A/N: This story takes place in a fictional college setting that doesn't match 1-to-1 with a real university experience. There are many similarities, but also lots of liberties taken to make the plot more engaging (like most students only attending a single class). This idea originated from a group of my friends talking about a Shadow/Rouge/Knuckles/Sonic love square. Enjoy!
Shimmering turquoise irises meet with grape-colored eyes when Rouge the Bat steps into the sparring square across from her partner. Her smile is already bad news to Knuckles the Echidna, the glossy curve telling him that she'll be her usual teasing self today. At least he's better prepared for it now; after weeks of getting flustered whenever she looked him up and down or paid him a compliment in the middle of their bout. Today, he would be a wall of stone, and the lady would learn to take their sessions more seriously.
Their class trainer, Coach Tower, speaks once they both stand still on the sparring mat. "Now that you've had the opportunity to explore different fighting styles and find one that resonates with you, it's time to put your chosen skills to the test. Find your stance, and ready it."
Knuckles glances over at the older human man and gives him a nod while shifting into a sturdy position, raising his mitts like a boxer. But Rouge remains standing, one hand cupping her hip as her eyes trail over her rival's form.
"Have you been working out more than usual lately?" she asks casually.
Knuckles groans in annoyance at her flirting, keeping in mind that she's trying to rile him up so she can win again. "Would you be serious for once and commit to the lesson?"
Rouge's expression becomes a little more mischievous as she turns sideways to pose in a kicking stance. She raises her fists to her chest and retorts, "My commitment is limited, Knuxie. You sure you want to waste it on a fight?"
She punctuates her playful words with a wink, which makes the echidna take a deep breath to steady himself. Then he huffs a scoff through his teeth and counters with, "Is it limited? Because you sure do commit to being a pain in the ass 24/7."
Rouge is reminded that they have an audience when she hears a muffled laugh from somewhere behind her – a chuckle that sounds like Sonic the Hedgehog's. His support of Knuckles through the stifled laughter makes her flush with irritation, because it seems to have given the redhead a bit of an ego boost. His frown turns into a smirk and he looks like he might be less affected by her taunting. She doesn't like that he's turning the tables on her.
"Enough bickering," Tower tells them sternly. "Begin."
Knuckles rushes in, going on the offensive and throwing a punch, which Rouge dodges by leaning aside and snaking behind him. She spins her body to deliver a kick, but her opponent is fast enough to turn around and grab her leg mid-air. He tugs her towards him to try a grappling maneuver, but the quick-witted bat uses her impressive core strength to hoist herself up as she approaches him, then slinks her arm along the back of his head to hook it around his neck. A brief set of claps echoes in the big room, signifying approval from the only person in the class who wants her to win.
The woman's ribs brace against her captive's shoulder and she grabs her wrist to keep a solid grasp on the echidna, forcing both of them onto their knees. Caught by surprise that he's been so easily locked in a chokehold, Knuckles loses some of his composure and instinctively attempts to unwrap Rouge's arm from his throat; to no avail, as her technique is more effective than his primal reaction, the lady further distracting him by flapping one of her wings in his face. Though, her focus on the fight is almost compromised when she hears Sonic shout from across the room.
"Come on, Knux, you got this!"
The ivory bat grunts in annoyance and decides her next move. Needing to pin him to win the bout, she hurls herself sideways, forcing him to roll over so they're both lying with their backs on the mat. But she only manages to keep him flush with the floor for two seconds. Refusing to let her beat him again, Knuckles closes his windpipe as much as he can manage against her chokehold, then puts all his strength into propelling his top half off the mat. The motion presses her arm more firmly against his neck, but he pushes through it, using his incredible physical power to break the position she put them in.
"Woah!" Rouge exclaims as his momentum pulls her up and jostles her enough to loosen her grip.
Despite the coughs that burst from his suppressed airway, Knuckles grabs her wrists and bundles them into his left hand. He holds her limbs tightly and turns to kneel again, this time face-to-face with his rival. Just as she tries to pull herself from the mat, he braces his free arm sideways across her collarbone, pinning Rouge's shoulders to the padded square. She pushes against him, but his upper body strength is impossible to overcome. And with no way to break herself from his hold within the three-second time limit, she fails to escape before the coach's whistle is blown.
"Point: Knuckles!" Tower announces.
The redhead frees his combatant and jumps to his feet, slamming his fists together and grinning to himself. Rouge growls under her breath, upset that she's been bested after weeks of winning their rounds. And on the first day of fighting with their own moves instead of learning maneuvers from Coach! That made it worse. Using her charms against him was the easiest way to guarantee her victory, but now it would be a struggle to outdo him.
Knuckles was the closest to matching her skill without crossing the threshold of unmeasurable ability like Sonic or Shadow, but he'd always been reckless and didn't put much thinking into his techniques. That was what always allowed her to win in the end, even when he put up a good fight. Now that he's using his brain more and not letting her taunts get to him, he's proving to be a more formidable fighter than her.
