics doing their best to shield him from the season’s chill.
The walk over to Amy’s was.. interesting. Rouge hummed cheerfully with a certain spring in her step, while Shadow on the other hand, treaded beside her in deafening silence.
When the two reached Amy’s street, it wasn’t hard to tell which home was hers. The bright pink exterior stood out from all the others and her decorated doorplate only added to its distinctiveness. As they stepped up to her porch, Shadow’s eyes drifted to a few neatly stacked boxes that had a few tangled stings of lights poking out from the top. He raised a brow, Guess she hadn’t finished decorating yet.
Standing before the door, Shadow’s gloved hand hesitated from knocking. For a moment, he wondered if this was even a good idea. Rouge, as sharp as she was, noticed his hesitation and gave him a playful nudge forward, “They won’t bite.” She whispered.
At this, Shadow rolled his eyes and knocked, the sound loud and sharp against the wood.
On the other side of the door came the sound of hurrying footsteps followed the knob jingling a couple of times. A few seconds later, the door swung open and a certain pink hedgehog’s beaming smile greeted the both of them.
“You came, both of you! I’m so glad!” Amy’s blatant excitement was overwhelming as she stepped aside, waving the pair into her home.
The warmth of the house hit Shadow like a brick, along with the faint scent of pine and freshly baked cookies. The latter of which made his nose twitch slightly.
Inside, the others were already in the living room chatting amongst themselves. When Shadow stepped in, however, their chatter quieted. He was met with gazes filled with mild surprise and curiosity.
Shadow tensed under the weight of all the eyes on him, and at this moment, he questioned every decision that had brought him here.
Thankfully, Rouge was there to break the awkward atmosphere. “What? How come you’re all acting like you’ve never seen Shadow before?” She teased, her hands on her hips as she gave the room a playful glance.
Knuckles was the first to acknowledge her, crossing his arms with a grunt. “Didn’t think he’d actually come.”
“Well, you know me,” Rouge smirked. “I can be very persuasive.” She shot Knuckles a wink, because really, he knew that better than anyone.
The latter froze and mumbled some incoherent babbling under his breath, earning a couple of laughs from around the room. Slowly but surely, everyone seemed to relax again.
Conversations started picking up again and the attention on Shadow was gone. Well, almost.
Shadow shifted uncomfortably where he stood. Despite the overwhelming warmth of the room, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being an outsider. The laughter, the easy banter thrown here and there, he wasn’t used to it. Because of this, he stood stiffly, unsure of what to do with himself.
There was still the occasional glance in his direction, with Tails’ being the most obvious. He caught him in the act, in which the fox quickly averted his gaze.
Psh..
“Hey Shadow!” A familiar voice broke through his brooding, and Shadow looked up to see the one and only Sonic himself striding over. Great.
The blue blur didn’t seem affected by the initial awkwardness at all. Instead, his effortless energy made him appear as charming as ever, much to Shadow’s dismay.
“Hedgehog,” He greeted flatly.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Sonic’s eyes glazed over Shadow for just a moment. “Nice scarf by the way, who knew you had a sense of style?” He grinned. The darker hedgehog found it to feel both genuine and ingenuine at the same time.
Shadow blinked, unimpressed. “Hmph. I don’t need your commentary.”
Sonic chuckled, undeterred. “Alright fair enough. It’s good you’re here though. Amy’s been buzzing about this nonstop. If you didn’t show, I think she might’ve gone out and hunted you down herself.”
Before Shadow could respond, the hedgehog in question chimed in from across the room. “Sonic leave him alone!” She said with a half groan. “He just got here, let him settle in first!”
“Relax Ames! I’m just saying hi,” Sonic called back, flashing her a quick thumbs up.
At that same moment, the doorbell rung through the house once more. Cutting through the interaction, Amy basically bounced towards the door. “That must be Blaze and Silver!”
The door opened to reveal the two as expected. Blaze, standing elegantly despite the cold with a soft hand on Silver’s shoulder. Silver, who was struggling to hold a couple of thermoses and a gift bag.
“Sorry we’re late,” He started, stepping in.
“Silver insisted on bringing some cocoa for everyone.” Blaze added, her voice as calm and measured as always.
“How nice of you two! This is perfect. Come in, come in!” Amy stepped aside and ushered the two in and away from the agonizing chill from outside. “You guys are just in time, we were just about to get started!”
They both quickly settled in to the cozy living room, greeting a few of the others they hadn’t seen in a while. Shadow eyed them from his corner. The two managed to blend in with the group quickly and comfortably, something he wasn’t able to do. Shadow exhaled slowly, this was already proving to be a bad idea. Whatever he had just gotten himself into, it would be too rude to just back out now.
As the time passed, and the chatter in the room picked up once more and Amy clapped her hands together to get everyone’s attention.
“Alright everyone! Now that everybody’s here, it’s time to talk about why I called you all over today!” Her festive tone was infectious, earning curious glances and smiles from all around the room.
Sonic leaned back into the couch, a teasing smirk present on his features. “Please tell me it’s not another cookie baking marathon?”
