For a woman my age, it might seem strange to say, but I have rarely ever been that close to a man that I could feel their heartbeat thrumming in my ears. Hell, thanks to my ass of a boss, I can't even get within a mile of another man or he'll get upset.
Put simply, as much as I'd love to rip the man's head off and roll it down the street, it's not wise to anger my boss. But since that bastard is smart enough only to screw with my mind and once in awhile cause a piece of furniture to hit me, it's always easily written off as an accident or me trying to commit suicide. Even so, I don't feel comfortable being that close to anyone. My mind has gotten to the point that I find myself panicking when someone simply places their hand on my shoulder.
Given all this, I was confused as hell as I laid there on this guy's bed, his chest being used as my pillow. Not only had I never once figured I'd get myself into anything close to this damn predicament, but…I wasn't panicking, even when he pulled the covers up over us both.
Then again, when I woke up the next morning, I suppose I made up for the lack of panic the night before…
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Chapter 5: On the Wrong End of the Receiver
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Rouge shifted, her body slowly beginning to bring itself out of sleep when she registered that her 'pillow' was warmer than a standard pillow was. Squinting an eye open, she glanced out to discern her location.
"Silk pajamas, heartbeat, buff chest…red fur…"
Processing all of that, she remembered the prior day in a rush, coming to a semi-coherent conclusion.
"You damned bastard!" She screamed, landing a sound slap across Knuckles' face.
Quickly sitting up, her bandaged hand registered the pain caused by using it in such a manner, "Shit…."
"That was a rather unusual way to wake up someone," Knuckles muttered with a glare, bringing a hand up to the corner of his lips and wiping the trail of blood off. "She certainly hits hard when she means it…"
Rouge, having fully awoken by now, looked between her hand and the one she'd hit with said hand. Standing slowly, she made for the bathroom, mumbling under her breath, "Um…let me get you…something…for that…"
Once back inside the confines of the small room, she shut the door and slumped back against it.
"Why the hell did I do that?" The dull-ache of the bruise on her shoulder answered, "He's not Eggman. He wouldn't have hurt me."
Her thoughts screeched to a halt, "Wait a second. Why am I so certain that he…" Her thoughts ran silent as she was at a loss as to why she seemingly trusted this man.
Before she could find an answer though, a voice came through the door.
"Rouge."
She waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, she spoke up, "…yes?"
"Did you forget how to use the sink?"
Letting that process in her mind, it registered that she was supposed to be getting something for the injury she'd caused to him.
"I'm…getting it, just a second," She retorted, letting her irritation at her own thoughts seep into her voice.
Taking a washcloth, she let the cool water run over it for a moment then rang out the excess. Opening the door, she came face to face with Knuckles.
"…. Here." Rouge said, extending her hand out so he could take the washcloth from her.
Knuckles took it and slowly lifted it to the white mark on his face. His thoughts also trying to decide what was going on, "First that bruise, now this. Forget it. Her life is not my business."
Hanging her head and still trying to put herself at ease, Rouge flinched when she felt his hand on her shoulder.
"Being as I'm such a terrible pervert. You are awfully lackadaisical," He said with a slightly amused look due to her surprised expression as he pulled the sleeve of the pajamas back up.
Subconsciously she placed her hand on the shoulder the moment his hand retreated; glaring at him yet tinged with confusion she retorted, "Why?"
"Why what?" He asked, eyebrows furrowing in thought.
"Why did you let me come here? Why let me stay in your house? You aren't exactly a people person I can tell, so why the hell was I the exception!" She yelled back, her frustration building.
Knuckles blinked, her question probing the depths of his mind for the answer that wasn't there.
"What I do. Is my prerogative."
Rouge growled, "Why do you have to be so- so- so you?"
The two stood staring and glaring at one another for some time before Knuckles spoke up,
"If you don't mind, I have to get ready for work."
Furious and determined to get her answer, she grabbed him by his arm, "Tell me why!"
He narrowed his eyes, "And why did you let me?"
She slowly withdrew her hand.
"I…I don't know…"
"People don't always act with ulterior motives," He replied walking past her into the bathroom.
Rouge stared at the closed door, "Then…what are we acting on?"
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Staring into the bathroom mirror, Knuckles assessed the damaged Rouge's "attack" had done to his face. He was not narcissistic, but still felt he had a reputation to uphold when in the presence of his employees.
"Why did she strike me?" He pondered, his thoughts once again going back to her bruise and the issues she'd mentioned in regards to her boss. Frowning on realizing the situation, he cast a sideways glance towards the door, "So if she doesn't listen to him…"
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Rouge looked about the room, her eyes catching sight of the paper work he'd had with him the day before.
Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked over to look at it.
"The Guardian Of The Master Emerald…hmm, strange name for a novel," Flipping a few pages she skimmed the text, "No wonder that editor is mad at him. This is boring. Who wants to read about some echidna guy wandering around Angel Island for chapter after chapter kill things and fight with his rival?"
Coming to a page that had been folded in two and crossed out, Rouge squinted trying to read the text there.
"He was an evil being, intent on manipulating anyone he could. The great echidna had fallen for one of his schemes in the past, and had no intentions of doing so again. But this great evil was not something that could easily be defeated. He always escaped when he could, leaving his robots to handle his problems and do his dirty work. With a cruel smirk, the incarnate of evil himself was clearly plotting yet another attempt to retrieve the emerald for himself. It was then that…"
The text stopped; the rest of the page blank aside from the large 'X' that marked through the entire thing.
Rouge remarked to herself, "Evil incarnate? Sounds like Eggman…If that's the case, then he was probably about to order his employee off to do his dirty work yet again..."
