New Beginnings

Chapter 16 - Interruptions

Before the doorbell could ring Espio had already jumped up from where he had been anxiously meditating, storming through the living room with hurting muscles from how intensely he had been clutching his hands and tail curled up tighter than it had ever been before. It had been hours since Sonic and Silver had left, the moon high in the sky and the clock nearing midnight, and to say he was worried would be an understatement. He should have known it would take longer, any escapade with the Blue Blur was basically guaranteed to not go as planned, and the knowledge that he willingly let Silver go along despite the other's hesitance made him only more concerned still. The speedster had promised they'd be fine, but there were so many things that could have gone wrong: Silver could have run away and gotten lost, or hurt, or fed up with Sonic as he threw himself into a fight with the other... And that hadn't been the only thing on his mind, Espio had had to accept hours ago, his inner turmoil only intensifying the longer the hedgehogs had stayed away. Though he would never admit it out loud, underneath his worry and concern he had found what he could only describe as... yearning, the painfully obvious absence of the psychic around him slowly seeping into his thoughts and not letting itself be suppressed no matter how badly he wished it would. At least Sonic and Silver had come back now, he calmed himself as he rushed over to the hallway and crossed the distance in no less than three strides, ripping the door open with an worried reprimand ready on his tongue... only to falter as his eyes fell on his two friends standing behind it, one absolutely covered in twigs and mud and the other not looking all that better. "...What-?" was all he managed to stutter out as Sonic's trademark grin got just a bit smugger.

"Espio!" Silver beamed brightly next to the speedster, not so much silver-furred now as positively covered in sand and other forms of dirt and foliage. The ninja could only stare at him dumbfoundedly; it wasn't often Espio found himself wholly tongue-tied, but whatever he had expected to see, it hadn't been this in the slightest. Blinking slowly his gaze drifted from the myriad of grime and plant life that had somehow accumulated itself into Silver's pelt to his eyes, golden and beautiful and with a million stars sparkling in them that made the chameleon subconsciously clutch the doorpost just a little bit tighter. "I missed you!" the other chirped, that adorable smile growing only more.

The speedster beside him showed off his usual wink and thumbs-up, a cheerful and yet somewhat sly and knowing smirk on his face that Espio struggled to comprehend. "Hey, Espio! Long time no- see?" Sonic's attempt at greeting him fell apart as the chameleon ignoring him entirely and instead made a beeline for where the smaller grey hedgehog was, the yearning that had kept him captive in its grasp for hours now overwhelming him and carrying his legs over before he could stop himself.

"Silver," he murmured quietly as he gently placed one hand on the psychic's shoulder and plucked a few stray leaves out of his quills with the other, having half a mind to not begin blatantly cuddling his friend in full view of Sonic and the rest of their street. Besides, the desperate need to hold him close faltered a little as he grew more confused with every passing second and leaf that got removed from the other's spines. Just what had the two hedgehogs been up to?! "Are you alright? What happened to you?"

The quiet chuckle that followed his concern made the chameleon's body nearly sag with relief. It probably was best to not tell the psychic how worried he had been when the two hedgehog didn't come back after 'one hour at best', like Sonic had promised; he likely risked making him upset or worried himself. "I'm fine," Silver whispered, looking up at him with his eyes shimmering in the light of the stars still. The chameleon tipped his head to the side as the other fumbled with his hands nervously, his gaze slowly dropping. "Um... Sonic and I had to talk some things out. A lot of things, actually... Sorry it took so long to come back to you."