Mise en Place

Amy awoke to sharp sunlight sprouting hard shafts from the edges of her blackout curtains. She blinked slowly, the recent events floating around her mind like soap bubbles, unordered, ethereal, and, most importantly, temporarily out of reach. A warm cocoon of tucked-in blankets enveloped her like a burrito. Amy took a deep breath (ignoring the ripe scent of her nest) and smiled, just enjoying things for a moment.

When she at last turned her attention to the new day, the thought that muscled its way to the forefront of her consciousness was an absence. An absence of pain. A dearth of exhaustion. A lack of stifling, salacious desire. Amy felt normal. Better than normal. She felt like she’d had the best sleep of her life. A shiver of excitement ran down her vertebrae like piano keys, a fast trip up the octaves to welcome a new and amazing day!

Amy knew she could accomplish anything she put her mind to today. No mountain was too high, no goal too lofty. Eager energy ran loops through her, ready and willing to manifest the single best day she’d ever had in her life!

And the first thing she was going to do was bag all her sheets because, holy shit, her nest smelled terrible. Then she was going to get a shower, because she was caked in dried fluids. Desiccated flakes clung to her fur, nearly gluing her thighs together. Somehow, she wasn’t bothered. All that was needed was a little elbow grease and today she was overflowing with gumption. A little laundry was nothing!

Amy, ready to emerge from her cozy chrysalis as a dazzling butterfly, lifted onto an elbow and found a foreign weight inhibiting her movement. She looked for the culprit and immediately flushed.

“Oh, fuck.” She whispered.

A red striped arm ending in a bare hand was possessively draped around the outside of her blanket swaddle. Amy twisted and found none other than Shadow Kintobor playing big spoon against her back, still asleep and shifting slightly in response to her movement. His criminally handsome face remained peacefully reposed.

Oh god! Amy desperately popped the memory soap bubbles and tried to piece together the past twenty-four hours. Oh god, oh god, holy shit, oh god! Deep in the trenches of her heat, she had texted Shadow like the neediest, sluttiest Omega in history! Not even twenty-four hours had passed since he had given her his number. Not even a day! Her blush of modesty erupted into a far deeper one of humiliation and shame. She was the cheapest of whores.

As her memories snapped into place, she discovered, to her abject horror, that they had had a lot of sex. Her comfy roll of blankets became a stifling shroud as she boiled in embarrassment. All through the night she’d woken him up, horny and demanding to be filled. She cringed at how eagerly her body folded against his every direction. All sorts of positions, every one novel to her but he seemed an old hat with. At least she’d had the wherewithal to take her afters…

In the back of her mind, her thoroughly satisfied Omega impulses laughed at her getting worked up over the best thing that had ever happened to her. And, damn her, she couldn’t really argue. Her heat wasn’t just broken - it was obliterated. She’d gotten what she’d been going mad over for the past month and was finding all sorts of ways to be upset about it. Why couldn’t she be consistent with her desires? Back and forth, wanting him, being repulsed when she had him. What was wrong with her?

Amy bit her lip. The man she’d oh so eagerly invited into her nest wasn’t the only problem she had to deal with.

Where was her phone? Please, please, please let her only having embarrassed herself to Shadow. Why hadn’t she locked her phone? …Right, she didn’t want Sonic to know about her heat. Wait, where was Sonic? Oh, my god! W-would he try to fight Shadow again if found him with Amy?

This had to be at least the next day, which meant Amy hadn’t shown up yesterday to the campaign HQ and begged for forgiveness like Rouge told her to. She was going to be so extra, double pissed. Amy was so fired. But she still had those pictures of Geoffrey St. John. What the hell was she going to do? She hadn’t even begun to process all the ways that asshole had threatened her. Should she go to the police? The police whose leader was Geoffrey’s friend and potentially soon his subordinate?

Amy struggled to keep her breath even as a storm of thoughts raged in her mind. The weight of the arm around her seemed impossibly heavy, trapping her in place.

She grit her teeth, prepared for a panic attack.

…

…

You know what? Screw that.

Stop. Breathe. Think.

She can handle this.

Step one was to find her stupid phone. That would answer so many of her questions and help her get an idea of how large the shit cyclone she’d kicked up for herself was.

Slowly, she tried to wiggle out of the collection of blankets. She vaguely remembered complaining about being cold. Shadow must have tucked her in. She paused her escape attempt as a warm swelling sensation filled her chest. That was so sweet of him. He’d done so much more than fuck her senseless. He’d kept her hydrated, a legibly difficult thing to accomplish with an Omega in heat. And then there was the massages and grooming.

