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Rouge had never been a particularly social bat- well, that's not true. But she had never been particularly social with this crowd.
Shadow and Omega were much more her speed in terms of friendship (if that's what it could be called). There were no expectations or commitments, just an understanding and trust to have each others backs.
Team Sonic, on the other hand, were all about the 'power of friendship' 'let's do this together' 'three heads are better than one' type of friendship. Real co-dependent stuff.
Rouge grinned as she spotted the three familiar dots of colour in the distance, sticking out dramatically against the tan tones of the rocky beach. She had been a little surprised when she had caught wind of their little beach trip- Sonic's aversion to water, Tails' preference for a more mechanical setting and Knuckles' general dislike of being away from his island meant that traditional vacations such as this were often off the table.
Even so, here they were. Soaring closer to the ground revealed the details of the scene, and she swerved harshly off course with the force of her laughter as she caught sight of Sonic's floaties and rubber ring.
The hedgehog was floating in the shallows, tense and looking downright distraught at his predicament. Tails could be seen gently coaxing him, she could make out the foxes paws making repeated flapping motions, likely encouraging him to move around in the water.
Extremely amused, the bat touched down and began to treck toward the pair, sighing happily as she was finally able to soak in the warmth of the summer sun. There was only one thing missing.
Holding a hand to shade her eyes, Rouge scanned the shore for her favourite Gem, smirking as she caught sight of the red echidna, wandering the beach a little ways from the others, eyes scanning the ground. She started toward him, curious.
"Lose something?"
Jolting and almost faceplanting in the process, Knuckles whipped around to face the voice that had appeared inches by his face. Pressing a hand to his chest, he huffed. "Unnecessary."
"Ehh, you're too cute to resist~"
Rouge smiles, tossing a wink his way. She took a moment to examine the younger, smirking. He'd filled out a lot just recently, he'd been horribly thin when they'd first met, but after spending some more time on the surface, with people who'd make sure he ate, he'd put on enough to build some real muscle definition. Rouge was very pleased about this, her eyes lingering on his abs for a few select moments as her eyes moved back up to meet his. He'd tied his quills back into a ponytail, out of his face. He was pretty, in a boy kind of way.
"For real, though. Not interested in the kiddy pool swimming lessons over there?"
Her smile grows as Knuckles struggles to hold back an amused grin. The echidna looks over to his friends, and his eyes noticeably soften.
"It was funny for the first twenty minutes," he looks back at her, fully grinning now. "It's just sad at this point. He won't even kick, he just kind of-" he stiffens suddenly, putting on a startled expression in an impression of Sonic that has Rouge cackling, joining in with his own gruff laughter a moment later.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Rouge straightens from where she'd doubled over. "Fair enough, I suppose," She nods, placing a hand on her hip and tilting her head slightly. "But for real, what are you up to over here?"
Knuckles pauses, before apparently recollecting his thoughts. "Right, yeah- I was looking for geodes."
Rouge blinks. "looking for what?"
He looks up from where he'd continued scanning the ground. "Geodes, yknow. Rocks."
'of course you are,' Rouge thinks to herself, a small amused smile playing on her face. She gestures to the wide expanse of beach surrounding them, every square inch covered in rocks and stones of all shapes and sizes. "Yes, because that's what we're missing here."
She grins to herself triumphantly when the echidna lets out an amused huff.
"They're different rocks," he argues, before promptly kneeling to pick up one of the millions of stones surrounding them. He holds it out to her downright proudly, and she has to smile.
The rock is rounder than average, a pale, dusty yellow colour littered with small textured holes. She raises an eyebrow. "And this is different because...?"
The echidna grins- actually grins, and Roige decides right there and then that vacations are good for this boy.
Knuckles leads her to the stone steps that surround the beach, and sits down. After a moment, he expectantly pats the space beside him, before turning his attention back to his rock. 'As always, some stone is getting more of his attention,' Rouge shakes her head good naturedly, before sitting down beside the echidna expectantly.
Knuckles looks over the rock once more, before shuffling over slightly, beginning to tap the rock gently on the stairs in the space between them. Rouge watches, unamused. "I see we've returned to caveman levels of entertainment," she jokes, about to question his methods before-
Crack!
She watches in awe as the rock splits neatly in two, her jaw dropping as the echidna pulls it open to reveal a hollow centre, the inner walls of the rock completely covered with protruding crystals that glistened a familiar violet colour in the sunlight. Knuckles makes a triumphant sound, offering one half to the thief.
Rouge cups it gently in her hands, turning it gently to watch the light reflect from the glistening gems. She looks back up at the guardian, amazed. He grins again, and her heart does something... Odd.
"Cool, right? We don't have limestone beaches like this on angel island anymore, so I haven't been able to hunt for these since I was a kid."
She pictures a baby echidna, wandering around a beach with his eyes glued to the ground, faced scrunched in concentration, and her heart lurches again.
"I had no idea these were a thing," she admits, turning the gem in her hands again. "it's gorgeous, like a little cave of jewels..."
"It's what I imagine your house looks like, to be honest," Knuckles stands, leaving the other half sitting on the step as he brushes sand from his legs. Rouge snorts.
"Ohh, in my dreams," She says dramatically, taking both halves into her hands and gracefully standing, admiring them. She looks back at the echidna, admiring him too, staring until he predictably blushes and squirms beneath her gaze.
"What?"
"Nothing," she smiles sweetly. "Thank you for showing me." on a whim, she leans close, pressing her lips to his cheek before pulling away just as fast, sauntering off to watch Sonic flail about. Though, she can't help but grin as she hears the flustered sputtering from behind her.