The second Rouge appeared in the sky out of nowhere, Knuckles already had a bad feeling bubbling in his gut.
The moment she landed and instantly began to be all buddy-buddy with him, said feeling only got worse. At that point in time, he knew her long enough to recognize the pattern she used whenever she wanted something from him. So, before she could even get that far, the echidna shut her down, making it very clear that he was not motivated to deal with any of the bat's nonsense.
"Rude. You don´t even know what this is about," Rouge argued and placed her hands on her hips in shallow annoyance for being interrupted. That stubborn echidna didn´t even give her a chance to explain herself.
"Exactly. And I want to keep it that way," Knuckles nonchalantly replied, turning away to return to his previous activity which mostly consisted of keeping his sacred shrine and emerald clean. Perhaps if he starts ignoring her, she'll get the hint and leave. However, the red guardian was realistic enough to know that was nothing but wishful thinking.
A huff from behind him adequately informed that no, Rouge wouldn´t have any of his attitude. "Oh, come on, Knuckles. It's just a teensy-weensy favor I'm asking. Nothing more."
Oh, Knuckles was familiar with that tone of voice. It never meant anything good. And yet, the echidna found himself already failing at his plan to pay her no mind. Highly unimpressed purple eyes moved to shoot his fellow treasure hunter a look. One that should make any use of words unnecessary. "And just how often do these 'favors' end up in trouble for me?"
One over-the-top gasp later and Rouge put a hand on her chest in mock offence, like she could not believe the guardian would think so low of her. The audacity! "I am hurt, Knuckles. I would never intentionally cause you trouble!"
Knuckles wasn´t sure if the bat aimed for her act to be convincing, but if she was… she was definitely doing a god-awful job. …Which, on the other hand, was telling enough of how seriously she took this. So, instead of a verbal response, the echidna merely raised an eyebrow at her and let his silence speak for him.
Seeing how the echidna was obviously not taking any of her bullshit and stayed unmoved in his expression and stance, even after a few seconds worth of staring at each other, Rouge dropped the fake innocence, an equally unimpressed look settling on her face. There was no winning for her here. "You really need to let go of the past," she huffed and crossed her arms in plain displeasure that the echidna didn´t do as she wanted.
Now that got a far stronger reaction out of the echidna. It being a roll of his eyes. "Right. Regardless, the answer is no. I don´t care what it is," Knuckles stated firmly and once again turned his back on the bat. Frankly, he had better things to do, contrary to what the spy might believe. Besides, the guardian rarely got anything out of the things she asked anyway. Things that weren´t trouble, that is.
"Ugh! Fine! No favor then," Rouge finally caved, again making it more dramatic than it needed to be. Sometimes Knuckles couldn´t help but wonder where she got that from but if it meant she'll stop bugging him in the end, then so be it.
"But…"
Oh no.
"Mmmaybe I can interest you in a trade?"
Just like that Knuckles stopped, his attention already grabbed. Against his better judgement he turned to give his visitor a questioning and slightly intrigued expression. "…a trade?"
Unbeknownst to the guardian, Rouge was already grinning like a cheshire cat the second he showed physical signs of interest. By the time he turned around, she managed to dampen it down significantly, but as soon as the verbal confirmation was out in the open, it returned on full display.
And that's how the red mobian ended up babysitting a sick Shadow the Hedgehog for the past two days. You see, Knuckles was a patient echidna, able to guard the Master Emerald for days, weeks, months and had done so for many, many years. As long as he could remember, really. He prided himself with this feat, knowing others would not have the perseverance necessary to bite through it for longer periods of time.
Yet, somehow, this black coated hedgehog achieved to get under his skin in a way Knuckles did not think was possible.
When one thinks of the Ultimate Lifeform, characteristics like stoic, calm and calculated come to mind. Perhaps even arrogant and smug should the situation call for it. Well… Knuckles saw none of that since Rouge dropped the literal hedgehog-burrito off on his island. It was the last thing he expected when the bat asked him to 'simply do what he does best and guard something for her'. Looking back, Knuckles knew he should have been a lot more skeptical of her true intentions. This insight evidently came far too late.
