Cream Knows Best

Unlikely Siblings

Rouge's P.O.V

I had woken up earlier than I expected and made myself a cup of coffee. As I took a sip, I couldn't help but feel upset. I'd rejected Knuckles and I still feel awful about it. But this was the right thing to do, he didn't need someone like me dragging him into the mud. When I walked out of the kitchen I saw Shadow starting to wake up. I grabbed the extra cup of coffee I made and brought it over to his side. "You finally woke up." I said and he looked right at me. "Rouge? W-What are you doing here? How'd you even get in my house?" Shadow asked me confused.

"That's what happens when you leave your door unlocked. Now, drink." I urged and handed him the mug. Carefully he took it from my hands and took small sips. "Ugh... my head hurts." he groaned. "Here, some Advil," I replied and handed him some pills. He gladly took them before gulping them down in an instant. "Thanks." he sighed.

"So, why were you so wasted?" I asked him. He leaned back into the sofa trying to take it all in. I thought I saw tears forming in his eyes. "Long story..." he muttered. I felt so bad, I've never even seen him like this. "Shadow, you can talk to me. I'm not gonna judge you." He took a deep breath and covered his face. "I'm sorry... it's still a fresh wound. But if you must know... Sonic rejected me yesterday... and I'm still hurt over it. That's why I was so out of it. I don't remember much. All I know is that Silver, Espio, and Knuckles were with me at the bar. But... otherwise, I don't know how everything went down." he explained.

Knuckles was there too? Does that mean he... "D-Do you know why the others were there?" I asked timidly. 

"From what I remember, they were there cause they got rejected or something." he replied. "S-So I did hurt him badly..." I realized and tried to fight my tears, which I failed miserable. "He doesn't hate you Rouge if that's what you're worried about. I think he's confused about you dumping him. We all thought everyone we loved liked us back... but obviously that was wrong." he replied grimly. "That's not what I'm worried about!" I cried.

Everything was starting to get overwhelming that I felt so dizzy and nauseous. I got up and rushed to the bathroom where I puked. "Hey, hey, you okay?" Shadow asked worriedly, as he got up to check on me. "Not really..." I sighed and was able to sit down again. I pulled my knees to my chest and hid my face. I'm so sorry Knuckles! I didn't mean to hurt you so badly! "Rouge, talk to me. I want to understand what's going on." Shadow said, gently rubbing my back.

I shook my head and wiped my face from my tears. "I-It's nothing!" I snapped.

"Stop being so stubborn! Look, you're someone important to me and I want to be able to help you to the best of my ability! I never wanted to admit this but, you were always like a sister to me. You've been the only one who's ever understood me! Now please, talk to me! It's my turn to help you for once." he growled, gently holding my hand. He really felt that way about me? "You really mean that?" I whimpered. He patted my head gently and nodded.

For some reason, I giggled and took my deep breath. "Gosh, and I thought I was the soft one!" I sneered and tried my best to smile. "Heh. I guess things do change. So... what's bothering you?" he ushered and sat next to me. I took in another deep breath and tried to think of what I wanted to say to him. "I'm not sure how much Knuckles told you but... I did reject him... I feel really bad about everything! It was stupid! I flew away from him so rapidly that I think I made it look like I hated him. But I didn't think I hurt him this bad!" I sobbed. He nodded his head and continued to rub my back.

"Wait, I'm confused. If you don't like Knuckles the way he did, how come you're worried about how he feels? Or what he thinks?" he asked worriedly. I was worried about him judging me, but if he was going to sit here and wait, I guess I'd have to be honest. "Well... the truth is Shadow... I'd be lying if I said I didn't love him the same way he did..." I said at last.

Everything was still hurting in my heart. I wish I didn't say no... but if I said yes, I knew I'd only be causing more problems for Knuckles. "What? Y-You do?" he asked surprised. I nodded my head and buried my face into his fluffy chest. "Uh-huh..." I choked. Surprisingly, he didn't push me away. Instead, he hugged me and tried to get me to calm down. "I've never seen you like this before," he sighed. "I usually don't show it..." I sighed. "It's okay, I understand why you wouldn't. But, if you love Knuckles back, why did you reject him?" "Shadow, you know I'm not good enough for someone like him. He's better off without me." 

"You know that's not true. Knuckles loves you no matter what you do. He told me himself. I was more worried about how he might treat you. But he doesn't look like someone who would hurt anyone close to him. Why don't you think you're good enough?" "Because... all I am is a thief... I haven't always been the best. I'm nothing and he's something. I've only ever made things worse, and if I said yes to Knuckles, he'd be dragged into the mud along with me. That's not fair of me... he'll find someone better..." I explained, tears still soaked my cheeks. "Rouge, listen to me. You are good enough. You might not feel that way, but you are. Everything you want to protect him from, he doesn't care about that. He'd help you to change if that's what you really wanted. Don't feel down, it'll get better soon." he reassured.

I highly doubted that, although maybe I could fix things. "Thank you, Shadow..." I sighed and hugged him back. I thought I saw a small smile creep across his face. "Oh? You smile?" I teased. "Shut it. I can smile when I need to!" he said, letting a playful growl escape his throat. "I'll always be here for you. Even though we don't look the same, we share the same blood at heart. Things will turn out good in the end." he added.

We hugged one more time and I thought about how I hurt Knuckles so badly. At least I knew I had a brother like Shadow by my side.