Knuckles could already feel the sweat on his brow; his arms were too restricted, his quills were filled with all kinds of product and his shoes were giving him blisters. The echidna was making his way across station square, having just left the apartment of a certain, pink, hedgehog. As per her excessive demands, the stoic guardian of the Master Emerald had been stuffed into a cramped suit; the outfit consisting of a crimson tie, a light blue dress shirt and a navy jacket to go with matching suit trousers. Knuckles had no idea where Amy had got any of this, whether she'd stolen it or bought it or borrowed it, but he knew she'd been planning this for a while.

The hothead glared a group of rowdy teens into parting as he forced himself toward his allotted address, finding the roses he'd been forced to carry wasn't reducing his intimidating visage. Knuckles had no idea what he was doing; he hardly understood where he was even going. All he knew was that he looked ridiculous and these flowers lost their fettles far too easily, they were much too delicate!

Well, that wasn't quite all he knew.

Amy Rose, fearsome combatant and lover of a certain blue hedgehog, had set Knuckles up on some sort of blind date. That brat had called in a debt, reminding him that she'd helped him fend off Eggman a handful of times, and decided some embarrassment would act as payment. Truth be told, when she'd first explained it, Knuckles had thought this would be easy; that he'd quickly to shrug that obligation from his shoulders and move on with his life. He hadn't anticipated the suit, the shoes, the flowers, the location or anything beyond meeting with someone and hanging around them for a while. His dating history was a blank slate so, while he doubted any of this was typical, he hadn't found the will to call Amy out on it.

A sigh slipped past his lips as Knuckles rounded what he assumed to be the final turn. He was near the city's western edge, a ways away from Twinkle Park and the Casino. While he didn't know much about dating, he knew dates took place in public places; most of those were far from here though, he'd walked straight through the restaurant-laden streets of midtown. Instead of the dinner he'd anticipated, Knuckles found himself faced with a large grey building; tall and long yet, seemingly, only consisting of one floor. In the light of the autumn sunset, the cool breeze blowing against his face, Knuckles felt way too hot. The tie around his neck was surely a snake, trying to strangle him before dragging him into this building; its nest. For whatever reason, this viper pit was a gym rather than the restaurant he'd anticipated. There was a sign advertising pool hours, those had only just ended, and through a window he could see a lone runner on a treadmill. He was panting and sweating buckets but he still, somehow, looked more comfortable than Knuckles felt.

It was only now, standing outside the building, that a realisation dawned on Knuckles. He had no idea who was waiting for him in there; he hadn't had a moment to consider it and, now that he was, the echidna found himself clueless once again. Knuckles only really knew a handful of people, he hadn't gone to school and he hadn't spent much time socialising on the surface world. When it came to potential partners, not only that but potential partners Amy knew, he was completely stumped. Surely he was going to walk in there and encounter someone he'd never met before. Well, he supposed that'd make dumping them after this all the easier.

Clenching his fists, groaning as a few dozen petals slipped from their stems, Knuckles resumed his march; soon finding the beige building's doors automatically opened for him. Sure enough, the inside matched what he knew of gyms; there was a water fountain and vending machines in the corner, a waiting area and a desk behind which various exercise paraphernalia hung. He hadn't heard of anyone eating at a gym before, let alone bringing roses to one. Maybe one of the large halls was being used for a party? People brought dates to parties, didn't they?

Despite his confusion, he managed to lock eyes with the elderly woman behind the front desk; their raised eyebrow beckoned him over, "I, uhh…" He swallowed, "Have a reservation, I think? I'm Knuckles?"

"Oh, yes. Miss Rose's warned me you might get lost, I'm glad you found your way," Oh, so he was in the right place. Knuckles heaved a sigh of relief, "Ballroom dance down the hall, third door on the right. There must be five or six couples tonight, quite a big class…"

He'd turned the moment she'd given directions, thinking a gym hall might have been being used for some kind of party, but, at the mention of dance, Knuckles froze in place, "Wait, what?"

"Third door on the right, you can't miss it," She simply repeated, busying herself with some kind of form. He hadn't misheard her.

