Another quick short story thingy. (None of them are related to the others, so this does not follow the previous one. Like I said, this "story" is really just a collection of little stories. :3) Vent writing I guess. All my short SonicxAmy stories stem from this. O_o

xxx

There he was. I was getting closer.

For a second, my stomach fluttered with excitement as I ran across the grass toward him. He wasn't running away, for a change. He was standing there, in front of the workshop. Waiting for me to reach him.

Then I got close enough to see his expression, and I wanted to stop and turn around. I wanted to run away. Like he always ran from me.

Something wasn't right.

"Sonic." I stopped before him. I swallowed. "H-Hi."

"That's it today?"

"Huh?" I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Just hi?"

Only then did I sense the sarcasm in his voice. I usually hugged him. Held on really tight. I hadn't, just now.

I couldn't tell for my life if that meant I was supposed to, or not.

"Why… why did you wait for me?" I whispered meeting his emerald eyes.

"Amy, I gotta talk to ya."

My gut feeling was now justified by words, and suddenly I was very self-conscious. Sonic never spoke to me in this tone. Never sounded so… so critical. Even though I criticized him a lot, for not being around, for not being a gentleman to me…

"Okay. About what?"

He sighed, like he was reluctant about this too. That gave me some small comfort, anyway. "You gotta stop following me. I know I've told you that playfully before, but… but I really mean it. You just gotta stop."

I swallowed again, this time finding it a bit harder than before. Suddenly I was so aware of myself, so embarrassed. Did he really see me as that much of an annoyance? "I-I thought w-we were friends…"

"I thought so too," Sonic said quickly. "Friends. And just that. That's what I thought." He paused and I saw his ears fall. It was like his own tone of voice bothered him.

"But…" I started to protest, but he cut me off.

"Listen, Amy," he said gently. "I don't wanna talk about that. This doesn't have anything to do with you liking me, or whatever. That's not what I wanna talk to you about."

I didn't know what to say other than a quiet, uncertain "Okay."

"Why do you chase me all the time?"

"Because.. because I want to be with you. And you run all the time. It's all I can do to try and keep up."

"Do you know why I run?"

I hesitated. "I guess because it's fun for you. You enjoy it."

"Yeah, I do. And it's also because I need space. I love my buds, Amy, you know that. You included, if you can handle that I only love ya as… well… a bud. I like talking to you guys and hanging out. But there's just certain things in my life that are for me. Running isn't something I really want to do with people, if you know what I mean. I'd just go crazy if I was around you guys all the time, no offense. That's why Tails doesn't go with me most of the time, even though he could keep up better than anyone. He knows this."

I felt rage quivering inside me, mixing with the anguish at his words. "Yeah, well you don't run away every time you see Tails!" I shouted. "I bet he'd go after you too if you reacted like that every time you two saw each other!"

Sonic's ears flattened even more. I could tell he was so uncomfortable. Part of me wanted to feel bad, but I crossed my arms and remained stubborn. He wasn't being fair.

"To be honest, I wouldn't react like that if I didn't think you'd be clinging onto me every time I got close." He closed his eyes. "I just need space, Amy. You gotta understand that. I can't explain why, I can't justify it. It's just how I am. I mean, it's not that I don't think you're an awesome gal… I just can't be with you every second of the day!"

I could feel my bottom lip quivering.

"Aw, Amy, don't look at me like that. You know I don't mean it personally! I'd say the same to anyone."

"Then…" I blinked furiously. "Then why didn't you just tell me? Instead of running?"

"I've tried!" Sonic raised his eyebrows helplessly. "I mean, I'll gently ease you away, and smile and tell you to chill out or whatever. But I guess you thought I was just kidding around, or that it would pass, or that it just didn't matter." He glanced away sheepishly. "So, that means I have to stand here like a bad guy and tell you seriously. And… and I'm not good at this stuff, believe me! I don't like hurting people's feelings. But if I don't explain, I'll just feel bad because you'll just keep thinking I'm only running away from you."

I felt a tear escape despite all my blinking. "B-But you are!"

"No," he said gently. "No I'm not, Amy. It's not like that. Not in the way you think."

"I don't understand…"

He bit his lip, then hesitantly put one hand on my shoulder. For once, it didn't make me squeal inside. I just wanted to cringe away. I felt silly and ashamed. "It's like this," he said. "If I were to let you do things the way you wanted, it would be bad for both of us. And when things are bad for both of us, we won't get along as well. Me, because I just need to be away sometimes. And you, because… well… how do I put this?"

I kind of wanted him to stop talking and not try to put anything else into words. Everything else was already enough. I just wanted to go home.

"Amy, if you're going after me all the time, you might not see all the other stuff you're going by. The stuff you're missing. Y' know?"

"Like what?"

"Well… what about Cream? You two used to be tight. And heck, even Tails. And don't you have… don't you have things you like to do? Hobbies, like how running is to me?"

"Well, yeah, I mean…"

"You don't wanna spend every waking moment with me, Amy! I promise ya! You gotta live the rest of your life, too. There's a lot of things you could go after! Goals and such. And heck, maybe I could be someone who could chase them with ya, rather than someone you have to chase. It doesn't have to be like this."

It was the first time during this conversation that I felt the subtle shades of hope and joy returning to me. "Really?"

"Well, yeah! I want to be your friend, Amy. But friends respect each other's boundaries, right? Friends wanna support each other with what they're doing, not take away from it. It's what friends are for, right? Sometimes you gotta give and take."

"Sonic," I said quietly. "Do you think I am selfish?"

"No, no! We don't need to think like that, Amy." He smiled. "You're one of the most caring people I know! You always want the best for people. It's just that sometimes you come on a little too strong without knowing it. But that's not selfishness, that's just doing something because it's what you know."

"So I guess I would be selfish if I continued to act like that now that you've talked to me like this."

He put a hand to his forehead. "Amy, please…" he said, and it wasn't aggravated, just helpless again. Suddenly I did feel selfish. I had put him on the spot and made him feel uncomfortable. That wasn't very nice of me.

"You're right," I said, hoping to make amends. "I… I'm sorry."

"Hey, no worries," he said softly. He glanced over at Tails's workshop, then back to me. "Listen. I'm going to take off for a bit. Few hours, maybe. I'm sure Tails wouldn't mind you being here in the meantime. Then, when I come back, we can all just chill for the afternoon. You can hang out with us and we can just be, you know?"

I smiled, liking the sound of that. At the same time, I also knew the hidden condition in what he was saying. He didn't want me to be all over him, didn't want me to need his attention constantly. He just wanted to chill out, and be in my company the same way he would be in Tails's company: without any sense of obligation.

It stung a little, but I understood. And by then, after I had time to process all this, an easygoing hangout would probably sound good to me too. Maybe, this way, things would be better. He and I would both know where each other stood, and maybe we could be genuine with each other instead of playing this childish game.

Maybe he would actually want me to be a part of the team.

"Okay," I finally said. "I think that would be nice, too, Sonic."

"Great!" Those blue ears finally perked back up, and I knew he meant it. He wasn't just trying to make me feel better; a part of him, at least, did want to try hanging out with me later. My heart swelled with bittersweet emotions. "I'll see you later, then," he said as he made to get going again. "Right?"

"Yes. And Sonic," I said before he could get too far. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder. I smiled. "Have a really good run."

"Thanks," Sonic said back. "I will."