Shame supplanted the warm feeling. She should feel grateful, not humiliated. Who knows what he was doing when she texted him. When did she even do that? Damn it, she needed her phone!

Amy emancipated herself from her blankets and slipped free of Shadow’s arm. Her room was freezing and she was buck naked. Right. The window. Good thing gas was included with their rent. She looked over the edge of her nest, hoping her phone had just slid to the ground. No luck. It wasn’t on her bedside table either.

She heard fabric shifting and turned. Shadow was waking up! Amy scrambled to pull a blanket up to her neck.

Crimson eyes slid open, lazily focusing on her. A soft smile pulling at his lips, Shadow said, “Good morning.”

Transfixed, Amy blushed and replied, “Morning…”

He eyed the blanket she clutched protectively to her chest. “It seems we were successful. Modesty is rarely a quality expressed by an Omega in heat.” She broke his gaze, desperate to look at anything else.

Amy examined the state of her nest, an uncanny feeling of wrongness overwhelming her. This was not how she’d layered her blankets. A chilling realization hit her. Shadow had changed the configuration of her nest. The adjustments were subtle and seemed to be trying to mimic her style but still that bastard! Before her rationality could get its arms around them, her instincts had her rounding on the rousing Alpha.

“You changed my nest!” She hissed.

“What?” Shadow blinked rapidly as he propped himself up on an elbow.

Wrong answer! Her instincts goaded her. Amy grabbed the largest pillow left in the nest. Winding up the blow by bringing the pillow behind her head and unintentionally letting the blanket fall and revealing her naked form, Amy smashed the soft sack of polyester fluff into his smug mug.

The Alpha took the assault as a challenge, his ears pinning aggressively, but his handsome face wore a playful smirk. In a smooth motion, he lifted and shifted until he loomed over her, his hands pressed against the wall on either side of her head. “Naughty girl.”

Amy gasped, her stomach doing a summersault. The look of him caging her in, his bare chest and shoulders on full display, hungry burning eyes devouring every inch of her. The smell of him, that deep earthy aroma, rich and warm with a slight floral undercurrent. The heat of him, so close it pressed into her, filling her flush with a rush of eagerness.

A happy voice in the back of her head smiled, reminding Amy that this was all hers. She was a good Omega and her Alpha would love and protect her and fill her with gorgeous, brilliant children forever more.

He dipped his head towards her, brushing his nose against hers, leaving a trail of spiny sparks along the skin of her muzzle, before lowering to nip and kiss provocatively at her neck. “Is that any way to treat your Alpha?”

Amy shuddered and sucked air through her teeth, not just from his proximity and how her heart jumped (her Alpha!), but from the sudden sparking, stabbing pain erupting from under his gentle touch. He took her gasps positively and pressed further, his hands moving from the wall to her shoulders, holding her firmly as he began to move his ministrations up her neck to her jaw.

The sensation was overwhelming and she whined piteously. Painful static spread from each point of contact forcing her more and more into herself, blotting out all other feelings. She grit her teeth tighter and tried to power through. Amy wanted nothing more than to enjoy the contact, but it was impossible.

Unable to endure any longer, Amy whimpered, “S-stop.”

Shadow immediately stilled and pulled back to search her face, the playfulness all drained from his. The pain along her neck eased, but his hands were still on her shoulders. “Forgive me.” He murmured, brow creasing with contrition, and Amy felt a massive compulsion to do just that. “I thought that…” Something akin to disappointment flashed in his eyes, but was quickly replaced with a softness.

“Let me make it up to you, ma pêche.” His thumbs began to rub circles into her tense shoulders and he sat beside her, gently leading her body to a position where he could reach more of her. Amy groaned, the motion giving her the exact opposite sensations it had just the night previously. What terrible irony. What rotten luck. What fresh hell.

“N-no, stop touching me!” Amy gasped, immediately regretting the exclamation.

All emotion evaporated from Shadow’s face and he retreated so far as to exit her nest entirely. Amy rubbed her shoulders, dispelling the stinging sensation, and tried to get her breath under control.

From his vantage standing in the chill of her room, Shadow considered her with perplexion and (Amy’s instincts gripped her heart with steely, punishing claws) hurt. Alpha was unhappy. Stupid, stupid good-for-nothing Omega. Why did she have to be so difficult all the time? Amy closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, forcing the frantic feelings away.

