A Change of Heart

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"Christmas is pathetic. Why should I care about it?"

Infinite's words took Amy Rose by surprise. The twelve days of Christmas had just begun; the duo were walking through Nion Park, through the birth of new falling snow, when he said this.

Amy stopped in her tracks. She was shocked, but a voice in the back of her head insisted that she shouldn't be surprised. This is Infinite, after all. He had grown up in a merciless jackal squad, soon became their (ultimate) mercenary, had his whole squad killed, got pushed to the edge and joined evil's side in a bid to end the world and after this ended he seemed to have no hope for redemption - these thoughts raced through the hedgehog's mind while contemplating his words. Infinite never knew the possibility of magic, and this conclusion left her heart sore.

Amy paused (Infinite too), and turned towards her still-broken friend. "Have you really never celebrated Christmas?"

"No." Infinite started walking again, Amy following. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his charcoal coat. "Not everyone needs to celebrate it."

"But it'll help you," Amy remarked, hooking her arm into his. He seemed taken aback by this action, but accepted it. He's getting used to friendly affections like this. "I'd understand if you were living somewhere where it isn't a thing, but..." Amy sighed and looked down; the grass was covered by a thin white blanket of snow. "Infinite, Christmas is all about the things you never knew. Acceptance. Giving. Joy. Magic... love." She looked back at him with a smile warm enough to melt the snow. "If you gave me a chance to show you, it might just be the next big step you need to take."

The jackal pursed his lips and took a deep breath, pausing. He didn't say anything. Amy took this time to read his emotions: she could see he was trying to contemplate the idea. He didn't want to say either yes or no; his devil or the deep blue sea.

Spontaneously, Amy pulled her arm back a little bit so that she could grip Infinite's arm with her hand. "Let me at least give you a head start."

She walked faster, pulling the jackal along. He didn't hesitate.

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They reached the end of Nion Park, and opposite the area was a shopping street. Infinite felt a sudden surge of irritation and embarrassed-ness; if Amy's "head start" was shopping for presents, he'd rather play in what little snow there was.

"I am not doing this thing you call 'shopping'," Infinite grunted.

"You are indeed not shopping," Amy said mockingly, and giggled. Infinite stared straight ahead.

They were just walking again. But this time, the girl nudged him to look around. The buildings were covered with festive decorations and vibes; people were everywhere, hugging, smiling, holding hands; music was flowing out of shops, and the pair even passed a choir.. The happiness all around him made him feel uncomfortable in his own skin.

"I want to go," the jackal suddenly whispered.

Amy tilted her head to look at the overcast sky. "And that right there is your problem." The jackal raised an eyebrow at her.

"You don't understand what joy is! You don't know how to embrace it," the hedgehog said, tugging softly at the arm she was still holding. "You've gotta at least try. For me," she smiled shyly.

Infinite suddenly felt a sensation; a feeling of care towards the girl. He glanced downwards momentarily, then looked back up to his surroundings, back at the surrounding festivity and joy. It was then he saw something that made him think differently.

The pair had approached an alleyway, where a little cat girl was sitting alone. She couldn't have been older than eight, he thought. She was wearing nothing but gloves and shoes; she had nothing warm, nothing to make her smile. He couldn't help but notice her never-ending shaking.

The jackal quickly looked at Amy again, who then looked back at him with a twinkle in her eyes. He realised he finally had something, someone to make him smile, to give him joy; someone he never had until now, and someone that the kitten may never have.

Infinite wriggled his arm out of Amy's grasp and slowly approached the child. She noticed him coming towards her and looked up. At first, her amber eyes hinted at desperation for care, but that soon turned into a hint of intimidation. Infinite stood there, crossing his arms and looking away. He didn't know what to do.

Amy ran up closer to him, looking to see what he was doing. When she saw the scene, her heart skipped a beat. She stepped a bit back. The jackal looked back at her, and suddenly he knew what to do.

He was wearing a red scarf. He gripped onto it for a while. Amy had given it to him when the Winter season started, and he oddly cherished it, wearing it every day. He narrowed his eyes when he took it off, knelt down and gave it to the kitten.

When he knelt down, she seemed like she wanted to back up further against the wall, but the sight of the scarf made her body simply freeze. She continued staring into his eyes.

"Take it," he said. The kitten remained frozen, possibly in shock. She looked back down. Eventually, he took the liberty of wrapping it around her neck. She then held onto it, looking back at him, beaming possibly the biggest smile he had ever seen. Was this what Christmas is supposed to be?

His heart dropped a little bit, feeling awkward. "Happy Christmas," he uttered, before standing up, walking back to Amy. She held her hands up to her mouth, beaming almost as much as the kitten. When he reached her, she suddenly pulled him in for a hug.

He didn't hug back. "Amy, I'm sorry about-"

"Don't apologise," she whipped into his shoulder. "Don't you dare." She gripped him tighter.