Apparently, and at this point thoroughly proven, Shadow's demeanor took a 180 turn whenever he was not feeling well. He was whiney and restless, constantly rolling around on the bed because he just couldn´t seem to find a comfortable position to lie. Too often he called for his caregiver to demand attention to further complain and moan about his predicament. Simultaneously, he refused to listen to advice that, in most cases, should help improve his health quicker. All in all, he had been one single ball of endless misery from the moment he arrived.
Knuckles was a patient echidna but as of now he was close to losing his last nerve with this over-the-top display of certain death. Not even Sonic acted this dramatically when he's sick! From what he heard and saw, his blue rival simply accepted it quietly for the most part, stayed put and worked through book after book to pass the time. Pretty much the polar opposite to what Shadow was doing. …on second thought though, maybe this shouldn´t surprise Knuckles as much as it did, considering the two people he compared to each other.
However, with the current mayhem, he knew which one he'd rather keep an eye on. That's without taking into account the duties to his island Knuckles had to keep tending to too. "This is the worst…" he heard the hedgehog groan and that's all it took for the echidna to brace himself, because this had been his life for over 48 hours at this point. The only thought crossing his mind was a tired 'welp, here it goes again'. "The room feels like it's spinning… Rooms shouldn´t feel like they spin…! And everything hurts too…! I don´t like it…! Make it stop…!"
Knuckles was just preparing some food for the ill hedgehog, when he resumed his tidal wave of nonstop complaining. It's a strangely admirable ability. Being able to do so without a pause. You'd think Shadow would be too drained to keep this up incessantly, but that's the Ultimate Lifeform for you. Knuckles had given up on trying to make him quit. It was not worth the energy. If Shadow wanted to burn himself out, he can just be Knuckles' guest. Maybe then he'd finally sleep for more than thirty minutes at a time. Still, the guardian wasn´t that heartless to ignore him completely and directed his magenta gaze at the other.
Shadow lied on his back, both of his hands on his face to cover his eyes. Presumably in an attempt to fight off a migraine. The older one had voiced a higher sensitivity against light, so this wasn´t much of a surprise. His dark fur was damp from sweat thanks to the fever he'd been sporting from even before he was so gracefully disposed on Angel Island. Occasionally his body tried desperately to cool off. Heavy intakes of air would make that fluffy chest rise and fall more than any physical activity had ever caused in the past. When the hedgehog wasn´t busy tearing apart his host's sanity, it was a pretty pathetic sight. The discomfort the sickness brought him couldn´t be more evident and truth be told… Knuckles felt sorry for Shadow. A lot, actually. For a moment he contemplated whatever or not he should show it too. But then again…
"Yeah… If you're done being dramatic, here's some soup for you." Knuckles held the bowl out to him and waited for a response as patiently as he could muster. Mentally he already prepared himself for one of the protesting kind. Only that he wouldn´t blame the hedgehog if he did this time around. Knuckles wasn´t the biggest fan of broth either. However, last time he wanted to give him something more solid and admittedly demanding, it ended with Shadow pouring out his innermost. Over his shoes. So… yeah. He was not about to make that mistake again.
Meanwhile, the one in question lifted his hands just enough to give the echidna a look of pure betrayal. Not an expression the echidna had seen on this hedgehog before. "You're cruel, Knuckles…!" Shadow whined, twisting to the side because his back was aching terribly. "I am dying, yet you don´t take my distress seriously…! Do you have no pity?"
Whatever he hoped to achieve with the display, fell on deaf ears and blind eyes. Knuckles' demeanor stayed unimpressed and unmoved. A true showcase of neutrality if there ever was one. "You're not dying. It's just a common flu. You're fine."
"Not feeling fine…! Is this what normal people feel like? It sucks!"
There was a split second of silence in which the echidna merely observed, until a sigh he had been holding in for far too long passed his lips. "You're asking the wrong person. Can´t remember the last time I've been seriously sick…" the guardian answered as he sat down on the foot end of the bed. Since he had no nightstand, Knuckles placed the bowl of soup carefully on his lap. Once sure the hot liquid wouldn´t accidentally be spilled, his attention shifted back to the hedgehog, a spark of curiosity suddenly in his eyes. "While we're at it… I thought you couldn´t even get sick."