“I’m sorry.” Amy opened her eyes and met Shadow’s gaze, pushing herself back to a sitting position.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.” He said robotically, cold indifference coming in to cover his real emotions. “I presumed too much.”

She shook her head. “That’s not it.” Amy swallowed, her face burning, abashed. She had to explain. She had to erase that guilt she could clearly see eating him. Amy owed Shadow that much. “I can’t handle being touched. Not just by you,” She added quickly, “by anyone. It…makes my skin burn.” She looked down at her hands. “Only when I’m in heat does the aversion go away.”

Shadow considered her silently. Just when Amy couldn’t stand his scrutiny any longer, he said, “I see. Such a condition explains why you screamed at Rouge.”

Not trusting her voice and face burning with shame, Amy nodded.

Shadow crossed his arms over his chest. “How long have you lived with this…affliction?”

A terrible memory reared its head in her mind. The roar of the crowd couldn’t blot out their Voices. Sonic with blood staining his gloves. The smell of skunk interwoven with a thick cloud of Alpha pheromones. Amy shoved the memory away. “Ten years.” She replied.

“I…see.” Shadow acknowledged, his brow pinched slightly, the gears in his head clearly churning away. Amy looked away, refusing to witness any pity he might be projecting her way. Her pride couldn’t stand it. “How…would you like to proceed?” He asked with carefully metered diction.

Just as Amy opened her mouth to express how thoroughly incapable at answering that question she was, a mighty growl erupted. Amy’s eyes went wide. Her stomach felt like it was trying to turn inside out.

Shadow chuckled that annoying teasing chuckle that always seemed to inspire childish petulance in Amy. She threw another pillow at him. He caught it easily. “I am not myself particularly educated in medical matters, but I would surmise that you are a mite peckish, my dear?”

Her heart performed a summersault in place of her stomach, who was otherwise occupied with dissolving itself. “I could eat.” Amy said, happy to move to lighter topics of conversation.

Shadow smirked. “Perhaps you would like to take a shower while I procure some breakfast?”

Wow. Amy’s ire evaporated. Dear god in heaven, hallow be thy name, she very much wanted both a shower and something to eat with a desperation that bordered on manic. “That sounds amazing.” She breathed, her mouth already watering.

Shadow gave her a satisfied smile. “I have my marching orders, then.” He retrieved an undershirt that had been neatly folded over the back of her desk chair and began dressing. Amy watched him until she grew aware of the clothing disparity between them. Wrapping the blanket around her, she went to her closet and dug out a sleeping gown and wiggled into it.

“And,” Shadow’s voice made her jump and she twirled. He was buttoning his shirt, white blaze quickly disappearing under pristine white cotton, and turned to look at her, “while you are occupied, may I deconstruct your nest?”

Amy blinked. Her knee-jerk reaction was to vehemently deny him the privilege and then throw more pillows. But…they were just sheets and blankets tangled up. Her heat was broken and she didn’t have any more need of it. “Sure.” She allowed, despite her instincts having an absolute fit in the back of her mind. Was she insane? That was her nest. “Let me get my laundry bags.” She sighed. “I’ll have to haul everything to the laundromat this evening.”

“Please do not trouble yourself.” Shadow waved a hand dismissively. “I have arranged for a laundering service. All your textiles will be freshly cleaned and returned by late afternoon.”

“What?”

“Your blankets and sheets.” Shadow motioned at her nest. “I would say linens, but there seems to be an awful lot of polyester.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “I know what textiles are. The other part.”

“Laundering service?” He frowned, seemingly having difficulty with her question. “Earlier, I was unable to find a washing machine of any sort in your domicile.”

“We don’t have one.” Amy blushed. She’d never been embarrassed about doing laundry before, but here she was.

“Yes, I deduced such a lack.” He said matter-of-factly as he continued to dress. “And so, as I said, I arranged for a service to retrieve your soiled articles, launder them, and then return them neatly folded.”

Amy’s ears flicked as he explained, her embarrassment evolving into burning resentment. He didn’t have to explain it like that. She wasn’t stupid. She just didn’t know that was a thing. How much did having someone else do your laundry cost? “You really don’t have to do that.” Amy tried not to let her seething slip into her voice.

“It is my pleasure.” He inclined his head.

First, he wanted to touch her nest and now this? Amy crossed her arms and her nails dug into the flesh of her arms. “T-thank you.”

“I was also thinking I could arrange for a general cleaning service as well.” He cast a cold eye over her bedroom.

