Stone in the Water

By MistressAli

All Sonic the hedgehog characters and locations copyright by Sega, Dic, Archie, and other people who aren't me.

A/N the first. Felt like doing a romantic (sort of) thing between Snively and Bunnie. 3^rd season, SatAM setting. Normally, I have them as friends. He's got a crush on her, but she doesn't return it. In this story however... she might feel a little somethin' somethin' for him ;P

Just read the stupid ass thing. Or not.

'Stone in the Water'

'fingertips so gently on my skin

i'm underwater

I feel the flood begin

fingertips so gently on my skin,

you're taking over, and over again.'

---'underwater' – delirium

Bare feet. Wet mud squelched between toes. Knothole morning, late spring, early morning. Snively squinted upwards, watching sunlight pierce through the swaying leaves above. It was going to be a scorcher today, more befitting of summer than spring, a cruel fluke of weather. He was dressed in oversized shorts and a tanktop that clung tight to each rib and vertebrae. Ridiculously skinny legs, knobby knees and all, sharp elbows; no way he'd be caught walking around Knothole like this.

And so, he'd have to make it quick and get back to Bunnie's hut to hide the rest of the day. He turned his gaze forward, smiling slightly. His trip down the muddy path was coming to an end. He could see the sparkle of the ring pool ahead... and no one was swimming. Fantastic.

He stepped up to the shore, and movement caught the edge of his eye. He wasn't alone, but he didn't mind. It was Bunnie, seated upon a mossy log. Shiny legs against organic green. She smiled soft and looked out over the water. “Mornin', sugah. Hope Ah didn't wake you.”

“The sun did that..” Spilling through the windows of her hut and onto the couch that had become Snively's bed for the past six months, the sun was an insistent alarm clock. Too bright to sleep through, and much too hot. He'd woken half-blind and with his clothes sticking damply to his perspiring skin. “I thought to take a quick swim before it gets too crowded down here...”

Of course, in his eyes, even one of those wretched Mobian fleabags was considered a crowd. With the current company excluded. He couldn't be around her enough. But he couldn't ever get as close as he wanted.

He moved to the water's edge, settling his toes into the soft mud. Cool water washed over, and he shivered from the simple pleasure. Behind him, Bunnie stretched her legs out, gazing down the lengths of metal and rivets.

“Am Ah crowding you?” Her voice like honey. Another shiver for simple pleasures. He shook his head.

That was a silly question on her part. Snively wasn't sure how much she -knew-... about him... and what he felt for her. Bunnie might not have the stunning intellect of Sally or the mechanical genius of Rotor... but she wasn't stupid. She had to have some inkling, at least.

Another step forward, bringing him ankle-deep. Then another, coolness rising to his calves. He turned, peering over at her. She was watching him, one ear flopped down. He frowned. It occurred to him, then... he'd never seen her swim.

“An' what's that sour look for, sugah?” She leaned back, stretching her organic arm lazily behind her back. Bosom lifting up on one side, torso stretched out, the muted light catching her eyes.

He sucked in a breath; he had to look away for a moment. Her allure was too great at times. She wasn't stupid, but he believed her to be naive about this. She didn't know her effect on him. Or other men. He'd seen them staring, sometimes, when Bunnie wasn't paying attention. He'd felt the monster of jealousy claw his insides. They had a better chance, being furry, and Mobian, and not -evil-.

“I was just wondering...” He paused, trying to think of a tactful way to ask. Her robotic parts were a topic he didn't like to touch. They were partly his fault after all. They were a reminder of his sins, his treachery. How she couldn't hate him... how she couldn't BLAME him... he couldn't fathom. And he was afraid... if he touched the topic... it would knock sense into her.

Her eyes didn't lose their smile. She relaxed on the log, putting organic and metal arms around the metal discs of her knees. She seemed so at ease with her mutilation. “Yer wonderin' if Ah can swim.”

“Well...yes.” He kicked one foot, watching the water drops arc through the air.

“Ah can.”

He stepped back, knee-deep. He imagined his limbs in the water, the way his chest would float if filled with air. The way water seemed to lighten body weight. Bodies of flesh and bone and blood. Heavy metal wasn't like that. It didn't float. The girl was watching him again, and he felt his breath catch. But it wasn't her beauty stilling his lungs this time. It was the smile... it had slipped from those leaf-green irises.

“Aren't they... heavy?” he whispered.

“They drag me down,” she said, nodding once. “Ah have to fight harder to stay up. Ah see everyone else floating... so effortlessly.”