Rouge jumps up from the mat and glares at him, shoving both fists against her hips and leaning in to mock the man. "Lucky break, knucklehead! But don't think you can beat me twice in a row. I'll be even better next time!"
"Do you really think my victory was a fluke?" he replies in a challenging tone. "Or is your ego bruised now that I put you in your place?"
She grunts in anger with a furrowed brow and clenched teeth, then shouts, "How about we go again? Right now! I'll show you that win wasn't anything special!"
Coach Tower blows his whistle and steps between them, holding out his arms to block them from arguing further. "Enough, you two. Your match is over. Split up, get some water, and take your seats."
Knuckles walks away first, happy to turn his back on her while she seethes inside. He meets up with Sonic, receiving a fist bump and a slap on the back for finally beating Rouge. The bat glares at him a little longer as she walks to her seat, then sits down next to her friend Shadow while Tower calls the next pair to spar.
"Don't take it too hard," says the dark hedgehog in his usual flat tone. He hands her a water bottle, which she takes but neglects to drink from. "You were doing well at the start. Your form has improved."
"Not good enough," she tells him, still glancing over at Knuckles and tapping her foot against the linoleum. "I bet that blockhead won because his bestie cheered him on. He probably wouldn't have been able to think straight if someone was hyping me up."
Shadow frowns. "I cheered for you."
"Hardly! You clapped, that isn't cheering."
He rolls his eyes. "Maybe your confidence is too shaken to appreciate my support."
Rouge sighs, crossing her arms and fixing an icy stare into his red eyes. "It is not. Look, I can respect a challenge. But that- he-" She looks the echidna's way again and scoffs. "He just… improved so suddenly! What am I supposed to make of that?"
Shadow watches in cold silence as Rouge continues complaining, "Yeah, he's strong, fine. Whatever! Where'd the technique come from? It's like he's got actual talent now, it's… completely unexpected."
Her companion lowers his face into his palm when her voice softens, though she's too busy gazing at Knuckles to notice. "He must be doing some training on the side. Even his physique is…"
"Rouge," he chimes, drawing her attention, "for the sake of me and all your other friends, can you make up your mind on whether you like him or hate him? I have to hear this crap every time you two bicker."
Rouge rolls her eyes, her glossy lips pulling into a frown. "Chill out, that's just… our dynamic. We argue, sure; but Knux can't ignore my flirting to save his life. He's interested, he's just being stubborn. Seriously, Shadow, I may get irritated sometimes, but it's not a big deal."
She makes eye contact, and when she sees he's staring silently – a doubtful expression that implies he's judging her – she gives him a stern look. It makes the hedgehog put his hands up in a bland motion of surrender, simultaneously shrugging his shoulders and closing his eyes. The soft downward curve of his mouth suggests a disapproving undertone to his following words.
"Fine. I'll trust you on that."
Green eyes blaze with pride as Sonic plops onto the marble bench next to the victor of the hot-headed sparring match. His hand finds its place on Knuckles' shoulder, squeezing firmly while he grins with fierce excitement. "That was awesome! Good job taking her down, man!"
"Heh, thanks," he replies, feeling a little sheepish at Sonic's bombastic reaction even while he swells with triumph. "It feels good, finally getting a one-up on Rouge."
"Yeah, I know it's been rough for you." Sonic releases his shoulder and starts stretching his arms in preparation for his upcoming fight against Shadow. "She's been rough on you. And only in all the worst ways."
He flashes a cheeky grin and Knuckles flushes with embarrassment, barking, "Will you stop saying stuff like that?!"
"What? You know she's into you." The hedgehog clasps his hands together and leans towards his friend, blue eyelids lowering into a dreamy expression. "I mean, who wouldn't be? Strong and cool, and now a great fighter to boot? How could she resist?"
His teasing only makes Knuckles blush more, warm at the unease of acknowledging Rouge's blatant attraction to him – as well as the closeness of Sonic's face to his. "Well… I'm not that into her. I mean… it's not really like that-"
"Wait, seriously?" Sonic interrupts, sitting up straight and acting more genuine. "I thought you were! Isn't that why she was able to throw you off your game so much?"
"Uh…" He scratches the back of his head, having trouble looking his classmate in the eye. Usually, talking to Sonic was easy, but when women were the subject of conversation, he found it was harder to articulate. "It's… complicated, I guess. She's pretty, b-but-"
"You know what, I can see it's not a cool subject to harp on," chimes the speedster to cut him off again. "We don't have to talk about it."
Relieved, Knuckles lets out a sigh and then relaxes his shoulders, initially unaware at how tense he was. "Yeah, let's not."
Sonic pinches his thumb and index finger together, then drags them across his smile in a zipping motion, silently promising his companion not to mention it again. And that action alone reaffirms the redhead's preference to spend his class time with the hedgehog over everyone else. Sonic's respect for him has always been the clearest out of all their friends, and he's the only one who seems to be proud of Knux's accomplishments as if they're his own. But until Knuckles gains the courage to say it out loud, the Blue Blur will never know just how treasured his opinion really is.