Chapter 8: Apprehension
Knux came up for breath after it seemed like hours since he got lost in Sky's kiss. He could feel the damp sweat in his dreadlocks as he took in the cool air around him. He looked down at Sky, who had his eyes closed on the couch while panting. After a few seconds, he leaned in toward his ear and whispered, "Are you alright?"
Sky opened his eyes and gave a lustful stare while he caught his breath. "What do you think?" he answered. "I'm just surprised that I finally got what I want for once." he scoffed.
"What do you mean? You had all those jobs. You must have lots of money now." Knux mentioned.
"Sure, but money's not everything." Sky stated with a smile. "But it's surprising how you changed your mind about me so fast."
"Yeah, Rouge had a major part in that, but I don't want it to seem like I kissed you because she was cheating on me. I guess I couldn't hold my feelings in last night and ever since then, I still can't." Knux confessed.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Sky agreed before pausing with a curious look.
"Good." Knux said before taking in Sky's suspicious stare. "Hey, what's on your mind?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing." Sky replied while looking towards the door. "Just thinking of something."
"You care to share with me?" Knux asked with a smirk.
Sky crossed his arms and faked deep thought while sighing. "I don't know..." He looked back at Knux and copied his smirk. "What'll you give me for it?"
"Anything you want." Knux promised as his hands slipped down to Sky's waist.
Sky giggled at his touch before answering, "How about we get out of here and go public?"
"I think that would work. Let's make it even better and bring Sonic and Shadow along." Knux suggested.
"That sounds great!" Sky exclaimed. "I have the perfect place in mind."
"Have you ever worked there?" Knux asked.
Sky shook his head. "Nah."
"Even better." Knux joked. Sky poked him in his side in return, which made him fall hard against the other side of the couch. "Well, aren't we the aggressive type?"
"You should see me in bed." Sky commented.
"Sure." Knux said sarcastically. "Maybe we should leave before you get any ideas."
"Aren't you gonna go home and make yourself look sexy for me before we go?" Sky advised.
Knux laughed. "Of course. I got to get the smell of you off me anyway." He was answered by a sofa pillow in the face. He rubbed his cheek after it landed on the floor. "Hey...that hurt." he whined fakely.
"If you're trying to get me to feel sorry for you, it's not working." Sky said while crossing his arms again.
"It doesn't matter, you're gonna kiss me anyway." Knux said while rolling his eyes.
"You know me too well..." Sky admitted as he stood up and walked towards him.
---
Rouge stood in front of the hotel entrance/exit and sighed. She had already checked in and put her stuff down in her new temporary room. She still couldn't believe that her plan backfired and he put her out knowing that he still loved her. As she walked into the parking lot, she thought of how to find out who he was with. Rouge knew that whoever she was, she could chase her away easily. She knew she wasn't going to find out directly from him, so she had to think about who would spill the beans first. He only had a few close friends, and it only took her a few seconds to make her conclusion about who she would confront first.
---
Shadow was laying on the bed with his arms stretched above his head from the pull of the handcuffs from the bedpost. He groaned as he felt the warm sweat all over his body and Sonic towering over him. "Someone turning the tables here?" (A/N: For those How Close fans, you know what I mean...)
Sonic gave Shadow a devious look. "I'm not falling for your sexy charm this time. You're gonna tell me everything I wanna know."
He reached over and tightened the handcuffs, which made Shadow wince slightly. "Damn, if you wanted to be so dominant, you could've asked. I would've said yes." he complained.
"C'mon, I know you're liking this. Now, I'm only gonna ask you this once, or something's coming off." he demanded.
"The handcuffs, maybe?" Shadow suggested hopefully.
Sonic's answer was interrupted by the doorbell. He sighed impatiently and got off the bed. "Don't move." he commanded as he walked towards the door.
"It only hurts even more when I do." Shadow reminded him.
"Oh, well good then." he said with a smirk before leaving the room and answering the door downstairs. He was surprised to see Rouge standing at the doorstep.
