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Espio hated having a crush. He hated the way his heart would flutter while thinking of that ‘special someone’, he hated the way they would infiltrate his thoughts day and night relentlessly, he hated how nervous he would get if he was in the same room as them, a terrible trait for a ninja who’s spent countless years training for focus.
So, being stuck at a party for Gaia knows how long with his crush sitting a mere two tables away made him want to throw up and cry.
It was Amy Rose’s birthday again, she had booked out a mini ballroom-esque venue, it appeared she wanted something more chill after the whole incident on the Mirage Express. Espio didn’t mind the setting itself, in fact there was an entire section of the room with numerous sweets lined up on every table. That part wasn’t bad at all.
He was sitting at a table alone, Charmy was off somewhere, probably annoying Tails or bothering Vector, wherever he was. The solitude was rather nice. In a room crowded with people, lots of unintelligible noises, yelling, music blasting from a boombox, and harsh overhead lighting, he preferred to be on his own to handle his thoughts properly.
Espio’s attention was piqued when Vector came wandering towards him through the crowd, rather giddily.
“What’s gotten you so happy?” He asked, taking a bite from a brownie he had gotten from the dessert bar. Vector pulled out a chair next to him and sat down.
“Amy’s running this fortune-telling thing in the corner over there,” He pointed to the far edge of the room, which had been concealed with purple curtains. “She was telling me all ‘bout this ‘soulmate’ stuff. I didn’t believe it but it was, uh, entertaining, definitely.”
The smile on his face contended to his supposed disbelief.
“She mentioned Vanilla, didn’t she?” Espio said, not looking up from his plate. Vector’s hand was suddenly slapped over his mouth.
“Keep it down, kid!” He urged, then looked around. “She’s around here somewhere.”
He knew what it felt like to be nervous about someone, but with Vector and Vanilla it was completely different. The two of them had a clear interest in each other, anyone could see it. He couldn’t say the same for him and the person he had grown painfully fond of.
Espio sighed. “Tell her to go get her fortune done then. If she doesn’t know you like her by now, at least drop another hint.”
Vector mashed his fist into his palm like he was the one who got the idea. He nodded his head eagerly. “Yes, good job Espio.” He stood up and began to wade through the crowd. “Knew there was a reason I hired you.”
Espio pinched his nose bridge in annoyance. Vector was lucky he had such an easy time gushing over Vanilla, even if he didn’t realize it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that two tables over, there was an empty chair in place of that special person. His nerves finally settled at their absence.
And then, they all came back in full force.
“Hey, Espio!” He heard an agonizingly familiar voice speak from behind him. One he had spent hours of time thinking about. He turned his head and there they were.
Espio’s crush, Silver the hedgehog.
He didn’t really know when it had started. Really, all he knew was that at some point in time, he had wanted nothing more than to see the telekinetic hedgehog, but felt such terrible anxiety when actually seeing him.
Espio tapped into his trained composure and spoke. “Hello, Silver.”
Shit, I said that weird didn’t I?
Logically, the next best thing to say would be to invite him to sit, but he couldn’t figure out how to say it until the two had been staring at each other for far too long already.
“Um, care to join me?” He gestured to the pulled out seat that Vector had been sitting in earlier.
“Sure.” Silver sat down in the chair. Espio saw him briefly look at his plate of sweets.
I have too many desserts near me, he’s going to think I’m weird.
“I didn’t think you liked parties.” He said.
“I don’t, not really. I just figured that since Amy’s last party was… a bit of a disaster, I should show up. Just to have more hands on deck, I suppose.” Espio replied. The other boy hummed and the two sat in silence for a moment.
“Speaking of Amy,” The hedgehog started, “She’s running some sort of fortune-telling station. You should check it out!”
Espio groaned in fake annoyance. “Gaia, don’t tell me you did that ‘soulmate’ thing too.” He laughed.
Silver held his hands out in defense. “Wha— it looked fun! And I was a bit curious.”
He hated how hard his heart was thumping.
“So, then, if you don’t mind me asking,” Espio managed, in disbelief that he was even trying this. “What did she say about your soulmate?”
Silver rested his cheek against the heel of his palm, then picked at the tablecloth.
“Not much.” He said. “She said they were intelligent, hard-working— Oh! She said she saw a lot of the colour purple, but I think that’s just because the curtains were purple, um...”
He tapped his index finger to his temple while he thought.
