Chapter Text
“It’s been two weeks,” Loraine said, not looking up from her work. “Have you talked to him at all?”
Amy grumbled as she shoveled mac-n-cheese into her mouth and watching the news on TV.
“That’s not an answer.”
“No,” she mumbled, “I haven’t, okay?”
“You were so keen on talking to him before though.”
“Yeah, and that was before he decided to be an absolute dick.”
Loraine sighed, shutting her laptop. “Amy, if we stopped talking to each other every time one of us decided to do something stupid, none of us would be friends.”
Amy didn’t reply. Instead, she turned up the volume on the television as they switched to a report on oil prices.
“It was also kinda your fault too, you know,” Loraine huffed under her breath.
Amy whipped around to face her. “No it wasn't!”
“You got so caught up in trying to prove him wrong, you didn’t even answer his questions.”
“I was trying to answer him! Maybe if he wasn’t being such a jerk-!"
Loraine shrugged. “Look, you just sometimes dig you heels in and forget the focus of the argument. I’m not saying you’re the one to blame, I’m just saying...” she hesitated, head slowly bouncing from side to side as she chose her words, “You’re not always the easiest person to talk to when you get mad.”
Amy didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, with a flick of the wrist, she threw the remote at the chair next to the television and slouched into the couch with a sigh.
Loraine just rolled her eyes.
---
Shadow slowly patrolled Club Rouge, keeping away from the flashing lights and bright sounds. From the second level, he could hear the night’s performer sing and the accompanying band. It was a slow song, one that echoed, keeping its melancholy so close it might as well have provided the harmony.
He matched his breathing with his footsteps as he went around, and around, and around.
There was a crackle in his ear, accompanied by Rouge’s voice, “Hey Shadow?”
“Yes?”
“Could you try to not scare the patrons?”
Shadow scowled, “I haven’t done anything.”
“But you’ve got That Face on right now, and honestly sugar, it looks like you’re stalking prey.”
Shadow settled into a corner with a huff and a set of crossed arms. He looked at the room before him without really seeing it, thumbs digging into his elbows as he chewed the inside of his lip.
He heard Rouge sigh. “Have you apologized to Amy yet?”
“No.”
“Oh come on-”
Shadow reached up and shut off his earpiece. He took a deep breath, letting it out through his teeth as he allowed his head to fall back against the wall.
---
“Sounds like you’ve been up to a lot. Damn kid, do you even sleep?”
Tails chuckled on the other end of the phone. “Depends. Is biofuel going to sell itself or do I need to write another paper?”
Amy laughed as she poured creamer into her coffee, leaning on the kitchen counter as she snapped back, “Most people have a research team for this reason.”
“I have a team. I just...eh, happen to have a bit of a perfectionist streak. You know that.”
“I do.” Amy tried not to smile, but she failed. “Still, I worry about you.”
“I promise I’ll be fine. What about you though? What are you up to?”
Amy opened her mouth, then hesitated. She breathed in deeply as she looked out the window and watched the sunset glitter in the distant bay, watched the traffic on the overpass crawl like a line of red ants, watched the evening train trundle on.
She breathed out.
“I’m good. You know, same old same old, but I prefer that to...oh snap, what’s the phrase, ‘living in interesting times.’”
Tails laughed, “Yeah, I feel that. I envy you a little, not going to lie. Sounds like you’ve got a nice thing going.”
Amy sipped her coffee and smiled, swallowing the lie. “If you think I have it good, you should talk to Knuckles.”
--------------------------------
“I’m heading out.” Shadow called out as he put his shoes on, holding onto the door handle for support.
Omega’s processing fan gave a little whirl as Rouge perked up from her position next to him on the couch, “Where’re you off to?”
“Just going for a run.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Incorrect. It is only 4pm.” said Omega.
Rouge sighed, “Omega, the point I’m making is that it’s pitch black out there, and cold.”
“I have a coat down in the garage. I’ll put it on.”
“We are currently experiencing freezing temperatures” chimed Omega, “The jacket Rouge gave you to which you are referring will not sustain body heat if you travel at your average speeds.”
Shadow fumbled with the door handle, “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“No, come on, please-”
Shadow shut the door behind him before Rouge could continue. He descended the stairs and snatched his coat from the end of the handrail as he hit the button to open the garage door.
