“COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!” Knuckles growled as he was chasing down Sonic in Ice Cap Zone, the blue hedgehog smirked and mocked Knuckles as he was ahead. “Make me, knucklehead!” Sonic sneered at his rival/friend as he speeded by the snowdrifts, passing through some of them and tossing snow right on Knuckles’ face, but he just wiped that off and kept chasing him. “WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU…!” he growled as he stopped to throw a few rocks at Sonic, who dodged them easily. “Miss me miss me, now ya gotta… You know what, forget I said anything…” Said Sonic, still mocking Knuckles. Then he arrived at what looked like an icy lake. “Oh boy…” Sonic groaned and looked back, seeing Knuckles coming closer, so he took the risk and started sliding on the ice, getting away from his pursuer. “Grrrrr… You’re not getting away!” grunted Knuckles, going on the ice and started skating to get to Sonic. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck…” groaned Sonic, trying to slide faster, but eventually Knuckles got to Sonic and tackled him, pinning him to the cold surface. “Gotcha!” Knuckles sneered and readied a fist, when he suddenly stopped as they heard an ominous noise coming from below them. “...Are you hearing this?” asked Sonic, looking around. “Yup…” Knuckles replied, looking down. The noise was the ice below them, apparently it was more thin than they were expecting and started creaking. “SHIT!” both said and tried to get up and leave, but ended up tripping on each other as the ice gave up and made them plummet down, not inside water, but down a snowy slide which led them into the long and complex cavern system below the zone.
The two rivals slid down for a few minutes, then they were catapulted away from the slide and onto the ground, Knuckles landing on Sonic’s back and grunting as he rubbed his head, then he got up and looked around. “Great… We’ve landed inside the caverns. This place is a damn labyrinth, it’ll take us forever to escape. Congratulations, Sonic! You stranded us!” Knuckles growled at Sonic, stopping as he heard him whine and hold his right leg. “Uh… You good?” asked the red echidna. “Does it sound like I’m good?! I think I busted my knee… Hgh, fuck, this hurts…” groaned Sonic as he kneaded his leg, hissing in pain whenever he’d rub over the knee. Knuckles huffed: great, another complication. Granted, Sonic had an accelerated healing factor, but it was about to get dark and staying still was not the best idea, since in the Ice Cap Zone the temperatures dropped significantly during night time. “Can you sit up?” asked Knuckles, kneeling down. “Mf… I-I can try…”Sonic whined as he rolled on his left side and managed to sit up, however he had to keep his leg straight, since any other position would hurt him. Knuckles gently touched Sonic’s knee, groaning as it was indeed broken. Sonic winced a bit in pain as he did, then squeaked as Knuckles grabbed him by his back and rear and lifted him bridal style. “Eep!” Sonic shrieked as Knuckles lifted him, grunting slightly as Sonic hugged his neck to keep himself balanced. “C’mon, we gotta get outta here…” huffed the brawny echidna, starting to walk down the snowy path in front of them.
“Mgh… My hero…” Sonic giggled as Knuckles carried him. “I can still drop you…” Knuckles reiterated, grunting. Sonic shut up but kept smirking, holding onto him as pressed forward. He had to admit Knuckles’ fur felt very hot and he was holding him every gently despite him not really being known to be delicate. Knuckles stopped for a second, hearing Sonic vibrate slowly against him while making his teeth chatter. “What?” asked Knuckles. “Hm?” Sonic asked back, looking up. “You’re shivering?” said Knuckles, raising a brow. “Duh? It’s freezing here…” Sonic groaned. It was true, the temperatures were already dropping, yet Knuckles didn’t look as bothered as Sonic. “I don’t feel it. Try to hang on.” said Knuckles, continuing to move forward while Sonic continued to shiver and had to cling closer to Knuckles’ warm body, making him groan as he had tightened the grip on his neck. “Hk… Easy, you’re choking me…” groaned the echidna. “S-Sorry, you’re just… Very warm…” cooed Sonic, he was wagging his tail as he hugged his red friendly rival more. Knuckles struggled a bit to hold Sonic while he kept clinging and, eventually, Knuckles’ big hands ended up cupping Sonic’s butt. They looked at each other, eyes widened and mouth shut, as Knuckles was literally groping Sonic. “Uh…” Sonic mumbled, not really knowing what to say. “Fuck, I’m sorry! It was an accident!” Knuckles groaned, quickly moving away his hands and adjusting his hold on Sonic. “It’s… It’s ok, Knux.” said Sonic, who hadn’t even realized how hard he was blushing after that, though Knuckles mistook that for him being cold. “Ok, ok… Still, sorry…” sighed Knuckles as he resumed walking. Oddly enough, Sonic kept quiet while they walked, his mind in turmoil after what happened a few hours prior. Knuckles touching his rear felt… oddly pleasant for Sonic, for some reason, and he had no idea why. He looked up at Knuckles and now he looked different for Sonic. He looked… Much more charming, somehow. -All this because he touched my butt? What the hell is wrong with me?- he thought, groaning as they came to a stop.
