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Every couple has to deal with their differences sooner or later. Knuckles and Rouge were no exception. The two of them were as different as night and day in so many ways, and some of those differences caused friction between them. Of course little things like Knuckles being an early riser and Rouge liking her sleep weren’t the real problems. The single biggest problem the unusual couple faced was their work-life balance, or lack thereof.
Rouge had never met a man so married to his job as Knuckles. Not that it wasn’t justified in his case. He was the sole protector of the Master Emerald, an ancient artifact that couldn’t be moved without putting his island or the entire planet in danger. Rouge had known that when they started their relationship, but it still frustrated her that the Master Emerald was always his number one priority. On top of that her own job with G.U.N. was unpredictable. She never knew when she’d be called away on a spy mission, and she never knew where they’d take her or how long they’d last.
Still she and Knuckles tried to make time for each other. A year ago the echidna never would have agreed to leave his island just to spend a night at her place. When Rouge wasn’t traveling the world on spy missions or treasure hunting adventures, she lived in a luxurious penthouse suite above Club Rouge. Knuckles still felt out of place there because it was so clean and fancy and full of expensive furniture and decor. He had spent the night in her huge, fluffy bed more than once and still couldn’t get used to sleeping on a mattress. Even so, he had to admit it was nice to sleep somewhere warm, dry, and with no bugs. Especially when he was sharing a bed with a woman like Rouge.
The sun was just beginning to peer through the velvet curtains when Knuckles woke up. Hearing his movement and feeling emptiness beside her, Rouge woke and yawned sleepily. She shielded her eyes against the sunlight coming through the velvet curtains and squinted at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was six o’clock, too early to be up in her opinion.
With a groan she dramatically rolled over and draped an arm over her face. “Knuckie, come back to bed,” she complained. “No sane person is awake at this hour.”
Knuckles was already dressed in his gloves and sneakers. He was doing push-ups on the floor and didn’t slow down as he spoke. “You stay in bed if you want. I always rise with the sun.”
Rouge cursed the fact that her boyfriend was a morning person. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms and wings at the same time. If he was going to be awake there was no point in her sleeping. “At least tell me you’re staying for breakfast.”
“No time. As soon as I’m done with my workout I’m going back to Angel Island.”
With another groan, she stood and put on her slippers and her silk robe. “Fine,” she grumbled. “You do that. I’m getting coffee.”
While Rouge was in the kitchen making her coffee she could still hear Knuckles doing his workout in the bedroom. The thought of him leaving so soon made her heart heavy. Last night hadn’t been as much fun as she’d hoped, with too much bickering and rushed lovemaking. There had to be some way to get him to stay just a little longer and end things on a high note. She knew he wanted the same thing and was too stubborn to admit it. But she was stubborn, too, and she always got what she wanted.
After she finished her coffee Rouge went back to the bedroom and stood in front of Knuckles. He paid no attention to her and continued his workout, now doing sit-ups instead of push-ups. “Hey, Knuckie,” Rouge said in a sexy voice. “Why don’t we take a bath together before you go?” She put her hands on her knees and bent forward. Her breasts hung directly in his line of sight, dangerously close to popping out of her robe. “We both need it. We worked up quite a sweat last night.”
Sensing she was up to something, Knuckles closed his eyes and continued his sit-ups. “Can’t. I told Sonic I’d be back soon.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand if you’re late. He’d even encourage it.”
“I said no. Go take a bath by yourself.”
Rouge frowned, but she wasn’t defeated yet. “Suit yourself. I’ll leave the door open in case you change your mind.”
So saying, she strolled out of the room and disappeared into the bathroom, making a point of leaving the door open a crack. Soon Knuckles heard the faucet knobs squeaking, then churning water filling up the bathtub and Rouge pouring something in. Then the knobs squeaked again and the flowing water noises stopped, followed by some soft splashing as she stepped into the tub and began washing herself.
“Oh, Knuckie!” she sang loudly enough for him to hear. “I forgot to bring a towel. Could you get one for me, please?”
