[Sonic Boom] The Interest of My Wound

Chapter 4: Knuckles' Input

1675 words, 7 minutes

A few weeks flitted past Amy's normally sharp senses of observation. Today, the sky was blue and cloudless, just like the previous days. The sun was pale, yellow and shining, high up in its throne in the sky, overseeing all nature and creatures with its light.

A few empty weeks passed since Amy spoke with Sticks in the forest.

Because of that, Amy couldn't bring herself to talk to anyone in the gang without feeling foreshadowed guilt that she was gonna ditch them like she did since Eggman attacked and since she ran away from Sticks.

So sickening to even think about it, she thought.

Her wound was healing very slowly, but the stitch marks were still very visible. And since it made her self-conscious, she wore a white, long-sleeved cardigan over her usual attire to cover her normally exposed arms.

Amy was reading for about an hour when she heard a knock on the door. She groaned internally, not really expecting or wanting visitors as she got up and made her way to the door. She opened it, gave a single yawn with her hand covering her mouth, and put up a disbelieving gesture at who was in front of her.

It was Knuckles.

"...Uh, hey, Amy," he began awkwardly. One of Amy's eyelids rose up skeptically. It's not like Knuckles to get awkward so easily, she thought.

"Uh, hi," she responded. Knuckles stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at Amy nervously. "Um, can I crash with you for a bit?" he asked. Amy could only tilt her head to the side a bit while jutting her hip towards her door.

"If it means you won't break anything during your stay, then sure," she agreed. She held the door open a little more and made a beckoning gesture with her hand. "Come in," she said cheerily.

Or, at least as cheerily as someone who was breaking apart inside could muster.

Knuckles walked in and quickly sat on the couch. Amy closed the door and walked over to the opposite couch. There were a few moments of awkward silence, but it was instantly killed and Knuckles began to talk to Amy by starting off with a conscious question.

"You OK?" he asked, being sensitive.

Amy's nod spoke falsehood. "Yeah, I'm fine." Knuckles leaned forward towards Amy's direction, intertwining his hands together and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Are you sure?" he pressed. Amy tightened the grip on her white sleeves nervously and shyly and looked back down at the ground, hoping Knuckles would cease any questions related to how she was feeling.

Knuckles switched his violet gaze to the ground, on the maroon-pink carpet that decorated Amy's floor. He stared back up at her and noticed she was wearing a cardigan, something he never usually saw her wearing. "Why're you wearing that?" he questioned bluntly.