You& me, and our mate

ch 17; I was wrong, I'm sorry

'

Few days later, Knuckles needs reloading the fridge and the freezer with food.
At least Rouge gave the car back yesterday-...
So, he gets into the car and starts driving down to the town where he parks the car on the store's parking lot.
The moment when he gets out from the car, he sees Mephiles walking out from the store with bags who seem very heavy.

His heart starts pounding longing after the other. And also with regret over his latest mistakes. How he was handling the situation around them. And how he treated him.
Knuckles inhales deeply, and closes the door where he soon locks the car.
Knuckles starts walking over to Mephiles who jolts the second he sees him.

Knuckles inhales deeply.
"... Hi-..." he greets with a reserved voice. Feeling awkward.
Mephiles looks worried around. Right now, no one except them are around the parking area.
"... H-hi?-..."
Knuckles clears the throat.
"... What are you doing here?-..." he asks with a hard voice despite it wasn't his intention to sound harsh. Instead he tried making a conversation with him. Breaking the ice. Which came out wrongly.
Mephiles furrows the eyebrows a bit hurt from the unnecessary hard voice. In his ears, Knuckles made it sound as he wasn't allowed to buy from the store.
The hedgehog takes a deep breath to calm down a little, and making sure he wouldn't tear up.
"... Are you blind?-... I'm buying groceries... Or what were you planning to do here?" He mutters unfriendly to keep a wall between them. At least then, he wouldn't be too unprotected from any harm.

Knuckles flinches from the unfriendly reply from the other.
He takes a deep breath to avoid anger bubbling up.
He shakes the head.
"Of course-..." he says and extends the arm toward him.
Mephiles stiffened. Nervous Knuckles would yank him harshly. Like he did the day where the group were hanging out on the green field for barbecue and soccer...
Knuckles lowers the arm against one of the bags.
"... And you shouldn't carry heavy things in your condition..." he says with a voice who sounds kinda accusing, and tries taking the bag from him. Even though he wasn't accusing him for something. Instead he was worried about him and the fetus, and wanted to help him.

Mephiles gasps, and yanks the bag away from him by turning a little with the body.
"... And how do you think I would get them home!?" He narrows the eyes at him.
Knuckles raises the eyebrows since the bag was yanked away from him.
He shrugs.
"I can drive you home-..." he says with a softer voice who finally sounds friendly.
Mephiles blinks the eyes surprised.
"... You can?-... And you would?"
Knuckles nods.
"Yes-... I don't want you to hurt the child by carry heavy things... I wouldn't forgive myself if I let you walk home with those bags... What if you get miscarriage?"
The hedgehog loosened up, and starts slowly to take the wall down.
"...Okay-... But-... Don't you need buying your things first?" Mephiles asks. Still confused how Knuckles seems as he kinda cares about the child anyway... Wouldn't he be happy if Mephiles ended up with miscarriage?
Or Knuckles has finally turned around and got seconds thoughts on the matter?

knuckles gives him a small smile, and shrugs.
" I can do that later-... So?-... Can I carry those to the car?" He asks and points with the hand toward one of the heavy looking bags.
Mephiles looks asking down on the bags.
Then he silently hands them over to him.
The echidna takes the bags and notices they weren't as heavy as he first thought.
But despite that, he carries them toward the car.

He puts the bags in the trunk.
Then he opens the door to the front passenger seat since Mephiles hesitantly stands outside the car, without doing any movement to get in.
The hedgehog gets in, and puts the seat belt on. Still a bit hesitantly over the situation.
Knuckles closes the door, and walks around the car to get inside.

Almost the whole way to Mephiles' house, the hedgehog keeps looking out through the window next him. A bit nervous to look at Knuckles. Afraid the hint of kindness would be gone if he looked at him.
Even though it was an awkward drive, Knuckles clears the throat.
"Have-..." he swallows hardly, and gets a curious side-look from the other.
"... Have you placed an order for the crib yet?-... Dunno how many days those things take to get delivered-... B-but-... Apparently hedgehogs are only pregnant few weeks... So-... You-... Ehm... Might not have a lot time to get things prepared..." he blushes awkwardly.
Mephiles blinks few times. It seems as Knuckles genuinely cares...
He shrugs.
"... Not yet-... I'm actually thinking about getting one from second hand... Not sure yet..."he answers, and looks out through the window again. With the head resting on the hand.
Knuckles flinches, and looks worried at him.
"... Second hand?-... Like-... An used crib from a stranger?"
"... Yup-... Like that..."
Knuckles furrows the eyebrows.
"... Do you know there are risks with that?-... If you aren't careful you could get like bedbugs ... And those won't be very easy to get ride off... -If you get them inside..." he explains.
Mephiles exhales sighing, and rolls the eyes.
Knuckles shakes the head.
"... If you are struggling with money-..." he starts saying, and made Mephiles to flinch around on the seat, where he shocked stares at him.
"IT'S N-..." he starts protesting with higher voice.
"... I will of course pay... I mean-... It's my child as well... Of course I should pay for necessary stuff for the child..." Knuckles adds.
Mephiles let's out air, and looks surprised at him.
"... It's not about money-... But thanks anyway..." he says a bit mumbling before turning around on the seat again, and looking out through the window.