An amused smirk alighting on her face, she snatched up a pen from the nearby end table, "It's just a page he cut from his draft anyway…it wouldn't hurt. I'll just throw it out and he won't even miss it…" She reasoned as she took the liberty of adding to where he'd left off.
"It was then that the door opened, revealing a young bat girl with white fur and aqua eyes. She held a…" Rouge paused, thinking over a suitable yet interesting weapon, "She held a gun in her hand- a gun that could shoot lasers. 'Doctor? What is that you wish?' She asked, her voice remaining formal yet holding a condescending tone to it. 'I need more power before the emerald can be mine. I want you to go to the master emerald guardian and take his powerful emerald from him.' The woman frowned, having seen the man he spoke of before, and not wishing to do the man any harm, 'But doctor,' she began to protest, but she fell short as a red jewel appeared in the evil man's hand and he crushed it. She knew what she must do, 'It's understood. I'll go to him.' 'Good my dear. You must remember your place and that…' He looked to the red orb, 'I hold your jewels in my hands.'"
Hearing the rattle of bathroom's doorknob, Rouge quickly closed the folder around the paperwork, accidentally leaving her page there, and hastily went to sit on the edge of the bed.
Under his arm, Knuckles held the bundle of Rouge's clothing that had been drying from the rain.
"I'll have these dried while you shower." He said, walking past her and out the bedroom door.
Realizing that if she didn't at least show up at work that day, Eggman would send the police out after he like he'd done before, she decided it would be best to shower and get ready to go.
"Surely I can talk to Topaz and get something worked out. If I could just get my things packed while Eggman was distracted and get out of there…"
Walking into the bathroom and shedding the loaned pajamas she paused and regarded where they fell on the floor.
"But without the papers destroyed or me with a new legal guardian…Eggman's always got me under his thumb…" She sighed stepping into the shower and turning the water on.
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After letting the dryer go round for a bit, Knuckles figured that the clothing was dry enough and trudged back upstairs to give them back to their owner.
"Once she's out of this house- I won't have to see her or deal with her again," His thoughts paused, then to reassure himself, he continued, "It's for the best that way."
Finally reaching the door to his bedroom, he began his walk over towards the bathroom, but was once again interrupted by the phone ringing.
Looking to the clock, then to the phone, he knew already who it was and went to answer it.
"Knuckles," The voice said simply.
"Vector," He replied.
On hearing the shower once again running in the background, Vector the crocodile raised an eyebrow, "I see she's still there."
"I suppose she is."
"Is this going to be a common occurrence?"
Knuckles didn't reply, but the silence let his friend know he was frowning and most likely glaring through the receiver.
"So why is she there? Sonic was correct in noting that it's not like you to 'get something' out of such a call."
"My half-friend is an idiot who pulls childish pranks!"
"Oh. So you slept with her?" He asked, voice slightly amused and taunting.
Knuckles' frown deepened, "It depends on your definition of 'sleep.'"
"Well you only have one bed."
Slight irritation building, he replied, "That is correct."
Thoughtfully, Vector tried to decipher the situation, "She must be very intriguing."
Knowing all to well that his friend was merely trying to set him up, Knuckles suspected where this was headed, "Now he's going to try and convince me it's a romantic thing. Just watch him. Intriguing? Hmph. I find nothing intriguing about being called a perverted bastard."
His friend, meanwhile continued, "An interesting woman who dares speak her mind."
"She speaks her mind enough for her mind and my mind." Knuckles' thoughts retorted.
"But, perhaps there is something troubling her life that drove her to you."
"Not that her issues with her boss are something of my concern."
"Yet, she is very different, so it wouldn't hurt to give her a chance."
"Wouldn't hurt? My face begs to differ!" Knuckles thought, regarding the shampoo bottle the night before and the slap that morning.
"And deep down, man- you probably find yourself attracted to her, yet you deny it and try to write it off as nothing but interest in her unique character," His friend finished, his voice with an edge of persuasion to it.
Knuckles' thoughts even fell silent this time, and Vector smirked knowing he'd hit the nail on the head, "The business reports are being faxed to you now."
"What makes you presume that situation?" Knuckles inquired.
"I need to be attending to other matters," He said abruptly, then quickly added, "If you must know though. That was the circumstances under which I met Vanilla."
And with that said, he hung up leaving Knuckles' frown deepening in thought yet again.
"None of this is my concern. Not her. Not her life. Not anything about her." He thought to himself, hanging up the phone and returning to his task.
Standing at the bathroom door and planning to, like he did before, sit the clothes for Rouge to wear on the hamper; he frowned as he paused to knock.
On not hearing any answer and noting the water still running, he figured she just couldn't hear the knock over the shower and opened the door.
There stood Rouge, stepping out from the still-running shower, her head wrapped in a towel as she dried her hair off, her body dripping wet and yet to be covered.
Both froze as they realized the situation.
After a moment, it processed- Knuckles quickly shutting the door and just dodging the same bottle of shampoo that had hit him the night before.
"You damned pervert! I said to knock!" Rouge fumed, her face flushing crimson as she yanked a towel around herself.
"It's not my fault if you don't hear it when I do knock!" He yelled in reply, and hoping it didn't sound as flustered at it did to his own ears. His eyes were still a bit widened from their normal state, and despite his mental protests, his heart was racing.
"It's just the adrenaline from avoiding the bottle." He reasoned with himself.
But when Knuckles looked over at the mirror over his dresser, even he couldn't find an excuse for the very light and almost entirely unnoticeable pink hints to his normally red face.
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Preview for next Chapter :
Life was never "easy" for Rouge, and went she decides to try and get out of her house and away from Eggman, things don't go as smoothly as planned. But with Knuckles' editor and friend thinking she's a positive influence, Rouge might find out she has more people on her side than she first expected.
