Five
Arguing. That's all that could be heard. Glare on glare, the green coloured hedgehog leaning over the younger pink one almost as if trying to intimidate her.
"This won't work!" His raised voice called out, frowning down at her. She was pushing him to his limits and she knew it - yet she refused to back off. His hand lay loosely by his side, fists clenched tightly in frustration as the argument dragged on.
"And why wouldn't it?! It's only five-"
"Five years Rosy, five fucking years! This isn't month or days, this is whole years!"
She frowned. If she could only make him see.. "And what's wrong with that? There are couples with greater age gaps."
"Because it matter, alright?! You're too young for me, can't 'ya get that through through that thick head of 'yers?"
"It's not as if it's ten years of anything! Since when did age ever bother you?!"
"'Cause like I said, 'yer too damn young for me. What don't 'ya understand about that? I'm a King, Rosy, what are you? Just a girl."
She couldn't help but be so young, it wasn't her fault. Why couldn't she be older? Old enough for him to see she wasn't a little girl just following him around. Didn't he realise how much his words were hurting her? She knew he was a King, but that was never the reason she wanted him. She had always liked him for him, never for what he had or could offer her. She should have know better; better than to keep up this silly little 'crush' of her, it would only hurt her in the end, not anyone else - heck, he didn't probably didn't even like her in anyway what-so-ever. But he just couldn't do it, she could never let it go and the feelings grew, they got stronger. No matter how many women he had come home with, she always there, never leaving his side when he needed her, no matter how much it had killed her on the inside. She hated how he showed all these strange women affection, yet she got none; she was simply given orders and she obeyed them to the full extend, nothing else. But as long as he was happy, that's all that mattered right? No matter how much it hurt seeing him with others, she wouldn't dare try to ruin it, not if it meant destroying his happiness in the process. Why couldn't he see how much she had done for him? How much she cared about him, yet he simply pushed her aside, only to be used when needed?
"Look, please, Scourge.. Just, give me a chance, let me show you I'm mature and /can/ do this!" She stepped slightly more forwards as she spoke, reaching her hand forwards to gently grab his arm.
Before she had the chance to even let her hand lay upon him, he had stepped back, his own hands shooting forwards to shove her backwards - much harder than he intended to. The force had caused the young hedgehog to stumbled backwards with a gasp before tumbling straight to the ground with a loud 'thump'. Wide ice-blue eyes look down at her, quickly pulling his arms back. After a moment or two of regaining herself, she slowly pushed her body up in a seated positions before turning herself slightly to look up at him in complete disbelief. Her eyes saddened before she let out a small shaky sigh, pushing herself slowly up to her feet with a small groan.
"I'll take that as a no, then.." She spoke lowly with a small understanding yet disappointed nod, "I'll leave you to it, then.." She continued, turning her back to him, her had shoving themselves into the side pockets of her winter coat before making her own way away from him.
He have a quick shake of his head with still widened-eyes, "Rosy, wait!", but she didn't stop, she simply kept on walking, ignoring him, just like he always wanted her to do. A low growl escaped his lips as he sped and halted to a stop right in-front of her, cuttpatcher off while almost startling her. This time, his hand reached forwards to place themselves on her shoulder - a gentle whimper escaping her lips as she tilted her head downwards, avoiding his gaze.
"Rosy, look at me", he muttered down at her - nothing, she didn't budge. Growling slightly once again, he shook her slightly, "Look at me!"
Out of fear and nothing else, she tilted her head up slightly, getting her now teary eyes to meet his own, a small sniffle escaping. The sudden feeling of regret flooded through his body at the sight of her. He hadn't meant to be so cruel, it had just slipped out, there was an explanationbehind everything - fear.
"Look, Rosy, I'm sorry", he began, one of his hands slowly releasing it's grip on her shoulder before slowing moving itself upwards, letting his thumb gently wipe away one of the stray tears that had escaped her eyes, "I'm just, scared alright?"
"S-Scared? What could you possibly be scared of?" her reply was almost a whisper as she shivered lightly under the though of his fingers.
A nervous sigh, "'Yer just so, young and I.. I have a reputation to uphold, plus-"
"So that's it? I'm not.. Good enough to risk your reputation for?"
He shook his head, "You didn't let me finish.. And it's not that I don't wanna risk it, but- you're so young and I don't wanna seem.. Like I'm using 'ya or anything."
Her eyes simply stared up back into his own, letting his hand freely continue to caress her face gently, enjoying and savouring the feel of his hand against her, "But, you don't have to worry about what any else thinks, Scourge.."
"It ain't me I'm worried about, it's you.."
"How about, you let me make that decision instead. I want to, I want to be with you, but you have to want to be with me, too otherwise-"
She was quickly cut off by a pair of warm lips meeting her own, not letting her finish her sentence. It was suddenly broken when he pulled away, looking down at her slightly flustered at the act, before slowly letting his lips tug at a small smile, "I do, Rose, believe me, I do."
"Then, can we try? Try an us?"
A small moment of silence, his eyes merely looking over her face, letting himself think, earning himself some time before eventually letting out the smallest nod, "Alright-"
A slight squeal in excitement as she beamed up at him happily - the sight causing him the chuckle lightly before beginning to speak in a more serious manner once again, "But if I do something wrong, anything.. You swear, you swear you'll tell me, right?"
"Of course, Scourge, but I doubt you'd ever do anything wrong."
"Heh", he simply chuckle, taking the young hedgehog in his arms, holding her close while pressing his lips gently against her forehead.
Here was that chance- and it would be the beginning of something new..