Work Text:
Teaching Silver how to read has been the best and worst decision of Espio’s life.
It’s the best because of the way Silver’s gaze lights up as they pass letter-adorned street signs and advertisements, pointing out to the chameleon snugly walking next to him what they say in an awed whisper as Espio gives their intertwined hands a squeeze. Or how the time traveller has begun insisting on reading his own bedtime stories, painstakingly and hesitant at first but quickly improving until it is going almost as smoothly as it does for Espio now. The tales he can tell Charmy when the two of them are causing trouble outside, the books that hold more for him now than only pictures, all the wonders of the world he is slowly discovering through the written word… Silver is blossoming, and Espio is blossoming right along with him.
It’s the worst because the intrepid hedgehog immediately developed an unshakeable interest in the Chao in Space booklets they had acquired for Charmy one day as opposed to more fitting literature for a young teenager, and once Espio had finally gotten him out of that phase Silver wasted no time in moving on to magazines on nature and animals and he will not stop reading about chameleons.
“Did you know chameleons…” has become the most common phrase in their household by far, followed by some statement spoken with exactly the appropriate amount of awe and wonder it deserves (which is a lot), and what makes it so irking is that Silver has managed to get his hands on a whole lot of facts that are objectively true yet also previously unknown or unrealised to the one actual chameleon said household contains. “Did you know chameleons think their own reflection is another chameleon, instead of themselves?” it is today while the two of them are resting on the couch together, cooling off from the summer heat in the wind stirred up by the ceiling fan, and Espio hisses lowly at the purple chameleon with a bright yellow horn he can see in the window before rolling his eyes at his own silliness.
“Not exactly, no,” he answers like he does more often than he is willing to admit, stroking Silver’s quills as the other is making himself comfortable against his legs. Despite all the chameleon’s grousing about how his beloved is learning too much about his species and is going to Unravel All His Secrets he can’t help but be both amused and touched by Silver’s dedication to learn more about the world, about him, and every time the hedgehog’s adorable smile peeks out over the rim of a book and graces his vision he immediately decides that the worst perhaps isn’t so bad after all.
“We must implement this knowledge,” the psychic very seriously continues, his favourite thing to say when it’s a fact that concerns chameleon care specifically – like how they don’t usually drink water from a dish but consume condense instead, or how they regularly need to get calcium supplements in their food – and Espio can only chuckle and press a kiss to a contemplatively-frowning forehead.
“No need, tenshi. I am not a non-anthropomorphic chameleon, I can recognise myself in mirrors easily enough.”
Silver huffs at that, eyes narrowing suspiciously as he looks Espio up and down and does the same with the see-through purple reflection in the window. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to get confused and think you need to defend your territory against invaders, or something. Stress is bad for you; did you know chameleons are super stressed super easily?”
Wrapping his tail around the other in not-entirely-mock protectiveness Espio holds him close. “I’m the calmest and most stress-resistant chameleon around these parts. Unless someone is trying to steal my beloved fluffy psychic, then I’ll get real mad,” he murmurs in a twitching grey ear. “Meanwhile Vector is the one making sure we can keep our ‘territory’ safe from invaders… by paying the bills.”
He grins in victory as Silver begins chuckling, the sound warm and soothing as the hedgehog leans up and presses a kiss against his cheek. “You’re silly, Espio.”
Shaking his head the ninja flicks his tail as his eyes fall on the clock; it’s almost a quarter before four, though if the temperature in the room is anything to go by it might as well be twelve o’ clock still. “And you are getting way too into this whole chameleon thing. I haven’t forgiven you for trying to feed me a cricket, you know.”
“It’s their favourite food,” Silver purrs innocently as Espio picks him up in his arms with a grunt and hoists both of them up from the couch. “Besides, isn’t making sure your partner is well-fed the pinnacle of romance?”
Shaking his head with a deep, fond sigh Espio puts the other down on his own two feet, the hedgehog’s body too warm for him to carry comfortably. Lounging around on the couch with Silver snugly against him is nice, but they have plans for today too, and now that the afternoon is in full swing and the heat of noon has dissipated somewhat it is time to put those in motion. “I’d say working on the plants in our back yard is more romantic than having you catch crickets for me, but the thought is appreciated-“
“I’ll read the plant manual!!” the hedgehog chirps as he dashes away immediately before the chameleon can finish his sentence, and with a chuckle Espio initiates the short chase to the tiny garden behind the Agency that Silver has been turning into a true plant paradise. In this regard the hedgehog has truly outdone everyone’s expectations, the yard previously adorned with only clutter and stone now overflowing with greens and coloured blooms in the summer sun. He is dedicated too, watering the plethora of plants on the daily and diving into the science behind proper gardening once he had learned the tools to access it, and the encyclopaedia Espio gifted to him one day has become just as well-read as the journals about chameleons. The ninja himself never had had much interest in horticulture, but the other had asked for his help one day, and things had gone from there… Looking after the blooming blossoms together has quickly become one of their favourite pastimes now, other than going out on missions or reading together or discussing the non-anthropomorphic application of chameleon facts.