A pained groan was the first immediate reaction the echidna got, although very clearly it was not supposed to be a response to his question. Shadow paid him far too little mind for it to be the case. Nevermind the fact that he also rolled over and onto his belly. An action he had done on numerous occasions. Especially when his back began to act up from the lack of movement. Lastly, he pulled the pillow over his head, trying to cut out everything around him and muffling his own noises in the process. "That's a misconception… I can… obviously. It's just… incredibly rare… but in exchange… more extreme…"
Knuckles regarded him quietly for a few seconds. There was no judgement in his body language. Yes, he may have felt quite the amount of irritation due to the hedgehog's antics, but it wasn´t like Shadow chose to be unwell. So, instead of giving into the urge to let out some pent-up frustration with a snarky remark, Knuckles opted for a simply hum and a small understanding nod. "Well… Maybe if you'd stop being stubborn and do as you have been told repeatedly, you'd already start feeling better. Now, up and eat your soup. I'm not in the mood to get lectured again, because you decided the age of five suits you better."
Hey, just because the guardian chose not to snark, didn´t mean he can´t sass. At least it had the desired effect of making the Ultimate Lifeform stir, alas with some displeased grumbling. The pillow stayed on the red striped head for a whole of three seconds before Shadow turned once more to get into a proper sitting position. Seeing how the hedgehog struggled a tad out of dizziness, Knuckles moved to give him a hand. As soon as he was seated comfortably enough and verbally confirmed so too, the echidna held the bowl of still steaming soup out for Shadow to take. Fortunately, the older mobian was at least able to feed himself. Though at this point the crimson furred brawler wouldn´t have been surprised if he had to spoon feed him too. Not that he would have minded doing that one, actually. It was ten times more preferable than cleaning up barf. Of course, getting food into himself was when Shadow decided he had some dignity left.
After the hedgehog was done, which took longer than anyone needed for a bowl of soup ever, Knuckles swiftly disposed of the now empty object. A content hum vibrated in his throat, happy and grateful that the other didn´t immediately spew the liquid back out. One small step in the right direction. "Wasn´t too hard now, was it?" he quipped and put the tableware next to all the supplies Rouge was oh so kind to leave him. When there was nothing, no retort or anything, coming back, the echidna turned and tilted his head when Shadow all but vanished from his sight. Raising one eyebrow Knuckles returned to the bedside only to find the hedgehog huddled into his blanket, the feverish blush on his cheeks suddenly a little stronger than it was before. The taller mobian tilted his head once more. "What's the matter now?"
"Cold…"
"Cold…" Knuckles heard himself repeat and it wasn´t long until confusion hit him. How in the world was Shadow cold? He literally had a steaming bowl of soup less than a minute ago and was wrapped up in a thick blanket! Not to forget that he was covered head to toe in black and red fur! The bafflement subsided pretty quickly though, because honesty? Weirder stuff has happened. So, this might as well be a thing too. Tired red eyes watched him expectantly and just like that the guardian let out a defeated sigh. Fine, he'll get him another blanket! Hopefully this won´t end with the sick Ultimate Lifeform receiving a heat stroke.
Shadow on the other hand had different plans, for the moment the taller one turned his back on him, he snatched his arm and pulled. Knuckles, of course, didn´t exactly predict such a move and let out a startled yelp. In less than a blink he was hauled down into bed with the older hedgehog. However, this was not where things ended. To the guardian's utter shock, he realized how Shadow wrapped his arms around his middle; effectively holding him in a capture and, which was significantly more noteworthy, hugging him from behind.
For a second Knuckles' brain downright stopped functioning. It was an odd sensation of registering what was going on and not registering it at all. A temporary blackout, so to speak. Once the initial bewilderment began to fade and his mind managed to process the situation, Knuckles' entire body went stiff. Purple eyes widened as an aggressively furious blush painted the whole of the echidna's face a deep shade of red, especially when he felt the hedgehog nuzzle against him. "What are you doing?!" he exclaimed loudly, turning his head to give the other a look of absolute perplexity.
Shadow did not return the eye contact nor reacted to the volume of his voice, too busy burrowing his fever heated face into the warmth of Knuckles' crimson pelt. "I'm cold…" he muttered against him, as if he was not currently snuggling into the taller mobian like it's the most normal thing in the world.
This unforeseen act of physical affection had Knuckles' brain in scrambles, unable to compute the predicament at hand. The temperature in his cheeks wasn´t going anywhere but up either. If so was still possible. Why would Shadow make a move like that?! Sure, he was sick but there was no way he didn´t know what he was doing! The puke incident aside, he never hinted at not being in control over his actions. "I was just about to grab you an extra blanket?!" Knuckles tried to argue, though he couldn´t hear much over the rapid hammering of his own heart in his ears.