That was a bridge too far. “It’s not that messy!” Amy gripped the hem of her sleeping shirt and left, slamming her door a little too hard behind her.

Securely locked in the bathroom, Amy leaned against the door and closed her eyes. Crap. She shouldn’t have snapped like that. Shadow was just trying to be helpful. This, whatever this was, was moving too quickly and the idea of having strangers in her home was just…She couldn’t handle it right now. Still, Amy resolved to apologize once she was done cleaning herself up.

With a sniff, Amy’s brow creased. The bathroom smelled…well, not bad, but different. The culprit was quickly found. A series of new bottles lined the lid of the toilet back, arguably the only clear surface in the bathroom. Amy lifted one and found she could not read the language on the back. Popping the top she was immediately confronted with a strong lavender smell that spread a pleasant tingle over her scalp.

Shadow’s scent. Or, at least, the floral and woody parts of it. The deeper aromas, the coffee and chocolate adjacent flavors, must be purely him. Amy bit her thumb, feeling heat blooming inside her torso. Again, she found herself divided. Part of her was thrilled that Shadow was inserting himself into her space so domestically (her Alpha integrating himself into her life, seamlessly) and another was horrified at his audacity.

She took another deep breath. This is fine. Of course, Shadow would want to take a shower after the night they’d had and if he wanted his own products, that was totally fine. What was she even really mad about? That he didn’t use her fur conditioner? Oh god, what if he’d used Sonic’s wash and the two hedgehog males smelled the same? Amy gagged at the thought.

Okay, but why were there so many bottles? And where did they come from? Shadow had clearly already cleaned himself up. Amy frowned. She hadn’t even thought to ask if he wanted to freshen up first. She was being a shit host. She sighed. Another thing to apologize for.

Amy turned on the hot water. While she waited for it to heat, she scrutinized the bottles again. Would Shadow take them with him? What would she tell Sonic if he didn’t? Amy chewed her thumb, worrying at the soft flesh of her pads. She gathered the bottles up and shoved them into the vanity cabinet, as far back as she could fit them and then built a wall of her absorbent pads in front of them.

Under the hot water, Amy slowly scrubbed herself. A plethora of aches and knotted muscles revealed themselves as they disentangled. Her nethers were especially sore. Going from being knotted for the first time a month ago to experiencing the sensation multiple times in a single night had done a number on her innards. The pain wasn’t sharp. A dull, satisfied ache, rather. Like she’d run a marathon or performed some sort of long endurance activity.

In a lot of ways, her body was letting her off easy. She’d read plenty of stories on the OO forums about serviced, knotted heats still lasting days. Normally those with less frequent heats, like those lucky Omegas who had a six-month cycle, had longer heats. Apparently the same could be said for longer cycled ruts. Allegedly, with Amy’s monthly cycle, if she established a reliable rhythm of getting knotted, her heats could be broken in a matter of hours.

Now wouldn’t that be the dream?

Clean, Amy returned to her room to dress.

The bed was completely bare, and the sudden emptiness gave her a chilled pause, something gripping her tightly and filling her with a sudden onslaught of anguish. Without her nest, how will she bear her children? Amy forced the silly thought away but she regretted granting Shadow permission to destroy her nest. She knew it wasn’t a logical feeling, but it seemed benign enough that she didn’t try to fight it. She’d just wouldn’t let him do it again. Easy solve. Though that assumed that they would do this again…and wouldn’t they?

Head still swimming, Amy spotted her phone lying facedown on her bedside table. Shadow must have found it while he demolished her nest. Thank goodness. Amy hadn’t even thought that it might have ended in the wash. She snatched it up. A litter of indicators crowded her notification bar. Groaning, she started to sort through everything.

Sonic had gone to work from Silver’s, but he wanted her to know that he’d be home after work and, hey, when she got a chance, he really wanted to talk to her about something, but that something wasn’t important, not really, but also maybe. So, like, maybe they could talk tonight? Amy replied in the affirmative, happy that Sonic and Shadow were unlikely to meet today. Small blessings.

There were several messages from Rouge of increasing saccharine sweetness. Amy bit her lip. Rouge was so pissed. Maybe Amy should just send in her resignation via text? Being in the same room as Rouge felt like she was walking into a lion’s den. But then Amy would have a 100% chance of Mayor being personally, vindictively, angry at her. She texted Rouge that she would be in that day.