Silver has already grabbed the thick brown book as Espio steps down from the porch onto the pebbles woven around patches of green and flower pots, the hedgehog mumbling to himself as he tips his head and narrows his eyes before proudly proclaiming the word he had been stuck on out loud. With a smile the chameleon leans in to press a peck against his forehead, before turning his attention to the metal rack placed against the brick wall that denotes the boundary of their garden. A few flowers are resting in their pots with sadly-drooping leaves; those have to be watered, he notes to himself as he gets to work. The sun has been bright for the past few days and there has been little rain too, and with the heat of summer on top they need to make sure the plants are hydrated properly. Rummaging through the lowest level the chameleon grabs a watering can, filling it with water from the wooden water tank before something else catches his attention and he puts it down again. One flower – their yellow orchid, one of Silver’s favourites – is looking rather pitiful indeed, leaves pale and peppered with brown splotches. “Silver, what does this mean?” he calls out over his shoulder, showing the hedgehog the flower as his beloved’s ears droop in the same way the flower’s leaves are at the sight.
“Uh, orchid… orchid… It’s… getting too much sun,” Silver tells him as he studies the encyclopaedia and turns page after page, turning the book around to show a picture of a similar flower with the same symptoms. “It say that they, uh… live under the… can-o-py, so they don’t like direct sunlight. Poor thing…”
Silver’s empathy for all that lives never fails to be endearing, and Espio shoots the other a smile as he looks for a place to put the orchids. Though, Silver’s eyes aren’t on him right now, instead studying the ground contemplatively; the chameleon pays it no mind as he looks over the garden, deciding on a good place for the sun-overdosed flowers. “I’ll place it closer to the house then, so it stands in the shadow of your vine plant.”
The hedgehog chirps in response from where he hovers in the air, and with a quiet hum Espio picks the flower pot from the rack and turns around to place it against the wall… only to freeze with his shoulders scrunching up and a deep frown forming on his face at the gentle spray of water that begins to cascade over his crest and seep down his body, his eyes widening at the sensation. “Did you know chameleons need to be watered every day, so they don’t dehydrate?” sounds to his left, innocent and adorable, and as Espio shoots Silver a glance that is half exasperated and half confused he can see the watering can he has just filled float above him with its liquid contents being mercilessly emptied.
“Wha- I’m not a plant!” the chameleon sputters as he finds his voice anew, unable to defend himself against the gentle torrent with the orchids in his hands still. “What are you doing?!”
“Proper hydration is ~important~, especially for chameleons and in this weather!” the other purrs in delight as the barrage of water slowly comes to an end, leaving a soaking chameleon in its wake. Balling his hands into fists Silver bristles up his quills, looking at Espio with passion burning in his eyes and his tail wagging agitatedly. “I gotta make sure you don’t die on me, Espio! So just like our plants, I’ll water you every day and make sure you don’t dry out!”
Opening his mouth for a sassy retort – or some loving scolding, whichever comes first – Espio closes it again as he realises something. Dry out… being doused in a whole shower of water seems rather ineffective to prevent that, especially since unlike him non-anthro chameleons are rather feeble, easily stressed, and undesiring of any abrupt changes in their habitat. Add to that the fact figurative speech tends to fly over Silver’s head more often than not, not to mention expressions, and he gets an inkling a few things have gone wrong between the other reading this particular titbit of information and deciding to put it to the test in practice. He can come up with some ideas what the other found out and interpreted wrongly given the information he had on their plants… “Silver,” he sighs, unable to pinch his horn in exasperation with the heavy flowerpot in his hands. “They meant watering with a spray bottle.”
An curious hum sounds in front of him as the entirely dry orchids are taken out of his hands – of course Silver would spare them the water ballet, Espio notes saltily – and flown over to the wall where he had been planning to put them. “What’s the difference?”
“With a spray bottle you get a cloud of water vapour, not a literal shower,” the chameleon retorts as he shakes out his scales as best he can and flicks his tail at the droplets sticking to them still. “When watering plants in the soil you need to do it with a watering can because mist cannot seep into the earth, but that is not the case for chameleons. Some plants do like water vapour on their leaves; you wouldn’t douse them in an entire shower when a bit of vapour is enough, right?”