He swallowed hard. Bunnie was like the sun. She lived to brighten the lives of others. Her dark moods shoved down to show only the light. She showed her dark side to her friends sometimes. She showed them to him, in secluded moments like these. He was included in her exalted circle, an honor he didn't deserve. And something he, with his deadened soul, could not reciprocate.

“But Ah love the water...” She mused. “The way it feels, gliding over yer body...?”

He shivered. Just thinking of -anything- gliding over her body...

“But there's an advantage too. Ah might have to work to stay afloat, but mah legs don't get tired.” She smiled, running her furred finger down the smooth surface of her leg.

“Knothole's own lifeguard, huh?” He kicked the water again. Stepped back deeper, leaned forward so he could immerse his hands.

“Knothole's own wonder-woman.” She leaned her head on her metal hand. Golden hair flopping into her eyes. A toss of the head to flip it back. Now her graceful neck was exposed, and he followed its beautiful curve from her shoulder up to her chin, her lips, button nose, introspective eyes.

“I do what Ah can. Ah turn these...” She thumped one foot, “into a gift. To help everyone.”

He nodded. Watching her lips. Licked his own, tasting the salt on his skin.

“Would ya'll mind, terribly, if Ah shared a secret with you? Ah never told... them... because it would scare them.” Bunnie sat up, widening her eyes as his expression turned anxious. “But Ah'm over it now! Jest so you know...”

“But you haven't told me yet...” Snively tried to ease the concern off his face. His stomach felt tight.

She smiled slightly, closing her eyes. Settling her head onto her hand again. She looked like a statue, just the kind he'd like to display in his house. Work of art. Candy for eyes.

“Well...when Ah was first roboticized... Ah was afraid to swim. Ah always liked swimming.” Another smile. “Real good at floating, Ah was. Could do a dead man's float like you wouldn't believe. But... Ah was scared. Ah saw me, getting over my head, and the metal pulling me down. Too heavy to come back up. I'd drown, and nobody would be strong enough to pull me up...”

Her hair fell in her eyes; she didn't flip it back. “But the other thang was... sometimes I thought that was for the best. That I'd go down to the bottom, and not want to come back up. 'Cause... how could I live like that?”

His lower lip pulled between his teeth, he bit down. He had to look away, because her anguish was even harder to bear then her allure. He, who had spent years numb, not daring to attach to anyone else. She was the only one... in decades... whose pain could cut him to the core.

There were a few moments of silence. Then Bunnie laughed softly. “Oh Snively,” she said, “Don't look so down. That was a long time ago. Ah only told you...because... well.” She stood up, smoothing her hair away from her face. “Ah knew you wouldn't condemn me for feeling that.”

Because he was the darkness in Knothole, the ominous storm cloud. He couldn't help but smirk. He and Bunnie, kindred spirits? That was a good one. “No, I surely wouldn't,” he agreed.

The sun was crawling higher into the sky. Shafts of light came down through the trees. Diamond sparks on water. Leaves above glowing green. The ring pool always had this ethereal sort of lighting on sunny days. The Mobians didn't blink an eye to it. Snively found it surreal. He'd spent years staring at silver and gray. This was a sensory overload, each and every time.

Bunnie, another assault to the senses, was coming closer to him. Heavy limbs and all. “I wouldn't let you sink,” he blurted out, and blushed. “I'd save you.”

She stood on the muddy shore, feet sinking in. He was only a few feet away from her, still knee-deep. She grinned. Eyes alight again. She seemed better for that confession of past darkness. “Ah don't think so, hun! I'm way too heavy for you.”

“Are you saying I'm weak?” Snively sniffed and turned his sharp nose in the air.

“Nope. But even muscle men have problems dealing with me!” She chuckled and step-jumped forward into the water. Her entrance splashed water his way. Cool splatters onto his stomach and arms.

Oh, she was coming closer. He stepped back to allow her passage. She waded past him, fluffy tail valiantly trying to stay above water. She didn't allow it. Full, metal hips (so luscious if they were organic, he mused) disappearing, slim waist gone. She turned, waterline at the middle of her breasts. He pried his eyes away.

She had a knowing look in her eyes. Stepping back, she submerged the rest of her bosom. A sly grin.

“Whatsa matter, Snively? I thought fer shore you'd want to test my fightin' words.”

“Fighting words...?” He blinked. He couldn't seem to recall.

“About saving me, silly. Short term memory loss, Ah see.”

He coughed. “Test it...? You mean..”

“I mean, get yer butt out here...” Her teeth shone; she slapped the water, sending it flying his way.

“Hey!” he protested, wiping his face. He splashed her back, and she giggling, stepped farther out to evade him. Water skimming her chin now.

