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It was a pleasant spring day in Central City, the trees were abundant in fresh leaves and the skies had never been clearer. It had been rainy the last few days and this had led to everything having a nice edge of cleanliness. Some puddles still remained on the roads and a few plants had spare water droplets gathered on their foliage, a nice aftermath to the storms long since passed.
In his apartment, Shadow sat on the couch while quietly leafing through a magazine. He scanned the glossy pages consisting of motorcycle parts and accessories, keeping an eye out for any possible machinations he could add to the Dark Rider.
As he read, his left ear twitched at the sound of delicate footsteps coming down the hall and up to his front door.
A small smile made its way onto his face as he closed the magazine. As soon as Shadow looked over the back of the couch, he heard the door open and his beloved partner, Amy Rose, shuffled into the apartment. “Shadow, I’m back!” she called in that adorable voice of hers, making the dark hedgehog’s smile grow.
He then noticed her struggling slightly with the multiple shopping bags in her arms and immediately rushed over to lend her a hand. “I thought you just needed to get some groceries.” he said as he noticed the designer labels on some of the parcels.
Amy smiled as she placed the plastic grocery bags on the counter, “Oh, I ran into Rouge on my way to the store and we had some lunch. She then took me shopping for some new spring clothes.”
Shadow nodded in understanding, knowing full well that Rouge always loved shopping with a partner. Now that her broody best friend had a girlfriend, it was only a matter of time before the bat would drag her on more adventures to use her G.U.N. issued credit card.
“It seems like you’ve got a nice haul.” he said as he placed the clothing bags on the table, peeking inside at the fabrics.
“Definitely! Rouge helped me find some nice dresses, blouses and shoes. Some of my old ones were falling apart and my closet needs a bit of a revamp.” she giggled as she began to unload the groceries from the bags, then folding the paper bags and putting them away in the pantry.
“Oh, but I did get everything on the list at the grocery store too. I even found those Sumatra Mandheling espresso beans you like so much, and a bouquet of fresh lavender blooms!” the pink hedgehog said eagerly as she pulled out the bag of coffee beans to show him. Shadow smiled at the thoughtful gesture as he took the beans from her to put them away, she then moved to start trimming the stems of the lavender to put them in a vase.
“You’re too good for me, Rose. You know that, right?”
Amy grinned at him, “Shadow. What did we discuss?” she started in a fake warning tone.
His red eyes softened, "I am deserving of good things, happiness, and joy.”
“That’s right. And I won’t let you forget it!” she said with a playful wink as she tickled his nose with the lavender blossom in her hand before placing it in the vase with the others. “I also thought some fresh lavender would be nice and calming for you. I know it’s your favorite.” she added.
“It is. And I really appreciate the thought, Rose.” Shadow replied as he continued to put the groceries away in their designated spots within the fridge and pantry.
Once the task was done, the ebony hedgehog watched as Amy made her way out of the kitchen and towards the table with the vase of fresh purple flowers in hand. As she moved past him, Shadow found himself caught up in her scent. A familiar and comfortable combination of rose petals and a dash of vanilla, but there was something else entwined within it.
It wasn’t the sunshine she was just walking in, the plants she’d just trimmed or even the residual bitterness of the coffee beans she’d picked for him. The smell was rich, sweet and a little tart, not a normal note associated with Amy Rose. This was different.
This was new.
Making his way out of the kitchen, Shadow approached the pink hedgehog to breathe in the new scent again. “Rose?” he began.
Amy looked up from the vase, her big green eyes locking with his.
“What’s that smell?” he asked.
She tilted her head in confusion, “What smell?”
“That sweet smell.” Shadow said as he leaned in a little closer, liking the scent more and more with every passing moment.
“Oh. Well, Rouge and I were trying perfume samples while we were looking at makeup.” Amy replied, wondering where her boyfriend was going with this strange line of questioning.
Shadow shook his head. No, that scent wasn’t perfume. While he liked Rose’s collection of delicate perfumes, they were all a little too artificial for his taste. Too chemically-based. This new scent was fresh and raw, it was unencumbered by fake additives and it continued to drive him crazy.
“Maybe it’s my new lip gloss?” Amy offered as a possible answer as she brought her fingertips to her lips that Shadow just now noticed were painted a delicate shade of red. It wasn’t too bold of a color but it did stand out against her rosy fur.
Moving closer, his nose twitched as he breathed in the scent again.
“Yes. That’s right.” he mumbled as kept his eyes locked on her lips.
Amy felt her cheeks go hot as she realized that Shadow had carefully moved so that he’d had her up against the table, her lower back touching the end carefully. “S-Shadow...” she mumbled nervously as he placed his hands on the surface of the table, caging her in. His ruby eyes burned with intent as he smirked down at the lovely girl.
“What flavor is it?” the ultimate lifeform whispered gently as he leaned in closer, their noses almost touching.
Amy’s ears twitched at the tone in his voice, feeling more heat rush to her face. But despite her shyness, she felt a surge of boldness erupt in her mind. With a small smirk of her own, she lowered her eyelids suggestively and whispered back.
“Take a guess.”
Shadow raised an eyebrow before a look of amusement crossed his features. Rose would often be a little shy when he would be the first to initiate affection but then she would quickly become comfortable with it and even reciprocate twice as passionately. But those few moments of her stuttering and blushing cheeks were rare and they made Shadow adore her all the more.
And now with that little teasing quip just made him want to push her a little further. She was just so cute and this fascinating lip gloss only sparked a new sense of desire.
