A/N: There's a lot of gratuitous sex in my fics, if you haven't noticed. And there's a lot of that in this chapter. That is all.

"Sonic is alive!"

Knuckles was absolutely euphoric at hearing the news, quickly spreading the word to the Resistance through his communicator.

The announcement had stirred up so many emotions for all of his teammates. Excitement, relief, happiness. But for Silver it had been a different story.

"No way! That's excellent," Silver had said, though inwardly, he felt a bit of spite toward the blue hedgehog. He knew he should feel happy for Knuckles' sake, and for the rest of the resistance, who seemed to think Sonic was the solution to all their problems.

After Sonic's escape from the prison, aboard the space shuttle, Knuckles never left the blue hero's side.

Once they reached their headquarters, Knuckles had whisked Sonic away from the team, telling everyone he needed to take Sonic to the nursing department for a quick check up, despite Sonic seeming perfectly healthy, before returning with him a little while later.

And when Knuckles gave Silver orders to go to the mystic jungle, Silver had no doubt in his mind he was purposely being pushed away. He felt a little better after finding out that Knuckles wasn't coddling Sonic, and had sent him on a few missions already.

He even started to feel guilty for thinking so negatively after Sonic saved him from Eggman's masked pawn.

But the negativity resurfaced once the war was over, and Silver suggested the resistance continue working together to help rehabilitate all the areas affected by Eggman's empire.

Knuckles had initially wanted everyone to go back home, so Silver was ecstatic when he agreed to his idea. Sonic had already parted ways and their newest hero had followed suit, so he thought it would be the perfect opportunity to continue working closely with the echidna.

"I now dub the team formerly known as the Resistance, the World's Rehabilitation Alliance."

"Jeez, Knuckles, where do you come up with these names?" Charmy asked.

"Quiet, Charmy," Vector hushed.

"I'm sorry to say I won't be able to join everyone," Knuckles continued. "Besides, I think you've all proved yourselves capable enough to handle it without me. I have my own duties I have to attend to."

"You mean you're too lazy to help us, huh?" Charmy butted in.

"Charmy!" Vector shouted.

"I think our Commander has earned himself a vacation," Espio said. "He was always hard at work when most of us were asleep. You deserve it Knuckles. Anyway, it's not like you can't come help us from time to time."

"Right. Before I go, I want to give one last order to everyone. Tails, since you're the best at coming up with plans, I'm appointing you to be the leader of this project."

"I'm one step ahead of you," Tails said cheerfully. "I've already come up with a plan that will streamline our efforts."

"Great. I expected nothing less from the smartest kid I know."

"Thanks, Knuckles," Tails said graciously.

"Amy, Tails is going to need someone with your organizational skills to help him get things moving, and get more people involved."

"I'm on it! I know I can be pretty persuasive when I need to be," Amy added thoughtfully.

"Great. Team Chaotix, you'll be the first ones out in the field. Scout out the areas that were most affected by war. Finish off any of Eggman's leftover robots, and start cleaning up and rebuilding those communities.

"We'll do our best, Commander!" the Chaotix said in unison.

"Rouge, do you think you can be in charge of funding?"

"Definitely," Rouge affirmed. "Omega and I will make sure all of the affected areas get the resources they need to thrive."

Knuckles finally went to the black hedgehog, who had been sitting quietly at the back of the command center up until then.

"There are a lot of rogue robots left that need to be put out of commission. The task is way too big for just the few of us to handle. Shadow, are you in on this or what?"

"If I decide destroy them or not, it'll be by my own choosing," Shadow said. "I'm not reporting back to anyone."

Knuckles rolled his eyes at the black hedgehog, deciding not to engage with him and move on.

"Alright, I think that just about covers everything. Am I forgetting anything?"

"What about me, Commander?" Silver finally piped up.

"Oh. I thought you would want to return to your own time."

Silver frowned.

"No. I want to stay and help out here. Why would I leave when I suggested we should work together in the first place?"

"In that case... how about you join Vector's team and help with the cleanup and rebuilding? You can start there," Knuckles proposed.

