Mobius 95: Silver and Amy's first meeting


Amy Rose sighed while she was changing from her nurse outfit back to her regular clothes, a yellow top and blue leggings, after an intense and bothersome day at the Mobian General Hospital. Not that she hated the job, she loved helping people, but she disliked the people she worked with, particularly another blonde hedgehog nurse named Elsie who never stopped teasing her for being prettier, smarter and richer than Amy, but in reality Elsie was just jealous of Amy's skills with the job and with people.
(Sigh... Why can't we be friends?) she thought, grunting while she tied her shoes and got up, walking out of the locker room and heading for the vending machines to get a snack. After getting it, she went towards the exit when the receptionist stopped her to give her this month's salary. Amy took the envelope, thanked the receptionist and started to leave, but he stopped her again.
“Uh... A-Amy?” he asked, a bit stuttery.
“Yes, Jerry?” she asked, smiling gently at the slightly overweight and nerdy mouse talking to her.
“I-I wanted to know... I-If you're free t-this weekend...” he stuttered, blushing a bit since he had a major crush on her.
“Are you asking me out?” asked Amy giggling a bit, Jerry was one of the few people of the hospital's staff who she liked because he was such an adorable goofball.
“I-I'm sorry! I didn't...” he whimpered, panicking. It was then that Elsie showed up, smirking with her usual smug attitude as she witnessed the scene.
“A nerd asking a loser out. Fitting.” she commented, acid. Amy hissed in anger, clenching her fists and left without even answering Jerry to avoid starting a fight inside the hospital, leaving the mouse sighing and flopping back on his chair to continue his work while Elsie snickered evilly.


Amy left the hospital ground and headed straight for the city to get the subway which would get her back to the village in the woods where she lived. She huffed as Elsie's hateful comments completely ruined the rest of her day. Again! She sighed and tried to focus on something else while she walked in the city, its huge dull skyscrapers and the plumbeous sky looked so ominous and unhappy and that didn't help Amy forget her own problems. She lived alone, her parents had been dead for five years now, her workplace wasn't exactly a happy place and there was a work crisis going on. The hoboes and social leeches populated the streets of Station Square and crime had skyrocketed during the past years, with an always rising number of the worst threat ever in a mid-crisis city: supercriminals. She witnessed a shop robbery every day now and the police was swamped with cases so they barely had any time to intervene, at least those cops who weren't corrupted. She held tight to her own purse as she passed by a group of young thugs who, luckily, didn't do anything to her when she saw another hobo. She kinda knew this one, he had been a regular in that spot for quite some time now. He had long, greyish dirty hair and was always completely covered in a stinky brown blanket and several rags. She whimpered, she hated to see any living being look so cast aside by society. Amy rustled inside her purse, took out a few silver rings and the snack she bought in the hospital, then she dropped them in the hobo's clay bowl. As he saw that she gave him some food, he dashed to get it and ate it in a few bites, then he looked up at her, those golden, broken eyes now had a shimmer of hope gleaming in them.
“...Thank... You...” he groaned, his voice too was broken and raspy.
“Hold on to hope, my friend. Your life will get better soon.” she said smiling before starting to walk again, heading for the subway while the hobo looked at her go, still muttering thank you as he held on the snack's envelope like a treasure.


The pink hedgehog took the subway headed for outside the city and looked out of the window, seeing the city slowly fade out and leave space for the trees of the woods.There was always something about living in a forest which gave her peace of mind. She was busy looking and barely noticed the huge hippo getting close to her with a nasty grin.
“Hey, pink cheeks. All alone?” he asked, trying to touch her, but Amy quickly turned and landed a powerful punch right in the gut of the massive pervert, who wheezed and fell on his knees groaning in pain.