Pressing his forehead against hers, Shadow kept his gaze locked on her.
“What do I get if I guess correctly, Rose?” he asked sensually.
Amy smiled as she moved to place her hands against his ivory chest fluff, right over his heart. “A very special prize. Just. For. You.” she whispered, emphasizing each word with a tap of her finger against his chest.
Shadow let out a small chuckle before he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. They both shut their eyes as they soon became enraptured with each other. He kept his kiss soft but firm as he placed one of his hands around her waist to hold her closer and the other at the base of her neck. He could never get over how soft her lips were but this new gloss only made them softer.
Amy returned the kiss, her heart beating in her ears as Shadow brought her closer to his chest. After a few seconds, he released her lips and looked into her dazed green eyes. Tasting the tart flavor she left on his lips, he made his first guess.
“Hmm... Is it raspberry?”
The pink hedgehog was still trying to catch her breath but she kept her eyes on him and shook her head. “Nope.” she managed to say with a small smile.
Shadow narrowed his eyes while a wolfish grin appeared on his face. “Then let me try again.”
Before Amy could stop him, he’d leaned back in and pressed his mouth to hers once more. She sighed as he kissed her a bit more firmly this time, his tongue brushing over her lips. Her mind became a muddled mess of thoughts as he tightened his grip on her, the heat and pleasure flooding through her entire being.
Shadow released her again and the tip of his tongue glided across his lower lip. His ruby-red eyes were narrowed in thought but his gaze remained on her face.
“Strawberry.” the ultimate lifeform muttered to her, his forehead pressing on hers again.
Amy took a shuddering breath as she tried to concentrate on her boyfriend. Her fingers were grasping his chest fur loosely as if attempting to anchor herself. But with each passing moment he stared into her eyes, she felt her willpower depleting. Not that it was a bad thing...
But as his single word reply pushed through the clouds in her mind, the pink hedgehog felt herself shaking her head to answer him negatively. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was able to do it but she was capable.
“N-No.” she barely whispered.
Shadow raised an eyebrow as his smirk grew again. Amy’s eyes widened as his intent filled the air again, but this time with a dash of mischief and eagerness on top.
The ultimate lifeform then continued to kiss her, giving her mouth gentle pecks as he would make a guess after each one. He continued to smirk at her and his sense of confidence never wavered as he pressed her back further against the table with every kiss. The moments passed but it felt like hours as he listed out various tastes after
“Pomegranate.”
“Cranberry.”
“Redcurrant.”
“Blackberry.”
Each one was incorrect and Amy would barely be able to tell him so after he'd release her lips. Her lip gloss was now very much smudged and her cheeks were glowing from the heat underneath the skin. Her quills were slightly disheveled and the left strap of her yellow floral dress had slid down her shoulder.
As Shadow looked over her, he couldn’t help but think about how delectable she looked.
She’d responded in the negative to every one of his guesses for the flavor of her lip gloss but he had no worry. This was just a fun little game and he didn’t necessarily care if he won or lost. He already had the prize anyway.
As Amy continued to catch her breath after his latest kiss, she found herself wanting more despite her hazy vision. “G-Give up?” she managed to utter as she leaned up to meet his lips again.
Shadow moved his head back, his expression suddenly unreadable. “Hmm...”
“W-What’s wrong, Shadow?” Amy asked, her mind starting to slowly clear up.
Shadow kept his hold on her waist while his other hand moved to cup her face. He seemed to be examining her and his handiwork as his thumb stroked over her bottom lip. “Nothing, Rose. Nothing at all.” he said gently, his voice barely above a whisper.
He then moved to help her stand straight up again, his hand still holding her face. Amy blinked in confusion at the sudden shift in mood. Did she do something wrong? Did she tease him too much?
As if he could read her very thoughts, Shadow pressed a reassuring kiss to her forehead. “Everything is fine, Rose. More than fine.” he said as he looked deeply into her emerald eyes. “Are you okay though?” he then asked.
“Oh yes, I’m okay.” Amy immediately answered, a small smile crossing her lips. He was always so considerate with her, especially when they’d get a little carried away with their moments of passion.
Shadow smiled in return before he suddenly moved away from her to head back into the kitchen, “How about some coffee then?” he asked nonchalantly as if what had just happened never transpired. It was a complete 180.
The pink hedgehog frowned in confusion, “W-What?”
“Those Sumatra espresso beans you got for me. I wonder if it will pair well with black cherry.”
Shadow smirked over his shoulder as he noticed Amy’s eyes widen and her shoulders go stiff in realization. “D-Did you just guess that?” she asked, her thoughts going a million miles a minute as she attempted to fully wrap her head around his statement. She then moved away from the table and approached the kitchen while Shadow pulled out the bag of coffee beans and two mugs.
“Nope. I knew what it was the whole time. I just wanted an excuse to keep kissing you.” he said with a cheeky grin.
He was then abruptly smacked in the face with one of his black dish towels.
Shadow laughed as he began to dodge the other towels Amy began to throw while she screamed at him in embarrassment and outrage.
“Y-You big jerk! You’re unbelievable!” Amy sputtered as her cheeks and ears tinged a lovely shade of red. Shadow continued to laugh as she moved up to him and began to beat at his chest. Her blows made no terrible impact on him and they both knew that. Amy’s embarrassed ramblings soon began to melt into laughter as she pushed against her boyfriend. The ultimate lifeform chuckled as he pulled her into his embrace, placing his head on top of hers.
“I know, Rose. And you love it.” he whispered teasingly into her ear.