Espio snuck a quick glance at his own scales. They weren’t exactly purple, more like magenta, he concluded, which drew an aching pit of misery in his stomach. He was quick to dismiss it.
“Let’s see,” Silver continued. “Well-disciplined, always on guard… fast? Yeah, she said they were fast.”
“Sounds a lot like your friend, Blaze.” He suggested, though it pained him to say it. It hurt to even think about it.
“Blaze?”
“Yeah, I mean, she’s fast, disciplined, intelligent… purple.”
Silver’s lips were drawn in a tight line. “I don’t think Blaze really cares for romance, though.” He stated casually.
To Espio, it sounded like something that maybe he’d say about the hedgehog in a moment of doubt, lessening his spirit even more.
“Interesting.” Was all he could say. Oh well, perhaps he could now focus more on cases and training instead of fruitlessly pining over a guy 200 years away.
“You should at least try it.” Silver spoke suddenly. “The fortune telling, I mean.”
Espio stared at him considerably. “You think so?”
“She said she’d give $5.00 to anyone she’s unable to read.” He stated.
“And I’m off.”
The chameleon immediately rose from his chair, a small chuckle coming from Silver that made his face feel as if it were on fire.
“I’ll see you in a bit, Silver.” Espio stated as casually as he could, then pushed through the mass.
Once he arrived at the curtained corner, he took a small peek through the gap in the fabric, noticing Vanilla sitting across from Amy. He turned away.
Gaia, he couldn’t believe he was doing this. He didn’t even believe in soulmates, nor fortune telling, nor whatever tarot cards she did or did not have. Espio believed in facts, it’s what has made him a great detective. There’s nothing he can miss.
He soon noticed Vanilla exiting out of the area, sweeping the curtain to the side and flashing a kind smile at him. He returned the expression and took a deep breath before entering.
“Espio!” Amy exclaimed, hints of surprise in her voice. “You’re the last person I thought I’d see in here.”
Espio shared that idea. “Yes, well, everybody has been so enthusiastic about your skills, I thought I’d come by and see them for myself.” He thought it would be best to seem neutral, not just for the money, of course, but because if she did find anything out about him, he’d fret over it his every waking moment.
“Oo! I’m so excited, have a seat.” She patted the other end of the table eagerly. Espio sat down, ensuring that his posture was calm and rigid, as it usually was.
“Alright, Espio, we’ll start with a tarot reading.” Amy explained, shuffling through a deck of navy and gold cards. “That way I can read you better later.”
He was already regretting entering. “Sounds good.”
She laid the cards over the table, then fanned them out so that each one was at least a bit visible. “Pick the one you feel most drawn to.” She instructed.
Espio decided that he was going to do the exact opposite and pick the one he was least drawn to, which happened to be the one on the far right. He reached over tapped his index finger on the card.
Amy swiftly pulled the card out and inspected it, a worryingly thrilled look on her face. She flipped it around and showed it to him.
“The High Priestess.” She stated. Espio stared at the sparkly drawing on the cover. “Upright, it means you have a reliable intuition and a strong inner voice, but—.”
“I’m guessing the meaning changes if it’s upside down.” The chameleon said in a low voice.
“Correct!” Amy pointed a finger in the air. “Because it’s upside down, it means that your inner voice might be a bit lost, your intuition maybe not that reliable—”
Espio huffed. “Nonsense. My intuition is extremely reliable.”
“That may be true, but, it seems to be leading you astray in a few situations.” She explained. “Also, the reverse High Priestess can mean repressed feelings, maybe you have something going on that you’re not telling anyone about?”
Amy put the card down and intertwined her fingers, laying them down in front of herself.
Espio swallowed thickly. He mentally reminded himself that these were just cards, they didn’t mean anything about how much she did or didn’t know.
“What, are you— are you asking me if I have repressed feelings?” He questioned, realizing he had a strong dislike for being interrogated.
Amy simply shrugged. “That depends, do you?”
Espio took a deep breath. “No, I do not.”
She kept staring at him for a few more seconds then gathered up her cards and placed them into a box. “Okay, then.” She said with a firm smile on her lips that told him she didn’t exactly believe his words.
He had no idea how long he’d be in this blasted room for, but he hoped with all his might that he’d be out soon.
Amy grabbed a large crystal ball from beneath the table and set it down before her.
“Now, Espio, let’s talk soulmates.”
Crap! He thought. With all the tarot card mumbo jumbo he had completely forgotten about the humiliation ritual he was sent in here to endure. On the bright side, he could walk away five dollars richer if he just played it calm, which was what he was best at. Sometimes.
