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rubyiiiusions · 2 years

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cover me in roses, cover me in pearls - knuckles character study

rated G, 1959 words, platonic/romantic knuxouge ao3 link

Knuckles was tired.

Absurd. The guardian was not supposed to be tired. He was an unmoving stone pillar, standing tall and steady to protect his tribe’s legacy with fists raised and teeth bared. He did not fatigue or wear. He was an insurmountable cliff, an immobile boulder. No one could catch him off guard if his fists were always up, a veil between his eyes and theirs.

His island thrummed at his feet, a constant reminder of his duty, the everlasting heartbeats of his long-dead kin. Any untrained gaze that scoured his home would consider it deserted, an abandoned graveyard of a mysterious civilization, useless except for some ancient hidden power. Where they saw winding cave systems, Knuckles saw homes, painstakingly dug out by hand and carved with the care a sculptor gives to his masterpiece. Where they saw a ruined sanctum, he saw a sacred temple. Where they saw power, he saw honor, a responsibility that he was proud to bear on his shoulders, another heart beating next to his. The island was Galatea, and he could only hope to live up to the space Polyphemus had left.

(It didn’t matter that he couldn’t remember any names or faces other than Tikal’s, muffled with static. The centuries-old claw marks on the wall fit his own, and that was all that mattered.)

And so he stood, through rain and sleet and snow, through chaos and trickery and war. The moments his fingers dared slip were short-lived and he tossed them to the wind. The emerald was his, and he was its, thrumming under his fingertips. It was the only family he had, after all. His eyelids would not, could not droop, lest they fail his ancestors again.

As sea-blue eyes lazily traced his muscular figure, Knuckles absentmindedly wondered what happened when an unstoppable object met an immovable force.

“Bat girl.” His voice was low, monotone, revealing none of the irritation beginning to heat in his chest. Of course, he knew that small victory would be short lived–Rouge knew exactly how to press his buttons.

“Hello, beautiful,” She took a few seemingly careless steps forward, voice laced with rose petals. He knew how well the thorns were hidden. Her gaze wasn’t on him, but the emerald, shimmering in the fading light. Chaos, it was infuriating how the sun cast its rays on that muzzle, a blazing gold. “Been a while, hasn’t it?”

“What are you doing here?” It wasn’t a question, but a statement, an order for her to get out , to go back where she belonged, to the probably stolen apartment she shared with her team, working against or with him. It didn’t matter. Knuckles worked alone, and that was just how he liked it. He didn’t need anything or anyone else besides his emerald, but Rouge, thief as she was, kept insisting upon these stupid visits.

She ignored him, ascending toward his emerald step by step, that stupid determination in her eyes, and he growled in warning. “Answer me, Rouge.”

Silence. A raised eyebrow, a smirk.

“I’m warning you!” Knuckles barked, stepping forward and sliding between her and her target. That’s all she thinks of it. Just some shiny, magic rock for her to steal. She knows nothing of the Master Emerald, and she has the gall to try and take it anyway?

Tch. Unworthy.

“Just thought I’d drop by,” she purred, hand sitting lazily at her hip. “Really, Knuckles. Not very gentlemanly of you. What kind of host accosts his guest?”

“I didn’t invite you to my island,” he retorted, hands curled into fists. Chaos, that makeup was just begging to be smeared by a well-placed punch.

“I seem to recall Sonic inviting you off your island for Christmas.” Something shifted in her gaze, hardening as it clashed with his. “How long has it been since you left, anyway?”

“You’re the reason I can’t leave, Rouge!” Knuckles spat, taking a step back to be closer to his purpose. “Thieves like you. The Master Emerald is more important than me! What I want–” he paused, a strange, unfamiliar doubt pulsing like fire in his chest. He extinguished it without a second thought. “I have a duty . You don’t understand.”

“ Damn it, Knuckles!” Rouge’s voice was sharp, taking a dangerous step forward, her tone flipping on its head in an instant. “You have a duty, sure, but you’re not letting yourself have a life! No one’s seen you in months , and now you’re attacking me for–”

“ Can it ,” he snarled, raising his fists dangerously. She never knows when to give up, does she? “You’re not going to get my emerald, so leave! ”

“I don’t want your damn emerald!”

Knuckles paused, and suddenly he became aware of the bulkiness of his hands. He was clumsy. It was far too easy for his fists to break things.

(Whatever this was? He didn’t want to shatter it. It was new, different, wrong . And yet, he wanted.

…but what other option did he have?)

“I don’t give a shit about your emerald, you hear me?” Rouge was almost screaming now, voice raw and shaky, and Knuckles was stunned into silence, anger giving way to shock. She’s never acted like this before . Her palm collided with his chest, more of a shove than a slap. “I don’t care about your island, your duty, your treasure, whatever! ”

“Rouge–”

“I care about you , damn it!” She whipped around, but not quite fast enough for Knuckles to miss the tears brimming in her eyes. He found himself reaching toward her and stopped himself. Why do I…what is this? What is she getting at?

“...Why did you really come here, then?” His voice was low and quiet, almost ashamed. He felt himself splitting in two. “Was it just to yell at me?”