Knuckles felt his temperature spike; the blush coursed from his cheeks to overwhelm the entirety of his muzzle. This flush wasn't brought on by mere embarrassment however; it was a concoction of that and white-hot rage. He turned on his heel, fingers crushing the rose stems as he began a growling march toward the door. Teeth clenched; the guardian pulled the tie free from his shirt jacket, angrily slacking it. He was trailing rose petals again, but he couldn't care less. He knew Amy was trying to embarrass him, he'd known that from the start, but he'd assumed there'd at least been some semblance of generosity in her demands. For whatever reason, he'd thought she'd at least plan an outing he'd enjoy; seeing as he was being forced to wear this stupid suit and carry these crummy flowers. But no, of course not, ballroom dancing; she'd picked ballroom. Beyond Amy's choice, kind of person would agree, no; what kind of person would want to ballroom dance as a first date, as part of a blind date no less. Did they know he was coming? Were they some kind of ballroom dancing fanatic?

The doorway was directly in front of him; he could hear people talking inside. Great, just great; he could only imagine the kind of snobbish people who did this for fun. Posh brats who'd never known hardship, they had to be. Knuckles knew he was going into this enraged, but he couldn't stop himself. Without even thinking, the echidna barged the doors open and stomped into the hall.

The silence was immediate and deafening, his anger and embarrassment flipped for the second time in this minute. Not only had he barged in, not only had he silenced them but he was the only one dressed like this. There were four other couples in the room, three pairs of pimpled youths while the forth was a little closer to his age, and they were all dressed casually. The other blokes were wearing hoodies, jeans, chequered shirts and sneakers; none of them had brought flowers and none of them looked embarrassed. The girls too, they'd clearly done… things with their faces and fur, but the most formal among them was wearing a sundress.

It was only as he started to panic, entirely unsure of what to do next, that a cough sounded to his right. His eyes followed the sound and quickly fell upon a lone woman dressed almost as formally as he was; a lone woman who he happened to know quite intimately, a lone woman who was often responsible for the calamity of emotions currently swirling in his head. He'd felt like an idiot but, now that the obvious had been lain bare to him, the echidna felt like a fool. She was shooting him a look of pure glee; she was going to embarrass him even more.

"Hey there, Big Red!" Rouge the bat, noted jewel thief and spy, called across the room to him, "You leave a girl in the dark, have her think you've stood her up, then arrive with a frown on your face; such a gentleman. Get over here!"

He wanted to shout, he wanted to groan about her dragging him here, but Knuckles managed to catch himself. His eyes latched onto the speckled plastic floor as he marched his way toward her. Thankfully, as he did, the teens seemed to resume their conversations. He'd only managed a glance but Rouge seemed to be wearing an aquamarine dress of some sort, its only strap was coiled over her right shoulder while its skirt was long and wispy. It seemed like it was see through but as his eyes met its hem, Knuckles noticed it wasn't quite that. The fabric almost looked to be tinted and frosted, body's outline more almost a shadow beneath it.

"Enjoying the floor?" She asked, he didn't have to look to see her smirk.

"What are you doing here?" Despite ignoring her question, Knuckle's gaze didn't leave that aforementioned floor.

She shifted, pushing off of the wall and walking just slightly past him; tall heels clicking. When he finally looked up, he'd be forced to turn to her. They weren't even dancing but, already, she was controlling his movements, "What am I doing here? Why, Knuckles, I'm just waiting for my blind date to arrive. A certain pink hedgehog promised he'd sweep me off my feet. What are you doing here?"

She was controlling the conversation too, "Seeking out mine," He managed to grumble.

"You've dressed so nicely for her too," Her tone was five degrees too condescending, it was ludicrous but it was working. He couldn't combat her, "Well, your tie could use a little tightening but outside that…"

"You look…nice," He finally pried his eyes from the ground. At this distance, the dress's accentuating cut was much more apparent to the echidna; as was the fact that it matched her eyes and made them stand out, her stare was even harder to break than usual. Unfortunately, noticing the former prevented him from saying the latter, "I-I suppose."

"Let's just hope your dancing does a better job sweeping me off your feet than your compliments," She joked, rolling her eyes, "I suppose it's a start though."