Liam had sent her a long thread of texts and reading it filled her with sadness. After the first line, she realized he was rut-texting her and she deleted it and the dozen others that followed without reading any of them. Unfortunately, she did catch glimpses of the attached pictures as she tried to delete each. He was the deep dark pit of his rut right now, horny out of his mind and probably texting any and every woman he had the phone number of. Amy wanted to not be lying when she told him she hadn’t read his messages so he didn’t need to apologize for all the lewd, terrible, and explicit things he’d sent her.

Finally, and most disturbingly, she had a new message on her Prompta. An anonymous user with no posting history or information on her profile had sent her a very simple message.

Amy’s address.

She stared at her phone for several minutes in a cold sweat. Eventually she swallowed and saved the message. Exhibit one in a potential harassment case, that was. She had an idea of who the sender might be, but, with the anonymity of the internet, it was unlikely she’d ever have proof.

She plugged her phone in to charge and left it on her bedside table. Amy took a deep breath and stretched her arms and legs out as far as she could. This is as far as I can reach, she thought to herself, I can’t control anything further away than this. She relaxed and stood in silence for a minute, trying to not to think or feel about anything in particular. Just be for a hot minute.

Now it was time to finally get dressed.

Rooting through her closet, Amy spotted the garment bag holding the blue dress. Should she give it back to Shadow? His note did say it was a gift (and it was a very nice dress, and she hadn’t bought anything other than black dresses since she couldn’t remember when).

While she debated with herself, her stomach growled again and Amy frowned as she slipped into an oversized t-shirt. She’d worry about dressing better later. Amy was in desperate need of whatever Shadow had made for breakfast. Crap, there really wasn’t much in the fridge or pantry. Hopefully he found the container of pancake mix.

Entering the kitchen, Amy found Shadow leaning over the breakfast bar that separated that kitchen from the living room, reading his phone. His ear flicked and he turned to her, putting his phone face down on the counter. He wore an argyle patterned sweater vest over a white button up along with belted khaki slacks.

Amy immediately felt underdressed and unkempt with her damp quills out of sorts from a quick towel dry. Still, Shadow smiled at her approach and gestured at a red and black carboard box on the counter with a familiar sea monster logo. “I don’t know your preferences, so I requested an assortment. I hope you like pastry.”

“I’d eat anything right now. Pastry sounds amazing!” Amy sighed, approaching the box and lifting the lid. Inside were a dozen unique specimens of the baking arts. Four types each of Danishes, croissants, and muffins. Amy eagerly withdrew a croissant drizzled with chocolate. She’d ordered pastry along with her coffee from Kraken Koffee pretty frequently, and Liam had brought her something on occasion, so she had a general idea of what to expect.

Amy was wrong.

“Oh my god.” She exclaimed, covering her mouth to keep bits of partially chewed pastry from falling out. “I didn’t know Kraken made pastries this good!”

Shadow shrugged and dug into a small paper bag, retrieving a handful of...chocolate-covered peanuts? “These are from the test kitchen.” He threw a few of the small brown peddles into his mouth and crunched them between his teeth. “I missed a tasting this morning, so they were more than eager to deliver.” He examined Amy’s croissant and sighed. “Frankly I don’t see why they continue to try to develop croissants. This is nearly inedible.”

Amy tilted her head, not really following. She’d taken one bite of the flaky pastry and had had to resist shoving the remainder into her craw. Even as he disparaged the morsel, she was biting off more than would generally be considered polite, packing her cheeks like a desperate squirrel in autumn.

“It’s not their fault, really. All croissants made in the City are terrible. The water is simply inadequate.” He grimaced. “We’d have to visit my motherland for anything close to quality pastry.”

We? Amy flushed and changed the subject, “What is a test kitchen?”

“It’s the location where KK’s research and development arm develops new recipes.”

“And they deliver?”

Shadow chuckled. “For me, they do.” Amy frowned, not sure what was funny. “I sit on the board of directors.” Shadow explained. “It’s largely ceremonial. It’s been a very long time since I was CEO.”

“What? Really?” Amy knew Shadow had been running KLS for years, so he’d have had to be pretty young when he ran Kraken. He’d have been twenty-five at most, like Amy was now…She stopped chewing. Here she was struggling to make ends meet at the same age as Shadow was already running large corporations.

Don’t think about that.

Shadow seemed unaware of her existential crisis. “Yes. Though I am loath to admit it, yes, I did helm KK for a time. It’s still in my family’s portfolio, but it generally runs well and doesn’t need much tending these days.” He grimaced, “Except when they start getting lax on their coffee bean quality.”