He launched off one toe. Body so light in the water, so gracefully his form cut through. Gliding down soft, into water considerably deeper. It soaked his tank top, flattened it totally to his torso. His oversized shorts were heavy though, but not nearly so as her limbs must be. Another jump, another dreamy float forward.

When he touched down, the water grazed his lips.

“Come on, Sniv...” She whispered to him. Her hands moved underwater, grasping his thin wrists. She drew them around her waist, bringing them close. His heart thumped hard. “Hold me up...”

He struggled to even his breath. Their bodies touching, her face so close before him. Sensory overload. He giggled slightly, nerves translated to sound.

“You ready...?” Her arms snaked about him now, clasping in an X over his shoulder blades.

“Ready...” he mummered. Ready for anything, ready for nothing... with their bodies touching. Stimulated and numbed at the same turn.

“Get ready to take a big breath. You ain't staying up for very long...” She crouched down slightly. “And here we go!”

She sprang off the pool bottom, propelling them to deeper water. The soft mud left his bare toes, and for a moment they floated. A sweet, drifting dance, turning slow. Then gravity came, and the water rose as they sank. When it touched his nose, he reacted.

Stay afloat! He kicked his legs. Human toes did not grasp water well. It flowed between them. They had to keep moving to defy it. He freed one arm from her waist and used it to push. Push the water down! Keep the body up. Fill the lungs to make buoys.

Oh, but she was heavy on one arm. She was slipping from the cradle of his limb. Put the other arm around her then, keep her up. Bunnie did not aid him. She was a dead weight. And she was smiling.

He was getting tired. It was hard to keep her up. He realized he should be pulling her towards the shore. But now his energy was gone. He couldn't do it. She would have to sink, in order for him to make it to shallow water. Unless he chose to go down with her.

“Stop swimming,” she said. “Rest a minute...”

He did. She held him up, her legs finally moving, treading to keep them both afloat. She wasn't even breathing hard. She kicked them further out. The middle of the pool, right into one of the shafts of light. “Now,” she said, before he could drown in something else – his weakness, his failure - “Take a deep breath, real deep. And let's go down...”

That was scary. But he was with her. Trust was a foolish thing, but he trusted her. Love was a foolish thing; it led to trust. He sucked air in deep, inflating his lungs.

Bunnie's arms wrapped around him. She took in her oxygen. Metal legs no longer kicking, wrapping around his.

She sank like a stone, and she brought him with her.

There was no hesitation, no support from the water. His inflated lungs were no match for her weight. They sank straight down.

He looked up, watching the light fade to a dull glow. The silent rush of water filled his ears. The pool was not incredibly deep, but plenty deep enough to die in. He grimaced as they hit the bottom; the soft mud down here was considerably colder than that on the shore.

They had stirred up the bottom upon landing, and it billowed up in clouds of murky brown. For several seconds, Bunnie's face was obscured. He could still see the dull glint of her metal shoulder. He could certainly feel her strength around him.

The murk cleared. She was smiling again, close-mouthed. Bubbles detached from her fur and escaped to the surface. Her golden hair was floating upwards, swaying gently. Golden grass, like grain fields. He saw a strand of his own hair, pathetic little thing, mimicking hers. He nearly laughed, but that would waste his breath.

It was a strange thing down here. Not pure darkness. The glow of the light above. And strangely, there was some sort of light behind Bunnie. It haloed her, outlining her in soft yellow. He turned them around in the water, looking for the source.

A glowing gold rock, some distance away. The power rock, he realized. From whence power rings came. And he looked back at Bunnie, and nearly wasted his breath again.

Soft yellow light on her. So soft... making her perfect. The unyielding coldness of her metal scarring melted away. She was pure warmth. Gentle face, spring-green eyes glimmering. So beautiful. It hurt him. His arms tightened around her.

He didn't want to go back up.

Bunnie ran one hand up his side. Warm, furred hand. It slid slightly under his drifting shirt, touching bare skin. She gazed beyond him, then back. Hand placed around him, like nothing had happened. Up above, he thought he heard bird song. And thudding, he could hear a heart. His, or hers...? He didn't know. Maybe both, beating the same beats in exact timing.

Bunnie smiled, teeth showing now. She twirled them around. An underwater waltz. Now the golden light slid over his face, and she watched him. The lights weren't in her eyes anymore, but she was still a goddess. Her violet eyelids slid down. He felt his cheeks redden.

She was studying him. She was looking at all his flaws. His oversized nose, his pouting lower lip, his lack of hair. Everything. But she didn't look repelled. She was intent. He felt like he was burning under her scrutiny. Did he like it or not... he didn't know.

