Scientists and Spacebats

Shadow let out a frustrated huff and ran a hand through his quills, squinting at the dense fine print on the page.

“See anything yet?” Amy piped up, rounding the corner with two mugs in hand to join him on the couch.

Shadow smiled tiredly and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Nothing yet, love. Just basic red tape.”

She scooted closer and ran her eyes along the page. “Not the most exciting, but it seems innocent enough so far.”

Shadow’s nose wrinkled. “I know. There hasn’t been anything, and there shouldn’t be...I know there shouldn’t be.” He shook his head. “Commander Tower and I kind of get along now, but I still feel like G.U.N.’s trying to...trap me somehow with these. Like I’ll never truly be rid of them. They’re just reports, but...”

Shadow angled the page toward Amy, showing her a job report from the last time Team Dark collaborated with G.U.N. The words stared back up at them the same as they always did, but Shadow couldn’t help but comb through every single letter every time. He watched Amy’s eyes flit over the page, scrutinizing it just as diligently as he had. “It means a lot to me that you always look these over with me. Not everyone would humor my paranoia like this—”

“Nope,” Amy cut in immediately. “I wouldn’t trust that commander as far as I could throw him.”

“To be fair, that’d be pretty far with your strength.”

She smiled, then took the page from him. Warmth fell upon his hand as she took it in hers. “I love you, and I will always, always do this for you.”

Shadow half-smiled back and pressed their foreheads together. “I love you too, sweetheart.”

They stayed that way for a moment before Amy turned her attention back to the page. After a moment, she snickered. “Well, there is one very serious problem here,” she said, keeping her tone as goofy as possible so as not to alarm him.

“And what’s that?”

Amy giggled and pointed to where Team Dark’s names were listed. “Tower still doesn’t know how to spell Rouge’s name. He put ‘Rogue’ again.”

Shadow snorted. “It’s been years, and he still can’t figure that one out?”

Amy held back her laughs and adopted her best, silliest Commander Tower impression. “What do you mean, ‘am I sure?’ Print it, agent. Of course I know how to spell their names! Do you think I’m some kind of idiot—?!”

She devolved into laughter, and Shadow followed suit. He nuzzled into the crook of her neck. “You’re my favorite, you know that?”

“Eep!”

Shadow froze. He pulled away to get a better look at Amy. She was looking at him out of the corner of her wide eyes, and her cheeks were tinged with pink. He chuckled. “You really liked that one, didn’t you?”

Amy’s mouth hung open, but all she managed was a pinched, “I—!”

Shadow frowned. “Are you alright?”

After a moment, Amy managed a wan smile and found her voice again. “Y-yeah! I—I did like it. It was nice.” She looked down when he gently squeezed her hand.

“What’s wrong?”

Amy bit her lip. “Well, I...it’s nothing bad, just...” Her gaze shifted back to the pile of papers. “We’ve still got a lot of forms to get through, so...”

Shadow took the sheet from her hand and set it aside. “You’re more important.” Amy still hesitated, glancing at the paperwork once more, but he didn’t look away. “Tell me.”

After a moment, Amy’s expression softened, and she looked down at their hands. “I’ve...never heard that before.”

Shadow’s muscles tensed, but he kept his grip on her hand gentle. “What do you mean?”

Amy’s gaze remained downcast. “It’s...it’s not like it’s a competition. It shouldn’t matter, but...” Shadow squeezed her hand again, and she sighed and shut her eyes. “I’ve just never been anyone’s first choice. I know Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails love me, but I can tell they’d all choose each other over me. They always have.”

Shadow’s chest felt tight. Amy’s breathing started to pick up, but she kept going. “Blaze has Silver, Big has Froggy, and—” Amy’s voice got stuck in her throat, and her hands trembled in Shadow’s gentle grasp. “And even Cream, she—”

Shadow’s heart broke. “Amy...”

“B-by the time I met Cream, sh-she had...she already had Cheese and her mom, so...”

Before Amy could break down, Shadow leaned in close and held her face in his hands. “She loves you, Amy. We all love you. And you are my favorite. I mean it.”

Amy’s lips twitched, and she stared for a moment longer, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “Really? Are you sure?”

Shadow snorted. “It’s not even a contest, love.”

A brilliant smile spread across Amy’s face, and she pulled him into a kiss.

Before he could properly lean into it, though, Amy pulled back with a sad sigh. “I guess we better get back to those forms, then.”

Shadow grumbled under his breath. Amy was looking at the pile of papers, rubbing at the corners of her eyes to catch the tears she’d almost shed. His jaw clenched.

That’s not enough.