"Yeah, we can use your psycho-whatever powers for the heavy lifting," Vector said.

"Also, you were a great help to me, being my second in command," Knuckles added. "I'm sure Tails can use someone with your leadership skills to help him out."

Silver's eyes bore into the echidna's as if he was trying to read his mind, but Knuckles quickly turned away.

"Now that that's all settled, I can take it from here," Tails said. "But first, let's hear it for Commander Knuckles!"

Everyone but Shadow cheered him on, whooping and cheering and calling his name.

"Thanks everyone, thank you guys so much. We wouldn't have been able to do this without each and every one of you," Knuckles said in genuine gratitude. "And Sonic... I know he's not here right now, but I'll make sure to thank him personally the next time I see him."

Afterward, some left the command center and some stayed behind. Shadow was the first to leave, and the remainder of Team Dark let Tails know they'd be in touch before filing out after him. Knuckles went next, quietly slipping out of the Resistance headquarters while the others celebrated.

He should have known Silver would follow him.

"Knuckles," the hedgehog called after they were a good distance away from the underground facility. "What was that back there," Silver huffed.

Knuckles reluctantly turned around to face Silver.

"Can you clarify what part you're confused about? Don't forget I'm done giving out orders. If you have any questions about the rehabilitation project, you can take it up with Tails now."

Silver scoffed, "Are you serious right now? Trying to be all professional, when our relationship has been anything but, for the past two months!"

"What's your point, Silver?" Knuckles asked, seemingly unaffected.

"Why did make the assumption that I would leave?"

"Because... Isn't that what you always do?"

"And what, we're supposed to ignore the last two months we've been together? Pretend like it never happened?"

"I'm not pretending. I really thought you would go home to your own time."

"That's such bullshit. You just want to shove me aside because Sonic is back. So, what, he comes back, and just like that, you want things to go back to the way they were before? Literally fuck me, and fuck our entire relationship?"

Knuckles was becoming frustrated, but he didn't have the energy to argue. He kept his cool, knowing he was only an hour away from Sonic.

"Of course I want things to go back to the way they were. But I'm not trying to forget about you. I just thought you would understand. Silver, I really am grateful to you for helping me through such a tough time. But Sonic is alive and well, and he's back. And... I couldn't be happier. If we're being completely honest, remember that you were the one that convinced me that he was dead. You were the one that pressured me into sleeping with you. And maybe I was really stupid to have caved in so easily, but I wasn't in the greatest frame of mind. I admitted that from the get-go, so you knew that from the start."

It was hard for Silver to stand there listening to Knuckles throw the ugly truth in his face. He restrained himself from doing something he knew he would regret.

Knuckles looked at Silver dead in the eyes, "We were just... making each other feel good. Right?"

"Right..." Silver inhaled, feeling himself about to cry. "It didn't mean anything. Even though we did it over and over again."

"Don't you dare try to make me feel guilty, when I never really wanted it in the first place." Knuckles overlooked the silver hedgehog, almost feeling sorry for him. "Can we talk about this some other time?"

"Why? Why can't we talk now?" Silver said shakily. He wiped his eyes.

"Sonic is waiting for me at home. Please. Try to understand, Silver. I didn't want to leave things like this between us. I want to talk about it with you... soon. But right now, he's my priority. I have to get back to the island."

Silver yelled as Knuckles began to retreat.

"You're going to tell him about us, right?"

Without turning to face him, Knuckles only stopped for a second to dismiss himself from the hedgehog.

"Goodbye, Silver."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The guardian walked into his hidden burrow on Angel Island, the one that Sonic had called home for the better part of a year before his capture.

Brilliant green eyes greeted him with an equally dazzling smile.

"Hey, babe," Sonic said, in the middle of drying off his fur. He had just finished taking the longest shower he'd had in months. "Man, that shower felt great."

"Sonic the Hedgehog. The audacity you have to stand there looking so gorgeous, like you don't have a care in the world."

"Well. There's only one thing I care about right now... and I'm lookin' right at him," Sonic said, tossing the towel aside.

