I catch myself staring like a fool
Pairing: Shadow x gn!Reader Genre: Fluff, fluff and more fluff...with a sprinkle of angst
Word Count: 2,856
Song inspiration: I like you, I love you – Rin Kagamine; Pink Stick Luv – Rin Kagamine
A/N: I have a list of songs that I have basically created whole stories/one shots for, the only thing stopping me is my own energy levels lolol. Idk if I'll make a part two for this, but if folks are interested in it then maybe.
Did I put a bit of my experiences in this? I ain't telling :P
Amy began putting the finishing touches on packing the get well basket, the worry very evident on her face, "I hope this will be enough…"
Sonic snickered from his lounging spot on the couch, "I think you put together enough comfort snacks and medicine to rival a convenience store.”
She glared at him, "Well excuse me for being hyper-vigilant. Especially since they won't say what exactly is wrong with them, I have to be prepared.”
The blue blur raised his hands in defense, "I'm not trying to say it's a bad thing. Whatever may be going on with them, I'm sure something in that basket will help.”
Amy sighed as she shot off a text to Rouge, "I hope so…"
With a light grunt, Amy perched the basket onto her arm, "You sure you don't want to come along with Rouge and I?"
"I promised Vector and Espio I'd help 'em out with something later, but I'll stop by afterwards.”
Deciding to not even bother trying to shoo him out of her house, Amy simply waved a goodbye and began making her way to your place.
It first started with you canceling on your hangouts with the group for self-care time a couple weeks ago. That, of course, is not cause for alarm but what was was the fact that since then, you have refused to leave your house with little more than an 'I'm not feeling well’.
You would make it clear to your friends that you're still alive, and vehemently shut down any suggestion of going to the doctor, but otherwise you would just say that you just need some rest and alone time.
But not today.
Amy and Rouge decided that they'd be respecting your privacy by knocking and letting their concern show, but will assert their authority as your besties by going in anyway!
By the time Amy reached your house, Rouge was already there, perched on a nearby tree branch.
She quirked her eyebrows as she eyed Amy's basket but Amy gave her a small glare, "I don't want to hear it.”
The infamous jewel 'liberator' let out an audible nose puff before coming down to Amy's level, "I could hear shuffling inside, so we at least know they're in there."
With a determined look, Amy went ahead and knocked on the door.
For a few moments there was silence before they heard your voice, "Please just leave whatever it is on the porch." Your voice sounded not quite tired but still drained of your essence.
Rouge clicked her tongue, "No can do, sweet thing. This is one that must be hand delivered.”
It took a few more moments for the two friends to hear anything coming from the other side of the door, but then they heard the soft click of the door lock.
You only opened the door a crack, just enough for them to see one of your eyes, "I told you guys, I'm fine. Just need a little bit of Rn'R."
Rouge rolled her eyes, "Right, because rest and relaxation equates to rotting away with no contact from the outside world like a corpse for two weeks straight."
Amy stepped forward, "Can we come in? If something is bothering you, you know you can rely on us to help.”
You averted your gaze. They're concerned about you and wish to help, but considering the lengths you have gone to hide away from the world, you worry that they will heavily judge you for the actual reason.
Shaking your head, you said softly "Really guys, I'm fine. I'm not sick, just tired. So please don't worry too much, I'll be back to normal soon.”
With that you closed the door, deciding to retreat to your cave of self-pity.
What you weren't expecting, however, was hearing a loud crash behind you. You quickly turned around to see your door completely busted down, and the culprit brandishing her piko hammer with a sweet smile that certainly did not match the energy she was radiating.
"Pardon the intrusion.”
Gobsmacked, you looked to Rouge who simply shrugged with a look of 'You brought this on yourself’.
Completely overpowered in the situation, you resigned yourself to your fate. You only hope your friends won't make fun of you about the culprit.
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ٨ـ (,,>﹏<,,). ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ٨ـ Both of your friends and you are seated on your comfy carpet in the living room.
As you nervously munch on the pastry Amy had packed, the two stare at you expectantly.
Rouge was the first to break the silence, "Okay, so what is going on? It's one thing to want to just vibe by yourself but this," Putting the emphasis as she gestured to you in your pity blanket cocoon, "Says that there is more going on here.”
Your pink friend took ahold of your hand, "We're your friends, so whatever it is, we'll do everything we can to help.”