"S-So then we are…" Knuckles swallowed and almost choked, Amy had truly stranded him, "I can't believe she'd do this to me. Dancing and…"

"Yeah, well, thank you Knuckles. That makes two of us," Rouge rolled her eyes, sending a wave of regret shuddered through the echidna. If they weren't in public he'd have the strength to properly banter with her but here, surrounded by youths, the pressure made it difficult. Her gaze fell upon his mitts, "Are those for me?"

"Th-They are," Knuckles huffed, shoving what remained of the bouquet toward Rouge.

Unfortunately, what remained wasn't a lot. It amounted to around a dozen broken stems and a handful of petals spread among them. All was not lost though; at the centre of the crushed, wilted, mass was a single, pristine, rose. However, as Rouge drew that flower from the bunch, she discovered that its stem had snapped no more than three inches from the bud.

"I think it suits you just a little better," She'd casually planted the tiny rose in his breast pocket, "So, something tells me you didn't plan this, Knuckie. I didn't think ballroom dancing was your thing before and judging by the scene you just made I doubt it's a new hobby."

"W-Well," The combination of her dress, her boldness and his regret forced him to spill his guts. A sigh slipped past his lips, "Amy talked me into it."

"Really? Knuckie, I'm a little disappointed. I was sure I had you wrapped around my finger, but Pinkie does too? I thought we had something special, Knuckie," The bat was feigning jealousy and clearly delighting in his suffering, "Just how did she talk you down from the island and into this lovely place?"

"I owed her, she…" The guilt was gone but his guts were still spilling, "She helped defend the master emerald while I was sick, I was too embarrassed to ask Sonic and I didn't want to leave the kid with all that responsibility. She said going on this blind date would cancel out that favour, I didn't think it'd be like this."

"Oh, I already knew about her standing in for you. You think my eyes ever leave that beauty?" The bat taunted, her smile had returned, "But really? That's all it took? You could owe me a dozen favours by now…"

"Well, how did she talk you into this?!" Knuckles pushed back, "What did it take for her to drag you here."

"That hammer of hers is surprisingly useful for breaking into tombs. She's hardly subtle, hardly graceful but when you need a wall taken out she's your gal," Rouge detailed without hesitation, "Anyway, she'd been trying to cash in a favour for months. I had no intention of repaying it but, eventually, she just wore me down; that girl is just too determined. I figured she'd want me to go out to dinner with some chump, that I'd hang around for an hour before slipping away and leaving him with the bill," A broader smirk broke across her lips, "This is a surprise on two fronts, I'm curious just where this will go."

"You're not seriously considering going along with this," He frowned, brow deeply furrowing, "Are you?"

"Oh, I've already considered it Knuckie. I started considering it the moment you burst in," Her fingers started to pace up his tie and toward his collar, "I get to play with you for a few hours? I get to watch you grow redder and redder, get to feel you shake with embarrassment and, of course, know that it is all because of me."

The bat drew a further step closer, paralysing him with her eye contact. Knuckles felt her free hand brush up his jacket and, all of a sudden, his tie was starting to retighten, "R-Rouge…" He grimaced at his stutter but he couldn't tear his eyes from her, he didn't dare. The guardian's cheeks were on fire, "You're going to regret this."

"Oh, I don't think I will," Knuckles the tip of her thumbnail drag against his chin. Without her usual gloves on, her long, painted, nails were free to antagonise him. Before Knuckles could contest her touch she'd released his tie and took a step back. Her smirk had grown and her half-lidded eyes were cutting straight through him, "I think, I'm going to have a wonderful time."

Knuckles finally managed to tear his eyes from her but he found no safe haven. The other couples were staring at them; no fewer than four sets of eyes collided his before darting away. Perhaps Rouge's intimate display had drawn them in or maybe his arrival still lingered in their mind but, regardless of reason, their looks weren't aiding his beet-red complexion. He was trapped, chained to this temptress of a bat with no hope of release.