Knuckles walked over to Sonic, the blue hero welcoming his embrace. Knuckles cupped his hand to hold Sonic's cheek, kissing him deeply and pushing him gently toward the couch, until Sonic stumbled backward, sitting down with Knuckles straddling his lap.

Knuckles withdrew from their kiss for a moment to look his boyfriend in the eyes.

"I still can't believe this is real. I'm afraid I might wake up any second now."

Sonic let out a nervous laugh.

"I'm right there with you, buddy."

Knuckles teared up, all of his emotions suddenly overwhelming him.

"Welcome home Sonic," his voice faltered. He moved to sit next to Sonic on the couch, reaching for Sonic's hands to hold them.

During the past few days that Sonic had been back, with everything they had to do to overturn Eggman's empire, Knuckles had seldom shared a private moment with the hedgehog. Other than at the nurse's wing, which had been more of way to see if Sonic was physically okay to head into battle, this was the first chance they'd really had to speak intimately to each other.

"God, I missed you so much," Knuckles continued. "Where do I even start? I don't want to bombard you with questions, but I want to know what you need, Sonic."

"I just... need you to love me," Sonic said with a sad smile, lowering his gaze. He didn't put up that fake grin he had plastered on his face when all their friends were around.

"Of course, Sonic."

Knuckles smiled, kissing him again. He pulled away to look Sonic in the eyes. He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of him for very long.

"How are you? I mean really? No pretenses are necessary here."

"I know that. I know you're worried about me, but I was being honest when I told you the thing about torture was an exaggeration on Rouge's part. The orders she saw Eggman giving his bots and those fakes weren't a daily thing. I was mostly just locked up in a secluded cell.

"I heard you tell the nurse you were bound by your wrists and ankles."

Knuckles took the liberty of inspecting Sonic's wrists, were his cuffs covered them.

"Yes, and he determined there was no extensive damage done, just some light scarring. Since they were energy beams, it's possible they'll fade over time, like a burn mark. You heard him."

"Sorry, I was kind of distraught by the thought of you being restrained like that for so long."

"Yeah. Well, after a while I spent most days curled up, so if anyone came in, they couldn't hurt me while I slept. The rest of the time I did the best I could to keep myself active. The worst part about it was that I could never really bathe. All I had was a sink. And the food was really shitty. Man, I never thought Eggman would stoop that low. He really treated me like some kind of feral animal. But, I just kept thinking, I've been through worse before. You know that better than anyone. So, I'm okay. Really, Knuckles."

"That doesn't make what you went through any less traumatizing. I know you're okay physically, but... I know you, Sonic. The kind of toll being locked up in solitary would take, that's not something someone just bounces back from. Even you."

"Well, maybe right now, I just don't want to linger on that. But if I feel like something's off, you'll be the first to know, trust me on that, Knuckles. For now, it just feels good to be back," Sonic said resolutely.

"It sure as hell feels good to have you back," Knuckles said, accepting Sonic's resolution.

Sonic pushed the guardian back on the couch so they could lay on it facing each other.

"You know something else that felt really good?" the hedgehog asked, his spirits lifted.

"What?" Knuckles said, seemingly more relaxed now.

"Getting to hand Zavok's ass to him when you guys came to rescue me! I know he wasn't the real deal, but he sure felt like it. You would have been so proud of me if you'd seen my moves. All those kickboxing lessons you gave me really paid off."

"I am. So proud of you Sonic. I know the rookie... I have to stop calling him that, I know Gadget was the catalyst that kicked off your escape, but the rest was all you, baby."

"Thanks. He's a great kid, by the way. He reminded me a lot of myself, actually. He couldn't stop talking about you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think he might have had a little kid-crush on you. Can't say I blame him."

"No way. I didn't get that vibe from him."

"I'm just teasing... But he really did give you a lot of praise. You must have been an amazing leader to have left that kind of impression on him."

"I wouldn't say that. Half of the time I was just winging it... And the other half, I was a wreck. I was just really good at hiding it. He probably had no idea how many lives we lost because of my incompetence."

