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“Silver, we need to talk.” Espio had said, which is not something he wanted to hear at eight o’clock in the morning. The second the words hit his ears, Silver’s mind flooded with all the negative possibilities of the conversation.
Underneath him, the couch they both sat on began to feel severely uncomfortable, despite actually nothing being wrong with it. His mind raced, thinking of things like the time he had touched Espio’s kunai without permission, or the time he had given Charmy a candy past his bedtime while he was babysitting. Swallowing thickly, he pushed out a reply.
“…Okay.” Silver managed, wrapping his arms around himself. Whatever the topic was, he just wanted to get it over with.
Espio turned his body towards him, sitting criss-cross on the couch. He placed his hands in front of himself and stared at the hedgehog in a way he couldn’t quite identify.
“It’s my understanding that hedgehogs, such as yourself, are experiencing their shedding season right about now.” He began, and Silver breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t seem like he was in trouble after all. “Due to your lack of proper nutrition in the past, this is one of your first healthy sheds, so I just wanted to confirm you are prepared?”
Prepared? Silver thought. He didn’t know there was preparation needed. Before, he’d just let his quills and fur go wherever the wind took them, harbouring the same habits even when his sheds were regular.
“What do you mean ‘prepared’?” He asked sheepishly.
Espio pursed his lips. “Well, I assumed someone would have told you something, perhaps Sonic or Amy… But, regardless, I think I can help you secure everything you need.” He gave the other a reassuring smile which didn’t work all that well.
“That’s great and all but I still want to know what ‘prepared’ is.” Silver said, checking his tone midway as to not come off as rude. Espio then stood up and held his hand out, smile still on his face.
“Let’s find out together, shall we?” He said.
The hedgehog took his hand.
Espio lead him to their bedroom, stopping at a wall decorated with literature on hastily crafted shelves. He sifted through his extensive collection of books for a moment, then plucked one out.
“Aha!” He exclaimed. “I knew I had this lying around.”
Silver took the book from his hands and inspected it. Hedgehog Mobians: A Guide to all Things Hedgehog.
What a strange name. He thought, handing it back.
Espio briefly carded through the pages and put his index finger on one of them. “Here it is.” He said. Silver craned his neck to see what he was talking about.
On the top of the page, in bold letters, read; Shedding, Shed Cycles, and Preparations.
“We’ll find what we need here.” The chameleon clarified.
After reading, Silver had discovered that he was well unprepared, somehow lacking all the knowledge and supplies he needed, which was strange, as only one piece of equipment was needed. It turns out that Silver required a de-shedding brush. He had a brush in his possession but it was not the specific kind he needed. Luckily, Espio had called in a favour and obtained a spare one from Sonic.
He was now standing in front of the bathroom mirror, inspecting the de-shedding brush attentively with Espio to his side. Its bristles seemed stable, normal for a quill brush, though they were less spaced out, thinner, and longer. A bit sharp under his glove, too.
“Everything alright?” Espio asked.
Silver didn’t remove his eyes from the brush. “Yeah, just looking.” It made its way to the quills on his forehead gingerly. “…So I just—?” He made a subtle sweeping motion.
“Yep.”
Though hesitant, he repeated the motion, making contact with the white spines. He secured the bunch with one hand and brushed with the other. The moment it left his quills, the brush was nearly completely coated in white.
“Woah…” Silver grimaced. If this kept up, he was certain he’d be bald. “How many times did the book say I gotta do this?”
“Twice a day.” Espio answered, plucking some fallen quill from his partner’s shoulder. The hedgehog rested the brush on the countertop and resumed his examination.
“How ‘bout once a day?” He offered.
Espio sighed. “This isn’t up for discussion. If that much comes out on a brush in one swipe imagine how much would be on the floors in a day.”
Silver grumbled, frustrated. Curse his newly acquired health. “How about—“ He held a finger up. “I do one and then you do the other.
“…You want me to brush your quills?” Espio scoffed. “Silver, I’m a busy person.”
The hedgehog promptly wrapped his arms around the other’s neck, effectively tinging the edges of his scales pink. “Surely not too busy for me.” He always took some pride in making the ninja flustered.
Espio covered his face with a hand. “…Fine.”
“Cool, you wanna do it this time?” Silver suggested without missing a beat. His arms returned to his sides. It was said partially as a joke, just an annoying thing he probably picked up from hanging around Sonic. Though, the chameleon had soon sighed in a way that signified relent.
“The things I do for you, Silver.” He muttered, picking up the brush. The hedgehog’s eyes lit up. “Sit down.” He pointed to the edge of the bathtub.
Eagerly, Silver laid a towel down on the edge for comfort and sat. It did little to cushion him, but it was better than nothing. He watched Espio position the brush at the base of his front quills, then gently rested his free hand under them. The bristles carefully glided through his spines, pausing every so often so that the chameleon could clean it out.
At one point, Espio had sat down next to him and moved on to the longer quills on the back of his head, specifically the top of them. It had prompted Silver to lean onto the other’s chest.
A soft purr managed to escape his lips, something he wasn’t exactly used to. He let it happen, soaking in the gentle touches of Espio’s fingertips and the soothing motion of the brush. The movement gradually became seemingly unproductive. A lot of it was replaced by the sensation of hands carding through his quills.
Despite the stiffness of the bathtub edge, he found his eyelids drooping and his limbs growing heavy. He hadn’t been this comfortable in a while. Silver allowed his eyes to close.
Perhaps shedding season wasn’t all that bad.