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“Are you sure you should be doing that?”
The echidna watched as Shadow messed with the wiring of a motorcycle. Well, if it could even be called that. The more Knuckles looks at it, the more he thinks this thing is a glorified bicycle. What little paint is left on it is chipped, the only mirror it has is hanging on by a literal thread, and the wheels look so rusted Knuckles is surprised that its rider even managed to get as far as they did without their bike falling apart.
Shadow fiddles with the wiring some more, getting a small spark before digging deeper in the mechanical beast’s chest.
“I can’t just leave this thing here, waiting to get mistreated by its owner. Wouldn’t you much rather see this thing looking brand new?”
She’s crazy, he thinks.
“You’re just like Tails, y’know?” he says.
At that, Shadow falters a little. She drops one of the wires she was fiddling with, grumbling a little as she struggles to pull it out of the tangled mess. She grits her teeth.
“How so?”
“The whole tinkering thing. He’s got his gizmos and you have your motorcycle. And this one, apparently. Isn’t this illegal or something?”
Shadow smirks at that, a look she gladly throws at him.
“So? Are you going to do anything to stop me?”
Her tone is smug, too smug, he should wipe that smile off her face smug.
“Uhm, honestly? Not really. I couldn’t care less what you decide to steal.” he shrugs, glancing away so he doesn’t have to look into her eyes.
“Well, then I assume you don’t mind that, if we were to get caught, you would be my accomplice?”
“Ha! Us, caught? Only way we’d be caught is if that thing collapsed when we ride off!”
Shadow chuckles a little at that, small smile lingering as she connects another pair of wires and—
VRROOOM VROMVROMVORMOVVROM!!
The geriatric bike starts with a loud, smokey grumble. The sound of the motor lessens as it registers that it’s locked in place, though is still quite audible from a few feet away. Shadow snaps the lock and chain off, hopping on and lifting the kickstand. She adjusts herself so her weight is distributed evenly, then puts her foot down to keep it from falling over.
“Well? Are you coming with me or are you just going to stare?”
Knuckles shakes his head a bit, cheeks warming as he sits behind Shadow. His hands hover over her hips, before wrapping his arms around her waist.
“Hang on.”
And that’s the only warning he got before being violently jerked forward, hearing nothing but the sound of the engine revving and someone yelling. Knuckles’ grip tightens a bit, before he relaxes as he realizes it’s not quite so bad when you get to a steady speed. Knuckles looks around, taking in the sights of the city passing by before he notices something.
The mirror flails, not enough to make it snap off, but enough that it can’t really be used to check for oncoming vehicles. It instead reflects the face of its new rider. Knuckles can see Shadow, can see that she’s smiling. He can see a glint in her eye, one filled with a sort of excitement he doesn’t ever really see in her. She’s usually so managed, in a way. Being able to experience this with her almost makes up for the fact he can hear sirens in the distance.
She glances down at the mirror, most likely out of instinct and not because it’s actually useful. She catches his eye, and her face softens. She focuses back on the road, but Knuckles’ mind is running wild. His heart has jumped to his throat, making it hard to breathe. His cheeks ache, and he realizes he’s been smiling wildly. Knuckles tries to relax his face, but he can’t. He decides to focus on the cityscape, a cacophony of sounds trailing behind them.
As they make their way out, Knuckles looks back once more. Red and blue lights flash in the distance, sirens fading, leading to the only thing he hears be the engine of their getaway vehicle. He faces forward, and leans into Shadow a little.
Out of the corner of his eye, he thinks he can see Shadow’s reflection smile a little wider.
Slowing down in front of a modest looking apartment, Shadow rolled the motorcycle to a stop. The bike rumbled, and Knuckles took Shadow’s lack of movement as a sign to hop off. After a brief pause, Shadow turned off the engine and put down the kickstand. Before she made her way to her door, Knuckles put his hand on the handlebar.
“Ya know, I was wondering…Why do you like these things? Can’t you jog faster than the top speed of the best bike?”