"Hey. You know that wasn't your fault in the slightest. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You did the best you could."

"I'm not so sure about that..." Knuckles said pensively.

"If that's the case, then I'm equally guilty. Because if I hadn't got myself captured, things wouldn't have gotten as bad as they did."

"That's so not the same thing, Sonic. You walked in to a trap that you couldn't possibly have gotten out of. You didn't have the freedom that I did. And I made some really bad decisions with that freedom."

Sonic sat up, frowning with a serious expression on his face.

"What? Why do I get the feeling that there's something in particular that's tearing you up?"

Knuckles followed suit, straightening himself up. He thought about confessing to his boyfriend about how he'd lost hope and how Silver had been there to fill the void. But looking at Sonic, he found it hard to bring up, not wanting to cause any upset for the hedgehog. There would be a time for that, Knuckles thought, but it was too soon now.

"No," Knuckles half-lied. "I mean in general. I constantly led our troops to their downfall. I could have been doing things differently. I could have been out looking for you. I could have been doing more."

"That could've been anyone, Knuckles. The fact is, no one else was brave enough to step into that position. You did. You were the best person for the job, as hard as it was. And in the end, you and everyone else did find me. And we won! I'm glad you weren't out there just trying to do everything on your own. You've learned a lot about team work over the years. For that, I'm so proud of you."

Knuckles let the praise fall by the wayside, feeling undeserving of it.

"You're okay, right, Knux?" Sonic asked after a moment.

"I will be," Knuckles said, sneering at himself, finding it laughable that the person he was supposed to be comforting seemed to be doing most of that for him. "Maybe once it finally sinks in that you're really here."

Sonic let out a soft laugh, smiling at the guardian. He stood up, taking one of Knuckles' hands.

"Com'on," Sonic said, wordlessly leading him out of the burrow.

"What's up, Sonic?"

"You know, the whole time I was there, I didn't even know I was in space? It would have been so nice to be able to look out at the stars at least. I was confined to such a small, artificial space for so long. I just want to be outside. Be surrounded by nature, you know?"

Knuckles nodded in agreement. He had been so preoccupied with his own insecurities, he hadn't been very considerate towards Sonic.

"Sorry, I didn't even think about that."

"No, it's alright. I don't expect you to anticipate my every need. We've both had a rough six months. Let's just take some time to relax. We can be as lazy as we want, or as spontaneous as we want. No expectations, okay?"

"Okay."

Sonic led them out to Knuckles' garden behind the burrow, laying down with him on a bed of flowers.

The moon wasn't out that night, but the stars shined brightly from their view on the floating island. The island was illuminated further by the subtle green glow of the Master Emerald, which Knuckles had restored after returning home.

The couple was silent for a moment before Knuckles turned over from looking up, laying on his belly to look at his boyfriend beside him.

"What's on your mind, Sonic?" Knuckles started.

"The Resistance. How is everyone, Knuckles? Sorry I dipped out so early," Sonic apologized.

"I don't blame you for that. After you left, we came up with a plan to restore all of the areas affected by the destruction. Tails is going to lead that project."

"Wow. That's going to be a pretty big undertaking for him."

"Do you think it's too much for him to handle?"

"No, I wouldn't doubt him for a second. And I'm sure he's going to have a lot of help."

"Yeah, everyone is pitching in."

"Are you going to help out, Commander?" Sonic teased with a wink.

Knuckles thought about it for a moment.

"Sure. After our vacation. I stepped down from being commander anyway."

"I'll help out then, too," Sonic said, looking up at his boyfriend through half-lidded eyes. "It's too bad, you're not keeping the title. I would've really liked serving under you." Sonic raised his arms, placing his hands on either side of his head, inviting Knuckles to hover over him.

Knuckles crawled over Sonic, admiring him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him. Sonic held Knuckles' cheek, as the kiss deepened, feeling waves of pleasure running down his body.

Knuckles seemed to be unsure of himself, and let Sonic take the lead.

Sonic pulled him down to lay on top of him, drawing his knees up, rolling his pelvis up to grind against Knuckles' body.

