Sonic pushed himself up and jogged down the slope because he couldn’t help it. “Hey,” he called, grinning before he reached him. Not a joke this time. Just a simple, honest word.
Knuckles barked another laugh and tapped Sonic’s shoulder. “Fine. Stay. But no stealing the emerald.”
That got Knuckles to look up properly. For a heartbeat, the island’s guardian seemed to measure whether to close off his face. Then he shrugged, putting his hands on his hips. “I’m always okay. This place is my duty.”
Sonic laughed softly. “That’s my job.”
They talked less after that. The air turned colder, and Sonic shuffled closer, not quite touching but close enough that their shoulders grazed. Knuckles didn’t move away. Instead, he said, quietly, “You make it easy to forget…everything.”
Sonic shrugged. “Why would I? You’re epic as you are.”
“And you don’t get to be more than that?” Sonic asked, softer.
—End