“No! Get it yourself!” he shouted back. This was getting annoying.
“But I’m already wet!” she whined. “If I get out now I might slip and hurt myself! Do you want me to fall and get a concussion? Or worse, damage my beautiful face?”
“I said no!”
She huffed. “Hmph! You still don’t know how to treat a lady!”
There was some splashing and sloshing as Rouge rose from the bathtub and started to climb out. Suddenly there was a startled yelp, a hard thunk , and a loud splash .
Then there was silence.
Knuckles froze. He waited for a sound. Any sound.
“Rouge?”
Seconds ticked by. No answer.
He ran to the bathroom and flung the door wide open. “Rouge? Are you okay?”
There was no sign of Rouge but a pair of bare legs hanging limply over the side of the claw foot tub. Panicking, Knuckles dashed across the floor, dropped to his knees by the tub, and lifted her head above water.
“Rouge!” he shouted, shaking her limp body. “Wake up! Rouge!”
She didn’t respond when he shouted and shook her, her head rolling weakly from side to side in his arms. Knuckles’ mind raced, struggling to decide what to do even as his world was crumbling around him. Suddenly water splashed him in the face. As he sputtered he heard a woman’s laughter.
Rouge grinned up at him, alive and completely unharmed. “Ha ha ha! I got you! You look so dumb!”
Knuckles rubbed his wet face and sputtered uselessly. He was too shocked, embarrassed, and angry to form complete sentences. “Wha…How…Why…You…You tricked me!”
“Bingo,” Rouge said, smiling proudly. She pulled her legs into the tub and assumed a coquettish pose, squeezing her bare breasts together with her upper arms. “Now that you’re here, why don’t you hop in? There’s plenty of room.”
Knuckles growled, eyes narrowing and brows angled sharply downward. He was used to her playing pranks on him but this was a new low. “I can’t believe you! You faked drowning in the tub just to get me in here?!”
Her own brows crinkled, annoyed that he was getting so upset. “It worked, didn’t it? Don’t take it so seriously. It was just a harmless prank.”
“Harmless?!” He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, voice shaking with too many emotions. “Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought you were dead! Don’t ever do that again!”
Rouge stared at him in surprise. Wow, she had really scared him. She had only meant to get his attention, not give him a panic attack. She looked away with some discomfort. “Sorry. Maybe I was a little over dramatic. But can you blame me? You’re always in such a hurry to leave.”
He loosened his grip on her and sighed. He couldn’t stay mad at her when she looked like that. “Rouge, you knew about my responsibilities when we started all this. Being the Guardian of the Master Emerald isn’t just a job. It’s my sacred ancestral duty. I can’t just abandon it whenever I feel like it.”
Rouge had heard this speech a million times before and was barely listening. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, watching the bubbles floating on the water’s surface. “You spend more time with the Master Emerald than with me,” she said with no emotion. “Just once I’d like to be the most important thing in your life.”
Knuckles gawked at her in disbelief. She thought she wasn’t important to him? She should have known that wasn’t true. Well, he had never told her, but didn’t his actions speak for him? Wasn’t it enough that he had spent the night with her? Maybe not, since she had faked a deadly bathtub accident just to get him in the same room with her.
Knuckles sighed and stood up. He knew what he had to do. “One hour. I’ll stay with you for one more hour. I’ll even take a bath with you. But then I have to leave. Is that clear?”
Rouge’s aquamarine eyes lit up with barely contained joy. “Oh, yes. Crystal clear.”
Knuckles stripped off his gloves and shoes and stepped into the sudsy waters, carefully lowering himself down next to Rouge. The water was warm and the bubbles smelled sweet and fruity. He wrinkled his nose at the overly sweet scent. “Smells like coconuts and pineapples in here.”
Rouge pulled her wings close to her body, wrapped one arm around him, and rested her head on his shoulder. “It's piña colada scented bubble bath. Isn’t it nice?”
Knuckles only grunted. He put his arm around her as well but was still rather confused by the entire setup.