“No, but that doesn't mean I'm helpless... Dipshit...” she grunted and changed into a wagon, leaving her assailant to whine and roll on the ground. She found an empty seat and flopped down, grunting as she couldn't believe how many idiots were lurking around. She didn't notice that, in the same wagon but very far from her, the hobo she helped before was following her. The subway was free to take so he had no problem getting in and people went to great lengths to avoid him, even though he wasn't doing the usual walk around the wagon to collect money. He sighed, he knew that what he was doing was wrong, but what she did was the kindest gesture anyone ever did to him and, as silly as that was, he wanted to return the kindness. But how? How could he, a lowlife hobo, return the kind gesture of that girl? More importantly, what if she reacted badly and hit him or worse? He shook a bit and released a few, small coughs in his hand then he crouched back in the corner of the wagon, immersed in his thoughts. After a while, the subway stopped at its final destination, Woodburgh. Amy got up and went out of the subway, followed by the hobo who kept himself at a proper distance from her, and headed straight to her place, passing by Miles Prower's workshop to greet him. The young adult twin-tailed fox was working at some kind of vehicle when Amy walked in.
“Tails? Tails, it's me!” she said, making him look back and put a tarp on the vehicle, then he grabbed a towel and walked to her while wiping the sweat off his forehead.
“Hi, Amy. How are you?” he asked smiling and putting the towel around his shoulders.
“Better now that I'm home. I really am not a city person.” she said placing a hand on her hip “What are you working on?” she asked, trying to peek behind him.


“Military secret” he said, he had been working with the army to create a new set of tanks and weapons to take out the worst supervillain in the world: the infamous Dr Eggman who, ten years ago, created a huge prison called Athena Asylum and locked a huge portion of Mobians in it, where he subjected them to inhuman tortures and mutated or killed many of them. Within the number of the missing people was also their mutual friend and Amy's fiance, Maurice the Hedgehog. She sighed and nodded.
“Ok. I'm glad to see you're keeping yourself busy.” she said, changing the subject.
“Well, the pay is good, but really I would've done it for less. All that matters is take down Eggman, wherever he is” he said with a low growl “Sorry, Amy, but I can't talk much. I need to get back to this.” he said, sighing.
“Don't worry, I understand. See you.” she said smiling and leaving. Tails watched her go, sighing in guilt almost as if he was hiding something from her.
“She can't know...” he muttered while going back to work and not noticing the hobo passing through, stealthy following Amy while deeply regretting it but he was there now so he might as well get this done. Amy walked to her house and opened the door, walking in and locking it as instructed by police in order to avoid strangers trying to get inside. Her house was a bit of a mess because, due to how much she worked, she barely had time for house cleaning or social life. She almost felt like a robot, doing the same thing every day, including Sundays: get up, go to the hospital, grab a coffee, work until her shift was over with just a pause for lunch, go back home, being too tired to do cleanings, microwave her dinner, watch tv until she fell asleep on the couch, rinse and repeat every day of the week.
“Ugh, why does my life have to suck so bad?” she groaned as she removed her shoes and wore a comfier pair of slippers while she went to make dinner for herself. She went in the kitchen and opened the pantry to see what she had.
“Ok, let's see... Microwaved lasagna, ravioli, schnitzel or hamburger? Hmm... How can I decide between these delicacies?” she muttered sarcastically before settling for the schnitzel. She took it, setted the microwave and waited until her “luxurious” dinner was cooked, then she placed it on a dish and went to eat in front of the tv, while watching a western movie and sighing some more about her life.


Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. Her left ear raised and she turned her head towards the door. After a few seconds she heard another knock, then another. Police were clear: if someone needs help, he or she has to knock on someone's door three times with a two seconds break between each knock. Since this was public knowledge it was easy for some crooks to abuse this, but she knew everyone in Woodburgh and knew that there were no thieves there. She went to her door and opened it, finding herself in front of a green male hedgehog, wearing a leather jacket with a fire pattern on its sleeves and green and black shoes. He wore red sunglasses and, since his jacket was open, she could see the two nasty scars on his chest. He also had some kind of crown on his head.
“Uh... Can I help you?” she asked, she had never seen this person before but he did look... familiar.
“Are you Amy Rose?” he asked, his voice was very raspy, yet that also felt familiar.
“Yes?” she asked again, raising a brow.