If he fought back he'd, undoubtedly, draw even more eyes. Not only would he get more embarrassed but Rouge would have more ammunition. If he forced his way out of here, started shouting or made a scene of any sort, he'd never hear the end of it. The word would get back to Amy too and she'd undoubtedly tell Sonic, that'd make three demons chiding and mocking him. It wasn't like he could shut any of them up either. His only way out of this was to endure, if things went normally then Amy might have the kindness to spare him Sonic's jeers at least.

It was just as Knuckles had given up that another figure made their entrance, much less violently than the echidna had. They were a blue rabbit, looking to be around their mid-twenties; dressed in a garish tweed vest, a ruffled white shirt and long green trousers. He looked exactly like that type of person Knuckles had anticipated would be leading the class, gaunt and posh looking. He wore a pair of glasses that were much too small, resting on the edge of his muzzle. What, was he going to read while they danced?

"Good evening everyone, I do apologise for the delay," He leant down, plugging in a bulky green device and slotting in a cassette tape, "Welcome to your Ballroom dancing taster, I am Robert the rabbit. Unfortunately my wife took a nasty tumble on the way to the car and will be missing this induction," Gasps sounded from around them but the rabbit raised his hand to quell them, "I can assure you all, she's quite alright; she simply sprained her ankle. It does though mean I will need to use some of you as examples to help the lesson flow a little better," Knuckles didn't like the sound of that, but already his vision was drifting from the instructor and back towards his partner; just as he started to strike some kind of pose, "Now, as I'm sure you are aware…"

Not only had he stopped looking, Knuckles couldn't even keep listening. As the rabbit prattled on, the echidna found himself scanning his partner. He hadn't lied when he'd said she looked nice and, as he found himself staring, the compliment he'd wanted to give proved all the more true. Rouge wasn't really paying attention to Robert, at least; Knuckles didn't think she was. Her ears were tilted, just slightly, in the guardian's direction and every so often he'd catch those dazzling eyes of hers drifting toward him.

He hated and loved how weak she could make him feel, he couldn't fight her like he fought other people. Whenever she made jokes at his expense, teasing and mocking him, he wanted to return them. Usually barbs just made him want to fight, usually he'd rather share fists than words but something about sparring with her was different. He'd never admit that of course, he'd never tell her how fun he found her talks, but the guardian had tried not to question why he felt this way. Perhaps Amy knew for certain what he had suspected. Was that why she had set this up? Was that why Amy had picked Rouge rather than anyone else? The spark between them was undeniable even if Knuckles had tried to relegate it to a burning rivalry more than anything else. Tried was the key word there.

A few of the instructors words managed to make their way into his ear, "Thus, the more muscular in the pair should lead, it'll makes a couple of steps just a little easier. As this is a first lesson, there'll be nothing too complex but, if you should return, you will find…"

"You're going to lead?" Rouge side-whispered, clearly more amused than bemused, "Well, I suppose there's a first time for everything…"

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" He half snarled, trying to keep his voice down as he slowly turned back to Robert.

Rouge stretched, allowing her wings to scrape along his shoulder blades. "This contradicts our norm, Knuckie; our modus operandi," He rolled his eyes, pretending to know what that meant. "I come up to see you after all, drag you to the surface for some socialising then haul you back when you get huffy," Quickly coming to understand, Knuckles shot her a quick glare. There was a mischievous glint in her aqua eyes. She knew what she was doing; she always knew what she was doing, "Give you a lil' kiss on the nose and tuck you in next to your giant rock, that kinda thing. If anyone leads in our relationship, it's me."

Knuckles eyes darted back to the instructor but his words were falling on deaf ears. Like it or not, Rouge had his full attention. Beneath his breathe, the echidna grumbled what words he could muster, "If this is what it takes to prove you wrong, I'm happy Amy dragged us here."

Knuckles, almost immediately, came he'd regret his choice of words, but he refused to let that show. Sure, his face suddenly felt a lot redder and another coat of sweat was manifesting on his brow but he maintained his glower and kept his eyes locked on the instructor. Knuckles knew she wouldn't notice. Well, he didn't think she'd notice. Well, he… hoped she wouldn't chide him too much about it. Regardless, he'd made a vow that he intended to keep.