And then he realized... she wasn't causing all the burning. His chest was killing him. His lungs! Was her allure so great he forgot to breathe? Was he willing to drown here, to sacrifice life for a taste of a perfect world? This quiet, shifting, glowing place... it felt miles away from anything and everyone. It was just them.

Bunnie's hand pressed to his chest, startling him. Pushing his air out. He opened his mouth in surprise. Wasted oxygen fleeing to the surface, bubbles too far out of reach.

It was worth dying for, but he wasn't going to die. His eyes widened in the glowing water. She slid forward, as graceful as a mermaid, her chest moving along his. Taking his smooth face in her hands. Her neck titled, her sweet lips pressed to his. A shiver overtook his entire body and he couldn't move. Floating dead, eyes squeezed shut. Heaven... dead? This wasn't real. Couldn't be.

She gave him life. She breathed her oxygen into him. Air down his throat, to his waiting lungs. She gave it all.

She looked upwards. He knew they were out of time. She had to breathe. He pushed his toes against the cold mud, twirling them around. One last look at the light on her face. She smiled to complete the perfection. Her final bubble of air, a tiny thing, escaped out the corner of her lips.

She bent her knees low, and then launched off the bottom. Arms grasping around him tight. She had more power than organic limbs, and before he could really focus on the surface coming closer, they were through it. Heads breaking into the air. Sound returning in full force, birds and rustling leaves overly loud.

She kept one arm around his waist, and swam them to the shore. The shallow water felt pleasantly warm after the colder depths. He stayed at the very edge of the water, wiggling his numb toes into the mud.

She stood on the shore, leaning her head down and using both hands to wring the water from her hair. She tossed her head back, slicking the hair back out of her face. Both her ears hung down by her cheeks, dripping. He couldn't get his eyes off her.

He turned to the side. So he could look at the water with one shift of the eyes, her with the other. So he wouldn't stare so. He didn't dare ask. Was that a rescue, or a kiss? Did it matter? Lips had touched, regardless.

While he was studying the light-dappled surface of the water, still stirred up slightly from their swim, still debating to form words or not... she laughed softly.

“So quiet over there, Snively.” Honey voice rich with mirth. She folded those metal legs, sitting upon the mossy log. “Ya'll didn't sustain brain damage from lack of air, eh?”

“I could've stayed under longer,” he said, low-voice.

“Oh shore,” she laughed. “Ya'll looked fit to burst. Ah had to help ya!”

Smooth as glass, that one. There was something in her eyes, a conspiring twinkle. He saw it, even when she blinked and cleared it away.

Real or imagined, he knew it didn't change anything. On the surface of the world, they couldn't touch lips. In the world of open air and bending trees, of probing eyes, contempt and jealousy... it could not be.

She put her hand to her chin, a contemplative pose. “Looks like -Ah- saved -you-, in the end...”

He had to look away. She didn't know how true those words were. Saved him. The leech to his dirty, bleeding wounded heart. The antidote to his poisoned soul. She couldn't purify his past, though, and once she took away his defenses... then what? Open to the world. Immune system gone. Damned by love.

Death underwater, lips to hers, was not a bad way to go.

He turned back. “I demand a rematch.”

“Ah don't know, Snively. Ya'll shouldn't get too obsessed about beating me, ya know.” She leaned back, arms behind her head.

No use obsessing over things that would never happen.

“But you never know, Sniv...” Green eyes gazed up at green leaves. “Maybe one of these days... you'll win.”

Voices came down the path. Loud, audacious, shattering their private world. Antoine, carrying a single daisy. Tripping over his own feet when he saw Bunnie, hastening to give her the plant. She took it in her smooth hand, smiling down at the life given to please her. Snively turned back to the water. He didn't want to see them kiss.

Walking the mud, until the ground dipped away. Head under, shoulders under, feet last, entering the silent, sparkling world. He went deep and let himself drift, dead weight. Staring up at the light, golden as her hair, of waving golden grass.

He would learn to hold his breath. So minutes could stretch over hours. And when she felt she had to surface, he would be the one to pull her back.

He'd take her childhood wish, and turn its darkness to light. She would want to stay down in the murk, the glow, down under the surface, never to return.

But not for the want of death; for the want of life, trapped in bubbles, delivered from his lips to hers.

~fin

A/N the 2^nd.

Errr. Just a random inspiration I got. Sniv and Bunnie! Underwater kisses! Lots of fragment sentences! How horribly sappy, huh? Crap ending too, but what can ya do. Sometimes they just don't end well.