Her fingers caressed one of his spiny dreadlocks with admiration. “You know, I always liked your hair. It’s such a beautiful color. It would be even more beautiful if you groomed it properly.”
He frowned. “What’s wrong with the way I groom it?”
“Nothing, but I’ve noticed it tends to be quite dry and brittle. Don’t you ever moisturize?”
He stared at her blankly. “Moisture-what?”
“That’s it. We’re taking care of this right now.” She lifted the shower head from its hook near the faucet. “Get in front of me.”
“Why?”
“So I can wash your hair, of course. You agreed to this when you got in the tub. Now move.”
“I don’t think—“
She cut him off with a finger on his lips. “Knuckles. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way you’re getting your hair washed.”
With a pouty grumble, Knuckles scooted in front of Rouge and sat between her legs with his back towards her. She turned a knob and warm water splashed all over his head. He spluttered and tried to pull away but she held him back with one arm until she was finished. Once his fur and dreadlocks were thoroughly soaked she turned the water off and set the shower head back on its hook. Then she grabbed a bottle from a low shelf next to the tub and squirted something into her hand.
“What’s that?” Knuckles asked warily. “Some weird potion?”
“It’s a moisturizing shampoo,” Rouge explained. “I’m going to put it in your hair. Hold still, and keep your eyes closed if you don’t want suds in them.”
Knuckles could do nothing but sit there with his eyes closed and wait for it to be over. As Rouge started rubbing the shampoo into his scalp, she was careful not to be too rough. Her goal wasn’t just to get the rugged echidna clean but to get him to relax. He didn’t understand what she was doing as she scratched his scalp lightly with her nails and gently pressed circles into his temples, but he didn’t hate it. He wasn’t exactly sure what it made him feel.
Rouge picked up the shower head again. “I’m going to rinse out the suds, okay?” she said in a soft voice. “Keep your eyes closed and tip your head back.”
Knuckles followed her instructions. As she rinsed the suds from his hair with warm water he started to think maybe this wasn’t so bad. It was actually kind of nice to let someone else wash him for a change. It was rare for Rouge to be this gentle and nurturing with him, and he didn’t want that to end just yet.
When the hot water stopped flowing Knuckles thought it was over, but Rouge had one more step to perform. She got another bottle of something from the shelf and squirted a creamy substance onto her hand. “This is conditioner,” she said. “After I work it into your hair it has to sit for a minute. Can you stay still that long?”
“Of course I can,” he grumbled back. Knuckles liked this second scalp massage more than the first. Rouge’s strong, nimble fingers were remarkably good at rubbing away his tension.
When she was done working the conditioner into his dreadlocks she took a moment to massage his tight shoulders. “Feeling good yet, handsome?” she asked.
He grunted, not wanting to admit just how good he felt. “I-It’s okay.” He couldn’t hide a shiver of pleasure as her hands glided up and down his body, nor hold back a sigh of contentment as her thumbs kneaded his stiff muscles. She did not fail to notice this.
“You like that, darling?” Rouge cooed.
It took every ounce of self control for Knuckles not to moan out loud. “I-I don’t hate it.” Then the warm water was cascading down his head and back again, washing all the suds away. He felt lighter somehow, and there was a fluttery feeling in his chest.
“Done!” Rouge announced, shutting off the water and setting the shower head back on its hook. “You’ll see the results once your hair is dry. I promise it’ll be softer and shinier than you’ve ever seen.”
“Oh. Okay.” Knuckles tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. He didn’t want this to end so soon. “What about the rest?”
“The rest of what?”
“My hair. It’s not just on my head.”
Rouge smiled and tugged some of his wet hair aside. “Oh, I see,” she said, bringing her face close to his. “You like it when I spoil you, don’t you?”
Knuckles felt his cheeks warm as he turned his head the other way. “It’s not that! You just haven’t finished the job yet!”
“Mhmm.” She kissed his shoulder. “As you wish, my handsome prince.”
