Chapter Five:
Rouge screamed so loud, it echoed off every hill and tree in the forests and across the lake. Knuckles stumbled backwards from the force of her scream. Immediately the bat sank lower into the water so it only came up to her chin.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded angrily.
"I had no idea you were….I was only-" he stuttered trying to regain his balance.
"You were spying on me, weren't you?" she spat, "Pervert!"
"What? No," he said, his face turning redder. He held up something that was clutched in his hand, "I was just trying to get some cell service."
Rouge didn't buy it. "Like hell you are. Geez, that's the weakest excuse in the world. Everyone knows there's no coverage out here."
Knuckles' shoulders sagged, "There isn't?"
Rouge swam over to the dock and held on with one hand. Every body part below the shoulders was hidden, all thanks to the black darkness of the water at night.
"Well, duh. Its obvious." she said, "There are trees everywhere and no cell tower for miles."
Knuckles growled, "Damnit. I'm not familiar with these sorts of things at all. This isn't even my phone. It's Vector's. He gave it to me so I could check up on them while they were watching the Master Emerald."
"Oh, I get it." Rouge said smirking, "The worried mother is checking up with the babysitters."
Knuckles rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure." He punched in some numbers then waited to see if it would work, but Rouge knew it didn't when Knuckles swore again.
"I'm telling ya, Knucklebrain. It's useless."
Grumbling and knowing she was right, he pocketed the cell phone.
"So what are you doing out here? Don't you know it's almost midnight?" he asked.
She shrugged and looked up at the night sky, "I couldn't sleep."
"Oh," Knuckles just nodded. He couldn't think of anything else to say.
The two just sat there for awhile before he started to go. "Well, as fun as this is, I think I'm going to head back then…" he said.
"Fine," she replied.
Suddenly she heard a loud thump. Knuckles had tripped over the pile of her clothes.
"What the heck is all this?" he bent over to pick it up.
Before Rouge could say anything, she saw the horrible sight of Knuckles holding up her bra. He yelled and flung it from his fingers as fast as he could.
"Please tell me you're wearing a bathing suit."
Rouge grinned, showing her two pointy bat teeth, "What do ya think, Knucklehead?"
"I think that I'm going to head back now and sleep."
"Aw, come on Knuckles. It's not like you saw anything anyways. No need to be embarrassed!"
Knuckles didn't respond. He just turned around and began to walk away.
"You know," he heard her say from behind, "I would really like some company out here."
No noise except the crickets chirping.
"I think you should try it." she tried again.
"No. Way." he said firmly.
"I promise to look away."
"No."
This was getting fun. Knuckles was so focused on not acting embarrassed or flustered and this amused Rouge greatly. He was putty in her hands now.
Rouge turned on her flirty charm, "The water feels really great, Knuxie."
"Don't care."
She pouted and pushed away from the dock. She disappeared underneath the water then came up again. Her white fur glistened in the moon light. Knuckles snuck a peek over his shoulder, but when he saw her looking at him, he turned away again. Rouge just stared at him with a sassy smirk on her face.
"What's the matter? You chicken?"
"No, just not as stupid as you," Knuckles shot back, "Who goes swimming naked at night anyways?"
Rouge rolled her eyes. "Everybody, you idiot. You don't go skinning dipping during the day."
Knuckles sighed. He actually was dying to take a swim. After checking up on the Chaotix, he was planning to jump in for awhile, the possibility of Rouge being there never crossed his mind.
"I," said Rouge, "Think you are just a coward."
"No, I'm not." He said in his usual stubborn fashion.
"Then prove it."
She dunked her head under the water and when she came back up, two shoes dropped in front her face and landed on the deck with two solid thuds. She looked up in time to see Knuckles tugging his tee-shirt off over his head and tossing in on top of the shoes. Rouge felt her heart skip at the sight of his muscular bare upper body. From his biceps, to his chest, and abs, Rouge couldn't believe how ripped he was. Maybe every guy should try sitting on his ass all day on an altar.
Knuckles didn't allow her much gazing time and he dived into the water. When his head bobbed up to the surface, he coughed up water and slicked his dreadlocks back.
"So," he gasped, "Who's the chicken now?"
She shook her head, "Still you. Skinny dipping means you have absolutely no clothes on."
"Meaning?"
"Lose the boxers, handsome."
As she said that, Knuckles face flushed a deep red.
"I mean, it's only fair." She said.
Knuckles snorted, "The boxers stay. If you have a problem with that, just go get your underwear."
"Nice try, perv, but I'm not climbing out of here naked. The boxers go."
"Rouge…"
"Bwack," Rouge clucked softly, flapping her arms in the water, sending splashes everywhere.
Knuckles growled under his breath and reached underwater, where Rouge couldn't see his arms. Then, surprisingly, she saw him lift his Hanes boxers out from under and fling them up on the deck.
Rouge was temporarily shocked, but hid it with a smirk.
"Crap," Knuckles said.
"Ew, Knuckles. You sicko. You just got in."
"Shut up. What I meant was, "crap, what about when it's time to get out?"
Rouge was quiet. He had a point. "….you couldn't think of that before you threw your boxers on the deck?"
"I don't even wanna hear it from you."
Rouge just sighed, "Whatever. We'll worry about it when the time comes." And that was that. She started to swim around again, while Knuckles floated in one spot, feeling awkward.
"Are there fish out here?" he asked.
"Probably, why?"
"What would happen if they were to see a body part that looks like a worm?"
Rouge burst out in a sudden fit of laughter, "You…." she said between gasps of air, "did not just say that."
Knuckles cheeks started to burn, "What? I was talking about my toes!"
