Familiar Strangers
Sonic was bored. Eggman's latest scheme had long since been foiled and the madman had been in hiding for weeks, with no sight or sound of what his next course of action might be. Sonic had nothing to keep him on his toes, nor had anything of interest happen during the lull after Eggman's usual defeat. To satisfy his need for action, Sonic had meant to visit Knuckles for the sake of checking up on his friend, and to see if there was anything of interest happening on Angel Island.
He had expected to see Knuckles by the Master Emerald looking as stiff and boring as a statue, so it was a surprise to arrive and overhear the sound of laughter. The laughter belonged to two people, one which was Knuckles.
Perhaps Amy had come to give Knuckles some food to supplement him with healthy meals, so make up for his diet which consisted of nothing but boring old grapes. Perhaps Tails had come to run a test on the Master Emerald for a Tornado upgrade. Sonic thought it could have been one of the Chaotix, or Cream and her mother passing by to say hello.
But no, it was none of the friends Sonic could think of or expected. Instead it was a single member who would often be seen within a trio, but the other two were not present, which Sonic found strange.
Sonic ducked behind the bushes and watched. He found the scene quite bizarre. Shadow sat right next to Knuckles on the shrine's top step, the closest to the Master Emerald. Each nursed a small cup of what looked like tea, and a small thermos sat by Shadow's heels.
"So you let him blast a hole through the wall." Knuckles chuckled and wiped a tear from his eye. "Damn, that must've been quite the sight."
Shadow grinned, and Sonic's eyes widened. He had never seen Shadow grin wide enough to show teeth. It was a new and strange sight to behold. "What can I say. Omega has a way with explosives. If it hadn't been for Rouge I wouldn't have had time to shield her." he took a sip from his cup.
Shadow drew in a long, deep breath and then exhaled, relaxed and content. "I guess in a way my job is an occupational hazard. I don't mind. I do have to say being the guardian of the shrine must get you quite weary on the long run too, no?"
"Eh, when you're the last of your kind, you don't really have much of a choice. I honor my ancestors by doing this. The Echidna had been tasked to look after the Master emerald for as long as I can remember." Knuckles shrugged and then guzzled down all that was left of his drink.
He offered the cup back to Shadow, who accepted it, picked up the thermos and refilled the cup before handing it back to Knuckles. Shadow refilled his cup as well before shaking the thermos as it had gone empty half way through. "Looks like we're fresh out." He grumbled.
Knuckles had not taken a sip from his cup yet, so he took the half filled cup from Shadow to pour some of his drink for the other. Once they had the same amount Knuckles handed it back to Shadow. "Next time bring a bigger thermos." He teased.
Shadow scoffed and took a sip. "Next time you should provide your own. This size is standard GUN travel item. If I got a bigger one Rouge would wonder what I need it for." He muttered. Shadow paused a moment later and looked at Knuckles with a slight worried frown. "Should we be doing this, though?"
Knuckles looked at him confused.
"Should I be coming here so often, I mean." Shadow amended. "I hadn't meant for it to get this way. I sought the Master Emerald for release…" He turned to look at the giant gem. "But then I got overloaded, and if it hadn't been for you I might have triggered a Chaos blast." He sighed and turned back to stare down the steps of the shrine.
"You sure looked like you were going to." Knuckles mused and swirled the drink in his cup. "You shouldn't suppress the urges though. Trust me on this one. They backfire the worst." He rolled his eyes. Knuckles bit back a mirthful laugh when Shadow groaned and palmed his face in response. "Man up Shadow. Everyone gets the urge to fuck. You're no different." He guffawed.
"Shut it!" Shadow snapped, flustered and embarrassed. "I was made to protect. Getting hot and bothered wasn't supposed to be part of my system."
"When you're traveling with bat girl, I don't blame you." Knuckled snickered, which had Shadow's face blush a deeper crimson. "I know how you feel though. You have it tough." He shook his head, but did not look apologetic at all.
"Easy for you to say. She frustrates the hell out of me when she won't stop swinging her body whenever she catches me looking." Shadow grumbled and huffed, ears pinned back in embarrassment. "At first it didn't mean anything, not until she got me to sleep with her." he sighed, pinned an elbow to his knee and a fist to his cheek, then brooded. "She was experienced while I wasn't, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I should have seen it coming."
Knuckled clapped a hand on Shadow's shoulder and nodded sagely. "It's tough, buddy. I admire the fact it took you years before you popped. If it were me I would have gone nuts ages ago."