“Oh thank goodness I found you!” he said with a deep sigh of relief “My name is Scourge the Hedgehog. I come from another dimension to seek your help.” he presented himself.
“...Oh really?” she asked, everyone knew about the Multiverse so it wasn't that rare to meet someone coming from other worlds “You were looking for... Me specifically?” she then asked, folding her arms.
“Yes. I've been watching you and I know that you're a nurse, specialized in helping refugees of war.” he said, rustling in his pocket until he brought out a cell phone and turned it on, showing her pics of people reduced worse than anyone she ever cured at the Hospital.
“Oh gosh...” she muttered, covering her mouth.
“These people... My people... They need your help!” he said, sounding desperate.
“Your people?” she asked.
“Yes. In my dimension, I am the king of the biggest city in the world. I also happen to be my world's version of your friend... Maurice.” he explained, hearing that last bit made Amy gasp even more.
“Th-that's why you look familiar... You're him... Well, another version of him...” she whined, tearing up a bit.
“Yes... I know about this world's me getting killed and I'm very sorry... You mind if we take a walk as I explain what's going on?” he asked her, rubbing the back of his head. Amy nodded immediately and walked into the woods with Scourge, while the hobo stared at them from afar before following them, limping a bit.


“...So our Dr Eggman destroyed all of our medical facilities and there's no time to school new doctors. We need help now! I've been zone-hopping for months to gather the best medics in the Multiverse in order to help them, but it's not enough. The wounded are too many.” he sighed and rubbed his temples while they walked in the woods.
“I'm so sorry to hear this... I wish I could do something...” she whimpered.
“Which brings us to here and now. I want you to follow me in my world to help our medics heal our victims.We need someone like you on our side...” he said holding out his hand to her. She looked at it, but she shook her head.
“I really appreciate the offer you're making me, Your Majesty...” she started saying.
“Oh please, call me Scourge” he snickered.
“...But... I can't join you. I can't just leave my homeworld to go in another one, even if it's for a good cause. I have so much work to do here. Besides, I'm just a nurse. I won't be of any help for your situation...” she said.
“What? You prefer to stay here, in a dull world where your hopes and dreams are wasted in a lousy, underpaid job rather than leave this place behind and become a hero?!” he said, agitated.
“I know it's silly and maybe a bit egotistical... But I'm not a medic. I would feel like an outcast among the other much more competent medics. I'm so sorry, but you should look for someone else.” she said, turning her back to go home. As she did though, the expression on Scourge's face changed from disappointed to a shifty grin.
“Have it yer way...” he said, his voice tone changed from refined to a broken slang as he grabbed a large knoddy branch and struck Amy's head with it, causing her to faint on the spot, laying on the ground. She started to come back a few minutes later and, as she did, she saw her body being tied up with a chain and being dragged into a clearing in the woods by Scourge. She groaned and tried to speak, only realizing that there was something on his mouth gagging her. She started to struggle and free herself but the chains were very hard and she could barely move, plus her head still hurted badly after being struck.


“Ya should've accepted my offering, toots, but it's cool like this too. Now we'll go to my world and we'll get ya all suited up, but not for whatcha thinkin'...” he said grinning and looking at her, she growled and squirmed more as Scourge stopped in the middle of the clearing.
“Ya ain't comin' to heal some victims of war... Yer comin' to become part of my lil' side project, aside from rulin' my world: creatin' the biggest harem in the Multiverse!” he declared proudly, to which Amy replied with a terrified and disgusted look and more attempts at getting free.
“I really needed my own Amy Rose to add to my lil' hoes collection, and yer simply perfect: right age, killer body shape and just naive enough to follow me, a complete stranger, outside yer village where no one could help ya with just some sentimental bullshit 'bout a world I contributed in fuckin' up. I hit the jackpot 'ere! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” he bursted into laughter before he took out a Warp Ring and tossed it, causing it to grow and turn into a portal. Amy teared up and tried to get away but Scourge held the other side of the chain so she would not go anywhere.
