A/N: Could be shippy. But hey, is it my fault that the bro meme was basically made for these two? (Based on a Pairing Drabble Prompt post on Tumblr).

Sonic screeched to a halt at the water's edge, mentally cursing the liquid's very existence.

Moments later, Knuckles emerged from the trees. "You jerk, you could have at least slowed down a little," he grumbled.

"Heh, me? Slow down? Come on Knux, you know me better than that," the hedgehog replied calmly, though he was anything but.

"Whatever. Why'd you sto-" the echidna began, before realizing the slow current behind the blue hedgehog. He smirked before he resumed in a mocking tone, "Aww, is the poor widdle hedgie scared?"

"You know full well I am," Sonic snapped hushedly, all the while taking nervous glances at the body of water behind him.

Knuckles crossed his arms and chuckled as he replied, "Well I'm not carrying you."

Sonic glared at him indignantly before he too crossed his arms and snapped back, "Well, I'm not leaving this spot unless you do, or we find some other way to cross."

The echidna growled but his scowl was quickly replaced by a devious grin. "As you wish," he sighed, before one-handedly grabbing Sonic by the waist. Sonic could only yelp and wrap his arms around the other's neck, fearing he might be thrown in.

"KNUCKLES!" he cried.

However, the hedgehog calmed slightly as he realized that Knuckles had no intention of throwing him in at all.

But his panic returned tenfold as he realized Knuckles was wading in.

"Uhh, Knuckles? W-what are you-"

"I'm carrying you to the other side, you big baby. What'd you think, we were just gonna give up and camp in that crap clearing?"

"Yeah bu-KNUX!" he yelled, as the water began lapping at his feet. Instinctively, he wrapped his legs around the other's torso, as far away from the surface of the water as he could.

Sonic's breathing became shallower and shallower in correlation to the water getting deeper. His arms and legs tightened their hold on the echidna, who had also instinctively tightened his hold on the hedgehog.

Sonic's whole body tensed up even more as the inevitable happened. He felt completely helpless as the cold water sloshed about him; the current gradually crawling up his feet, his legs, his thighs. He was shivering profusely and could barely stop tears from forming in his eyes; he had to bite his tongue to keep from breaking down completely.

Just as the water reached right above his hips however, he couldn't help but make a strangled sound; he was sure they were both going to go completely under.

Much to his surprise and relief though, Sonic could feel the water slowly becoming shallower again. It didn't make his grip on Knuckles any less tight, however.

Knuckles felt the hedgehog heave a huge sigh of relief as they stepped onto dry land, and he himself sighed as the other's vice-like grip around him loosened.

"See? That wasn't so bad now, was it?" he said.

"Chaos, Knuckles, don't do that!" Sonic cried.

"Well what would you have me do? Swing you across on vines like some ape?"

Sonic opened his mouth to argue, but quickly shut it, as he had nothing. Instead, he directed the conversation somewhere else.

"Well…n-next time, at least warn me about when you're gonna carry me across a bleeding river!"

"Fine, but on one condition."

"What?"

"Next time, I don't carry you as if I'm about to kiss you."

"Okay, bu-"

Both of them blushed madly as they were suddenly struck with the realization of their current position: Sonic still clung to the echidna like a koala on a branch, and Knuckles' face was a mere inch from the hedgehog's.

"Well…this is awkward," Sonic muttered.

Needless to say, he was dropped immediately.

A/N: I could only wish I owned Sonic and co. I would be so rich and so able to pay off my tuition fees and student loans. But I don't. SEGA does.