Slowly, a world of pitch black and thick falling snow greeted him. Shadow breathed in, letting the cold air burn his lungs as he stepped forward into the evening and shut the door behind him. He tilted his head up towards the street lamp and watched as flakes the size of his fingertips fluttered in near silence, dampening all sound.
He sighed, rolled his shoulders, and took off.
---
“If the U.Z.A wins one more race, we’re f*cked.” Genie mumbled around a mouth full of crisps and dip.
“You’re assuming that they can hold the lead.” Loraine pointed toward the lower right corner of the television screen as she snuggled closer to Genie, “That’s Aero right behind, and they’ve been training under Zoe for, what, a year now?”
“Oh sh*t, that’s- oh sh*t!”
“Holy f*ck!”
“You saw that?”
“Yeah! Chaos, hot damn!”
“Amy did- aaah you didn’t see it.”
Amy blinked as she looked up from her phone just in time to see an extreme board catch fire while its rider tried to disentangle themselves from the tree branches they had found themselves in. “What happened?”
Loraine and Genie shared a look, and when Genie rolled her eyes, Loraine just sighed and shook her head.
“No seriously,” Amy shuffled to sit correctly in the chair, “What did I miss?”
“I don’t know, what’s happening on your phone that we’re missing?” Genie said with a smirk
Amy scoffed, “Not much honestly.”
“Ah, okay,” Loraine shot a warning look at Genie who was now sporting a wicked grin before she continued, “It’s just that you’re doing that thing you do.”
“What thing?”
Loraine opened her mouth, only for Genie to beat her to the punch.
“The thing where you mope like a little bitch.”
“Genie!” Loraine backhanded her arm even as Genie laughed, “What the f*ck?”
Amy huffed as she stuffed her phone in her pocket, “I’m not moping.”
Genie shook her head. “You are. We love you, and Loraine may not want to say it, but you’re absolutely doing that thing where you sigh and you stare out the window and you keep rereading old texts on your phone-.”
“f*ck, alright, alright!” Amy threw her hands in the air, “So what?”
“It’s been almost a month.” Loraine said as Genie turned down the volume on the television. “We’re worried about you.”
“No, *you’re* worried about me. Genie is gloating.”
Genie turned up her nose. “I’m able to do both, actually. It’s called multitasking.”
“Whatever,” Amy rolled her eyes, “You were right, okay?”
“What?” Genie’s smile faltered and she shot a look at Loraine.
Amy stood. “You were right. He’s a jackass. I tried and I shouldn’t have. You win, Genie. I don’t know what else to say.” She threw her arms wide, face schooled into a look of indifference. “Are we done? Because if so, I’m going to go to bed. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow.”
“Uh,” Loraine looked between Genie and Amy, “Wait, no, hold up. Hold on now.”
---
Shadow stood atop the outcropping, panting as he looked into the snowy darkness that had blanketed the valley below. The day had settled so deeply into evening that it seemed to soak into the snow, nestle into the trees. It was almost impossible to see the stars on a night like this.
He swallowed and closed his eyes, breathing in slowly, holding onto it.
All was still. There was no sound save for the snow and his heartbeat in his ears.
He relaxed slowly, shoulders slumping, head bowing as he breathed out.
Eyes still closed, Shadow peeled off his gloves, the sweat causing them to stick to his hand and turn inside out. He tucked them into his pocket as he looked up into the dark sky.
Shadow held out his hands.
The snow fell steadily around him, a million little pristine and crystalline parts of heaven, but the ones that fell into his hands captured his focus. They were only there for a second, but Shadow took care to map out their shapes and edges. He studied every single one, from stellar plates to fragile, fernlike dendrites, as they landed and melted away, soaking into the dark skin of his fingertips.
He hardly breathed as he watched them, one after the next, time slipping away from him.
---
“You never give up this easily. What has gotten into you?”
Amy crossed her arms. “I’m not giving up, I’m accepting facts. Isn’t that what you were hoping for?”
“Wow, way to take the wind out of my sails, man.” Genie mumbled even as Loraine hit them gently again.
“This isn’t a matter of ‘accepting reality,’ Amy.” Loraine said as she turned to face her. “This is a matter of you being hurt.”
“It doesn’t matter though. I’ll get over it. Besides, he was a jerk to you guys as well.”
Genie shrugged, “Yeah, but only a little, and we didn’t have any emotional investment in him. We have it in you. You’re our friend, and you’re really struggling to get over this.”
“But,” Loraine said, holding up a finger, “You also were at fault there, and you know it.”
