Chapter Text
Rose-tinted Glasses:
Seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is…
Chapter One: Butterfly Effect
The day had started off normal. Shadow the Hedgehog got up, punching his alarm clock for going off and disrupting what little sleep he could get. Begrudgingly rolling out of bed, he went into his bathroom and started up the shower. Once inside, his mind decided to mull over the stress from work. For once, he would welcome an early morning casual stroll. Hopefully, the exercise would help the oncoming migraine hidden just behind his eyes. There wasn't likely too many people willingly wanting to go to a park so early in the morning, just before dawn. In his hurry to get away, he opted to skip his usual cup of coffee beans, deciding the fresh air would do him a lot better.
As he expected, the park was close to empty, and he felt his muscles relaxing as he wound lazily throughout the trees. He was quite enjoying his stroll, and he almost dared to think he could start his day out right, but then the voice of the last person he expected to see at this time of morning rang through the air.
“Shadow! Hey!”
The ebony male’s ear folded against his head as the high-pitched voice assaulted his sensitive hearing. He started to regret skipping the coffee beans; that migraine was quickly invading his mind full force. He watched as the voice's owner jogged in his direction, slowing down to greet him. He didn’t feel like offering polite pleasantries in return, though.
“Amy,” he returned curtly. He didn’t spare her a glance and continued walking past her. He hoped the small exchange was enough to placate the pink heroine so she could continue about her own business.
The girl’s ears folded back at his cold tone and behavior. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop her from feeling happy to see a familiar face in an unexpected place. Now that everyone had disbanded their respective teams and become one giant force, seeing each other was beginning to become a more normal occurrence. Rouge warmed up to the gang pretty easily, with a little nudge from Knuckles. Shadow, however, was a tough nut to crack. The bat practically had to drag him out to their little get-togethers and even then, he preferred standing off into any corner he could find. Coming to a full stop, she decided to put on a brave face and turned to catch up with her ebony teammate.
“How’s it going? You’re up pretty early,” she tried.
Her response was a small ‘hmph’. Amy frowned slightly. Okay, someone’s moody. She adjusted her sports bra a little and thought of some way to get him to talk. It was rare, but the sakura flower had been successful once or twice in getting a conversation out of him. She had matured and grown over the years, so much so that Shadow was starting to tolerate her on his good days — barely, but it was a start. After all, she wanted him to feel welcome in the group. No one else seemed to be up to the challenge of getting to know the guy; maybe being excluded put a damper on his mood. She knew to tread lightly.
An idea popped into her head as she recognized a familiar grove of parting trees.
“I know a cool spot to watch the sunrise, wanna come with?”
Shadow snorted; Amy’s lips twitched upwards because those were usually a good sign. Her smile grew even more as he gruffly replied, “I don’t think you’re asking to give me a choice.”
She flashed a bright smile, “You got me.”
The next few minutes of them walking was quiet before the ebony male slowed in pace and Amy took the opportunity to lead the way. She didn’t bother looking back to make sure he was still following her, his air shoes crunching the grass was confirmation of his reluctant obedience. She learned through trial and error not to question him or talk too much. Suppressing a shudder, she recalled the first time the male lashed out at her in front of her friends. He had berated her thoroughly for getting in the way and had quite a colorful vocabulary…
It wasn’t long before the two found themselves standing on a man-made cliff in the forest surrounding the park, with a view of Central City’s skyline. The air around them was still clear of any city smog, and the twinkling of windows from skyscrapers created a canvas similar to that of stars in the night. Shadow mentally commended her on the find, it was indeed a nice spot. Amy then plopped down on the ground, crossed her legs, and patted the grass next to her. He hesitated, but sat down regardless.
“Sweet, huh?” she asked quietly.
His ears flickered in her direction and she saw him nod once. The sakura girl felt grateful to have gotten to this point. It was tricky business to get him to agree to most of her requests, let alone sit somewhere with her. Silence fell over them again, but it was peaceful as the sun began its climb into the sky over the city buildings. A pale orange light washed over the environment around them, creating a halo effect on the two companions.
Crimson irises softened at the sight. His soft spot for the small things reminded him of happier times aboard that spacecraft, and he sighed. Curious, Amy looked towards the male at the sound. His eyes were now closed, as he soaked in the warmth of the star, feeling his migraine recede once again. She prided herself on giving him even just a bit of happiness. He seemed troubled and tired most of the time, she wished she could do more to lift his mood more often.
Sadly, they hardly spoke to one another.
Another light bulb went off in her head. The sakura hedgehog debated ruining his peace, but figured it may be for the better. At least, she hoped it would be.
“Hey, Shadow?”
“Hm,” he hummed, eyelids still weighed down.
“Are you busy today?”
Shadow opened his eyes then. She always asked this question, whether they were with her ‘friends’ or the rare occasion they were by themselves. He usually declined, not wanting to be around her, or any of the rest of them, for longer than he needed. He wasn’t going to lie, he found it both suspicious and intriguing that she was pretty much the only one who supposedly cared about him fitting in, despite his display of disinterest. Save for the few times he allowed it, he never understood her fascination with him.
“Perhaps…” he responded. He could feel it coming.
Amy fiddled with her golden bracelet, powering through her next words, “Well, if you have the time, would you wanna hang out today?”
He paused, contemplating her request. The ebony hedgehog could’ve said no, and let it be. The words were right on the tip of his tongue. However, when he saw the sakura flower bathed in the early morning light, he found himself hesitating. Would it really be that bad to say yes for once?
A nasty voice in the back of his mind scoffed at such optimism. His heart squeezed as his inner thoughts raged a war with each other. She was determined to get some kind of reaction out of him, that much was clear. Maybe some part of him found her persistence… endearing in a sense. He wouldn’t admit it aloud, but she did provide an outlet from his usual day-to-day stress from work and the typical company he kept in a certain bat and repurposed robot. Still, he weighed the pros and cons, imagining all the ways today could go wrong, and yet...
Today, he decided that he wouldn’t let his doubts control him. It was high time he tried to break free from this mundane cycle.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt…”
Shadow’s heart clenched once more at the girl’s jade green irises lighting up. She was beyond delighted to have gotten a positive answer and her heart swelled at the new possibilities if things were to go just right. Amy had to contain herself, quickly remembering whose presence she was in. Instead, she beamed her award-winning smile towards the sun as it continued its ascent into the bright and clear sky.
It only took five years, she mused.