You took a glance at Rouge and Amy before swallowing the last of the dessert and letting out a deep sigh, "Just…promise not to laugh. I feel plenty stupid as is.”
Rouge and Amy glanced at each other before turning back to you with a silent nod.
You fidget with your blanket, "I…basically got rejected…"
Their reactions were swift.
"What?! By who?!”
"Hun, we need more details, like yesterday.”
You curled into yourself, once again feeling the gnawing feeling of defeat permeate your heart, "Well, I mean..it…chaos, it's hard to explain."
Knowing that it may be difficult for you to say who it is right off the bat, Amy calmed down before asking, "Did they reject verbally?”
You hesitated and then shook your head, "Not exactly…"
Detective mode (or just invested friend mode) activated, Amy pressed on, "Then how do you know you are rejected?”
You twiddled your fingers, "I mean, it wasn't like a 'I don't see you that way' type of rejection, but just…reading the vibes, I guess…"
Rouge propped her arm onto her leg, letting her head tilt to the side with her hand, "So it wasn't a concrete rejection. Give us the timeline.”
You grabbed another pastry from Amy's basket and began biting off small pieces, "I guess I always found the person attractive but, I don't know, a couple months ago I became more conscious of them?”
Your cheeks began to warm up as you continued and the person in question's face faded into your vision, "Like their eyes, their voice, and just becoming more alert in case they show up.”
"It got to the point where- oh gosh- I'd find myself going to certain places…," Your voice decreased in volume as your embarrassment increased, "Just to have an excuse to see them…"
Amy's squeal was barely being contained at this point, "Gaia, you're deep in it.”
You couldn't help but softly chuckle at your friend, "Yeah I am," However, the moment in question caused your smile to fall, "So that's why I thought it best to… confess.."
"I didn't think I had it in me to full on tell him, so I decided to write a note and give it to him. But everything that day seemed to be going terrible. “
You sighed as you began your recollection, "First, the pen that I was using jammed and for the life of me I couldn't find my extras! While I was trying to find one, I ended up forgetting about the espresso white chocolate chunk cookies that I was making to give him in the oven and they burned to a crisp. I'm lucky that the sprinklers didn't go off…"
Both of your friends gave you sympathetic looks, but you continued before they could say anything, "I finished my note and thought that maybe I should try and do what Rouge does with Knuckles. The whole 'lipstick stain' thing but I forgot that my tube of lipstick expired and so I had to throw it out. I put on a cute outfit but immediately after putting it on I stubbed my toe on the dresser, took thirty minutes just for the pain to fully go away with the ice pack. When I got outside, I ran into my neighbor, the one that talks a lot without letting you get a word in, and was stuck in a one-sided conversation about why Pamela was the best of the Thea sisters,”
Amy smiled," I mean, it's true."
"Then once I was finally able to escape, a large gust of wind blew the letter out of my hands and just as I was about to catch it, I tripped and the letter landed in a pile of mud.”
You burrowed deeper into your cocoon blanket, "The universe was telling me that it was no use. I shouldn't waste my energy on something that will certainly end in heartbreak.”
Amy pulled you into a side hug, "We don't know that! Sure there were some…poorly timed events, but that doesn't mean you should give up on telling him how you feel."
Rouge took hold of your hand and gave it a firm squeeze, "Hammer happy here is right, hun. Giving up before trying is not something you do, no matter how eccentric the task is."
The gloom cloud around you was, unfortunately, not dispelled, "Giving up before you get hurt is what most people say to do, so that's what I did.”
Rouge softly clicked her tongue, brows furrowed for something to try and dispel the pitiful energy that has set in. Suddenly, a smirk began to form on her face, "I just remembered that you sent me a photo asking if it was a cute outfit on you.”
You paused before slightly nodding.
Rouge quipped with a bit of a teasing tone, " And here I thought you were taking my fashion advice for yourself, little did I know it was to impress someone. Oh how my innocent heart breaks, so.”
Amy, picking up on Rouge's attempt, gave a sharp laugh, "Innocent heart? You whispered something to Knuckles a month ago during a run in with Eggman that he still refuses to repeat! Gets even more red than he already is when you try.”
Rouge placed a gloved paw on her chest with a look of faux dismay, "Why, I saw our beloved guardian going to town on those badniks and decided to give him some..encouragement to cheer him on."