“Nope, not this time!” Any replied. “Though we will be doing something similar soon. But this is even better!” She reached behind her and grabbed a small bag decorated with sparkly snowflakes. “We’re doing..” She let the silence marinate for a few seconds for some added suspension. “Secret Santa!”
Knuckles groaned dramatically from his spot on the floor. “We have to?” Rouge elbowed him harshly, making him shut up almost immediately.
“Yes, Knuckles. We have to. It’s a great chance to get to know each other a little better!” She beamed. Shadow couldn’t help but look at her with skepticism.
Amy stepped forward with the bag. “Now, this is how it’ll work. Inside this bag are slips of paper with everyone’s name on them. You’ll each reach in and draw one, and that’s who you’ll be shopping for!” She gushed. “But! No trading, no peeking, and please, try to keep it a surprise!” She glanced at both Knuckles and Tails. One known for being a blunt doofus and the other known for being a major rambler.
Silver raised his hand while his head tilted a smidge. “But what if we don’t know what to get our person?”
“Glad you asked!” The pink hedgehog grinned warmly. “Well that’s the fun part! You have to get creative, and it’ll force you to get to know your person a little more. But if you’re really stuck, you can always ask someone for ideas, as long as you don’t give anything away.” She explained curtly.
Silver, satisfied with this answer, nodded to himself. With that, Amy began passing the bag around.
Blaze, who sat closest to her, was the first to draw. Her expression remained calm as she scanned her piece of paper, nodding subtly to herself afterwards.
Next was Knuckles, who frowned in concentration while he took his time choosing a piece of paper from the bag. When he peeked at his slip, he muttered a quiet, “Huh, alright..”
Rouge followed, her big blue eyes glazing quickly over the paper before her signature smirk tugged at her lips.
When it was Shadow’s turn to draw, his hand hesitated for a small second before reaching into the bag. As he fished his paper out and opened it, his gaze lingered on the name. His ears flicked slightly, though his expression itself gave nothing away.
“Happy with your pick?” Rouge whispered teasingly from beside him, to which he only shot her a short unimpressed look.
Her snickers drowned out as Sonic reached into the bag next. He unfolded his paper and his lips upturned, giving a small thoughtful hum before folding the paper back up.
Tails drew his name quietly, his eyes widening for just a moment before he tried to mask his expression again.
Then there was silver, who was a bit more expressive. His brows creased questioningly as he seemed to be in thought as he looked over his paper.
Amy was the last to go. As she drew her slip, her smile softened and her eyes gleamed with a hint of excitement. “Alright! Now everyone has their person. Remember, this is supposed to be thoughtful and meaningful, so take your time and have fun with it! Now..”
She reached back inside her bag and fished out a small notebook. “To make this season even more festive, I’ve taken it upon myself plan a bunch of group activities leading up to Christmas! They’re secrets for now, but I’ll message you all the plans in advance!”
With the important stuff out of the way, the group broke back into their small conversations. Shadow, however, remained quiet, glancing briefly at his slip of paper before folding it neatly and stuffing it into his coat pocket. His thoughts churned as he considered the name on that piece of paper, and wondered, how exactly was he supposed to do this?
“Well? That wasn’t so bad now was it?” Rouge and Shadow had just gotten home, each respectively hanging their coats and scarves onto the entrance rack.
Shadow shot her a pointed look. “I don’t know why you brought me into this silly thing,” he muttered, already making his way to the staircase.
“Because it’s good for you. You need to lighten up a little, Amy’s events are harmless. Who knows, you might even find them fun,” She hummed.
The hedgehog nearly scoffed at the statement alone. “Yeah, right.” He grumbled, treading up the stairs with a slight weariness in his step. He could hear Rouge chuckling from where he left her, mumbling something along the lines of, ‘such a hassle.’
When Shadow got to his room, he didn’t even bother changing before he sat idly on his mattress. The events of the day dawned over him in an overwhelming fashion, and so did Rouge’s words.
He couldn’t deny the group had been welcoming, albeit awkward at first. But that was the least of his concerns, there was a bigger problem at play now..
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the folded, and now slightly wrinkled, slip of paper he’d drawn. As he unfolded it, his eyes scanned the name written on it.
Sonic.
Shadow frowned. Of all the people he could've pulled, it just had to be him. The hedgehog was.. obnoxious, boisterous, and utterly unpredictable.
They’d worked together before, begrudgingly. But Shadow realized he didn’t know Sonic at all, at least not on a personal level.
What does he even like? Chili dogs? That’s hardly a thoughtful gift.
The thought made him grimace as he pinched the bridge of his nose. This is going to be impossible.
His gaze drifted towards the window, where a few snowflakes could be seen drizzling down. The first snow of the season. He didn’t know Sonic well enough to pick out a good gift, but now that he’d been roped in, there was no backing out.
He exhaled simply, kicking his shoes off before lying down completely. “This is ridiculous.” He muttered, eyes closing.
And yet, his thoughts lingered on the task ahead of him. For reasons he couldn’t explain, the idea of finding a decent gift for Sonic became a challenge he felt compelled to meet.