“Say bye bye to your useless gloomy world, toots. Ya ain't seein' it ever again...” he said with an evil grin, but then he heard a rustle in the foliage.
“Huh? Who's there? Some dipshit tryna be the hero?” he growled, ready to fight for his prize, when a sudden huge cyan punch bursted out of the leaves and hit him right in the face, sending him slamming on a giant tree trunk. Amy blinked at what just happened and saw a pair of naked grey feet stand next to her face, and as she looked up she saw the ragged hobo she helped before, but he looked different with his cloak floating in the wind in a heroic way as he stood next to her. He lifted her with a grunt and ran back in the woods.
“Urgh... The hell was that? What the? HEY! GET BACK HERE! THAT'S MY BITCH!!” Scourge growled and dashed at high speed inside the forest. The hobo ran towards a huge tree and, somehow, he made Amy float up in its canopy, placing her safely on a thick branch.
“Stay... Don't move...” he said weakly before taking cover in the bushes, from his voice tone Amy could tell that he wasn't well, yet he was risking everything for her, a woman he didn't know. She was fairly impressed and also maybe a bit creeped out that he followed her, but she obeyed him and didn't make a sound.


Scourge arrived soon, looking around and being pissed off about being denied by a complete stranger.
“Where the hell are ya? Come out and face me like a man!” Scourge growled when he saw a bunch of rocks being thrown at him while enveloped in a cyan aura and he dodged them easily, using his speed and agility.
“What, yer too scared to face me fairly? Heh, some hero ya are...” he mocked the hobo, which responded by throwing a massive boulder at Scourge. He gasped and spindashed right in its middle, making it break in two and crumble down. Then he gritted his teeth.
“COME OUT AND FACE ME! Or else, I'll destroy this entire forest to drag ya out!” Scourge yelled, not noticing that the roots of the trees behind him started to move and darted at him. He was distracted by what was happening in front of him, so then the roots struck him his speedy reactions were useless. They whipped at his body, making him hiss in pain, they wounded all over him, trapping him in their sturdy grip.
“MMMRRRGGGHHH!!!” he growled and thrashed in the roots, which covered him from his mouth to his feet, then he saw the hobo coming out of the bushes, his fists sizzling with the same cyan aura that surrounded everything he had thrown at him. The hobo looked up, his eyes shimmered in a golden light while filled with anger and determination.
“Stay... Away...” he said as he lifted his hands “From her!” he then growled, moving his arms in an arch above his head and the roots imitated them, slamming Scourge on the ground several times and making him groan and growl in pain. Then the roots were separated from the tree and Scourge was brought in front of the hobo, who placed his palm on the cocoon while ignoring Scourge's muffled growls and swears.
“You... Are not... WELCOME HERE!!!” he then shouted and emitted a powerful burst of energy from his palm which sent Scourge flying through the foliage, being scratched by branches as he did, and straight into the portal he opened, which closed soon after. The hobo panted before wobbling back towards the tree where he left Amy and, as he did, his own aura surrounded him and allowed him to slowly float up to the tree canopy where the pink hedgehog had been left chained and gagged. He landed in front of her and fired a cyan laser out of his finger to free her from the chains. She winced a bit but then she removed the white cloth around her mouth and just stared at her savior, not being able to find the right words to express her feelings.
“You… Saved me? Why? We don’t know each other…” she said, she wasn’t scared of him but she was indeed a bit creeped out that a hobo could have such power.
“You… Helped me… No one… Had ever been… So nice to me… Before…” he said weakly, before coughing and shivering.
“Uh… Are you ok?” she asked, getting a bit closer and feeling his forehead “Holy… You’re burning hot! How long have you been sick?” she asked gasping.
“I don’t know… A couple of… Months…” he groaned then he passed out, flopping on the branch he was on and only barely breathing.
