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As the moonlight edged past the shadows of the mast, she realised she could kiss him, and that he would kiss her back.
It would be her first kiss. She’d never been in a position to have one before – between being royalty and running all over the world to save it, things like boys and romance were a long way from her mind.
In contrast, because Sonic was her parallel and her opposite, she knew it wouldn’t be his first. He’d probably done a lot more than kiss. But even if they began something, she knew he wouldn’t push it further than she was ready for. He never did.
She’d seen it a few times on this journey – the way he watched her for reactions, the way he’d sometimes stop himself in the middle of a joke or comment, abort a gesture so quickly that most wouldn’t have noticed it. He took her places she’d never been with people before, but he was always careful to hold back until she was ready to be shocked.
The first time they’d met, he hadn’t been so careful. If the worlds hadn’t separated when they had, she was pretty sure he would have kissed her then – she still thought about it sometimes, when she was alone and the nights were still. How it would have felt as gold and red flames joined as one. Everything had been so clear that day, she’d been aware of every feeling so acutely. It was one of the few regrets she let herself have – that he hadn’t kissed her then.
But tonight wouldn’t be so bad, either.
They’d been talking for hours now – just the two of them. She’d found him in the rigging before dinner—hiding from Marine, he’d admitted quietly—and for reasons she hadn’t admitted to herself, she’d joined him. They’d chatted about lots of things – his world, how Cream was doing, their various adventures, what the next island might be like… other times, they’d just sat in silence, watching the horizon as the sun slowly sank out of sight.
Now it was late, and they both needed their rest, but she didn’t want to go below. She didn’t want to leave this moment.
She’d thought about him a lot, these few months since they’d met. How similar and yet different they were. Perfect mirrors, in an abstract way. Their conversation had touched on that a few times. He was so happy, so open and friendly, but he’d hinted at secrets she kept herself. Harsh children and few friends, a longing for companionship, but a greater need to protect the world and never stop moving.
It was a lonely life, the one of a world saviour. No one really understood that.
You could surround yourself with people, with friends and companions, but at the end of the day, you had to be alone. You fought the hardest battles, the ones other people couldn’t. And sometimes, that meant you had to leave people behind. One day, you wouldn't have a choice; you would leave, and never come back. So it was tempting… so tempting… to take refuge in that loneliness. To push others away and just be alone forever.
That way, no one would ever get hurt.
And no one could ever hurt you.
She hadn’t expected him to know that, what with how close he and Tails were. Hadn’t expected empathy in his eyes when she admitted this was the longest she’d ever spent with a group of people.
He’d once told her about Amy Rose, and how she followed him everywhere. He had played it down when she mentioned it, but Tails happily told her all about how Amy was in love with Sonic, and wanted to marry him. That no one was really sure how Sonic felt.
When she’d seen that empathy in his eyes, she wondered, and then asked. For a moment, she was sure he would lie to her, before something crossed his expression and he changed his mind. He admitted, quietly, and only to her, that he’d long ago decided it didn’t matter how he felt. He couldn’t give her what she wanted—what he felt she deserved—so he couldn’t give her anything. It wouldn’t be fair.
She thought she knew what he meant. One day, she would probably settle in a palace, and rule over her kingdom, protecting Emeralds she would keep locked away from the world. But Sonic wasn’t protecting anything specific. He protected the world, and all the people in it, and more than that – he was a free spirit. He would never stop. Never settle. No matter how many friends he gained, or how much he loved them, he would never give himself just to them.
She understood, for all that her own heart was different. She was locked to the Fire inside her, and the Sol Emeralds through it. No one would ever be more important than that.
So here they were. Two lonely heroes, who understood, even if they couldn’t know.
She leaned over and pressed her lips to his.
He did kiss her back, just as she knew he would. He lifted the hand not tangled in the rigging and cupped her head, bringing her closer or steadying her, she wasn’t sure which. She had nothing to compare it to, but she thought it was careful, and gentler than someone might expect. After the conversation they’d had, she wasn’t surprised.
When they pulled away, they just looked at each other for a moment, both checking each other’s expression for their thoughts, only to smile when they recognised what they were both doing. Sonic kissed her again, and she sighed into it, shifting along the rigging so they were closer together.
It wasn’t a promise, or a confession, or anything so sappy.
It was a simple acknowledgement.
Acknowledgement that they could be more, if they wanted, but also acknowledgement that they never would be. In the literal sense, they were from two different worlds, which neither of them could give up, and figuratively, they were from the exact same place. They could never give themselves to anyone.
But, just for a moment, they could have each other, and understand.