As if on cue, Robert's hands came together; the mere clap almost broke Knuckles steely demeanour, "Alright lovers, with all that in mind, let's start dancing! Take positions!"

An arm found its way around Knuckles own and, before he could even process it, he was being dragged towards the far side of the room. It was only as the bat pulled him that he noticed the slit in her dress; her left leg was strutting half-free of the garb. He tried to pin his eyes to the back of her head but, as she arrived at their starting point, eye contact was suddenly reengaged.

Before he could look away her hands were on his frame. Her left hand quickly arrived on his chest, her fingertips folding over the ridge of his shoulder, and he found his own left hand had been stolen from him; taken in hers and raised ahead of them, "Go on then, put your hand on my back."

Knuckle's brain misfired a few more times, it was only as Rouge's went to further question him that the echidna quickly reacted; rather quickly laying his hand near her hip, "Like this?"

"Higher," She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He couldn't tell if she was being serious but he knew she was toying with him.

Knuckles begrudgingly shifted his hold, fingers gently running along the smooth fabric of her dress before finally coming to rest near her shoulder, "Better?"

"A little lower," She commanded, ears fluttering tauntingly, "And you should be able to feel the indent from my spine, on the tips of your fingers."

The red dusting on his cheeks was renewed, putting his hand on her waist had been bad enough but something about how she worded that; the pressure he was supposed to add. Knuckles managed to slip his hand further down her back, flinching as his thumb brushed the base of her wings and his fingers found the middle of her back. The dress wasn't that thick, he could feel her body beneath it.

She was smirking again, that expression brought his teeth to grind, "Good boy, see? It's not that hard."

"Have you done this before?" He grouched, still unable to look away.

"No hun', but I managed to split my attention between you and the class," He felt her nails again, gently yet not-so gently plying into him. That touch had to be intentional; he was wearing two layers after all, "But you couldn't keep your eyes off me, could you?"

Scramble as he might, Knuckles couldn't counter that. It was as though she'd stolen all of his words, leaving his brain an empty safe. His hands felt heavy and sweaty as he tried to maintain his grip; terrified of clinging too tightly yet certain she'd mock him if his hold was too limp wristed. He'd almost settled when a voice called out, much too close behind him. Given their position he was unable to turn but Rouge was looking past him now.

"Ah, this is marvellous! Everything's in place, you two much be naturals," It was the instructor, shouting even though he was less than two metres away, "Magnificent, you're both wonderful!"

"You hear that Knuckie? We're naturals," She cooed.

He knew he shouldn't growl, he knew he couldn't grumble, but he really wanted to. A sigh slipped his throat, "I-I guess so."

"Everybody! If you're having trouble just look at these two! Their form is perfect!" The instructor decreed, without consulting either of them, before quickly strutting off.

"D-Did that really just happen?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, this evening just keeps getting better," She crooned. Knuckles knew how to recognise the bat's sarcasm, he'd endured more than enough of it after all. She was being entirely serious, Rouge was enjoying his embarrassment, "I wonder if he'll use us as an example, let you show off a little in front of the class."

"Sh-Shut it bat-girl," He huffed, wanting to cross his arms but finding that she was in the way.

There was a bit more of a kafuffle, Knuckles heard the posh man advise one of the pairs quite thoroughly, before the music started to blare. The sound of slow violins rattled his eardrums and forced him to attention. Above it all, the instructor shouted, "Now! Just, like I told you; if you're not sure what to do, just dance how you feel! Learn to use the space, learn to move with your partner!"

"Well, Knuckie, I suppose it's time for you to start leading," She chimed in, forcing him to act.

A growl slipped his throat, his eyes clamped shut and his feet felt heavy. He had no idea what he was supposed to do but he took a first step, were it not for her fleet footedness he'd surely have knocked her from her feet. It was fortunate that his partner was so fleet of foot; he winced as he quickly understood how awkward things would be for the next few hours. What was he supposed to do? Should he step closer to her, whirl her around? The music was slow but his heart was beating so fast! If only she hadn't distracted him, this'd still be awful but he'd at least know what he was doing.