Sonic looked at Knuckles, who put him down. “It’s late. We need to rest.” said the echidna, going to a large chunk of rock. “Here? In the middle of a snowy cavern?” asked Sonic, whining aa his leg still hurted. “We don’t have much of a choice.” replied the echidna, using his immense strength to crack a large slab of rock from the chunk, placing it down. “It won’t be the comfiest bed but at least it’s not snow.” said Knuckles, lifting Sonic off the ground and laying him gently on the slab. “Hhhh, i-it’s still c-cold…” groaned Sonic. “There’s not much I can do about that, Sonic. Cold is just a state of mind. If you stop thinking that it’s cold, you’ll endure it much better.” said Knuckles, climbing on the slab and getting as comfortable as he could, then he laid his hands on his own belly, closed his eyes and, just like that, he fell asleep. But Sonic wasn’t as quick as him to fall asleep though. No matter how much he tried to ignore the cold as Knuckles told him to, it was impossible for him. To top it off, his leg decided to hurt in the worst moment possible, making him the most uncomfortable he had ever been. He shivered, trying to warm himself by rubbing his body with his arms, then he turned on his right side and saw Knuckles sleeping peacefully despite the cold. As he wondered how he was capable of withstanding the cold, he felt a soothing warmth coming from him, almost as if he was a radiator of some sorts. He blinked as he scooched closer slowly, purring as the warmth was very nice, just enough to make the current situation much more bearable. Knuckles shifted in his sleep, now facing Sonic, and the hedgehog’s heart jumped as he saw his sleeping face. His facial features looked so eased and relaxed and his breathing was calm, totally the opposite of the bundle of nerves Sonic used to know. Not to mention that he looked… cute? Sonic scooched even closer, needing Knuckles’s warmth, and now their noses were inches away from each other, the hedgehog could feel the echidna’s breath on his muzzle and blushed madly. “...Still can’t sleep?” Knuckles asked, making Sonic gulp. Was he awake the whole time while Sonic glanced at him? “Uh… M-Maybe…? Look, sorry, but I’m not as used as you to sleep outside…” said Sonic, whining. Knuckles opened his eyes, stretched a bit and then wrapped his arms around Sonic, pushing him in a hug which left the hero speechless. “Here. Better?” asked the echidna, feeling how cold Sonic felt compared to him. The blue hero nodded and hugged him back, purring on Knuckles’ shoulder and wagging his tail. “Good. Now try to sleep.” Knuckles added, trying to sound all tough, but through his voice Sonic could tell that the echidna was worried about him and that was why he wasn’t sleeping. Sonic smiled and finally could fall asleep, cradled by Knuckles’ warmth and by his breath and his heartbeat, which got curiously faster.
The next morning, Knuckles woke up and saw Sonic still tightly gripped against him, snoring slightly. First he grunted, but then he found himself smiling and petting his ears, which cutely flickered under his touch. He indulged himself in more ear rubs and eventually started to rub Sonic’s head, earning a few purrs from the sleeping hero. “Heh… Who’d have thought that he’d be cute when silent?” he thought to himself as he petted him some more, before grabbing him under his legs and getting up, carrying him like a baby as he resumed walking out of the cave. While walking, Sonic started to wake up, yawning loud and stretching as much as he could while staying clinged to Knuckles. “Morning, sleeping beauty.” chuckled the echidna. “Mmm… Oh hey Knux… We’re moving already?” asked Sonic, still half asleep. “Yeah, we gotta get outta here, remember?” said the echidna, looking at the various icy stalactites dangling from the ceiling with worry. “...I’m sorry…” whispered Sonic. “Hm?” asked Knuckles, looking down at Sonic and raising a brow. “I’m sorry I made you pissed yesterday…” huffed the blue hero, hiding his face in Knuckles’ buff chest. “Oh, that? To be honest, I completely forgot why I was even mad in the first place.” Knuckles replied, shrugging. “Besides, I really gotta start working on anger management. I can’t keep getting mad at every little stupid thing you say.” added the echidna, calmly. Sonic didn’t say a word, just nodding and clinging to him as they walked forward. But then Knuckles stopped. He looked down and felt the earth tremble underneath his feet, then he looked back at the stalactites, widening his eyes as he picked up the pace, running away from them. “W-What’s going on?” asked Sonic, gulping. “Earthquake. We need to leave before those things impale us!” grunted Knuckles, running. Sonic whimpered, hadn’t his knee been injured he could save them much faster. But it still hurted very badly so all he could do was try to not get in Knuckles’ way of sight, which he solved by shifting Sonic on his back, piggy riding him as he ran as fast as he could. The blue hero hung on tight as Knuckles bolted through the cave while behind them the stalactites started falling down, some shattering and some piercing through the snow like deadly knives.