***

Knuckles gets a slightly nervous when they reach the correct street, where the other lives...
He has still few things to tell him... What if Mephiles swiftly takes his things and gets inside the house without giving him any chance to talk?
When Knuckles parked the car on the side of the road, he sighs and looks over at Mephiles.
"Meph-..." he softly says while turning the motor off, and while Mephiles moved the hand to take the seat belt off.
The hedgehog grunts asking, and looks at him.
The echidna looks seriously at him.
"... I don't expect you to ever forgive me-... But-... I'm sorry for the awful things I said, and did... I was so worried about Shadow, that-... I didn't knew how to control my emotions... And I apologize for taking my worry out on you... And I only want to tell you-... If... And I mean; IF... - If Shadow never comes back again... I will still love you... I don't date you to be with your brother... So-... Sorry for behaving as I don't love you at all... I was a jerk..." Knuckles tells him where a heavy feeling leaves his shoulders.
Mephiles eyes start looking glossy from those honest words. As he was on verge of tears.

The hedgehog looks away, and remains silent.
Right now-... It feels as he would start crying if he tried to speak a single word... Or the words would come out as unrecognizable noises.

Knuckles inhales deeply.
"... And I-... Understand if you don't want to see me again... I respect that... And will support you and the child from afar... I'm sorry for the pain I caused you... I was wrong for doing that..."

Mephiles inhales deeply through the nose.
"... I-..." he starts saying while shivering a little.
Knuckles grunts asking.
"... I-... Don't want your support from afar... I-... Still want... -You..." he adds where the last word sounded a bit mushy.

The echidna brights up.
" Thanks Mephiles-... That... Makes me very happy to hear... Now-... Now I will help you with the groceries... And then I will leave you alone until you have called me over... You might wanna some time where you could think about you, me... And us... What you really want... And when you are eventually ready to let me in again..." he suggests and takes the seat belt off.

The two morbians get out from the car where Knuckles takes the bags out from the trunk, and carries them over to the house.

Knuckles places the bags inside the door, where he then says good bye.
Mephiles furrows the eyebrows thoughtfully.
"... K-knuckles-..." he stutters unsure when the other had turned around to walk away.
"... Yeah?" Knuckles says hopefully while turning back around.
The hedgehog shrugs.
"... If-... If you really wanna help me... C-could you maybe help me with painting the room?... I can't due the paint makes me nauseous..." he gulps.
The echidna raises an eyebrow.
"... Sure? When?... And which room?" He smiles, and wants to help him as much he could... Partly due he wanna help him... But also getting ride of some of his bad conscience for former actions.
Mephiles shrugs.
" The nursery... I wanted the room painted before I would buy a few things for the room..."
Knuckles lips turned into a wider smile.
"Of course!-... We can start right away, if you want... Or I mean... I can start right away..." he tells him.
Mephiles nods.
"... Thanks..."

***

When the groceries were taken care of, where the things were shoved in right place. Mephiles takes Knuckles to a kinda empty room.
The walls were in a beige color, except a smaller area where Mephiles had tried painting with baby blue color.
The newly added color makes Knuckles even more excited.
"WAIT?!-... Are we expecting a boy!?" The echidna asks.
Mephiles grunts confused, and raises an eyebrow.
"... Yeah?-... How did you knew that?" He asks curiously.
Knuckles points at the blue color on the wall.
"... Since you bought blue color..."
The bewildered hedgehog gets even more confused.
"... And why would the color tell you the gender of the child?... I thought only the doctor could tell..."

Knuckles looks asking at Mephiles as he tries finding any hint of joke behind those words. But none... Mephiles was deadly serious.
The echidna chuckles.
" Of course the color can't predict the gender of an unborn child... But-... People usually paints the nursery blue, when they are expecting a boy... And pink if they are expecting a girl..." he explains amused.

Mephiles looks surprised at the blue paint on the otherwise beige colored wall.
" Oh?-... They do?... I only thought the color looked cute... And the child would love it..."
Knuckles wraps his arms around him. And startled the other a little by doing so.
"... You are so charming... And yes... Our child will love the room... And I will help you with everything you need me... Our son will get the best nursery~"
The hedgehog blushes.
"... Y-yeah..." he swallows shyly over the sudden embrace.
A hug he has been longing for so long... And support he has been missing. And needed since Shadow suddenly disappeared.
Maybe things will get a bit brighter from now on?...