He must have hesitated for too long; without so much as a word, Rouge stole control from him. He was pushed two steps backwards and spun on his, ill-fitting, heel. Though he didn't dare catch her gaze again, Knuckles swore that that there was a smirk radiating from her muzzle. She was whipping around like a ragdoll, pushing and pulling him in more directions than he could count. What's more, making it all the harder to respond, she was toying with him out of time; the music didn't match their movements.

Quickly putting his foot down, Knuckles managed to stop the manic flailing, "He said I should lead so I'm going to lead."

"Oh? Well, try not to step on my feet. If you do, I'll return the favour in double," the bat warned.

Knuckles hesitated again, this time readjusting his grip to better hold the bat. Again, he was scared of being too heavy handed but he figured that was better than slipping and losing control again. Though the bat's movements had been over the top and intentionally obtuse, Knuckles had learned from them. In being spun and turning with her he had caught sight of the other couples and found that they were doing similar (albeit less dramatic and more embarrassing) moves.

He hated how his shoes squeaked and he hated how restricted he felt but, most of all, Knuckles hated how easy he found the movements. Initially he did stagger, he very nearly crushed her toes a handful of times, but as the music went on and he came to understand how she stepped Knuckles found himself working with her rather than against her. There was something strangely exhilarating about being in control like this, kiting her body around and successfully stepping in time with her. Robert's claim that they were naturals still stung him but, admittedly, Knuckles was rather proving his point.

It wasn't as though they were doing anything especially special though, just stepping around the room and doing what they thought ballroom dancing was rather than what it actually was, so it wasn't as though he was some sudden protégé. This was just… dancing. It was fine, he'd endure it.

"Not bad Knuckie, not bad at all," Rouge half whispered, "You're meant to keep your eyes on your partner for the first few dances though, you've got to watch and learn how they feel about each step, he stressed that quite thoroughly. It's only later, when we truly know each other, that we're allowed to look away."

"Yeah, well…" He couldn't take a compliment, not even a half one. As purple eyes met aqua again he stuttered out a lame rebuttal, "Sh-Shut up."

Those eyes of hers were so very enchanting; they seemed to cast a spell over him. Despite their eye contact he was managing to maintain his composure; Knuckles could look at her and, without thinking, waltz. He cursed that rabbit for being right, it almost seemed like he was a natural. Flush ebbed back onto his muzzle and Knuckles found himself drinking her in again. As someone who didn't wear clothes often, the guardian had always (secretly) been a little impressed by the thief's dress sense.

The compliment he'd constructed earlier was burning a hole in his pocket; longing to be thrown in her direction. His heartbeat refused to slow, the sweat on his brow certainly wasn't formed from dancing; he could do this for hours, days even. It was brought on partially by that embarrassed enjoyment but, far more importantly, the girl in his arms. With his focus split between the action and her, Knuckles found his mind wandering. As he spun her and eased her across the room it was as though his brain was guiding his step while his heart had risen to his head, guiding him in ways it wouldn't normally. Those glittering orbs and her garb were all that he could focus on.

"Your dress," Despite his heart's best effort; his tongue still felt heavy and useless, "I-It," Sweat was pooling in his palms again, "I wasn't lying when I said it looked nice a-and…"

"And…?" She parroted.

He finally managed to spit it out, "I-It brings out your eyes."

"Every lie has a glimmer of truth to it Knuckles," She was trying to tease him but her face failed her. She was hiding those aquamarine eyes from him and a soft pink had began to dust her cheeks, "You do look rather handsome in a tux," She fully turned from him, tugging him in the process and, for a single movement, leading the dance, "Thoroughly uncomfortable of course, you're unbelievably stiff and ludicrously sweaty, but quite handsome."

He couldn't help but half-chuckle at her half-soured compliment, allowing her to pull him across the room, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," She smirked, conceding control again.

He resumed the lead step, trying to move just a little slower, "I know I'm not the best at giving compliments, so…" He wasn't sure where he was going with that but now she was looking at her expectantly, "Y-You know, I'm more… erm…" There was no room to hesitate, this was supposed to be easy. It was just talking! "Physical, I'm more of a physical guy."

