Burst Into Colours

"Espio!"

Rushing inside the Chaotix Detective Agency from where he had been hanging out with Sonic and Tails in a nearby park Silver frantically looked around, flying through the living room and kitchen as he searched for the chameleon and hollered out his name. Where had the other gone? He had a burning question on his lips, one that had to be answered right now, but if he couldn't find the one person able to answer it...!

Deciding to try his luck on the second floor instead the hedgehog dashed up the stairs, flinging open the door towards Espio's room and tumbling right against the ninja who had just been about to open the entrance from the other side. Unable to bring himself to a halt in time and not realising what was going to happen until it was too late Silver crashed right into the other, yelping loudly as he ran face-first into a heart-adorned purple chest and came to a stumbling halt. With a grunt Espio staggered backwards, the two of them falling onto the bed in a heap of tangled limbs and tails with cyan flaring up around them as both tried to catch up with what had happened.

Mumbling a quiet exclamation of pain Silver rubbed his head at the force of the collision, frowning as his fingers trailed over the sore spot. That was going to bruise later for sure... But then a warm hand moved over his own, massaging the injury gently, and the hedgehog began to purr as a quiet chuckle sounded from underneath him. "Easy there," the chameleon sighed as he fixed the hedgehog in a golden gaze, his eyes warm despite his tone of voice. "What's the rush, small one?"

His ears perking up the psychic jolted into movement, remembering why he had been so frantically running around in the first place. His question! "I was looking for you!" he exclaimed, pulling himself and Espio up from where they laid on the bed and placing both of them on their legs. "Espio, you're a chameleon, right?!"

Grinning at the fond shake of the ninja's head Silver's tail wagged as he waited for the answer. "That is what most say, yes," his beloved retorted teasingly, beginning to untangle some ruffled spines. "I've never found anything pertaining to it being different, at least. Why do you want to know?"

An ever brighter smile making its way onto his face the hedgehog beamed. "That means you can change colours!"

Though his words had been filled with cheerful confidence the hedgehog blinked as Espio recoiled the tiniest bit at the statement, his hands faltering in their movement. "How... do you know that?" the other murmured surprisingly quietly as Silver tipped his head to the side.

"Sonic says so!"

A small huff followed at his words, Espio very pointedly beginning his grooming anew as he refused to meet Silver's gaze. "You are aware that Sonic is not the most reliable source for this kind of information?"

Rolling his eyes at the chameleon's demeanour Silver flicked his ears. "I mean that Sonic said it, and then I asked Tails if he was right because I simply do not trust like that, and he said it was true," he elaborated, making sure to strike a tone which implied it was quite silly indeed Espio was not aware the fox cub had been present also. "But can you?"

"Change colour?" A barely-noticeable grimace making its way onto his face as the hedgehog beheld him in surprise the chameleon nodded, slowly and hesitantly and rather unlike him indeed. "I can, yes. I just... don't like doing it much."

"Oh... Why not?" Silver murmured more softly as he leaned in to nose Espio's cheek. Had he asked something wrong with his innocent question?

With a shrug he ninja began trailing his hands over Silver's back quills instead. "When I was younger, I couldn't control it well. Most children my age thought that was quite hilarious," he stated matter-of-factly, his face almost entirely neutral except for the slightest furrow of his brow. "That... left a mark, and now it makes me uncomfortable, so once I had full mastery over it I stopped doing it in its entirety other than to use it for my invisibility."