“Shoot…” Amy groaned, thinking about what to do, then she punched her palm and took the hobo on her back and descended from the huge tree while piggy riding her savior, then once she landed she headed home with him. She went in, cleared the couch and laid him on it, taking off the filthy blanket from him. He was a young silvery hedgehog, maybe a couple of years older than her but still too young to already be a hobo, his body was unbelievably scrawny and covered in bruises, probably some jackass had some fun beating him up, and he was constantly shivering despite his forehead being very hot. She ran to grab a much heavy blanket to wrap him in, then she grabbed some veggies and used them to make a soup for him. While she cooked, she called one of the doctors of the hospital who was her friend and asked him if he could come to her house to visit who she peddled for her cousin.
“OKay, but I can’t come now. I will pass tomorrow morning, if that’s ok with you” said the doctor on the phone.
“Ok. Thank you so much for your help, Roger” she said smiling.
“You’re welcome. For now, keep him warm, try to make him eat something and make him rest. Oh, dinner’s ready, See you tomorrow, Amy” he said hanging off. Amy huffed and flopped on her armchair, not believing the amount of crazy stuff that was going on: first an evil, green version of her missing boyfriend tried to kidnap her, then she was rescued by a hobo with some weird power and now she was tending to him. Crazy stuff, indeed.


“What a day… Still, I cannot let him go around like this… Plus, he saved me. At least I have to make sure he gets back in health” she said to herself while watching him. Then she heard him cough and went towards him, seeing if he needed anything.
“W… Water…” he groaned. Amy ran in the kitchen, poured some water in a glass and went back to him, raising his head and helping him drink. As he finished drinking he laid his head back and sighed as that helped him a bit. Amy smiled and left the glass down then she went in the kitchen to check on the soup she was making. She added some meat she had left to the vegetables she was boiling, then she seasoned it with some salt and pepper and mixed it. After a while, it was done. She poured it in a bowl and brought it to him.
“Ok, Mister Hobo. Open wide. Careful, it’s a little hot…” she said, blowing a bit on it then bringing the spoon next to his mouth. His nose twitched as he smelled food and he opened his mouth a bit, allowing Amy to make him eat the spoonful of warm soup. His expression became much more serene as he ate the soup, Amy smiled at it and made him eat more until he was satiated. Then she put the bowl down once more and got up.
“...Thank… You…” he whispered once more.
“Hm?” she asked, looking at him.
“You… Keep… Saving… Me…” he said, sounding sleepy.
“My pleasure, Mister Hobo” she said smiling and kneeling down to look at his face. He had very nice facial features, despite the long fur on his muzzle, the hollowed cheeks and the profound eyebags.
“...Silver…” he muttered.
“Silver? Is that your name?” she asked.
“It’s… Better than… Mister Hobo…” he snickered weakly before coughing.
“Well, Silver, for now rest. Tomorrow a friend of mine is going to visit you so we’ll know better how to handle your case, ok?” she asked, smiling back at him. Silver nodded, then he stopped talking as he had fallen asleep, snoring silently and murring while he still shivered but not as violently as before. Amy sighed and went to grab a sleeping bag, knowing that she’d need to stay close to him in case he needed something. She laid it next to the couch and slipped inside it, falling asleep soon after next to the guy who saved her.
The next day, Amy was woken up by the doorbell. She yawned and stretched before going to open the door, finding her friend Roger in front of it.
“Oh, Roger! Good morning” she said rubbing her eyes.
“Morning, Amy. Can I come in?” he asked. Amy nodded and moved away, allowing him in before closing the door. Then she led him to the sleeping hedgehog on her couch.
“Him?” asked Roger.
“Yeah. My poor cousin Silver… I found him like this yesterday on the streets after years of not hearing from him... Can you please tell me what he has?” asked Amy, lowering her ears. Roger walked to Silver, who still slept, and started by taking his temperature, then he looked inside his mouth and checked his body.
“Geez, Amy… Not only does he have a very bad flu, he’s also severely malnourished… I will prescribe you some medicines and also make him eat a lot. He needs to recover some body weight or else he’ll have to go to the hospital.” he said while writing her a note. “Go to the nearest pharmacist as soon as you can and get the medicines I wrote there for him.” he said, giving her the note.
“Will do. Thank you so much, Roger. I wouldn’t have known what to do without you!” she said smiling and shaking his hand then she walked him to the door and opened it.