"Sonic, do you think you're ready for this?" the echidna asked when he stopped to take a breath.

Sonic looked up at him, perplexed.

"Of course I am. We've gone over six months without. I'm ready as I'll ever be. Are you?"

"Yes. I just thought you might want to take it easy tonight."

"What gave you that idea? Besides the terrible food, not being able to have sex with you was probably the worst torture I could ever get."

"I don't know. I guess I'm the one that's kind of messed up."

Sonic scoffed, "Knux, if you don't want to do this, just say the word and we'll stop. I thought you'd be more eager after going so long without, you know?"

"No, you're right. I want this. I want you, Sonic."

"Alright... Just... be gentle with me."

Knuckles nodded, knowing it would be painful for Sonic after so long. He felt the hedgehog's cock poking out of its sheath, as Sonic gyrated his pelvis, turning him on so his own cock stiffened up as it met Sonic's.

Sonic breathed shakily, as they rubbed their erect members together, already wanting more.

Knuckles, on the other hand, tried to push away thoughts of the fair hedgehog that not too long ago had turned him on like this. He pushed away thoughts of his disloyalty. He tried to forget about how easily he had been convinced his lover was dead. But his mind still wandered, and god, why did he keep thinking about how Silver's silky fur felt on his chest? Or how his long legs, laced in tall boots, eagerly wrapped around his waist.

Knuckles' eyes fluttered open to look at his boyfriend, returning to reality.

Sonic's cheeks were lightly flushed, his mouth parted as he panted waiting for his boyfriend to take the next step.

Knuckles had dreamed of this moment for so long. He wished his mind would stop betraying him.

The echidna readied himself to enter his boyfriend's body, first rubbing the head of his cock around the rim, lubricating him with the semen that had already dribbled out.

Sonic whined at the touch, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Knuckles," Sonic said through pants. "I'm ready."

The hedgehog seemed almost intoxicated, his head lulling back when Knuckles pushed his cock through.

"You're so much tighter now," Knuckles grimaced.

Sonic grabbed fist-fulls of grass, as Knuckles started slowly rocking his hips back and forth.

"Don't worry, I'm doing okay," Sonic said, with a little moan as he felt Knuckles going in deeper.

Knuckles kept it slow, until Sonic felt comfortable with the motions.

The hedgehog sat up, with his knees still drawn up and spread open, his boyfriend's cock deep inside him. Knuckles wrapped one of his mitts around Sonic's lower back, bringing him closer with every thrust of his pelvis.

Knuckles went in impossibly deep, slapping Sonic's own cock against his belly. The hedgehog felt himself wanting to ejaculate already, the sound of his voice carrying over the island.

"Huu, I hope this is real enough... for you... Mmmm..." Sonic mumbled. He placed his hands on Knuckles' shoulders, kissing his cheek, then initiated a lusty kiss with his tongue flicking out, meeting the echidna's.

They kissed sloppily as they copulated, both quickly reaching their peak.

Knuckles' orgasmed first, shooting his load into his boyfriend, and the second Sonic felt it, he came, too, making a mess all over the two of them.

Knuckles lifted Sonic by his hips, letting his cock slip out and retract back into its hidden sheath. His eyes lingered over his boyfriend's body, amazed by the hedgehog's incredible sexuality.

Sonic stroked his limp cock, still wanting more, and Knuckles pushed him back on the grass by his hands, trailing nips and kisses along his soft peach pelt. His mouth lingered around his belly, then trailed below it, nuzzling and kissing Sonic's thighs, pushing them up by the back of his knees. Seeing his boyfriend's hole full of his semen, and still trickling down his tail satisfied the echidna's possessive nature.

Knuckles slicked his tongue up and down the sides of the hedgehog's soft member, then took its length into his mouth.

Sonic rolled his hips and bucked them up, writhing from the intense pleasure.

"You're... too good to me... Knuckles," Sonic moaned as his boyfriend pleased him, coming a second time inside his boyfriend's mouth.

Knuckles swallowed it, panting slightly when he finished.