He took a deep breath. “I want to take you out somewhere instead.”

Amy did a double-take. “What? Why?”

“Because it has a nice view and I think you’d like it.”

She just blinked a few times, then cocked her head toward the coffee table. “Right now?”

“Yes. Do you want to go?”

“But we still have—”

“Is that what I asked?” Shadow took out a Chaos Emerald and spun it on his finger, smiling roguishly.

The green of the Emerald was reflected in the sparkling excitement of Amy’s eyes. She glanced once more at the papers, chewed on her lip...and smirked. “You know what? Yeah! I do!”

Shadow stood and helped Amy to her feet with a firm nod. “You’ll need a light jacket.”

He smiled at the happy little noise she made, then jogged to his room to grab his own jacket, checking the pockets to make sure he had everything he needed. He reunited with Amy in his living room, and they disappeared with a flash.

In an instant, the two of them stood on top of a grassy, elevated plateau off the coast near Station Square. A light breeze drifting off the ocean ruffled through Shadow’s fur, and the sunset cast the city and seaside in a soft orange glow. Shadow had found the spot while compiling a list of places that couldn’t just be walked to; he’d wanted to be the first to bring her here.

Amy looked around, then gasped and pointed. “Is that Emerald Coast over there?”

Shadow nodded and swallowed harshly.

She squealed happily. “I’ve never seen it from this angle. It’s beautiful!” Amy linked her arm with Shadow’s and leaned against his shoulder, then peeked up at him. “I love this, but are you sure we have time? I’d understand if—”

Shadow sighed and shook his head. “The fact that you’re asking is proof that I haven’t made my intentions clear. Didn’t I tell you that you’re more important than a pile of paperwork?”

Amy tilted her head, but she stayed silent. Shadow took a deep breath and shut his eyes, feeling his pulse spike in anticipation. “Amy Rose, you are the most important person in the world to me. You are my first priority. I love you the most, and I will always, always put you first—before responsibilities, before others, before myself.” He opened his eyes again. “I know what matters to me, and I’m not changing my mind. You’re it.”

Amy’s focus had shifted away from the view entirely. She was staring up at him, eyes watering, but she still didn’t speak.

Shadow’s blood pounded in his ears. His fingers shook as he took an item out of his pocket, and his legs felt stiff as he dropped to one knee. “I want to prove it to you, even if it takes the rest of my life.” He opened up the small box in his hand and presented it to her. “Will you give me that chance? Will you marry me?”

Tears were sliding down Amy’s face before he even finished his sentence. She dropped to her own knees and latched onto him immediately, letting out a high-pitched whine of delight. A relieved, breathless chuckle left Shadow’s lips. “Is that a yes?”

Amy pulled back enough to take his face in her hands and pressed a desperate, passionate kiss to his lips. Shadow’s heart fluttered lightly, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. He kept his motions slow and gentle until she calmed down.

Shadow felt wetness against his cheeks, so he pulled back and snorted. “You’re not supposed to cry. Do you hate the idea that m—”

Amy yanked him close and buried her face in his chest. “Of c-course I want to m-marry you! I-I’m just happy!” she managed through her sobs, shaking in his arms.

Shadow laughed under his breath, his amusement mingling with exhilaration. He held her close and stroked his fingers soothingly through her quills. “Shh...it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

In time, Amy quieted down, though she held onto him more tightly than ever. Shadow pulled back enough to see her reddened eyes. He could feel himself beaming wider than he ever had, and his joy was reflected in her watery expression. He rubbed the tears off her cheeks. “I really do mean it. You’ll always be my favorite.”

Sunshine spread across Amy’s face, banishing all else. She nuzzled into his neck. “And you’re mine.”

Shadow dragged his feet as he walked into G.U.N.’s headquarters just in time to pass in his paperwork, having spent all night finishing it after putting Amy to bed. Rouge took one look at his goofy grin, smirked, and asked if he’d gotten the dark circles under his eyes from taking care of his girlfriend last night. Shadow shook his head, clarifying that he’d been taking care of his wife.

After expressing a brief yet enthusiastic congratulations, Rouge immediately demanded to see a picture of the ring. Shadow chuckled and showed her the picture he’d prepared in advance, knowing Rouge would want to see it right away.

Everyone has their priorities, after all.

((Would you believe me if I told you I’ve never actually written a shadamy proposal scene until now? I’ve implied it here and there, but over 300 headcanons in, this is my first time actually writing the down-on-one-knee bit. I’m a total sap for proposals, too, and I still had 311 ideas in me before I actually put one of these on paper. Creativity is a limitless resource, kids.