“You’re doing the right thing, Amy. Helping out those in need.” he said, winking at her as he figured out that Silver wasn’t her cousin but he still helped out Amy with him, then he left to go to work. Amy sighed and locked the door again. Sure, she needed to go buy those medicines but who would watch him while she went to the pharmacy? She walked in circles, trying to think of a way out of this situation, when she remembered of a pharmacy that delivered medicinals, so she looked for the number and called them, ordering the medicines prescripted by her friend. She also called the hospital and told her superiors that she would not come for a few days, then she went to make breakfast for both of them. Roger told her to make him eat a lot, so she made eggs and bacon for both of them, then she squeezed some oranges and made tea. Once everything was done, she placed it on a tray and carried it in the living room, placing it on the tea table she had in front of the couch and sat down. Silver’s nose twitched cutely as he heard the smell of food again and he slowly opened his eyes, groaning softly but managing to get seated up, wrapping the blanket against himself before yawning soundly.
“Yaaaawn… Mgh… Hm? Is… Is this for me?” he asked, looking at her with a bedazzled gaze.
“Yup” she said nodding, then she saw him tear up and raised a brow “Uh… What’s wrong?”
“Oh my goodness… It’s…” he stuttered before shakily taking the fork and eating it, more tears flowing down his cheeks as he savoured the plate “It’sh sho good…” he sniffled before eating more.
“I take it you have not eaten like this in a while…” she said, it would’ve made sense for him to not be used to eating this much. Silver simply nodded and continued to eat, completely absorbed by the plate yet he was not stuffing his face with it. She giggled at the fact that he was behaving himself despite probably starving and went to eat her own plate, watching him satisfy his hunger. After a bit, he was done and flopped his back on the couch, sighing in utter relief.




“Oh man, thought I’d never feel this again…” he said, rubbing his belly “I can’t thank you enough for this…” he said looking at her.
“Don’t mention it. Don’t forget that you saved me from that pervert” she said, finishing her own plate and gathering them.
“But you’ve saved me before. So many times, either with money or with occasional snacks. They might have been an insignificant thing, but they gave me more than what you think. They gave me hope. Something I was truly desperate for.” he said, going back to lay on the couch.
“Well, you’re truly welcome. Everyone deserves hope, especially those who have nothing else.” she said going to place the tray and dishes in the sink “If you need anything else, just tell me” she said from the kitchen.
“You’re too kind. You’re not even going to work just to take care of me” he said, proof that he could hear her before.
“It’s the right thing to do” she said, washing the plates.
“Uhm… You said that I can ask for anything, right?” he asked, from his tone she could tell that he was embarrassed to ask.
“Yes, don’t worry about it. Ask me anything” she said.
“...Do you have a bathtub or a shower? I can’t remember the last time I’ve washed myself… I hate being dirty and stinky but… You know…” he whimpered. Amy stopped washing the dishes and went to him.
“No need to feel embarrassed. I’ve volunteered in many homeless shelters and I’ve helped them wash too, since most were invalid. I’m not grossed out or anything. Wait here” she said smiling and going upstairs, to her bathroom. She had a rather large bathtub, made of black marble and with goldenish inserts and faucets. She opened the water and let it flow until it was the right temperature, then she looked through her shampoos and shower gels. She only had feminine perfumes, the only one who was a bit different was a woodsy bath bomb she bought last time.
(He needs this more than me.) she said, tossing it in the warm water and watching it melt until the water was coloured in a nice green color and a nice woodsy smell spreaded in the bathroom. She nodded to herself and went downstairs to pick Silver.
“Can you get up?” she asked him, ready to help him out in case he couldn’t.
Silver nodded and slowly got on his feet, his legs shivered since he was still pretty weak but he compensated with his powers, using them to levitate a few inches off the ground and follow Amy towards the bathroom. As he went in, he was taken aback with how fancy her bathroom was, then he gently floated inside the tub and let the warm water and nice smell take over.