"You've always been so generous with me," Knuckles said lying down next to Sonic. "...I've never been as eager to reciprocate. You deserve so much more than what I give you."

"I appreciate everything I get from you, Knuckles. I love you," Sonic said, kissing the guardian affectionately.

Sometime during their kiss, Sonic ended up sitting on top, with Knuckles between his legs again.

"Ugh... look at me, I'm a mess and I already want to do it again. How do you do this to me, Knux?"

Knuckles looked up at his boyfriend feeling his arousal growing from the contact.

"You aren't the only one. We do have six months to make up for," the echidna suggested.

Taking that as permission to continue, Sonic wasted no time, lifting himself off of Knuckles slightly to grab his dick and insert the erect member inside himself. It felt easier this time, and in a moment, Sonic was rocking his hips, riding his boyfriend like there was no tomorrow.

Sonic shouted profanities as he orgasmed for a third time tonight, collapsing against his boyfriend's firm chest, still connected to him below the waist.

"Fuck. I wish I could do this with you all night. But... I'm beat," Sonic said, still catching his breath.

"Sonic the Hedgehog? I thought you had more stamina than that," Knuckles teased.

"Mmm... maybe if we hadn't just ended a war."

"You're right. I'm pretty worn out myself. But god damn, you're still amazing as ever. It's like you were never gone."

Sonic slowly slid off Knuckles, laying down on grass next to him.

"Hey, babe, I need a shower," Knuckles said propping himself up on his elbow.

Sonic sighed, having finally settled down from the intensity of their intimacy.

"Me, too. I just showered and you already made me so dirty," Sonic laughed.

"Want to jump in with me?"

"It's tempting, but I'm afraid we won't get any actual washing done in there. Besides. I kind of want to chill out, out here. I'll wait for you."

"Okay." Knuckles leaned in for one more kiss before getting up.

As he reached the door to his burrow, the guardian paused to look over at his boyfriend stretched out on the grass, relaxing, then turned to the Master Emerald, seeing the gleaming gem in its shrine, for once in a long time feeling like things were not only good, but things were right again. That was something he only hoped he could communicate to Silver enough for the hedgehog to understand, and move on.

Xxxxxxxx

After his shower, Knuckles carried out blankets and a tea tray for the two of them, setting it down on a stump in his garden after seeing Sonic sleeping deeply on the bed of flowers.

Upon coming closer, he noticed Sonic looked tense. The hedgehog was curled up on his side so his knees were almost near his head.

Knuckles knelt down beside him and unfolded some of the blankets, gently pushing Sonic back so he wasn't doubled over, but the hedgehog tightened up and gripped his knees until he was balled up, his spines prickling up into those razor-sharp ones known for cutting through metal.

Knuckles recoiled with a startled yelp going backwards onto the grass.

Sonic immediately unfurled himself, "Shit, Knuckles... I'm sorry. I forgot. It's you," he said groggily.

"Shh... it's okay, Sonic. I should've known better. I just want you to be comfortable and relax," Knuckles said, covering the hedgehog with the blankets.

"You're so sweet," Sonic said through half lidded eyes. "I love you, Knux."

"Love you, too, Sonic."

Sonic smiled and let his eyes close again, seeming more at peace as he dozed off this time.

Knuckles admired Sonic for a moment, then poured himself a cup of tea, sipping it while staring up at the stars. He sat cross legged on the grass next to his love, feeling peaceful as well.

That tranquility didn't last long, however. Knuckles was quickly disturbed when he sensed a presence on the island. He couldn't quite tell whether it was a threat or something benign flying overhead.

"The fun never ends does it?" Knuckles whispered to himself, ready for whatever was incoming.

He squinted, spotting a glimmering aqua aura around a distinct silvery figure drifting above the island.

"Damn. What the hell is he doing here?" Knuckles muttered under breath.

A/N: I hope that was enjoyable to read. Our two heroes are happy, for now. Things will start to change soon as Silver is hung up on rad red. Let me know what you guys think, all feedback is appreciated! Thanks for reading!