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Rouge flapped her wings harder as Angel Island came into view. Almost there. She was an experienced flier, but it was a long trip up to the floating island.
She flew up over the edge, getting high enough to survey the island from above. The podium where the Master Emerald sat was clearly visible. The gem glistened and glowed in the afternoon light, beckoning her.
Its Guardian was nowhere to be seen.
Rouge swooped down, slowing at the perfect moment to dip down her feet and land gracefully atop the Emerald.
She grinned as she knelt down, feeling the hum of its energy. "Hey there, baby. Mama's come back to say hi again," she crooned, running her fingers along the edge of the gem and eyeing her reflection in its pristine surface. The Emerald's hum increased for a second after her words, as if in greeting, but that might have just been her imagination.
It would be so easy to pick it up right then and fly off with it. She could get it back to Team Dark's base before Knuckles knew it was missing.
But where was the fun in that?
Rouge sat down and waited. The afternoon sun was warm and bright, its heat reflecting off the Master Emerald. Rouge was normally a night person, but she enjoyed a relaxing in a sunbeam every once in a while. Angel Island truly was paradise. It had waterfalls and mountains, and even a cave system. She'd have to get Knuckles to take her to the caves sometime.
A flash of red appeared in the distance, and her heart skipped a beat. There he was. Showtime. She draped herself dramatically across the Master Emerald.
A few more glimpses of red through the trees, and Knuckles burst into view. Rouge inhaled a sharp breath. He was burly and broad-chested, a perfect specimen of pure muscle. Long clumps of red quills. Gorgeous violet eyes, shiner than any gem.
Those eyes narrowed at the sight of her as he made his way up the steps to the main platform. "What are you doing here?" he asked. His deep voice didn't sound as angry as it normally did. More... tired. Slightly annoyed, perhaps. He hadn't gotten bored of her visits this quickly, had he?
"Oh!" Rouge huffed dramatically. "And I was so close to snatching your emerald this time, too! You have perfect timing."
He rolled his eyes. "Like you could resist toying with me first."
Uh oh. He was onto her. Well, it was about time, honestly.
"You know you can't take the Master Emerald," Knuckles said. "Even if you did, I can sense where it is. I'd come get it."
"Oooh." Rouge rolled onto her stomach and stared over the edge of the Emerald at Knuckles. "You'd chase me down, huh? I'm up for a little game of cat-and-mouse." She pursed her lips and lowered her eyelashes, saying in her sexiest voice, "What happens when you catch me?"
His cheeks got a haze of red across them, but he crossed his arms and glanced down at the ground. "We've done this a thousand times. Your games aren't going to work anymore."
"Aww, c'mon, handsome--"
"Stop," Knuckles said fiercely. But he didn't look angry. In fact, he looked... sad? He turned his back to her. His shoulders slumped, his back muscles rippling with the movement. "Just... stop."
What? What was he upset about? Usually he would get so flustered, his cheeks flaming as red as his quills as he stammered for a retort before finally yelling for her to get off his island.
Did he really not want her to flirt with him? Had she been misreading him? She'd thought... But no. Of course he wouldn't truly have any feelings for her. She was a thief. He was a noble warrior. She was cunning and ruthless. He was honorable and protective.
All that flusteredness must have just been from him living alone his whole life. Of course. He'd never had anyone flirt with him before. He just didn't know how to react. That was all it was. She shouldn't tried to place any more meaning on it. Even those other little moments... They must have just been him being a decent person. She just didn't see it a whole lot..With the type of tough people she tended to interact with, she'd mistaken kindness for something more.
Rouge fought to keep her ears and wings up. A sudden weight made them want to fall flat. "Stop what?" she asked past a lump in her throat, keeping her voice as sultry as ever.
"Stop saying things like that!" He whirled around. "Stop talking to me like-- like you could be interested in me!" His huge fists were shaking. "You say all these things, and I get so-- so worked up, and then-- you go and talk to everyone else the same way! You flirt with Shadow and Sonic and you even talk like that with Amy and the girls! So stop coming up here and acting like I'm special to you!"
Her heart started pounding. Did that really mean...? "Knuckles, I--"
"It's hard enough living up here all alone. And then you come up here, and tease me and call me things, and for just a second I think it means something. That maybe you came for something besides just the Master Emerald. That maybe you could feel about me the way I feel about you. But then..." He sighed. "It's just talk. It's how you act with everyone. Do you have to keep playing with me like that?"
He didn't-- he didn't know? He thought she thought the same about him as everyone else?
How dare he ignore everything she did to get his attention?
"You-- you IDIOT!" she screamed at him, diving down off the Emerald. "Why do you think I fly up all this way? Why do you think I wait here for you to catch me instead of just snatching the Master Emerald and flying away? Why do you think I spend all that time coming up with new things to say just to get you flustered?"
His eyes widened. "I-- well--"
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!!!!" Her chest heaved with frustration. She stepped forward, jabbing her finger into his chest. "I'm supposed to be the thief. How come YOU'RE the one stealing my heart?"
He froze. Stared at her. His mouth parted, like he was trying to say something, but nothing came out. His eyebrows raised, his eyes unbelieving. "You... What?" His eyebrows furrowed. "But you... You always..."
"You want proof that this is different?" She flung herself at him, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him towards her. She pressed her lips against his. And she kissed him as hard as she could.
Every emotion she'd been holding back exploded out of her, pouring out of her lips onto his. This is how I feel about you, she shouted without words.
He froze. He didn't fight, didn't pull back. He let her kiss him.
She finally pulled back, taking a deep breath. Her face was hot and flushed, and she didn't know if she'd ever get her breath back.
Knuckles's face was brighter red than she'd ever seen it before, and he stared at her, eyes wide and mouth still slightly open.
Now what was she supposed to do? "So-- so there!" she yelled at him. She jumped up and flew away.
"HEY!" he screamed. "GET BACK HERE, BAT-GIRL!" He ran after her.
He was angry. He was really angry.
Great. She'd ruined everything. What had she been thinking? Stupid, stupid, stupid! she yelled at herself.
Why did she always lose her cool with him? Why couldn't she have just actually tried to talk about what she felt rather than yelling?
Why on Mobius had she been brazen enough to kiss him?
He was still chasing her, his eyebrows lowered. If he had ever had feelings for her, they were certainly overcome with rage now. His footsteps pounded as he ran, jumping between ruins and floating pieces of rock. Getting close. She flew faster, dodging between pillars from ancient structures and diving behind a waterfall, bursting out the other side with a spray of water.
Knuckles jumped up onto a cliff face and shoved off of it, spreading his arms into a glide. He tackled her mid-air, and they both tumbled to the ground.
He grabbed her, pinning her against the wall. His arm pressed again her chest, just above her heart-shaped bodice. His other arm braced against the wall, next to her head. He stood over her, his chest only inches from hers.
"You-- you thief," he hissed, his violet eyes flashing.
Her face flamed, heat rising up her neck into her cheeks. She swallowed, forcing herself to meet his eyes. "Oh? I didn't even steal anything this time."
"Yes you did," he said, leaning in. Close. So close. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it would explode.
"You stole a kiss from me," he whispered. "I want it back."
Wait-- was he really--?!?
He leaned in, head tilted, and kissed her.
And everything else faded away.
The kiss was explosions and gunfire. She didn't know Knuckles could be this strong and this tender at the same time. She didn't know she could feel this excited about something other than jewels.
This was it. This was everything she'd been waiting for.
One of Knuckles's hands cupped the back of her head, the other moving to her back to pull her closer. His hands were so, so strong. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
And they kissed.