She wiped tears from her eyes. "Sure, you were," she giggled, "God, you're such a creeper." As she said this, she sent a wave of water right at his face.
Knuckles spatted water from his mouth and sent one right back. This went back and forth for awhile as the two splashed around like two little kids in a kiddie pool. A couple times when Rouge could see Knuckles, she saw him actually smiling. Knuckles, on the other hand, was careful not to get close enough to her, so he wouldn't touch any part of her body. She already thought he was some sort of pervert, but no matter how hard he tried to keep a distance, she kept swimming closer.
"Wait," Rouge said suddenly, putting a hand up, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The sound of footsteps."
"No, I can't hear anything over your girly screams."
She flicked him on the ear, "Will you just be quiet? I wanna see if I can hear it again."
Kncukles rolled his eyes, but did as she said. He let all his muscles tense up to stop from making sound. After he did that, a heavy peaceful quiet hushed over the lake. The crystal luminescence of the moon shimmered in the water like shards of broken glass. The mountains and hills, covered with lush evergreen, were misted with silver clouds around the peaks. Strangely, he thought, no night on Angel Island alone could compare to the beautiful scenery of the one he was spending with Rouge, his most hated enemy.
What strange irony.
Remembering the bat, he noticed how close she was to him. But she wasn't paying any attention to him. Her emerald eyes were shimmering as she looked around taking in the sights. When she did realize him looking at her, she frowned and snapped to attention.
"What?" she snapped.
"What what?"
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she demanded.
"I'm not doing anything. I was just keeping quiet like you told me to."
"Well, I can't pay attention with you staring at me with googly eyes."
"They're not googly," he retorted, "And how do you expect to hear anything if you keep yapping at me every two seconds?"
"Well, I wouldn't have to if you would stop doing or saying things that would make me bitch at you!" she said, her voice growing shriller.
"You bitch at everything I do!"
"Stop being such a creeper then!"
"When you stop being a bitch!" he yelled.
They had an intense staredown, their shouts echoing and carrying across the lake then eventually, with the last echoing "bitch", faded into the dark air. Both glared at each other without saying a word, before Rouge finally heard what she had heard before: footsteps combined with their owners' voices: Sonic and Tails.
"Did you hear that? It sounded like Knucklehead," Sonic said.
Knuckles tensed up and looked over at Rouge, whose ears were perked, picking up every sound.
"It sounded like it came from the lake." Tails said.
"Come on, I think it's right through here."
Knuckles felt his stomach drop to his butt and he wished at once he could disappear. Being naked in a lake, swimming at midnight with Rouge the bat, was one of the last things on earth that he wanted to be seen doing. Especially by Sonic.
But it was too late, Sonic and Tails came through the bushes and stepped onto the dock, spotting Knuckles first. Rouge was slightly hidden behind the deck and she was trying to be as immobile as possible.
"Hey!" Sonic called out to him, "We thought we heard your voice!"
"What the hell are you doing out here?" Knuckles growled.
"Funny, I should ask you the same question. We're out here collecting wood," Sonic said moving closer to the edge, then he saw Rouge.
"What the-?" he spat, "Rouge?!
Rouge just lifted a hand and waved stiffly. Sonic bit his lower lip in attempt to stop from laughing.
"Should I even ask?" he said.
"No, absolutely not," Knuckles growled, "I was just getting out anyways." Then he realized he was still buck naked. He sat there floating for a moment.
"What's wrong? Snapping turtle got you?" Sonic asked.
Rouge started to giggle, when she understood Knuckles' dilemma, "Yeah Knuxie, what's wrong?" she asked mockingly.
Sonic's nose curled, "Knuxie? Is that a new pet name or something?"
"Sonic," Tails said, "I think I'm tangled up in some vine."
"What do you mean?" Sonic asked turning back to the fox. Behind his back, Knuckles shot Rouge a death glare, and Rouge scowled back.
Sonic bent down to look at what was around the fox's ankles, "I don't think that's vine, Tails. It's…" then he stopped midsentence and looked up at Knuckles, shaking his head and Knuckles knew at once that Sonic knew.
"Oh this is rich." Sonic said with a chuckle.
"What is it?" Tails asked, but Sonic hid them from his view. He turned back to Knuckles.
"Um, Knuckles? Did you happen to loose something?"
"Say another word, hedgehog, and I'll break your face."
Sonic just laughed and held up Knuckles' boxers with two fingers, "How much are you willing to pay to get these back?"
"Sonic, I'm serious. It's too late to do this shit."
"Fine," Sonic sighed, "but just know Knuckles, I won't be forgetting this any time soon, because this is too damn funny."
He tossed the boxers to Knuckles who caught them and hastily put them on underwater. Afterwards, he climbed out and threw Rouge's underwear out to her.
Sonic walked up next to Knuckles and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"So, Knuxie," he drawled in a mocking tone, "how'd the water feel?"
"I dunno, Sonic, you tell me."
Using only one arm, he shoved Sonic, who backpedaled right off the dock and hit the water with a loud smack.
Both Rouge and Tails gasped, but Rouge's gasp was followed with laughter.
"Knuckles!" Tails cried, "You know Sonic hates water!"
Knuckles bent over to grab his clothes and then as he passed by Tails, he patted him on the shoulder.
"Exactly," he said with a smirk, then he left through the woods alone, leaving the scene and Rouge behind him.
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Okay, everyone...please bear with me and my poor writing right now. I'm so freaking rusty, it's pathetic. I haven't written in a long time, but I thought that I should update before this story completely falls off the map. Anyways, I'd like to hear your opinons on this chapter and I'll be updating again soon!