Amy returned to inhaling croissant as she listened to Shadow talk so casually about the largest, widest spread coffee chain in the country as he continued to chew on those little…”Are you eating coffee beans?” Amy blurted out, interrupting Shadow.

His face gained a guarded quality. “Yes. I am.” Shadow’s ear twitched.

Amy detected some layered inflection in those few words and held back the urge to make fun. Instead, she said, “I’ve only had liquid coffee. Can I try one? Are they any good?” and reached out her hand.

Shadow blinked, clearly not expecting Amy’s response. Slowly, almost cautiously, he slid the sack towards her. Amy fished her hand inside and retrieved a few beans. Yup. Just roasted coffee beans. Welp, she was committed now. She popped a couple into her mouth and, not heeding the sudden bitter taste on her tongue, she started to chew.

Amy choked as earthy bitterness exploded in her mouth and Shadow laughed at her. “They are an acquired taste.” He chided without any heat as Amy tried to swallow down the billion and half little granules the beans had broken into. Oh god, they were in every crack and crevice of her teeth.

“I-“ Amy fought back a cough. “I need something to wash them down is all.” Her tongue worked hard expunging all the coffee bean bits from her teeth. How could Shadow stand this?

Shadow’s mirth faded quickly in a bashful frown. “I didn’t know how you take your coffee, so I only requested beans.”

Amy snorted. “I haven’t got a grinder.”

“Ah.” Shadow’s jaw tightened. “I see. That would be a problem.”

“I’ll just make a fresh pot from the grounds I have.” Amy smiled as she rounded the breakfast bar and entered the kitchen proper. A strange sight stopped her in her tracks. The kitchen sink was occupied by several dirty pans and dishes. “Did you cook something?”

“I…might have attempted the maneuver.” Amy turned to see Shadow averting his gaze with the cutest blush on his cheeks. “And failed rather spectacularly.”

“I’ll say.” It was Amy’s turn to laugh. She examined the wreckage. It seemed like Shadow had found the pancake mix and had tried to utilize it several times. How do you mess up pancakes? Mix, water, heat…Shadow could navigate the corporate world, but it seems a kitchen was too daunting.

“I’d have hoped to make you something, but my skills were woefully wanting. Unfortunately, once I gave up on my fruitless efforts, I was unable to locate your dish washing appliance.”

“We don’t have one.” Amy smiled as she set up her drip coffee maker. “We have to wash our dishes by hand.” She held up a ratty sponge that needed to be put out of its misery.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the sponge, his jaw tightening as he fought to keep his expression of disgust to himself. “Which was, perhaps, my main reason for offering to bring in a cleaning service. To deal with the mess I have made. Not because I think your home is filthy.”

“Ah, so you do think my home is filthy?” Amy teased.

“I did not say any such thing!” An edge in his voice sent her ears back. Shadow’s jaw tightened at the sight. “I’m sorry.” He said in a small voice. “I’ve no right to be so forward.”

“No,” She looked down at the worn linoleum floor. “I’m the one who is sorry. You just wanted to do something kind and I spit in your face over. It was small and stupid of me.”

Shadow fidgeted with the beans in his hand. “All I want is for you to be happy and comfortable.” His red eyes rose to meet hers, pinning her with an intense stare. “However, only you can determine either and…that fact sometimes escapes me. I will endeavor to ask your permission before taking liberties in the future, but I fear I shall fail on occasion. May I ask for your patience in these matters?” You can ask me for anything.

The idea of someone, let alone someone like Shadow, being interested in Amy’s wellbeing was a completely foreign concept. She didn’t know what she should feel. There was something about having eyes on her, even from afar, even the kindest most loving eyes, that put her teeth on edge.

“I’m not used to anyone looking out for me or doing things for me.” She confessed. “It feels strange and makes me…”

“You don’t trust my intentions.” Shadow answered for her.

Amy wasn’t able to deny the assertion. “So how about we make a deal?” She offered. “I’ll be patient with you, if you’ll be patient with me?”

“Deal.” He held out his hand to seal the agreement with a shake. Amy looked at the extended limb with apprehension. “Right.” Shadow’s limb retreated.

He must think her a porcelain doll, Amy thought ruefully. He was regretting getting involved with her. She was weird and broken in ugly ways. Worthless and confusing. Petulant and ungrateful. Argumentative and pitiful.

Amy forced the thoughts away.

