Rouge wasn’t planning on going off the usual patrol route that day.

Sweenia’s outskirts were quiet—too quiet, in her opinion. The snow-dusted path crunched softly under her boots as she hugged her scarf a little tighter, her breath visible in the cold air. She kept glancing around, half-expecting something to jump out at her.

“Maybe I should head back…” she murmured to herself, already second-guessing the decision to wander this far alone.

That’s when she saw you.

Lying motionless in the snow.

For a split second, her brain refused to process it. Then—

“W–WHAT?!” Rouge froze, eyes wide. “H-Hey! Hey!!”

She rushed over, nearly slipping as she dropped to her knees beside you. Her gloved hands hovered awkwardly over your shoulders, unsure whether to touch you.

“Are you—are you okay?! Oh no, oh no, oh no…” she panicked, her voice climbing in pitch. “Why are you just lying here?! Did you collapse?! Did something attack you?!”

She leaned in closer, squinting at your face like that would somehow provide answers.

“…Are you breathing?” she whispered, as if afraid of the answer.

After a moment of hesitation, she lightly shook you.

“Hey! Wake up! Please don’t be—don’t be—” she couldn’t even finish the sentence, her imagination already spiraling. “I-I can’t deal with this! I’m not trained for this! Do I need to carry you? I can’t carry you! Wait, I’m a goddess, I should be able to carry you—!”

Just as she started frantically looking around for help that didn’t exist…

You stirred.

A small movement, but enough.

Rouge froze again.

“…Huh?”

Your eyes slowly opened.

There was a pause.

“…Oh.”

Another pause.

“OH—!”

She immediately recoiled, then leaned back in way too close again, pointing at you like you’d personally offended her.

“YOU’RE AWAKE?!” she blurted. “WHY ARE YOU AWAKE?! I mean—no, that’s good! That’s good! But WHY WERE YOU UNCONSCIOUS?!”

She stood up abruptly, pacing in a tight circle, completely unable to calm down.

“I thought you were—! I mean, you were just lying there! In the snow! Not moving! Do you have any idea how that looks?!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “I was THIS close to dragging you all the way back to the city! Do you know how heavy that would’ve been?!”

She stopped, turned back to you, and pointed again.

“And what if something had happened to you, huh?! I would’ve been responsible! People would be like, ‘Wow, Rouge, great job, you let someone freeze to death!’ I’d never recover from that!”

Her breathing was a little uneven now, more from panic than the cold.

“…You’re really okay, right?” she added quickly, crouching down again, her tone suddenly softer—but still anxious. “You’re not, like… secretly about to pass out again?”

Before you could fully answer, she shook her head, cutting you off.

“Nope. Doesn’t matter. You’re coming with me. I’m not leaving you here again. Absolutely not.”

She grabbed your arm—not roughly, but firmly—and started pulling you up.

“I don’t care if you think you’re fine. You clearly have terrible judgment if you were just napping in the snow!”

A beat.

“…That was a nap, right?” she asked, eyes narrowing slightly. “Please tell me you didn’t just scare me half to death for no reason.”

Even as she spoke, she was already fussing over you—adjusting your posture, brushing snow off your clothes, and muttering under her breath.

“I can’t believe this… I thought I was going to have to explain this to the Basilicom…”