“No, you idiot.” Knuckles was awful at understanding undertones, but he couldn’t miss the barely-veiled regret in Rouge’s voice. “No one’s heard from you for ages. I couldn’t just…” she paused, trying to steady her voice. It didn’t work. “I needed to know you were ok.” A raw laugh left her throat, and surprisingly, Knuckles could sense the exact moment she slipped back into her act. “Have to make sure my emerald’s kept safe, y’know?”

“I thought you didn’t care about the emerald.”

“Tch.” Rouge didn’t answer, still facing away. Slowly, she knelt, gaze locked with the sunset. Her breathing was still shaky. “M’ just glad you’re alive.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Knuckles moved to sit beside her. It didn’t dawn on him that he was leaving a gap for her to dart to the emerald and claim it for herself, he had more pressing matters to worry about. “I’ve lived here my whole life, y’know. My tribe did it for generations. Nothing changed, I’ve just got a few more pesky thieves and evil overlords to worry about than my ancestors.”

“Doesn’t really seem like living to me,” Rouge muttered, hunching over and pressing her muzzle into her sleeves.

“It’s tradition. You wouldn’t understand.” No one does. No one seems to know the importance of remembering. If I am not here, what happens to my ancestors? My family? My memories? What happens to the emerald they guarded for generations?

“Please, go ahead and try to explain to me how spending your entire life standing in that same spot in front of that same shrine for hours at a time, barely even sleeping , is living. You sound miserable.”

“Of course you would think that,” Knuckles shot back. “You spend your time lying and deceiving others just to get what you want. You’re just a greedy treasure hunter.”

…So why do I care that you care about me?

“And what’s wrong with that, huh?” Rouge watched the clouds march across the sky, a spark of defiance in her voice. “I do whatever the hell I want. I’m not letting some stupid destiny or tradition control me. And what I want to do is make the world a better place. I don’t just steal treasure, you know. There’s a reason I work for G.U.N.”

“What does that have to do with my emerald?” Knuckles tilted his head. Damn you, Rouge. You’re always so confusing. “I don’t need anyone else. I work alone. I’m the last of the echidnas, it’s what I’m meant to do.”

“You don’t have to, though.”

“I want to.”

“ Please , Knuckles.” She turned to him for the first time in a few minutes, and her makeup was smeared. A strange warmth made itself known in his chest. “I could see the bags under your eyes from a mile away. Why don’t you just let yourself sleep, once in a while? Go visit your friends and family? This duty… it can’t be all consuming, can it?”

“Do you understand what the word ‘Guardian’ entails?” Knuckles’ voice was less sharp and more solemn. “I cannot leave my post, Rouge. I cannot fail my ancestors. The emerald is more important than what I want to do. What I need to do is keep it safe.”

“No.” Rouge poked him, almost gently, right in the center of his chest. He flinched but didn’t look away. “You’re more important than the emerald. Your life is more important than some tradition.”

“And this is why you’ll never understand.” Knuckles looked away. There should have been no conflict in his chest, no feeling of tearing or ripping his patchwork feelings at the seams.

And yet.

“You have no right to be mad at me for stealing jewels, then.” Rouge’s hand found his knee, barely brushing fur. He shuddered, but didn’t shove her away. “After all, if you’re willing to sacrifice your life for one measly emerald, you can’t scold me for valuing material possessions.”

“I’m not sacrificing my life, I’m just–”

“Then leave the damn island once and a while!” Rouge cut him off. “Come visit us so we know you haven’t rotted away! I–” she stopped. “ ...we miss you, Knuckles. Just check in sometimes, ok?”

Knuckles stayed silent, letting his thoughts simmer on his tongue. I… the emerald. What if I fail?

But Rouge’s eyes. She was crying . I did that to her.

…Why do I care?

It didn’t matter, Knuckles decided. He wouldn’t question why he cared, all he knew was that he couldn’t just stop without it cracking and fraying under his cumbersome hands. His ancestors would have wanted him to have a family, right?

“I… suppose.” He relented, sighing in defeat. Now that she mentioned it, his eyelids were heavy. Sometimes mountains had to rest weary bones.

Something in his mind told him he was making a mistake, that he would regret this. The genuine smile on Rouge’s face, unmasked for a mere millisecond, wiped all of his doubts away. She squeezed his hand–when had they started touching?–and looked away.

“Don’t make me regret this,” he added quickly, voice sharp. “This better not be one of your tricks, bat girl.”

(He made no move to remove his hand from hers.)

“I’m sure I’ll make it worth your while.” Rouge shifted closer, ever-teasing at whatever fragile bond they shared. “But for now? I suppose you can keep me in check. Wouldn’t want me finally claiming what’s mine, would I?”

“Of course not. What kind of guardian do you think I am?” Knuckles scoffed. Her breath was warm against his fur, and he let out a yawn, forehead resting against her shoulder. He’d forgotten how easy it was to let himself slip into unconsciousness.

Knuckles worked alone, and he was okay with that. It was his duty, after all, and he didn’t need anyone else. But sometimes, he supposed, it was fine to let himself rely on others. Life wasn’t just about necessities, after all.

#sth #sonic the hedgehog #knuckles the echidna #knuckles #rouge the bat #knuxouge #knuckles x rouge #sth fanfic #sonic fanfiction #oneshot #hurt/comfort #found family #character study #fanfiction #!!! i love him!! best character ever im so serious #god. i would die for knuckles the echidna #rts are appreciated!! btw!! hehe

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