Knuckles wanted to scream, why was he so tongue-tied? She did this so easily; when Rouge really wanted to, she could move mountains with no more than her silver tongue. Meanwhile, he could spend hours trying to come up with the right words only for them to tumble from his mouth as misshapen boulders.

"Well, you've shown that much," The bat began, fluttering her eyes, "Dancing on a first date, whether it was by your choice or not, has some implications," He felt her nails again, had she stepped closer? "It's not what I'd chose but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having fun."

Without even considering it, his attempts to slow things down and talk to her had come to better match the music. This was supposed to be a slow waltz, wasn't it? The types of music Sonic had shown him weren't anything like this, the blue blur had a more guitar-centric taste, but, while he couldn't see himself listening to it again, in the moment it was rather nice. He could never bring himself to admit that of course, not to her and certainly not to the others, but allowing the music to guide his movements was almost comfortable. His hand wasn't balling against her back anymore; instead it gently held her and drew her to walk with him. His legs weren't jelly anymore; instead his strides were purposeful. Perhaps his head could do the same? It was like fighting; when he threw first it wasn't as though he thought hard about where the next should go, he just knew where it would.

Taking a deep breath, Knuckles tried his hardest to waltz properly. It was a degree beyond walking and talking: the background task was far harder but that meant foreground task should be easier, right? Sure, that made sense. He had to think with his gut rather than his head, let his mind wander where it was supposed to. What did he want? What did he want to do with Rouge?

Their eyes clashed again, sweat swept down his muzzle again. Keep his brows heavy, pleading his heartbeat to slow, Knuckles spun her and changed the dance's direction before they could collide with a pair of pubescent youths. What did he want to do? That compliment had come from his heart, it'd sprung forth so easily not once but twice, so what else was in there? He'd said he wanted to leave but over the course of the dance he'd learned he didn't. Did that mean he wanted to dance or that he wanted to stay with her?

What a stupid question, he'd complimented her twice, of course he wanted to stay with her. He was only here, dancing like this, because he was with her. If it was anyone else he'd be gruffly frowning at the floor, letting them drag him along. So, did-

"Bravo! Yes, you two are excellent! Keep going!" Sounded the instructor's voice. Knuckles tried to ignore his unintentional goads, tried to maintain submission with his train of thought. Did he want to something else with her? Yes, undoubtedly, but what? Kiss her?

The echidna stumbled over himself and nearly brought her with him, it was only the bat's grace that prevented them from meeting the speckled plastic floor. The moment he was up he took the lead again, striding across the dance floor and trying to act as though nothing happened. Her smirk wouldn't let him forget it though.

Even if he wanted to kiss her, he wasn't ready for that. What did he want to do, what did people do with… other people? Not other people, a person who was special to them; a person who they liked more than other people. What was Amy always trying to get from Sonic, it was on the tip of his tongue. It wasn't just love, it wasn't mere hugs and kisses, it was something simple. It didn't intrinsically

Oh, a date. But they were already on a date. Well, they were on a blind date. They were on someone else's date that had been gifted to them. What kind of date did he want to go on? What date would Rouge like to go on? What kind of date had he thought he was going on?

His synapses finally fired, he had an idea.

"D-Do you wanna…" The guardian felt like he was going to swallow his tongue, he wasn't sure what he was saying but he let the music guide him on this impromptu path, "G-Get something to eat… w-when this is all over with, just you and me," The bat's head tilted as they danced, mulling over what he'd thought was a simple question for what felt like hours, "Y-Yes or a no bat-girl?"

"Well," She left him in suspense for even longer; a brief drought of eye contact caused his heart to stop. By the time her aquamarine gaze returned to him he thoroughly regretted daring to ask, she'd taken control of the dance and forced him into a spin. He felt her fingers ply against her collar again and watched that smirk spread across her face, "I suppose I'll leave what remains of my evening in your hands, Knuckie," The bat winked and almost knocked him from his feet, "Just try not to waste it."

He was supposed to be leading this dance but, truth be told, he couldn't help feeling like she'd intended this from the start. Knuckles couldn't help thinking that he'd fallen into her trap.

Well, it wasn't the worst place to be.