“Ooh, man… This is so nice…” he sighed, smiling, then he noticed Amy looking at him, curiously “You want to ask me something?” he said.
“I wanted to wait for a better time to ask but… That thing you can do… I’ve never seen anything like it…” she said, sitting next to him and pouring a rose-scented shampoo on her hands, ready to wash his hair.
“My psychokinesis?” he asked “Uh… Well…” he stuttered.
“Let me guess… Eggman had you in his damn prison too? Experimented on you?” she asked, starting to vigorously wash his head.
“Mngh… Y-yes, you… You’re right… He captured me all those years ago and did this to me… My parents were killed because of him, but me? I was the unlucky one. Stuck with these freakish powers in a world who just kept kicking me down…” he sighed and looked away, focusing on being washed.
“I know what you mean… I lost my boyfriend because of him… And lots of my friends and people I knew too… I was lucky to not be found, but…” she sighed too, looking away.
“I’m so sorry… He took a lot of things from everyone…” he groaned, feeling bad for her.
“Well, the army is doing her best to find him. My best friend is working with them to create new vehicles and weapons to fight him” she told him, scrubbing his hair “Geez, your fur is clustered with dirt…” she said, shifting the subject as it hurted her to talk about Eggman.
“Mn… Told you so…” he said, wincing a bit as Amy got a bit rougher.
“I’m sorry if it hurts but I have to scrub harder to get them clean” she said, digging her fingers in his knotted fur “Must be a pain to have such long fur…” she said.
“Ngh… You have no idea… I… Mngh… I hate the rain because… Ihn… It makes them wet and soggy and a pain to deal with, especially in the cold… Ugh…” he said between groans as Amy washed his head.
“I see… Ok, I’m done with your head for now. Get up so I can do your back” she said, to which Silver nodded and slowly got up, holding onto the wall. However, as he did, Amy gasped as she saw the numerous scars and bruises on his back. “O-Oh my stars… What… What happened to you?” she asked, placing a hand on his back.
“What do you think happened?” he asked, huffing “The loving signs of this city’s denizens… Not only crooks and other, stronger hoboes… Even policemen…” he said, wincing as Amy passed a hand on his back.


“Oh, sorry!” she gasped “Did that hurt?” she asked, sighing.
“Mn… I can take it…” he groaned. Amy nodded and delicately started to wash his back, it was filled with bruises and wounds so she had to be extra careful about it. She washed his back, then she moved to the front, gasping at how skinny he was and thinking that it might take a while for him to regain some weight.
“I know… It’s not pretty…” he said sighing as Amy washed him.
“It’s not your fault. When was the last time that you’ve properly eaten something?” she asked.
“I… I don’t wanna talk about it…” he whimpered, of course it had to be long ago but maybe he was sparing it for her, not wanting to be pitied more than she probably already did. She nodded, respecting his choice, and kept washing him, being fascinated by his poofy chest hair.
“Wow, it’s very soft” she said, washing it thoroughly and smiling, when suddenly the thought of burying her face in it crossed her mind but she shook it off.
“Heh, thanks. It keeps me very warm” Silver giggled as she washed it, then as she was done he slid back into the warm, scented water and let it wash over his worries, although a very big one creeped in his mind: what would happen after he was back in shape? Would he have to go back on the streets? He didn’t want to leave this place, but he then realized how egotistical he was: he was already probably a pain for Amy to be taken care of, so he didn’t want to abuse of her kindness and hospitality by staying more than he needed to. Amy noticed the worry in his face, she could basically tell what he was thinking and got up.
“I’ll let you bathe in peace. When you need something, just call me.” she said smiling and leaving him alone. Silver followed her with his eyes and sighed as she left, focusing on how good it felt to be clean and warm for once. After a while, Silver called Amy to be helped out of the tub. She helped him get out, wrapped his body in a robe and his hair with a towel then she helped him dry himself and combed his hair, giving him a full treatment that only aided his feeling of being a parasite.
“Are you ok?” asked Amy, noticing how spaced out he was and how worried he was.