“Okay, now take my hand and repeat after me.” Amy ordered, her palm facing upwards and outstretched. Espio placed his hand over it.
“Ad lucem specto,” She said, eyes closed with her free hand on the top of the crystal ball. Espio did as he was told and repeated what he heard.
“Ad amorem meum aspicio,”
“Veritatem aspicio,”
“Et sola veritas.”
He repeated all of her words and removed his hand from hers when she allowed him to.
“I see…” Amy looked into her crystal ball, focused. “Hm, interesting.” She said.
“What?” Espio questioned, already feeling doubtful about his future.
“Oh, nothing.” She waved off. “Let’s see, I’m noticing a nice blue, sort of glowing, very luminous.”
The chameleon suppressed a frown. The only ‘blue’ person he could think of was Sonic, and that didn’t feel right at all.
“They’re very stubborn, though a bit naive… I can see strength, maybe not all physical, and I can see some—“ Amy paused suddenly. She looked away from the crystal ball and fixed her gaze on Espio. In a swift turn of events she stood up and leaned over to table, getting really close up to him.
If intimidation was a fortune-telling tactic, it was definitely working on Espio. “Um…” He tried his best not to display any discomfort. Within a heartbeat Amy was back in her chair, but still gaping at him.
“Espio the chameleon!” She declared at a volume that made him wonder if she was about to stick numerous hired fighters on him or something. Then, she spoke a bit quieter, still showing some urgency in her voice. “Do you have a crush on someone!?” She hissed.
Espio felt his scales grow pale, but was quick to reel it back to his normal shade. “I—“ he began, then adjusted his tone to be calmer and more casual. “I do not.” He wished he could get his mind to believe himself as well. His heart was now beating out of his chest, his hands feeling numb, and his mouth going dry. Amy scowled at him, then glanced at the crystal ball, then back at him again.
“You’re lying to me.” She concluded in a terrifying amount of time.
The chameleon smoothed over the scales on his knee. “I can assure you, I’m not.”
“Another lie.”
“Cut it out.”
“Can I at least guess who it is?”
“Guess who what is? I’m telling you I have no crush. It is immature and not something that a ninja should partake in.” Espio scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. Unfortunately for him, Amy was unrelenting.
“Does their name start with an ‘S’?” She asked.
He nearly choked on air. Maybe he would have to offer her an internship at the agency if she kept this up.
“Taking that as a ‘yes’.” Amy smiled.
Espio sputtered. “I— I didn’t even say anything.”
“You didn’t need to.”
Great. He thought. Goodness, it felt terrible to be examined like a criminal.
She put a finger to her chin then her eyes lit up, fear striking in his body.
Amy nonchalantly checked the gaps in the curtain and put her hand next to her mouth.
“Is it Silver?” She said in such a quiet tone he barely could make it out.
This time, he did choke on air. He covered his mouth and doubled over, one arm secure over his midriff.
“Oh my goodness, was I right!?” Amy hissed.
Espio caught his breath and slowly looked up at her as if she had just sentenced him to death by a thousand paper cuts. He caught himself at once and adjusted his composure. The chameleon closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
“Do not speak a word of this to anyone.” He ordered. “Please.” Espio added, a slight bit deflated.
He always thought that he would take this piece of himself to the grave, this bit of his mind that he wasn’t particularly proud of. It constantly invaded his confidence, diminished his ability to think properly, and seemed to be lurking behind him every time he saw himself in the mirror. Now, the secret was out. Someone knew. They knew he wasn’t strong enough to keep things undercover and there was nothing he could do about it.
Amy gave him a kind smile, doing little to reassure him, but it was better than nothing. “I promise I won’t tell anybody.” She said. Espio nodded and stood, giving her a small bow before turning away.
“Thanks for coming, and, uh, hope things work out for you.” Amy called out. He turned back to her and returned the smile.
“Thank you, Amy.” He spoke, leaving to go through the crowd once more.
The loud setting wasn’t a great place to think, but thoughts came in regardless. Espio recalled what Amy had said about his intuition. He always thought it to be something he used for detective work and battles, but it could perhaps be used for other purposes. Feelings.
Silver had said that his supposed soulmate was intelligent and hardworking. That, he was. He mentioned the colour purple, and it wasn’t like Espio couldn’t be purple. Disciplined, on guard, and fast were also adjectives mentioned. He was… all of those. Then again, he didn’t seem the most enthusiastic when he had brought up Blaze. His heart rate began to quicken.