"Hey Sonic." she greeted with a smile. "Where's Shadow?" she asked.
"Ummm..." he hesitated. "He's...a little tied up right now." he finally confessed.
Rouge couldn't help laughing. "Oh, I didn't know you were into those kind of things, Sonic. I like that." she complimented.
"Oh, thanks. You know, heroes don't always have to be good all the time." he commented.
"You're exactly right." Rouge agreed. "Um, I came here because I was wondering if you could answer some questions I have."
"Uh, sure. Ask me anything." he offered.
"Who is Knux with?" she asked quickly.
"Um, with you until that incident at that restaurant. After that, I have no idea."
"Are you sure about that?" she asked forcefully.
"Yeah, I haven't heard from him since." he said truthfully.
"That's weird." she thought. "Do you know of anyone who has?" she questioned.
At that moment, everything clicked in his mind and he knew exactly what was going on. "Ummm..." he paused. Before he knew it, the front door was slammed shut and his shoulders were pinned to the wall with her hands. He tried to ignore the sudden action as he joked, "Rouge, you know that I'm not like that."
Her grip on his shoulders tightened. "Look, you little blue annoyance, the next words that are coming out of you will be who the hell is manipulating my love!" she spat with venom. She heard a small chuckle from Shadow, who was now halfway down the stairs. She ignored it and continued with an evil glare at Sonic with her aquamarine eyes.
"Alright." he sighed in defeat. "I'm not 100 sure, but I think he's with Sky." he admitted.
Her glare remained the same. "You're kidding."
"You're gonna listen to him?" Shadow commented with a smirk.
"I still don't believe it, but Sky would probably know what was going on. Thanks Sonic." she said before relaxing her grip on him. "I'm gonna go, so you might wanna recapture your prisoner." she advised before opening the door and closing it behind her.
Shadow scoffed at him. "If I were you, I wouldn't have told her anything. She's probably gonna kill him now."
Sonic gave him an evil glare. "What would you know, and how did you get out of those handcuffs?"
Shadow rolled his eyes. "I know these things. I was evil once, you know. And it doesn't matter how I escaped. You'll just have to delve into the mystery of it."
"If she hadn't interrupted me, I still would've had you." Sonic huffed.
"At least she doesn't know where he lives, right?" Shadow hoped.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that if I were you." Sonic considered from her recent appearance.
---
"Ah..." Rouge sighed in victory as she looked at the written address in her hand, which matched the door she stood in front of. She knocked a few times, but didn't hear a reply from inside. She knocked again, hoping that someone was there. She then became impatient and turned the doorknob, which was unlocked.
Her eyes widened as she saw Knux and Sky locked in a tight embrace and making out right in front of her. She hid her shock with a sarcastic comment. "Well, this is cute."
Knux broke the kiss immediately after hearing her voice. "Don't tell me." he said with an aggravated sigh while looking at Sky.
"Looks like you two need some alone time." Sky said quickly before beginning to make an escape. He didn't get far when Knux grabbed his hand to keep him by his side. "Wait." he softly demanded.
"Yeah." Rouge agreed. "This obviously involves you too."
"What are you doing here?" Knux asked viciously.
"Well, I was going to see if your 'friend' knew what was up with you, but it looks like I walked in at the right time." she answered with a sly smile.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Sky finally asked.
"It didn't suit me the first ten times." she answered without looking at him and focusing on Knux. "So, was the kiss a dare, or did you feel sorry for lonely boy here?" she vexed.
Knux kept a tight grip on Sky's hand as he replied, "Neither. We're together."
Rouge could see the solemnity of his words in his eyes, but she wasn't giving up. "I could barely believe it when Sonic told me." she added with a laugh.
"He told you?" Knux asked with wide eyes. "But how did he--"
"Oh, it was just a hunch, but what matters is he told me exactly what I wanted to know." Rouge cleared up before turning to Sky. "Wow, I never thought I could consider you of all people competition. Good for you, but it won't last long. He's just with you so he can forget about me, but we both know that'll never happen." she commented snidely before looking back at Knux. "No matter how hard you try, you can never forget about me. You love me too much." she said while shaking her head.