“...No, I’m not… I’m robbing you of your time, energy and resources… I don’t deserve all this…” he whimpered “And… Call me a bad person but… I don’t want to leave… I don’t want to go back out there, with all those bad persons…” he shivered and actually teared up a bit.
“Silver…” she said, feeling how full of sorrow he was, then she made him look in her eyes “You’re not robbing me of anything. My time and energy were already wasted in an underpaid job with people who don’t like me for reasons. As for my resources, you don’t have to worry about it. I have some money left for emergencies that I can use for groceries and other prime necessities for the both of us. And you’re not a bad person for not wishing to leave. I’ve seen firsthand how bad the conditions of the poor can be, so I do understand your fear of being out there. But we’ll talk about that later, when you’re back in shape. Right now, your and my only concern is your physical health.” she said, petting his cheek and smiling reassuringly. Silver swallowed and nodded silently, still not helping but feel like a leech for her. She finished drying and combing him and brought him back down, putting him on the couch again and wrapping him in blankets, patting his head as it was almost lunch time and went in the kitchen to prepare something.


Silver and Amy’s following days of “forced” cohabitation passed by slowly but nicely. Amy was finally taking some time for herself and helping Silver was very relaxing for her, especially because he was such a nice person to have around. The two quickly became very close friends and passed the time talking and playing board games which surprisingly Silver had never seen before, yet he quickly mastered them, becoming a challenging rival for her and a reason to improve herself. After a couple of weeks Silver was able to get back up on his feet,  the flu was gone and he was feeling a lot better yet he still needed to gain back some weight. At least now Silver could help Amy in housekeeping and hoo boy, was he good at it! His powers allowed him to do so many things at the same time and, with Amy’s guidance, he took little to no time in becoming a housekeeping pro. He also helped her with the garden, it had been so long since she saw her rose patch looking so florid. As time passed by, she grew very attached to Silver and she also had time to think about what he said weeks ago, about him not wanting to leave, and she had made up her mind about it, but she waited until the end of the month, when Silver was weighing himself.
“Amy! Look!” he said ecstatic from the bathroom. She heard him and went to check on him “Take a look! 77 lbs! I’m back in shape!” he said wagging his tail happily.
“Oh! That’s great!” she said smiling back and looking at him: he was indeed more in shape now that he had regained some weight. Come to think of it, he looked kinda cute now but she brushed that off again.
“Yeah… Uhm, so… D-do you mind if I stay in until tomorrow? I promise I’ll get off your tail by then… I just… wanted to thank you for all that you did for me… I’ll try to find a job, a place to live in… Maybe someone to share that place with… But I’ll hold dear what you did for me. I’ll cherish these moments in my heart forever.” he said, wrapping his arms behind his back and sighing as he knew that his time living in her house had expired.
“Sure you will… Because you’re staying.” she said smiling.
“Huh?” he asked, raising a brow.
“You heard me. I know it’s weird but… You’re the closest thing to a friend I’ve had these days. I’ve never had this much fun being with another person in ages, hence why I want to make you an offer. You see, I never have time to take care of this place since my job takes a lot of my energies, sooooooo… I figured that you can help me with house chores while I’m out for work, and in return you’ll live here with me. I’ll even pay you for your work. Do we have a deal?” she asked, helding out her hand. Silver looked at her hand, then at Amy, confused and indescribably happy at the same time.
“You… You’re serious…?” he asked, shivering again.
“I am. So what do you say, roomie?” she asked giggling, then Silver teared up and hugged her, making her wince a bit but returning the hug soon after.
“Thank you… So much… Of course… Of course I accept! I promise, you will not regret it!” he said, sobbing loudly as he hugged her tight. Amy smiled and returned the hug, getting lost for a moment in the warmth and softness of his fur.
“I know I won’t, Silver…” she said, smiling and sighing since she had finally found a new friend, someone to share her life with. Unknown to her, a figure cladded in black and blue watched the scene from a tree branch, its cape floating in the air as a calm wind blew in the canopy. The figure smiled a bit before jumping off the branch and vanishing in the forest at blinding speed…
To be Continued...