No one was making him be here with her. Shadow could have just easily disappeared into the light of day, but instead he destroyed her kitchen trying to make her pancakes. Undeterred by his failure, he got her super special croissants (that, apparently, he hated?). Shadow even was trying to help clean up, in his own way.

“In the spirit of our new agreement,” Shadow frowned slightly. He leaned down. “I hope that I might grandfather in this liberty?” He produced a fancy shopping bag from an expensive department store. “In case your laundry was not returned to you in time, I had gotten you these.” He offered her the bag.

Careful not to touch his hand, Amy accepted the bag and looked in. Inside was a large and unbelievably soft blanket and matching package of high thread count cotton sheets patterned with blood red roses latticed with verdant stems with sharp thorns.

Amy’s eye went large. Something dark and nasty in her whispered that it was a ‘thank you for letting me fuck you’ gift and the notion turned her stomach. “I can’t accept this.”

“May I…insist?” Shadow asked cautiously.

They were just sheets. Don’t think about how much they cost. Shadow probably hadn’t. Just say thank you. Say it. He’s going to be disappointed if you don’t.

It’s just sheets! Alpha was giving her a gift for their nest.

“Thank you.”

Shadow smiled. “It’s my pleasure.” His shoulders relaxed.

They lapsed into a pleasant silence as Amy finished making two cups of coffee. Shadow thanked her when she placed the chipped mug in front of her, but she caught his shrouded grimace as he took a very small sip. Someone who used to run a coffee company probably wasn’t going to find her store brand pre-ground coffee appetizing, but he made the attempt and really that was what mattered, right?

Amy resettled next to him, her coffee steaming in her favorite ‘picture perfect’ mug and began devouring flaky pastry once more. She was incredibly hungry. Coming off a heat was always harrowing. Her go-to post-heat meal was several boxes of mac-n-cheese. She had a stash ready, but the fresh baked goods were growing on her quickly.

“May I ask,” Shadow sounded constrained, as if he was threading carefully with his words, “who is that with you in all of these pictures?”

Amy looked up. He was looking past her, coffee mug poised half-way to his lips, his gaze beyond her. She swallowed. There was no need to follow his gaze. The normally non-descript walls of her apartment were wallpapered with photographs, a mini gallery of her work and a giant scrapbook of adventures. And in nearly every shot, those framed, those taped haphazardly to the painted drywall, was Sonic.

Heat rushed to her face, suddenly also very unsure of herself. “The blue hedgehog?” The question was so stupid it bordered on duplicity.

“Yes.” He confirmed with an iciness that left no question to whether or not he recognized his assailant. “Is he…your brother?”

Why did everyone always think that she and Sonic were related? Never mind, there were more important topics right now. Amy’s first impulse was to answer in affirmative. Maybe if he thought Sonic was her brother, then Shadow would cut him a break from the black eye thing?

Her mouth opened to release the lie, but when his red eyes moved to her face, Amy found that the words wouldn’t come. Shadow arched a brow at the difficulty she was having in answering what one would think to be a straightforward question. Even if she said yes now, would Shadow believe her? He said he’d believe any lie she told him. Suddenly the lie took on a darker tone. Taking advantage of Shadow’s offered gullibility felt like cruel manipulation.

“No.” Amy answered. She saw a brief flash of something dark cross his face, possessive that, she was ashamed to admit, filled her with a perverse thrill. “He’s my best friend. We grew up together and now we’re roommates.”

Amy watched Shadow’s face closely. He took a slow sip of coffee, partially masking the slight movements of his otherwise impassive face. The lower lids of his eyes twitched and his jaw tightened. She felt her heart rate picking up.

Did Shadow know that Amy knew that he and Sonic fought? Did that matter? Should she have lied? She felt a compulsion to divert Shadow, to protect Sonic from him. “I’m sorry he hit you.”

Shadow’s face lit up with surprise. “He…informed you of that?” Ah, well that was one question answered.

“Please don’t be mad at him.” Amy’s brow pinched, giving her a pleading puppy look. “He was just trying to protect me.”

Shadow’s brow arched, seemingly more amused at Amy’s display than anything else. “Though I can’t say I enjoyed being struck, I cannot find it in myself to maintain ill-will towards your friend.” His countenance darkened briefly and he muttered, “For that offense, at least.”

What was that? “What?”

“I understand now that he meant to protect you. It’s commendable, really. He willingly placed himself between you and multiple Alphas and he wasn’t even compelled by his biology. By comparison, my actions, in direct opposition to your wishes, were downright villainous.” Shadow took a drink, punishing himself with Amy’s terrible coffee. “Especially given how diminutive and scrawny he was.”