She looked at him a little incredulously, as if the answer wasn’t obvious.
“While it is true that I could run faster than any motorcycle, sometimes it’s more efficient to have a quick vehicle that can carry multiple people versus just myself who can only carry one or two people at a time.”
She started walking, making small hand movements as she explained her reasonings.
“Not only that, but occasionally I need to rest my body, and having a quick mode of transportation allows me to head home without having to worry.”
She pauses, before smirking.
“Plus, it’s cool. Duh.”
Knuckles huffed, and Shadow let out a small, rumbling laugh. She pulls out her keys, and then stops. The sound of Knuckles walking behind her has faded, and when she turns around, she sees him standing a couple feet away from her. He looks a bit pensive, head turned down and hands in his jacket pockets.
“I… can’t get home.”
Knuckles looked a bit bashful at that. Shadow feels a bit bashful about that. She had completely forgotten that Knuckles had no method of returning home. Part of her assumed that their night together would go on, and she feels guilty for thinking that he would disregard his duties as guardian just for her. They stood there in silence, unspoken questions lingering between them.
“Would you… like to stay the night?”
Knuckles snaps his head up, a look of bewilderment on his face. He seems genuinely confused, maybe even frightened at the prospect.
“I, uh… are you sure? Maybe I could just call Tails to see if he can take me home, since I wouldn’t wanna burden you with having to watch over me.”
Something about that felt disheartening to Shadow. How could he ever think his company would be burdensome? If that had been the case, she wouldn’t have invited him out to the city. He doesn’t seem to take her silence or the pout that formed on her face very well.
“Seriously, it’s fine! I just…I… I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome, and.. I mean you’ve been very welcoming and it’s nice, because you’re nice, even when you try to act all brooding and aloof, and… well…”
That lifts her mood again. Seeing the echidna sputtering about, she couldn’t help but let a small smile form. She walks towards him, slowly, as if trying not to spook a wild animal. There was nothing wild about him, though. She knew that from experience. She cups his cheek, and he stops. Frozen in place, he stares at her as she leans in, and…
Their lips meet. For just a few seconds, Knuckles feels warm, at peace, like he’s home. She pulls back, still cupping his cheek and staring into his eyes. His face is completely red and his eyes are wide open. She snickers, letting out an airy chuckle.
“I promise you, you won’t burden me at all. Now, I ask again; would you like to stay the night?”
Knuckles still stares at her, before he starts to regain his senses. Her expression is soft, so much unspoken affection being thrown at him, and it takes him longer than he’d like to muster up the ability to do anything. He nods in slow, choppy movements, before remembering he also has a voice he can use.
“Y-yeah… Yeah, I’d like that.”
Her smile widens, and he feels himself start to mimic her expression, albeit in a more lopsided, not at all suave way. She turns to unlock the door, opening it and then taking his hand to lead him inside. After closing the door behind them, they remove their jackets and accessories, making their way to her room. Getting under the covers, they shuffle close together, enjoying each other's body heat.
As Knuckles starts to doze off, he looks back on the day they had. Hanging out in the city, stealing the crappy motorcycle, getting a kiss and staying the night with Shadow…
Shadow, someone he’s admired for a while. She’s strong, fast, and her innate ability to utilize the Chaos Emeralds have almost always made her catch Knuckles’ eye.
Wait…
His eyes snap open.
Shadow can use the Chaos Emeralds. More specifically, she can use the emeralds to warp long distances. Knuckles faintly recalls that being how she invited him to hang out in the first place.
He stares at her. She’s already asleep, if the soft snores coming from her are anything to go by. He debates waking her up to see if she can’t still warp him back home.
She snuggles up to him, putting her head under his chin and wrapping her arms around his torso.
The Master Emerald will be fine if he’s gone for just one night, right?
He pulls her in closer, nuzzling his muzzle on the top of her head. Taking a deep breath, he gets a whiff of lavender, causing his muscles to fully relax. Dozing off, a dopey grin forms on his muzzle.
Yeah, the Master Emerald will be alright.