Any attempt to wiggle out of those dark arms was cut short, the hedgehog simply tightening his hold when he tried. For being unwell, Shadow still had a surprisingly strong grip. But then again… he was the Ultimate Lifeform for a reason. It was clear, Knuckles wasn´t going anywhere anytime soon. "Cold now… you're warm… it'll suffice…" the older mobian mumbled and proceeded to nuzzle further into him, as if to prove his point. Apparently, the spooning position he got them in wasn´t enough.
As he started to relax against the taller red male, Knuckles continued to stay frozen, his mind going haywire, desperately searching for possible explanations for this unexpected behavior. He wanted to argue, get Shadow to let go of him. If only to calm his blood pressure ceaselessly giving his face a bright flush. This was so confusing and out of the blue! How was he supposed to react to this? Just because Knuckles had imagined similar scenarios a few hundred times on long days of guarding the Master Emerald, didn´t mean he ever expected it to actually happen! He was not prepared for this! Oh Chaos, hopefully Rouge won´t choose this exact moment to check up on them. He'd never hear the end of it. He… He'd ne-
…wait.
That was the exact second the echidna's racing headspace came to an abrupt halt, sudden realization striking him. Everything started to make sense when the culprit of it all entered the picture. The one and only who got in him into this predicament in the first place, taking the form of the sassy bat in question.
Oh, boy.
Okay, so… maybe Knuckles had a tiny little crush on the very hedgehog spooning him. And maybe he enjoyed being in his general proximity a little too much. Yes, even after those past couple of days of steadily losing his sanity. The guardian was convinced that he had been discreet about this whole ordeal, though. He certainly never acted on it.
But of course, of course Rouge would see right through him. Read him like an open book. Like the perceptive child of a gun she was. Honesty, why was Knuckles even shocked? That in mind, it made so much more sense why she'd choose to quite literally drop her sick best friend into his arms to deal with. Was Shadow in on this too? Doubtful considering the verbal protest he tried to yell after Rouge when she took off but still. Knuckles couldn´t help but jump to conclusions. His mind was one giant mess right now.
Yet, all irritation and uncertainty slowly evaporated from the crimson echidna, an immense feeling of bashfulness taking their place instead. Despite the whirlwind of emotions raging inside of him, his body eased, the tense muscles loosening until the echidna was lying in bed fully lax. For a few seconds Knuckles only looked straight forward into the room and at nothing specific, trying to sooth himself while his heart attempted to burst through his ribs. Just because he calmed down physically, didn´t automatically mean he also did mentally. That was entirely different story. One that would take a minute or two.
Carefully Knuckles turned his head to gaze at the suspiciously quiet hedgehog. What he saw was enough to make that fading blush come right back. Shadow was fast asleep, finally resting properly as the echidna wanted him to on multiple occasions. Dark arms continued to keep him in place, using the taller male not only as a source of heat but possibly also… comfort? At least, that's the impression with how serenely he leaned and nuzzled into the soft fur of his caretaker. A highly unusual behavior, but also a very telling one. Shadow… trusted him. Enough to be this kind of vulnerable with him.
Knuckles paused, a mellow expression settling on his face shortly after. A warm, homey feeling began to spread in his chest, originating from a thought that also created a little something the echidna never dared to reach for.
Perhaps this wasn´t Shadow acting out of a hazy, sickness induced mind. Or at least not wholly. It wasn´t farfetched that Rouge was indeed aware of his fondness, so who's to say she didn´t also know where Shadow stood on that matter? She had her means of finding out and was the one thrusting them into this situation after all. Maybe there was a genuine chance for him to like Knuckles back…? Or maybe he got it all wrong and she simply did this for shits and giggles.
Either way, the echidna couldn´t help the faint fluttering feeling of hope rising in his stomach. Naïve probably and foolish most likely, but it was what it was. He'll definitely chew out Rouge when it's all over. Thank her or kick her ass depending on the outcome. But that was a task for later. For now on the other hand… he simply allowed himself to accept his fate and have this. To enjoy the closeness while it lasts. Strangely at peace with the revelation and the possibility of it being true.
