Love in its Winter (A Shadamy Story)

Chapter 5: Confessions

Slowly, the darkness melts away as Amy finally wakes up. For a moment, she can't remember what happened, or why she was unconscious. Then it all comes back, and with it, the pain. Amy almost gasps out loud at the sudden rush of pain in her head. Hesitantly, she reaches up and feels that her forehead is wrapped in bandages.

"Where am I? What..." Amy's voice trails off as she remembers the last thing that she saw; Shadow's face, filled with concern. Had that actually been real? Or just wishful thinking? Now, Amy considers that she doesn't know where she is. She can feel that she is lying in bed, but the room she is in is pitch black.

"Hello? Shadow?" Amy calls out, hoping to get a response. To her relief, a few moments later, the door opens and the light clicks on. For a moment, she is dazzled and blinded by the sudden light. She blinks a few times as her eyes get used to the light. Slowly, her vision focuses, and she sees Shadow standing next to her. Looking around, Amy is surprised to see that they are in her own bedroom, in her house. She recognises her pink bed and everything else inside the room.
"Rose. You're awake. How are you feeling?" Shadow's voice carries a feeling of care and affection that is completely out of character for him.
"Like my head's been split open." Amy winces as she sits up slightly.
"Hmph. You would have been a lot worse off if I hadn't chosen to save you." Shadow tries to make it sound like he can't care less, but he can't keep the worry out of his voice.
"Yeah, what was up with that? Why did you choose to not only save me, but to give up first place to do it?"
"I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had let another one die. And letting you die, Rose, would have been the worst thing of all." Shadow looks down, obviously embarrassed and unsure about showing this vulnerability. This fills Amy's heart with something that she never really felt before. Some kind of warmth, that spreads to every part of her body.

"Right. Next question, how did you get into my house?" Shadow gives her a strange look.
"You had your door keys in your pocket." He says this like it's obvious, which it honestly kind of should have been.
"Oh... I forgot about that." Amy says apologetically.
"Don't worry. You had a head injury, it isn't your fault." Shadow takes a step closer to her.
"Do you think you can stand?" He asks.
Amy considers. On one hand, she would really like to get out of her bed. On the other, she isn't sure if she'll start feeling dizzy the second she tries.
"I hope so. I'm going to try." Shadow takes a step back as Amy tries to get out of bed. She manages to sit on the side of her bed, but when she tries to stand, her legs are very wobbly and she would have fallen over if Shadow hadn't caught her.
"Easy, Rose. Don't try to do too much all at once."
"Can I try to walk? Please?" There's some kind of desperation in Amy's voice, and Shadow understands that the last thing she wants is to be trapped in her bed, unable to walk or even stand up.
"Alright. But lean on me, and hold onto me for support if you need to. Alright?" Shadow takes Amy's arm and places it around his neck. Amy's heart flutters a bit as he does this. His touch is unexpectedly warm and gentle.

"A... Alright." Amy leans on Shadow as he helps her take a few steps forward, towards the bedroom door. Shadow pauses.
"Do you want to go further?"
"Yes." Amy replies immediately. Shadow keeps going, helping Amy walk down the hallway.
"Wait." Amy says. "How long was I out for? Why is it snowing?" Looking out the window, Amy sees that everything is covered with a soft, white blanket, and snowflakes are still falling from the sky.
"Don't worry, Rose, you were only unconscious for a day and a half. The weather has been unusual lately, but I've been... preoccupied with taking care of you." This gives Amy a strange feeling, a warm sense of something in her heart.
"Phew... I was worried that I'd been out for ages." Amy gives a sigh of relief, and Shadow chuckles to himself.
"There's no need to worry." He says. Amy tries to take a few more steps by herself, and, although she's a little bit wobbly, she manages to do it.
"Yes! I did it!" She says happily, and Shadow looks at her with respect, and something else besides.
"You're a strong person, Rose. I didn't think anything less of you." At this, Amy looks up at Shadow in surprise. Is he... Complimenting her? There's more than just respect in his eyes as well. It looks closer to... admiration. They look into each other's eyes for a moment too long, until Shadow looks away, blushing. Shadow? Blushing? That's new.
"Um... Anyway, Shadow... I want to go downstairs. Could you help me with that? I know that I just took a few steps on my own, but I'm still not completely steady on my feet." Amy asks.
"Of course. Hold on to me."

Amy tightens her hold on Shadow's neck, he makes sure that he is properly supporting her, and then they slowly start to make their way downstairs. Eventually, they make it to the bottom, and Amy only almost falls over three times. When they reach the bottom, Amy still keeps holding him, because she secretly likes the feeling of him holding her back and supporting her. Looking outside, she sees again the blanket of snow covering everything, and she realises just how long its been since she last went out in the snow.
"Shadow? I really, really, need to go outside. Do you think you can...?"
"Of course, Rose." Shadow waits while Amy puts on her boots, and her winter coat. Then, still holding onto Amy to keep her on her feet, he leads her outside

Almost immediately, Amy gasps in wonder and awe. "It... It's beautiful." She whispers, looking around. "It's been such a long time since I last saw snow..." Then, she looks to the side and sees Shadow looking at her with warmth in his eyes. Then, he looks away with a pained expression on his face.
"Shadow? What's wrong?" Amy asks, concerned.
"Nothing... there's nothing. it's fine. Don't worry about me, Rose."
But Amy had seen his eyes, and knows that he is lying.
"It's okay, Shadow. You can talk to me."
Shadow takes a deep breath.
"Okay... I'll tell you." He closes his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts.
"You remind me so much of Maria."

The second Amy hears Shadow say this, she understands. It must be so hard for Shadow to just look at her without seeing Maria in her place. 
"In what way?" Amy asks in a soft voice.
"You have her smile. You have her eyes. You have her laugh. But most of all, you have her heart. You're kind, like she was. You're thoughtful, selfless, and won't hesitate to help the people you care about. Maria had all of these things." Shadow reaches out slowly and gently holds Amy's cheek. A tear escapes from Amy's eye and runs down her face.
"But there's more. I feel the same way about you that i felt about Maria, and she was the first person I ever really, truly loved." He takes a deep breath, and continues.
"I love you, Rose."

Her heart might as well have stopped completely. Amy's mouth hangs open as she stares at Shadow. He can't be serious. He's joking... Right? But no. In shadow's eyes, she can see that he is completely sincere. He is undoubtedly telling the truth. He looks at her with real, true, one hundred percent affection and care. Until now, Amy had no idea what she thought of Shadow, or what she felt when she was around him. But now, it's crystal clear. Another tear runs down her cheek and they gaze into reach other's eyes.
"I love you too."
Her eyes sparkle as Shadow moves closer to her, as his arm curls around her body, holding her like he can never let go.

And when he leans in and kisses her on the lips, the world might as well have stopped spinning.