The hedgehog hums once more, clearly pondering over the ninja’s words deeply as he drifts in the sky. “So… I should make sure to not water you with too much water,” he concludes, and Espio rubs his temples fondly at his words with his annoyance simmering down as if it had never been there before in the first place.
“If that’s the way you want to put it, then sure.” Leaving things like this is a bit dangerous – he might wake up in an entirely water-soaked bed tomorrow because Silver realised some chameleon species like their environments to be humid, to give an example – but Espio smiles nonetheless at the psychic’s adorably curious studying of his scales. The other does these kinds of things because he doesn’t want him to die, the chameleon reminds himself, and even though Silver doesn’t seem to realise that knowledge on non-anthropomorphic creatures really doesn’t translate to their anthropomorphic counterparts in such a one-way manner he appreciates it all the same. Plus the fact that the liquid on his body does feel nice now in the afternoon heat…
Silver smiles warmly, floating down a little as the watering can is put down also. “So I guess I should find one of those spray bottles and moisten you up with that, huh?”
“Or you can just let me drink a glass of water when you’re worried about me being thirsty,” Espio teases, one hand enshrouded by a wet glove moving up to scratch behind a yelping psychic’s ear. “After all, I am not too stubborn – or dumb – to not know how to drink from a water container.”
“I don’t think real chameleons know how to drink from drinking glasses,” is the one thing Silver picks up from his statement. “I’ll try to see if I can find it tomorrow.”
“Of course, tenshi. But first we should finish the garden, alright?”
That catches the hedgehog’s attention immediately, and with a chirp Silver begins checking the vines on the wall for weeds and bugs. He looks rather beautiful like that, glowing in the light of the afternoon sun, and Espio shakes his head amusedly at his love-struck musings before turning back to the plants on the lower levels of the rack. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it – out loud, that is – the unexpected shower did help him with cooling down, the heat around him just a bit less pressing. Whether it is because of the water of the fact that Silver is near him he doesn’t know, but he supposes it’s not that important. The psychic can be so silly in his own sweet and caring way…
Lost in thought Espio blinks as his eyes fall on some more supplies on the lowest part of the metal construction, one of which is a sturdy wooden bucket they use to water the ground quickly. The hedgehog is entirely preoccupied with removing a few weeds that have popped up at the base of their vine, and a smirk forms on Espio’s lips as a ploy for payback begins to form in his head. The water tank is still quite full indeed…
Silver suspects nothing; Espio croons in victory at the loud shriek resounding in front of him as a whole bucket of water is toppled right over the hedgehog’s head. “ESPIO!” the psychic cries as he jumps two feet in the air and whirls around, pupils a bright cyan as the chameleon just about topples over with poorly-hidden laughter. “WHY?!?”
“Technically hedgehogs need to be given water too so they don’t dehydrate,” Espio cheekily retorts as the thoroughly-flustered hedgehog stares at him with wide eyes, before he whines and shakes out his pelt like a wet dog as the chameleon raises an arm to protect himself against the wildly-drying droplets “So if you interpret- oh, Silver.” The other’s fur and quills are sticking out on all sides as he finishes the haphazard motions, making him look rather adorably dishevelled indeed, and Espio can only lean in to press a kiss against a pouting rosy cheek. “You’re silly.”
“You’re silly, Espio.”
Wrapping his arms around the still rather wet hedgehog – he himself is still soaked too, it doesn’t matter anymore now – the chameleon shakes his head. “No-one sillier than silly Silvy,” he teases, ducking to the side with a laugh at the spray of water that is thrown at him psychokinetically from the watering tank. Silver is looking just a bit too playfully vengeful for him to feel comfortable; perhaps an attempt at distraction is not a bad idea. “Maybe we should focus on watering the plants first-“
“Nuh uh. This is war,” Silver interrupts with a chirp, luckily smiling once more as shimmering cyan orbs of water rise all around him. “Prepare yourself, Espio!”
“Not fair-“ the chameleon tries to protest before quickly jumping out of the way as the orbs are shot in his direction, a laugh slipping past his lips as his training kicks in and he gracefully darts around the manically-giggling hedgehog. It might take quite a bit longer to water their garden like this, and perhaps they’re using a tad more water than they should in the middle of summer… but he wouldn’t have it any other way, Espio smiles to himself. He wouldn’t have Silver any other way, reading about chameleons and plants and Chao and everything that interests him with the ninja at his side, and implementing all the new things he learns through his own unique methods. No, the worst of having taught Silver to read is the best too, because Silver cares. And though he does occasionally catch the ninja off-guard with the things he tries to implement – Espio doubts he’ll ever forgive the hedgehog for that cricket – it makes him feel loved in a way he struggles to describe; it’s warm, and gentle, and soothing, and above all…
A part of him can’t wait to hear what chameleon facts the other reads about tomorrow.