"You're delusional." Knux retaliated.
Rouge stared at him with a look of fake surprise. "Am I? You were heartbroken when I told you everything, and now you act like I don't matter."
"You don't. Not anymore." Knux growled.
She scoffed. "You think you're so convincing. I'll never believe you. Unlike you, I know what's in my heart." she concluded before giving one last look at them before slamming the door behind her.
There was a long silence before Knux spoke again. "I can't believe her." Knux snorted while rolling his eyes. He looked over to Sky when he let go of his hand. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern.
"Maybe we should do this another time." Sky suggested blankly.
Knux looked at him and chuckled. "C'mon, you didn't take what she said seriously, right?"
"I just need some time to think." Sky said sadly.
"Look, we shouldn't let her ruin our plans. I'm still psyched about going out as much as you are." Sky didn't answer as he looked away. Knux continued anyway. "I know this is what you want. This isn't about me or Rouge, it's about us." he said while wrapping his arms around his neck. "If you have something on your mind, don't hesitate to tell me. Now, what do you say?" he asked convincingly.
Sky turned to him with a weak smile. "How can I say no?"
"Great. You won't regret this, I promise." Knux said while taking Sky's hands in his.
"I know." Sky agreed. "I'll call Sonic and Shadow while you leave and go change."
"Okay." Knux said before giving him a quick kiss. "Meet you back here in an hour?"
"Whatever suits you." Sky decided.
"Alright, I'll see you then." Knux said before he left.
---
Shadow began to grow tired as his feet pounded against the carpet as he ran, but he tried not to show it as Sonic was trying to catch up with him from behind. He slipped into their bedroom, hoping that Sonic wouldn't notice. As he ducked behind the bed, he saw Sonic glaring at him on the bed. Shadow jumped up against the wall opposite the bed and rushed out of the room, giving him enough time to find another hiding place. His eyes rested on the linen closet on the other end of the hallway. Luckily, the door was cracked so he slipped in without much noise. He could hear Sonic's footsteps across the hallway and stopping occasionally at each room. He silently celebrated in victory when he heard a faint ring from the room Sonic was in. After a few minutes, he heard Sonic walk back into the hallway.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Sonic called.
"And why would I want to do that?" Shadow teased.
"Because we have a date with Knux and Sky soon." Sonic reasoned.
"You're kidding." Shadow said as he walked out of the closet.
"Think what you want, we're leaving in an hour." Sonic said as he rushed into the bathroom.
"Whatever you say." Shad agreed before removing a towel under his foot.
---
Knuckles, Shadow, and Sonic arrived at Sky's house on time. Sonic walked in first in a black tank top covered with his favorite jean jacket with a nice pair of midnight blue jeans on and new black shoes. Shadow walked in behind him wearing a navy blue shirt with black jeans and boots. Knux came in last wearing a wife beater under a button-down white dress shirt with black dress pants and white shoes. (A/N: For any music fans, think of the sexy outfit Pharrell wore at the end of "Frontin'." Yeah, baby!) Knux didn't see Sky anywhere downstairs. "Sky, we're here!" he called up the stairs.
"Coming!" he yelled before sliding down the railing and landing next to Knux. He wore a sleeveless red shirt with a pair of navy blue pants and matching shoes with red laces. He also had a silver star necklace around his neck. His smile at everyone grew wider as he looked at Knuckles. "You look great." he breathed.
"Thanks. I can say the same for you." Knux complimented with a smile.
"So it is true, you guys are finally together." Shadow beamed.
"Yeah." Sky said while holding Knux's hand. "Unbelievable, isn't it?"
"Not really." Shadow answered. "I had an idea of it in the first place."
"Why do you always have to be so full of yourself all the time?" Sonic complained.
