New Beginnings

Chapter 12 - Realisations

As it turned out, Silver's psychokinesis could make even the most boring, laborious task quick and fun. "And that's the last of them," Espio noted as the hedgehog lifted the final stack of boxes onto the ship. Safely tucking away the envelope with money they had received next to the others he guided the psychic away from the docks, just barely trailing their hands together as they padded over the pavement. "You did well today. I'm proud of you."

Judging by Silver's furious blush Espio could deduce the other hadn't been complimented all that much, and he grinned as his friend squeaked out something resembling a thanks. Considering the lack of cases the Chaotix had been plagued with for the past few months he had deemed it better to just look around and see where people needed to be helped, offering his and Silver's aid in return for a small, preferably monetary reward. While they'd raised less money than he would have liked with merely weeding gardens and helping carry things it was still better than nothing, and Silver had tackled everything they did with the same unwavering enthusiasm and gusto that never failed to make him feel so much better also. Most of their clients had been utterly enamoured with the small, eager hedgehog, and more often than not Espio had caught himself staring at the other fluttering from place to place instead of working, his cheeks flushed and the other's upbeat chattering barely registering in his mind.

With a deep sigh he trailed his hand over his face. He'd had time to calm down throughout the day, the intense physical labour a nice distraction from his clamouring thoughts, yet the events at the café refused to leave his head. How idiotically he had acted... and for what? Silver didn't have feelings for him, the hedgehog simply acted the way he did towards him because he was unfamiliar with what was appropriate or not, and he himself certainly didn't have feelings in return...

The chameleon inwardly snarled at his denial as he went over the facts one more time, like he had done more often than he could count in the past few hours already. Being around Silver made him happy, and not the same kind of happy as Vector and Charmy did. This was more flustering, more intense than anything he had experienced before. The hedgehog was much too adept at making him embarrassed, though clearly that was not done on purpose from Silver's part. Being near him made the chameleon's heartbeat go crazy and his thought mercilessly grind to a halt. If anyone else had confided to him such feelings they were experiencing he'd instantly tell them that there was no way they weren't... in love, the word unknown and bitter on his tongue. But for him that was simply ridiculous, he had been telling himself for days now.

And yet, and yet...

The events during their adventure and in the bath, the attic, and the café had not lied, he was sure of that. He wished to stay near the other, keep him save from all harm, give him the happy life he deserved to live after everything he had suffered. Silver was nothing but endearing, his naivete and mere actions instantly breaking down every wall he had built up around himself over time. And while Espio desperately desired to argue he felt the same for all his friends and allies, even he could tell this was different. No-one had ever made his heart go crazy and mind go woozy like Silver did, be it through his words, laughter, or touches. But why was it him, the stoic ninja who had felt nothing but aversity to romance and mushiness up to now? Why did he have to be the lovestruck fool, his feelings not reciprocated?

"Espio?" a voice murmured next to his ear, and as he suppressed a sigh he looked up into the sparkling golden eyes of his friend. "Are you sure you're alright?" Silver asked, also not for the first time today either, and Espio resisted the urge to firmly wrap him up in a hug and never let him go again.

"Yes," his curt, somewhat blunt response immediately came instead like it had every other time. "I know you feel like you did something wrong," he added as Silver opened his mouth again, the hedgehog looking quite apprehensive still, "but I swear I'm being honest when I say you really did not." The psychic's happy mood throughout the day had been intersected and brought down both with worry for him and something else that had been on his mind also, though the chameleon had been unable to decipher what exactly it was. Carefully he reached out to pet the hedgehog over his quills to add more weight to his words, and hopefully offer him some comfort as well. Stealing touches like this felt wrong too... but at the same time it felt so right. At least Silver had liked the doughnut that had indirectly caused the ninja such grief, eyes shining and the most beautiful grin gracing his face as he gobbled up half. In the end they had shared treats on the hedgehog's insistence, half a doughnut and half an apple turnover for both, and the warmth in his chest Espio had felt at how grateful the other had been stayed with him still.