Goodness, he had been an idiot!
He pushed through the last of the crowd to get to his table, only to find that the white-quilled hedgehog was no longer there.
Of course. Espio thought. You were getting your hopes up anyway.
Dejected, he sat down, alone at the table. Until he heard a voice.
“Espio!”
The chameleon whipped his head around to the source of the noise, eyes landing carefully as he let out a soft sigh. Weeding through the crowd was his crush, Silver the hedgehog.
“Hi, sorry, I um—“ He sat down, placing down a plate stacked with desserts. “Honestly, I ate all of your desserts while you were gone so I brought you some more.”
Espio chuckled, all of his earlier distress melting away. “Well, thank you.” He said.
“How’d it go with Amy?” Silver asked.
“It was…” He mulled over the possible ways to word his experience. “Terrible. She read me like a book.” He admitted.
“She did that to me too!” The hedgehog exclaimed, pointing at himself. “I started wondering if she was from the future too.” He giggled. Espio couldn’t help but stare. Silver seemed too preoccupied with the plate of sweets in order to notice. He turned his attention to the plate as well, eventually.
One of the desserts, right in the centre, was a small round cookie, an Apple Hermit if he recalled correctly. He picked it up and held it out to Silver.
“You should try this one. You like apples, correct?” He suggested.
Silver seemed surprised. “This has apples in it?”
“Yes, it’s called an Apple Hermit, basically just a fancy apple cookie.”
The hedgehog took the dessert in his hand and moved it around, inspecting it. Then, he promptly split it in half, crumbs decorating the white tablecloth. He held one half out to Espio.
“Try it with me.” Silver said with a smile.
He took the half after some hesitation.
“Alright,” The other started, holding three fingers up. Espio understood what he was doing and held the cookie near his mouth. “Three, two, one!”
He bit into the edge of the sweet, Silver doing the same. It was soft, somewhat like cake, but not too flimsy that it wouldn’t hold shape. The flavour reminded him somewhat of gingerbread, some of the same spices evident in it, he could tell.
Beside him, Silver lit up completely, staring at the cookie like it was the most precious treasure ever created.
“This is incredible!” He said, mouth still full.
“It is really good, yes.” Espio agreed. “Would you like to have the rest of my half? I’m not all that hungry.”
Silver wasted no time and took it into his hands.
There was a sort of warmth stirring in the chameleon’s chest. One that gave him calm, hope, and maybe some foolish determination that he planned to take advantage of before it left.
“Hey, Silver, um…” Espio began. He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, but his intuition was telling him something different this time. It felt right. “There’s this café down by the mall. It has beautiful drinks, some of them, apple-flavoured. Perhaps you’d like to accompany me this Saturday if you’re still around?”
Espio had been through the most difficult of trials, the most stressful of trainings, faced indescribable horrors time and time again, but waiting for Silver to respond added a whole new level to ‘terrified’.
The hedgehog stared at him blankly for a moment, the only movement being rapid blinks.
Espio panicked. “Or not, that’s okay too, I know you’re busy with future stuff—“ He was halted by a finger in his face. Silver was facing the table. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the hedgehog was still chewing the rest of the cookie.
Eventually, he had swallowed it down, removing his finger from the chameleon’s face. He looked him right in the eyes and spoke.
“How about…” Silver said, and Espio was preparing for the worst. “We go and I pay?”
Well, he wasn’t expecting that. His mouth turned slightly agape and he could feel part of his left arm shift hues before he put a stop to it. He caught his voice at some point.
“You… want to pay?” He said with a bit of a chuckle. Silver nodded eagerly.
“Yeah! You’re not exactly…” He waved his hands around.
“Financially stable?”
“Yes, that.” Silver snapped his fingers.
Espio laughed in full force. It felt nice to feel something other than dread and misery around him.
“So… what’d Amy say about your soulmate?” The hedgehog asked, leaning forwards.
“Oh, well,” Espio sighed. “The way she described them, it sounded a lot like you.”
He hoped that didn’t sound too desperate. And it appeared it didn’t.
“Ooh! Maybe we’re soulmates then.” Silver suggested, putting his hand over the chameleon’s knuckles.
That simple action stole the air straight from his lungs. He managed a smile.
“Yes.” Espio said, feeling lighter than he had since the very first day he couldn’t get the hedgehog out of his mind. “Perhaps we are.”