Amy released a long-held breath. She was so relieved with how mature Shadow was handling the situation that she let the petty snipe go without comment. “I don’t think you are a villain. It was just a misunderstanding.”

Shadow’s lips curled in a small smile, but quickly evaporated. “Is your friend…well? It was fortunate that one of fire safety personnel on the property was also a certified paramedic. I…had not been holding back and your friend’s head hit the floor rather solidly.”

Amy paled. She had seen Sonic’s beaten face, but the image of Shadow sending Sonic to the ground filled her with horror. She’d been pleased to behold Shadow’s toned physique, but the thrill had been an imagined show of strength against faceless, fictive nogoodniks. Actual demonstration crossed a line between exciting and frightening, especially brought to bear against Sonic.

Shadow watched her clenched hands crush her fourth croissant and he looked properly ashamed. “When I…If I have the privilege to see your friend again, I will apologize properly. And I am very sorry if the incident caused you any displeasure, Amy. I am endeavoring to curtail those impulses, but the sound of your distress drove me to frenzy.”

Was that good enough? Amy let the idea roll around in her head. In truth, the altercation had been between the hedgehog men, but no blows would have been delivered if she hadn’t been a quivering ball of pathetic fear. Was it selfish to just try to let things be? Should she take Sonic’s side and reject Shadow? Would Sonic even want that? Sonic would have to know what Shadow meant to her first, and Amy wasn’t ready for that. Perhaps that was the selfish urge, the one to conceal her relationship.

Wait. Relationship? Is that what this was? Or was it something else? Shadow had expressed a desire to get to know her. Amy looked down at the destroyed pastry in her hands. Shit. She must look so stupid right now, tearing up food like she’s a toddler.

“I was…” Shadow shuffled and cleared his throat. Amy’s attention snapped up from her crushed breakfast. “I was hoping to know…Would you agree to have dinner with me?”

Amy blinked.

“At a time and place of your choosing, of course. Or you could leave arrangements to me, if you prefer. I do insist on covering all expenditures, however. On this point I am firm, I’m afraid.” A blush grew bright on his cheeks. It was the cutest thing Amy had seen in a very long time and she giggled. Shadow frowned, suddenly indignant. “I should like to know what is so funny.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Amy smirked, unable to resist the opportunity to tease Shadow once more.

“Well, yes.” He huffed, mustering to defend his pricked pride. “Was that not obvious?”

“Yes!” Amy frowned, “Well, not really.”

Shadow scowled, his brow pinched, confusion birthing humiliation and frustration. “What does that mean?”

She took a step closer to him. “It means, yes, I would like to go out with you, Shadow.”

Shadow straightened and the corners of his lips twitched upwards in an expression his face seemed unaccustomed to making. “Génial. Then, I very much look forward to seeing you again.”

Amy huffed, smiling coyly. “We seem to be doing things backwards.”

“Perhaps, but if that suits you, then it pleases me just fine.” He lifted his hand, looking at it pensively. “Though I would like to check all of the boxes of courtship, as it were.” Shadow extended his arm, laying his hand, palm up and fingers relaxed, on the counter in front of her. “If you would be amenable.”

Amy looked at the offered hand and a familiar fear gripped her. She swallowed. It was ridiculous, really. They’d kissed, they’d fucked, but this was what daunted her? She was alone in her body now. No helping hormones to force her forward and dull her normal aversions.

Shadow waited patiently while she stared intently at his open hand, any trepidation he felt only betrayed by minute flexing of his fingers.

Slowly, Amy reached her hand forward.

Lightly, the tips of her gloved fingers graced his. Shadow held his hand deadly still now, as if holding against spooking a skittish creature. Which, truth be told, Amy more than was. She felt a slight tingle, there was no denying that, but Amy pressed forward, tips sliding down the gentle rise of fingers, phalanges meeting.

There was pain, yes. But it wasn’t-! No, it was fading! The static was disappearing and she was feeling something new, something she’d hadn’t hardly felt clear headed in so long.

Warmth.

Shadow’s hand was warm in hers as their palms pressed together. Hesitantly, she curled her fingers, increasing the contact, but on high alert for the sudden stabbing pain.

But it never came.

She drew in a long, shuddering breath.

“Amy?” Shadow’s brow furrowed.

“It’s okay!” She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. “I’m fine, really. Just…I’m just really happy right now.”

His hand gently squeezed hers. And it was the best thing in the world.

End Season 1