Amy rolled her eyes, “Yeah, and? What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know. Maybe talk to the guy, like an adult.” Genie co*cked her eyebrow.
“For the love of Chaos…” Loraine took a deep breath, “But...yes. Basically that. Conversation is a two-way street and you’re just sort of...putting all of the expectations on him to reach out to you.”
Amy stamped her foot. “Because he was a dick!”
“And you were stubborn. So what? We all make mistakes.”
"Why are you defending him!”
“Amy, we’re not defending him,” Genie leaned forward as she said this, even as Loraine gripped her hand in warning. “I do not even *like* him. I think this is a bad idea. But you stood in this very room and did defend him. You f*cking screamed at me that we should give this guy a chance. Clearly, you care about him. You giving up on someone isn’t normal no matter how much of a jerk they are, and honestly? This situation? In the grand scheme of things that he has done, or been accused of doing? Pitching a bit of a baby fit isn’t that bad.”
“It really is coming off like you’re just...not yourself right now, and you’re making a decision out of a dark place.” Loraine leaned into Genie as she talked. “We love you, you know? We’re worried.”
“I-” Amy swallowed, fighting tears in her eyes as she stared at her friends until she couldn’t any longer. Looking down, she kicked the carpet, voice cracking as she said, “I just- I don’t even know where to start.”
---
Shadow was shivering, his breath coming in tight clouds. There was a fine layer of snow that dusted his shoulders.
None of that mattered.
There was a single flake, on the very tip of his finger, that refused to melt.
It was a stunning little thing in its simplicity. With six broad plates, it almost looked like it was cut from a single piece of glass, the little details within them merely accentuating its surface. Those tiny pieces reflected what weak light there was, catching and throwing it back with everything it had, even as the cloud cover grew.
Shadow brought it close to his face, turning his hand ever so slightly so as to see the little snowflake from a different angle, and that’s when he saw it.
A double plate, there, sticking up from the center.
The smallest smile bloomed on Shadow’s face. They weren’t uncommon, double plates, but they are so easily overlooked in a hurry that, if a person didn’t take their time, they’d inevitably miss them.
They were sturdy, and in their own special way, fascinatingly beautiful.
Shadow looked around at the rest of the snowfall. Yes, they were beautiful, just like every other single flake of snow, and just like every other double-plated flake that had fallen tonight amongst the countless that now blanketed his little corner of the world. In fact, it was just as beautiful as every other snowflake he had caught this evening.
What made this one important though was it stayed.
He sighed, smile dripping from his face as his small joy melted into something very much like heartache.
Shadow placed the snowflake to his lips, letting the tiniest bit of cold settle on his tongue as he put on his gloves and dashed back down the mountain.
---
Amy wiped away a tear that had escaped. “I think I’m just mad because like, I can handle most stuff. I shouldn’t be this upset.”
“To be fair, I don’t think anyone here thought he was going to pull that maneuver,” Lorraine said, nodding. “For a guy who just sat against the wall all night, he really can be chatty when something sets him off.”
“He’s always been like that though.” Amy mumbled, and then, in spite of herself, giggled.
“What is it?” Loraine said, leaning forward.
“Chaos,” Amy shook her head, giggling again, “He used to pop off something fierce when we would all have to work together and someone said something he didn’t like. I always thought he had a point, even if he was wrong, and I used to sort of think it was funny. He always had a way to get under people’s skin.”
Loraine and Genie shared a look, “So...you’re saying this is normal?”
Amy nodded, sitting back in the chair as she did so, “Yeah no, this is very him. I guess I sort of forgot though how brutal it is being on the receiving end. It wasn’t that often that I was.”
“It is pretty entertaining from an outside perspective. I’ve got to agree with you on that.” Genie said with a smile.
“He’s so obstinate. Like, ugh,” Amy chuckled, “it doesn’t matter if it’s ethics or salad dressing, he is always like that.”
“Oh my god, he sounds like a nightmare of a person to work with.” mumbled Loraine.
“Only if you take him seriously, and only if you disagree on the big stuff. I used to be able to get him to calm down, though sometimes, you just had to punch it out.”
“Wait, hold up.” Genie shook her head, her smile growing, “You and he used to come to fisticuffs? That guy and you. You used to fight?”
“Yeah... and you know? I miss that.” Amy laughed a little, “Just whipping out the hammer and going to town. He could always take a beating, and so could I, and we both always felt better afterwards, when everything was settled.”
