Espilver Week 2023

Day 5: Float

"Where's the kid?" Vector asks one late morning, when Espio has poured the two of them a cup of coffee and Charmy has been planted in front of the television to go watch Chao Heroes.

"Still asleep." Taking a large swig from his mug the chameleon grunts, flopping onto the couch beside the completely intrigued bee. "Yesterday really knocked him out."

Vector laughs over the sound of some singing and dancing Chao. "Poor Silver. Finally we're getting him on a decent sleep schedule, and then we had to stay up till two in the night to catch those crooks."

"But it's really cool," Charmy pipes up, though Espio cannot tell if it is a remark about Silver's general awesomeness or just the Chao getting into a minor, child-friendly brawl on the screen. In Espio's own personal opinion it regards the latter, as 'cool' would be a disservice to describe the hedgehog with: Silver had been amazing yesterday, hunting down some shoplifters with unwavering determination and easily driving them into a corner for Vector and Espio to catch them in full. The reward for it all had been handsome, if provided at a somewhat-late time. As it stands, the ninja figures they hadn't been in bed and off to dreamland before three in the slightest, not with Charmy's enthusiastic cries before promptly zonking out and Silver's confident delight at helping out that had kept the hedgehog shimmering and awake for quite a while on top.

And thus Silver had been adorably asleep still when Espio snuck out of bed earlier, and considering the lack of time-travelling psychics downstairs Espio figures that is still the case.

Placing his mug on the table the chameleon stretches; he's not one for coffee, but the caffeine buzz is appreciated right now. "I'll go see if he is awake," he informs his colleagues.

"Tell him there's hot chocolate downstairs, he'll be up in seconds."

With a soft laugh at the statement – yes, Silver is fond of that for sure – Espio nods, raising himself to his feet and into the hallway with quiet movements. No need to startle his beloved awake by being obnoxiously loud: his steps fall right away into the quiet creaking of the wooden flooring as he walks up the stairs and pushes the door to their bedroom open, peering inside with the expectancy to see golden eyes peek over and a peach muzzle form into a sunshine smile.

What Espio actually sees is a whole lot of cyan, in the form of glows and swirls and sparks, and amidst that all Silver floating above the bed.

With his limbs oddly crooked and his head lolled downwards and his torso raised in such a way the rest of his body sprawls down from it like a possessed ragdoll.

Espio flinches. "What the- Silver?" he mumbles out, taking a step inside and shutting the door behind him. At the noise some of the cyan sparks jump up as well, freezing in their gentle flutter before racing right over to Espio's hands. "Hello there," the chameleon adds, smiling beside his surprise as the sparks nuzzle against his fingers. "Just what is your master doing? Should I perform an exorcism here?"

The sparks do not respond, not that they can, and thus Espio can only walk towards the odd scene until he is right beside their bed. With careful movements the ninja stretches out his hand to touch his floating beloved, fingers trailing through the other's soft grey fur. Something akin to a mumbled giggle follows that, which makes Espio stifle a sigh of relief; Silver honestly just seems to be asleep, breaths quiet in the way Espio had long learned to recognise. But the psychic's face is not as guarded as usual, lips occasionally twitching up and his ears giving happy flicks. Is he dreaming? "Tenshi," Espio murmurs, scooping his arms underneath the other. Perhaps if he can coax and coo a bit towards the sparks of cyan to let their master go...