With that, Rouge rubbed shampoo on both of her hands and went to work lathering up Knuckles’ back and shoulders. His eyes fluttered closed. He wasn’t even thinking about the Master Emerald anymore, and that would have surprised him if he wasn’t so relaxed.
Rouge then wrapped her arms around his chest. Knuckles offered no resistance as she leaned back against the tub and lowered him down to rest his head on her breasts. He all but melted into her, all his cares floating away like soap bubbles. As Rouge lathered up his right arm she felt a low rumbling vibrate from somewhere deep inside his throat and reverberate through her chest. At first she thought he was growling, but this sound was softer, more serene.
Then it hit her; he was purring. Knuckles the Echidna was purring. Rouge had to squelch her laughter, not wanting to interrupt him at such an adorable moment. She could always tease him about it later. He was still purring while she washed his arms, chest, and stomach. When she was finished she kissed the top of his wet head and whispered to him.
“Sweetie, if you want me to do your legs you have to turn around.”
The purring stopped as his eyes blinked open. He had almost dozed off and his head still felt fuzzy. Slowly he lifted himself off of her and turned around, suds pouring from his body, holding either side of the tub to keep himself up. He let his knees float apart, giving her full access to him. Surprisingly Rouge didn’t take advantage of the situation and stayed focused on her task.
As she rubbed the last bits of shampoo and conditioner all over his legs, Knuckles was finally able to see her face. She was smiling in a way he rarely saw on her. Only then did he become self conscious. He always prided himself on being independent and sacrificing his own comfort for the greater good. Being waited on hand and foot like this while he neglected his responsibilities was too much.
“Hey, uh…You sure you don’t mind doing all this?” he asked.
She didn’t slow down as she spoke. “Not at all. I’m actually having fun.”
“It’s just…No one’s ever done anything like this for me. Why are you doing this?”
“Maybe I just wanted to do something nice for my hardworking boyfriend. You deserve a little pampering.”
He turned his head and stared at his shoes and gloves lying on the bathroom floor. “I don’t know about that.”
Rouge finally stopped. She dunked her hands in the water, then reached up and cupped both his cheeks. “Knuckles, look at me.”
Knuckles reluctantly looked back at her and felt his throat tighten. Rouge’s white hair was wet and clinging to her shoulders, and her face had no trace of makeup. Nonetheless she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“Don’t tell me you don’t deserve this, darling,” she said, a soft smile on her lips. “Haven’t you realized yet? You’re the most important thing in my life. You’re even more precious to me than all the jewels in the world.”
Knuckles was at a loss for words. It was so rare for Rouge to be completely sincere with anyone. She was a master of hiding her true feelings behind a mask, but everything she had said was so genuine. “When did you get so honest?”
She moved in closer and rested her forehead on his. “I learned it from you.”
He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, amethyst eyes gazing deeply into aquamarine. “Rouge,” he said softly, almost shyly. “I’m sorry I made you think you weren’t as important as the Master Emerald. It’s my duty to protect it, but…no emerald can make me as happy as you do.”
Rouge’s eyes widened in awe, a soft blush stealing across her cheeks. “Knuckles…That’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“I meant it. Every word.” A crooked smile tugged at his lips. “And now I want to do something for you.”
“Oh? What do you have in mind?”
His smile turned into a sharp-toothed grin. “Let’s just say I’m feeling a little dirty.”
Rouge arched her brows in surprise. Then she giggled. “That was a pretty smooth line, handsome.”
There was only time for them to make love once, but it was more than enough. When they were finished Rouge was glowing and Knuckles felt lighter than air. They took a few minutes to catch their breath in each other’s arms. Then it was time to get out of the tub.
As they toweled off in the bedroom they were quiet, both occupied with their own thoughts. Then Knuckles spoke. “You know, I just remembered something. There’s a hot spring on Angel Island.”
Rouge’s ears perked up. “Ooh! Do tell!”
“It’s in Lava Reef Zone. I could show it to you next time you visit. I-If you want to.”
She pretended to think it over. “Hmmm…Let me check my schedule.”
The End