Amy rolled her eyes with a smile, "I don't know what kind of encouragement would cause him to freeze up so bad that he got rammed and flew into the nearby lake.”
Rouge shrugged her shoulders with a playful look, "It's not my fault some people just can't handle a little compliment.”
snort
Your friends looked warmly at you as you couldn't help but laugh at their playful vexations.
Usually you could be found with a smile on your face and an air of playfulness around you, so witnessing you at such a low point had your friends thinking of ways to try and bring a smile on your face as you are always quick to do for others.
After laughing at your echidna friend's expense for a bit, you gave an appreciative smile towards the two beside you, "Thank you guys for coming over. Could've done without my door being broken down, but I'm grateful nonetheless.”
"Any time, sweet thing," Rouge said before continuing with a certain twinkle in her eyes, "Sooo, wanna tell us who it is or do I have use my skills to figure it out myself?”
Your face immediately heated up, imagining him, "Oh. Um….I-I guess it's only f-fair. J-just..don't overreact. I-it's..um..”
His ruby eyes..
"It's…"
His stoic presence..
"Uh..”
His smile…
Amy glanced between you and Rouge, "It's okay if you're not rea-“
"It's Shadow!" You blurted.
The air from the outside seemed to have matched the stagnant air that arose, save for the soft rustling of leaves. Rouge and Amy eyes widened in tandem, "Shadow?!”
Imitating Shadow, Rouge crossed her arms and put on a Shadow-like scowl, "Mr. 'I don't have time for this’?"
Amy joined in, turning her head to the side with a sneer, "Mr. 'I'm the Ultimate Lifeform’?"
"Mr. 'I eat coffee beans raw’?"
"Mr. 'Winner of plummeting to earth contest’?"
"Mr. Fluffy chest fur’?"
You raised your voice, mainly in exasperation, "Yes! Yes, all those things make Shadow Shadow and I still have fallen for him.”
Taking a break from giggling, Amy questioned, "Okay but why? I'm not saying Shadow isn't a good person of course.”
Rouge added, "He may be handsome but he is as stubborn as one can be and his people skills are certainly lacking.”
You couldn't help but chuckle softly at those very true statements, "That may be true, but for him there's so much more. He's strong, decisive, hardworking, selfless, “
Your mind wandered to when you both had gone to check out a new popular café, and when it had started getting crowded he angled his body to shield you, "He's attentive to those around him, and helps lower any unease without even having to say a word. Meticulous in how he approaches the world around him.”
With a soft smile, you finished, "And he's proven time and time again that he'll do whatever it takes to protect those he cares about.”
Rouge pulled your head to her shoulder with a coo, "Our darling is so down bad." Amy smiled as she joined in, leaning her head on your shoulder, "So what do you think you're gonna do now?"
You sighed, "I don't know." These past couple of weeks holed up in your house, you've been trying to find the best way to get over Shadow, even looking at forums for advice. But a part of you really hesitates to try and let go, instead hoping there may be a chance that he could feel the same way.
"Whoa, what happened here?"
Abruptly, You all turned to see Sonic poking his head into your house with his usual smile, "Didn't know you were planning on redecorating.”
You roll your eyes, returning his smile with your own, "You can thank our hammer happy hero for that one.”
Sonic chuckled as he walked in, immediately making a beeline to Amy's care package to the treats, "Damn. Well while I am curious about that story, I'm just glad that the three of them were able to make you be alive and smile again.”
Amy tilted her head quizzically, "The three of us?”
Sonic replied, "Yeah, you, Rouge, and Shadow.”
Your breath caught in your throat, "H-huh? What do you mean? It's been just Rouge and Amy here.”
The heavy feeling of dread that came over you when he casually responded whilst munching on the treat could outweigh the master emerald, "Huh, I saw Shadow was standing by your door when I was walking by. I tried to say hi but he just walked by me all deep in thought. I don't even think he noticed me.”
Rouge and Amy's eyes went as wide as saucers, and slowly they turned their heads to look at you, but any comment that may have left either of their mouths were muffled to you. All you could hear was white noise as you felt yourself slipping away from reality.
'Shadow….heard…me…?'
Amy turned toward Sonic with growl, "Sonic..”
Pulled into her arms, Rouge stroked your hair as she huffed in annoyance at the well-known hero, "Oh you just fucked things up majorly, Blue.”
"What? What'd I do??"