Amy’s smile slid from her face. “Does this count as big stuff? I don’t even know...S’not like we’re kids anymore. Not like were were ever normal kids, anyway. You don’t just punch someone every time you disagree...”
“Aw, never stopped you before!” Genie laughed, even as Loraine shook her head.
“Well, as you said, you’re both adults,” Loraine shrugged, gesturing vaguely as she did so, “Text him. Ask to meet. Knowing you, you’d prefer to do this in person. Then just...feel your way out.”
“I don’t even know if he wants to meet again though.” Amy said as she rubbed her face, “What if he hates me?”
“Now you’re just being melodramatic because you don’t want to do the thing.” Loraine chuckled. “But you gotta do the thing, even if it’s just for you and you never see the guy again.”
Amy whined, but the smile on her face ruined the effect and the three ended up falling into a fit of giggles that was cut short when there was a knock on the door.
“Ah f*ck,” mumbled Genie, “Did we forget to pay the electric again?”
Amy rolled her eyes and stood and opened the door even, “We paid our bills and I have the receipt, so-”
She froze.
Standing in the hallway, nose to nose with her, was Shadow.
He was shivering, and damp. The red and black letterman jacket he wore had ice stuck to the front, which was slowly dripping onto the floor.
Amy blinked, brain spinning into overdrive as she swallowed, trying to find something to say. Just as she opened her mouth, however, he cut her off.
“First-,” he said, quickly, “Let me just say first- I acted like a thoughtless ass.”
It sounded sharp, almost biting, and his hard expression did nothing to soften the words. Amy didn’t say anything for a moment. She just stared, trying to take it all in, trying to figure out just how to respond.
“Yeah, you did.” Amy said.
Shadow swallowed, looking behind her toward her roommates and then back to her again, “And I’m sorry.”
That’s when she noticed just how his brow was furrowed, how he chewed the inside of his lips behind that hard line of a mouth, how his sharp eyes were watching her, too.
She crossed her arms. “Good, you should be,” and, after a beat, “And I’m...sorry too.”
Shadow seemed to relax then, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly as let out the breath he didn’t seem to realize he had been holding onto. “You made me nervous, using raw Chaos energy like that. It can be dangerous.”
“That would have been a good thing to lead with, you know.” she mumbled with a smirk as she leaned against the door frame.
“I realize that... now.”
“I didn’t make it easy though, did I? You didn’t really endear yourself to me when you popped off about how magic isn’t real. You know, like a dick.” She sucked in a breath through her teeth, then let it out in a huff, “But I shouldn’t have acted like that.”
There was a hint of a smile in his eyes. “I’m not the most endearing person in general.”
“Now see, I agree with that.”
Shadow’s mouth twitched, and something in Amy told her he was fighting a smile even as he deadpanned with, “Glad we can be on the same side about something.”
Amy giggled in spite of herself, stepping back into the apartment as she said, “Do you...want to come in? Discuss this more? You look kinda terrible.”
He shook his head, “No. I just...I just needed to apologize to you. All three of you.” Shadow licked his lips absentmindedly as he looked away. “I should head home. Rouge is probably wondering where I am.”
“With all that ice on you, I’m going to bet you’ve been out for a while.” Amy said.
Shadow nodded, looking at her again as he tapped the toe of his shoe against the carpet, dislodging slush as he did so.
“Um,” Amy squeezed herself with her crossed arms, “I...guess...I’ll talk to you soon?”
Shadow nodded again. With that, he then turned towards Loraine and Genie, gave an awkward wave, and walked away.
Amy stood there, watching his receding figure and the trail of snow he left behind until he got to the stairwell at the end of the hall and vanished from view. She shut the door then, head bowed, fingers drumming against the door handle, until she heard a sputtering snigg*r behind her. When she turned she saw Genie break into a fit of cackling laughter, Loraine sitting next to her trying her hardest to not crack as well.
“Oh holy sh*t, that is the weirdest apology I’ve ever seen.” Loraine mumbled, shaking with the effort not to laugh, “Is he always like that?”
Giggles bubbled in Amy's chest as she nodded. “Yeah. That’s...that’s the Shadow I know.”
“No wonder you like him!” Genie said through tears of mirth, “You always go for the goofy dipsh*ts! I thought Loraine and I were enough for you! Here, we’ve been outdone!” She grabbed Loraine and shook her gently as she laughed, “We’ve been outdone! There’s someone worse than we are!”
Amy burst into laughter.