Shadow scoffed and bit back a laugh. "You have a horrible choice of words, you know that?"
Knuckles stared at him at first, a little baffled, then snorted and laughed as well. "My bad." he set down the empty cup and then leaned back on his hands. "She did make you pop one, didn't she..." He leered.
Shadow punched him on the shoulder, still laughing. "Shut up! You'd be popping too if you were in my place." he complained.
"Wanna bet?" Knuckles grinned and leaned closer to Shadow, who went dead silent and his expression switched to one of surprise. Knuckles did not miss a beat. "Don't get the wrong idea, Shadow. Neither of us swing that way. Right?" he arched a questioning brow.
"Of course." Shadow harrumphed, ears pinned back again. "As far as Rouge believes, she thinks I have a crush on Sonic." He rolled his eyes.
And the hedgehog in mention perked his ears. That was some interesting gossip…
Knuckles snorted and sat more upright. "When we first met, Espio thought I had a thing for Sonic, too." He chuckled, flustered and awkward. "I admit, I actually started second guessing myself at the time, but as things played out I realized it was… I dunno, admiration? Sonic is a prick with an ego the size of the moon, but there is no denying he's a man of his word."
"Indeed." Shadow nodded. "I confess I questioned myself with Sonic as well. Rouge would swear I was gay for him." He shook his head in disdain. "I guess it's because Sonic is so flamboyant, he's a flighty fellow." He managed a lopsided smile. "I wonder if he's straight, though. He runs away from Rose so often you'd think she'd get a clue by now."
"Amy's fixated on Sonic. Love's blind after all." Knuckles chuckled. "Which brings up a question: Do you have feelings for Rouge?"
Shadow contemplated the question for a moment. "I admire and respect her as a fighter, comrade, and a friend, and she has a habit of getting what she wants from me. I care for her and deliver when she needs satisfaction, but… I don't lust nor love her, not in that way." He turned to Knuckles with a teasing smile. "We're just friends. In other words she's available, if you'd like to make a move."
Knuckles sputtered and stammered, cheeks gone hot pink. "Wha- No! I was just… curious, ya know? It's…" he hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck, then sighed, loud and heavy. "Okay, I do kind of like her. She's strong, and hot to boot. I mean, how can I resist?"
"So you'd trade the Master Emerald for Rouge?" Shadow jabbed a thumb at the giant gem behind them.
"Aw hell no!" Knuckles growled. "I admit I like her, but I aint shirking duties for that booty!"
Shadow's eyelids went half lidded and a small smile curved his lips. "You've been spending way too much time with Sonic." He teased.
"And you've been spending way too much time with me." Knuckles replied, his grin widening. "We've been flapping our lips for hours. Shouldn't you be heading back to GUN HQ?"
Shadow pursed his lips in a mild look of annoyance. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I run out of my welcome?" he feigned a hurt tone, not at all offended. He pushed to his feet, gathered the cups and clicked them back onto the thermos, and then wrapped its short strap around his wrist. "Regardless, you're right. I should be heading back."
"Same time tomorrow?" Knuckles asked, almost expectant.
Shadow hesitated and an apologetic smile was his first reaction. "I'm not sure. It's a high chance I won't." He checked the communicator hidden under his sleeve. "Given the situation at home base, I might be able to visit around seven or eight the day after, however. Maybe we'd get that garden of yours plowed and sowed like we originally agreed on instead of exchanging gossip like ninnies." He smiled.
"So says the guy who needed a pep talk." Knuckles taunted. "But seriously, don't wind yourself up too tight. If you ever need to let go, the Master Emerald will be able to provide. Just be sure to ask first."
"Yes mother, I'll be sure to look both ways before warping across the multiverse." Shadow grinned and waved a hand while he made his way down the steps. "See you around, Guardian Knuckles."
"Yeah, see you around, Shadow." Knuckles waved back, not moving from his spot. A moment later there was a blink and a flash of light, Shadow warped away.
Sonic remained still after Shadow vanished and his surroundings went quiet. He peered past the bushes to see Knuckles laid flat on his back with his hands folded behind his head. Knuckles stared at the starlit sky, a small amused smile quirked the corner of his mouth.
Sonic decided it was best not to reveal himself and made his sneaky way back from which he came. If anything, he didn't want to be caught eavesdropping, because he knew if he bluffed or tried to lie Knuckles will pick up on it.
It was best to leave and come back another time. He will check in tomorrow and hope to be there before Shadow returned, for the sake of being natural. It would be interesting to butt in and see what else was in store.