"Because I love driving you crazy." Shadow answered with a smirk.
Sky laughed at the cute couple. "C'mon guys, let's go." They all left Sky's house and spent the whole time talking about what happened in the past few days. In fifteen minutes, Sky halted Sonic's rant about his dominance issue when they almost passed their destination, which was a small bar. It had a small stage opposite a group of tables. They entered and found a nice spot in the corner to sit in. Sonic began a conversation as soft acoustic guitar music played in the background.
"So, have you two heard from Rouge lately?" he asked curiously.
Knux looked to Sky, who looked like he wanted to avoid the subject, then said, "Yeah, but it wasn't a big deal."
"I told the idiot that telling her was a bad thing to do." Shadow said.
"Hey, she wanted to know! And you saw how she confronted me." Sonic argued.
Shadow turned to Knux and Sky and smiled. "It was pretty funny, actually." Sky managed a smile as Sonic glared at his partner.
"She acts like I'm going to regret breaking up with her, but I won't." Knux assured himself. "Right, Sky?"
"Yeah." he agreed with a smile. "I'm gonna help him through it."
"That's great. We will too." Shadow promised.
"Thanks guys. That means a lot." Knux said.
Sonic was about to say something when everyone's attention focused on the stage. A tall fox approached the microphone. "If I could have everyone's attention, please." The bar fell silent as everyone turned to the speaker. "We have something special for you tonight. Someone has volunteered to share some poetry with us. Please give a round of applause for Sasha." Everyone applauded as a purple hedgehog with blue streaks approached the stage. She was wearing velvet lavender shirt with a black ribbon at the neckline and a knee-length black shirt and black platform shoes. (A/N: For those who don't know, she's appeared in my humor fic and a deleted fic of mine.)
She smiled at her audience as the fox gave her the microphone, which she adjusted so she could speak while sitting on a small black stool. "Thank you. Um, I'm going to recite a poem I wrote a few days ago. It's called 'Apprehension.'" She paused before adding, "This is a love poem, so some of you may relate to it. Enjoy." She took a deep breath and started.
"I can't believe it/Unpredictable that I found love/I'm so caught up/And you're all that I'm thinking of...
I know this feeling will last/As long as you're here/This phase won't pass/ I just want you near...
But I still fear...
Your past actions/Am I giving you enough satisfaction?...
I can still see you with her/Even though you're with me/Isn't it crazy/How she fits in your fantasies?...
I could see you touching her/Giving her your all/I could see you loving her/With you, she'll fall...
You told me it was over/But I don't see the truth in your eyes/How long will you keep this up/Before our relationship dies?...
It's kinda funny/How we were a success overnight/Loosening ourselves up/As our emotions took flight..."
Sky was amazed at how much this was relating to his feelings so far. He could barely look at Knux as he continued to listen.
"It was amazing/I was under your spell/The passion was growing/We could both tell...
I can still feel you gripping my waist/Comforting me with your kisses/It's affection like that/A good lover misses...
I wish you would make up your mind/I'm patiently waiting/Every second that passes/The love begins fading...
Maybe I should just let you go/Have your own way/Accept the fact /That you don't want to stay...
Or maybe I should admit/I'm too paranoid/I need to know the truth/So you can fill my void...
I must give up and confess/No one's needed you more than I have/I know she's never experienced/An addiction so bad..
Tell me I'm confused/I have this all wrong/And stay with me /All night long...
And when morning comes/You'll say, "I'll never leave."/Giving me the first chance in my life/To embrace love and breathe...
I'm giving this my best/Can't you see/That you're the only one for me?..."
The audience applauded wildly as Sasha took a bow and walked off stage. Sky still couldn't look at Knux. Her words gave him a new view towards him and Knux's situation. He began choking mentally at the reality of it. "Oh God..." he whispered.
"Something wrong?" Sonic asked him.
Sky quickly got up. "I just need some air. If you'll excuse me..." He rushed towards the door and embraced the cool air outside.
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