Knuckles kept running away from the impending danger but he was starting to get tired, not used to running this fast for this long. Sonic looked back, his ears flat against his head as he saw the stalactites getting closer, but then he had an idea. “Knux! Hold onto me tight!” said Sonic, putting his arms behind him. “H-Huh?” asked the echidna. “Trust me, okay?!” asked the blue hero as he started to spin his arms behind him. Knuckles widened his eyes, nodded and held Sonic’s back tight as he started to create wind. Soon he generated two blue tornadoes from his arms which propelled them forward at crazy speed, making both of them groan as they blazed past the stalactites section and into a new huge chamber, the way they came from was obstructed by a wall of snow and ice. They tumbled on the snow and Knuckles ended up on top of Sonic, getting up to not further injure his leg and staring down at him while catching his breath. “Mmgghh… Sonic… That was… very clever.” muttered the echidna, staring down at Sonic. He gasped as he saw that he had been knocked out cold, maybe he hit his head or something. “Sonic? SONIC!” he said, shaking him. Sonic didn’t react however, which had Knuckles panic as he got up from him and groaned, massaging his head as he didn’t know what to do. He went back to him and placed his head on his chest to check his heart beat. Hearing it thump made Knuckles huff in relief, Sonic was just passed out. Still, they couldn’t stay there, so Knuckles lifted him in his arms and carried him forward for a while longer, having to stop as they came into a room with five different exits. “Ugh, just our luck…” Knuckles grunted and had to sit down, huffing as he delicately placed Sonic down, staring at him, still unconscious. “C’mon, Sonic… Please, wake up…” he groaned, poking his cheeks again. They felt cold, but it was normal in this weather, and they had turned red, which admittedly was kinda cute. Knuckles shook his head, and focused on trying to wake him up. He gathered some snow in one hand and clenched tight, his gloves radiating some hot glow as the snow melted, then he proceeded to splash Sonic with it, making him cough as he began to come back to his senses. “Ugh… Cough, cough… No, mommy, I don’t want to take a bath…” groaned the hedgehog as he woke up, sitting up and looking around, seeing the room they were in and seeing Knuckles staring at him. “Uh… What happened?” asked Sonic, confused. Knuckles didn’t answer, instead he hugged him tight, warming him up some more. Sonic blinked, even more confused now, but hugged him back, purring. “I… I was so scared… I thought you…” Knuckles stuttered. Sonic was downright shocked: Knuckles was worried about him? He didn’t know why, but he felt very flustered. “H-Heh, p-please… As if a rocky escape from some killer stalactites could end me… I’m Sonic the Hedgehog, remember?” he said smugly. Knuckles sighed and pulled away. “Yeah, I guess I should’ve expected it, but…” huffed the red echidna, moving away. “Hey, chillax, dude. I’m okay… Safe for my knee, but… Oh, ya know what I mean?” Sonic sneered, rubbing his nose. “It still hurts?” he asked, touching it. Sonic widened his eyes and screamed in pain as Knuckles did so, prompting him to withdraw his hand as Sonic held his knee. “F-FUUUUUUUCK!!” he yelled in pain. “Geez, how come it’s taking you so long?” asked Knuckles. “I DON’T FUCKING KNOW!” Sonic shouted, then breathed through his teeth and calmed down. “S-Sorry for shouting, but… I really don’t know...” Sonic whimpered.
As he spoke, he saw his breath turn into clouds. That made him understand. “...Oh! It’s this cold! It slowed down my accelerated healing!” said Sonic, snapping his finger. “Then, once we get out, you should regenerate faster.” said Knuckles, getting up and lifting Sonic on his back again. “All the more reason to leave as soon as possible,” he added. “B-But… How do we know which way to go?” asked Sonic, groaning as he saw the five different exits. “...Relax, Sonic. It’s my island. I know this place like the palm of my hand.” said Knuckles proudly, more so to calm him down. In reality, Knuckles himself had never gotten this far into the icy labyrinth, but he couldn’t stammer. Not with Sonic depending on him, now more than ever. He walked in front of the five exits, kneeled down and placed his palm on the ground, closing his eyes. “What are you doing? Echolocation?” aske Sonic, snickering. “Something like that. I’m tracing a map of the labyrinth using my Chaos Energy.” Knuckles replied. “...Oh.” Sonic muttered and kept shut as Knuckles used his powers to determine the best way out. “...This way.” said Knuckles, taking the second door to the right. Sonic shrugged and clung to him, taking a nap as Knuckles traversed the labyrinth, until he finally saw the light. “Sonic! Sonic, wake up! I see the way out!” he said, running towards the light. Sonic blinked and yawned, stretching as Knuckles got out of the cave, giving into a cliffside right above a beach. Sonic smiled as Knuckles let him down, then the blue euro stretched his leg, letting the sun warm him up. Knuckles sat next to him, placing an arm around his shoulder as they enjoyed the view until Sonic smiled and hopped up, his knee fully healed. “Woo! Finally!”. he said, jumping up and down. “I thought we would never get out, or that I’d never be able to run again!” Sonic giggled as he threw his arms around Knuckles, hugging him again. The echidna smiled and patted his back. “Thank you, Knux.” said Sonic, his eyes shimmered a bit. “Ah, it was nothing…” Knuckles shrugged, then Sonic planted a kiss on his cheek, making him open his eyes and stare at him, blinking. Sonic just winked before he ran off, leaving Knuckles to stare into the void, rubbing his cheek confused, before he smiled and glided away towards his altar.
