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It wasn't that Silver was looking for anything particular. The lush green drew him in like a line with a hook. The deeper he got in the more he saw chao fluttering about which excited him. He'd always found chao cute and just another reason to love the world he fought for. He'd tried to walk closer, but it seemed as though the chao weren't as nearly as excited to see Silver.
He wasn't sure why. Chao weren't stereotypically territorial or skittish. He didn't think he'd done anything to upset or offend any of them, either. However, that didn't keep a few of them seemingly making a wall in front of him. Angry little noises muttering around them, the loudest from a red and black dark chao who looked close to pouncing the hedgehog at a moments notice.
Silver threw up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry," he tried. "I'm not sure what I did, but I didn't mean it!"
His attention was grabbed past the cluster when a harsh cough and a weak voice called out, "Silver?"
"Sonic?"
The very blue hedgehog walked out from behind a tree. Silver noticed the way he leaned on the bark as if his own body was too heavy for him to carry. His eyes seemed hazy and bags decorated the underside. His quills were unkept and his fur seemed not nearly as vibrant as it normally was.
Just like how he looked when he was sick with the metal virus.
Silver, completely forgetting the chao all together, rushed to Sonic's side. He hesitated touching the other but let his hands hover over Sonic's back and arm. "What happened to you? Are you okay? Are you injured?"
Sonic laughed, of all things, at Silver's reaction. It was a strained sound that wasn't nearly as wind-chime-like as it normally was. The sound quickly fell into a coughing fit that had Sonic doubling in on himself.
Silver let go of his hesitation and took hold of him. Sonic leaned into the touch with ease. Gently Silver guided them both to sit on the grass.
The moment they were both lower to the ground, the same dark chao from earlier suddenly leaped onto Silver, grabbing at his quills and punching into the hedgehog with soft little pats of furious anger.
"H-hey! What's wrong with this guy?!"
"Rose!" Sonic hissed out. He gently grabbed hold of the irate chao and pulled it off of Silver. He kept hold of it in his lap. "Silver is a friend, don't attack him."
The chao, Rose, Silver assumed, gave a very unhappy sound and even gave Sonic a good smack on the chest for his troubles. Sonic, in turn, only patted and petted the little creature with soft care. The caring attention eased Rose into a much calmer, yet still frustrated, sit.
"Sorry about them, Silv," Sonic offered. His words were punctuated with another rough cough. "They're just worried. Blue hasn't let go of me since I got here."
"Blue?" Silver asked only for a tiny blue normal chao to pop its head from Sonic's quills as if summoned by the call of its name. Blue noticed Rose in Sonic lap and gave the dark chao a smack on the head to grab its attention. When Rose gave just that, it quickly scrambled up Sonic's face and shoved itself into his quills along side Blue.
"I wasn't feelin' well, so I fell asleep under one of the trees," Sonic explained the answer to an unasked question. "Still not feeling all that hot, honestly," he sighed. He pulled his legs up and leaned onto the tree behind him. "I'm just sick," he added on.
"Oh," Silver muttered to himself. He frowned. "You're… you're gonna be okay, right?"
Sonic looked at him for a moment, almost examining what that question meant. "Yeah," he said with a nod. "'Course I am." He flashed a large smile to Silver and patted his shoulder. "I'm pretty resilient when it comes to colds. I don't even get 'em that often."
Silver nodded at the information given to him. "You probably shouldn't sleep outside if you're sick," he pointed out. He knew Sonic didn't really have a home, at least not one he actually lived in. But still, the idea of him getting worse made Silver nervous. Illness wasn't something to brush off when he came from. He knew it was different here but… still…
"I know," Sonic sighed with a tired smile. "It's more comfortable out here, ya know? Never cared all that much for houses and beds. Too cramped."
As usual, Sonic baffled Silver to no end. He couldn't understand how someone would choose to sleep on the ground than on a plush and comfortable mattress. He shook his head with a smile. He couldn't be too surprised. Sonic was always an oddity for sure. It was something that captivated Silver, he supposed.
"Well… is there anything that helps it feel less cramped?"
Sonic looked at Silver with a thoughtful expression. Really taking a moment before answering, which Silver appreciated. "I guess I like sleeping over with Tails or Amy," he replied.
Silver's face brightened with a new idea like a bulb lighting up his expression. "Come sleep with me!"
Sonic blinked up at him, his expression with a clarity unseen since they'd bumped into each other. The surprise twisted into humor as a broken laugh bubbled out of him. Even littered with coughing, the sound was still sweet. "Chaos, Silver," he sighed out.
"What?" Silver grumbled in reply. "Did I say something?" He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck with some annoyance. "I'm not tired or anything but… but if it could help you I don't mind you coming over." Of course 'coming over' just meant going to the room the Resistance had kept specifically for when Silver was in town. Still, his offer rang true as any other despite the lack of actual housing.
Sonic shook his head as his laughter died down. "I appreciate it, Silv," he nodded. He pushed up to try and stand but was quick to wobble onto a tree. Once again using the bark to keep him up right. "Ah, well…"
"Oh, here, let me-" Silver reached a hand out as he stood up, a familiar blue glow enveloped Sonic and his body relaxed as it no longer needed to hold itself up. Silver put a hand on Sonic's shoulder and moved him off the tree. "Is this okay? I can take you back so you can get some real rest."
Sonic laid his head on Silver's shoulder with a dramatic sound. "You're a real life saver."
Silver felt his face get warm. He turned his head in hopes it wouldn't be noticeable under the thin white fur. "Of course. You mean a lot to me. Well, everyone I guess. I don't wanna see a future where something happened to you and I couldn't help."
The beat of silence made him suddenly uncomfortable. Had he said something wrong? When he looked to Sonic the other hedgehog had a hand over his face, seemingly trying to hide, or just hold onto, his wobbling smile and flushing cheeks.
Sonic breathed in a deep, humored sigh and reached out to take Silver's free hand in his own. "Alright, romeo," he chuckled with a sickly cough. "How about you get me somewhere with warm tea and advil."
The two had made their way to the resistance where Silver was eager to put Sonic to bed. The two chao who had unknowingly hitched a ride in Sonic's quills burst out and went off on their own adventure. Meanwhile, Silver made sure Sonic was comfortable and warm before he slipped off to hunt down whatever he could to help heal.
He'd found his way towards Jewel who was more than happy to supply him with cold medicine and throat lozenges. She'd even offered to make tea and have it sent their way later, which Silver happily excepted. When he got back to the room, however, Sonic was fast asleep.
His quills were relaxed and he'd curled himself around one of the pillows, only a few inches away from making a full ball out of himself. The blanket had fallen to the side some, which Silver noticed and deemed unacceptable.
Silver set the medication to the side and pulled the blanket back over Sonic's shoulder's gently. He found it hard to take his hands away, instead letting one rest on the sleeping hedgehog's hip. Silver sighed at the sight. Seeing him comfortable and content brought Silver a similar peace.
Sonic was so nonchalant about being sick which should have reassured Silver, but he could never tell with the hero. There were far too many times where Sonic would downplay an injury or something similar to keep people from worrying about him. Silver wasn't sure if he would deem that quality selflessly heroic or annoyingly stupid. Maybe both.
However, seeing him so at ease did quell some of those fears and doubt. He let his fingers run over the blanket, feeling the smallest of movement underneath. Silver sat down next to the bed and watched Sonic's expression. Even with the flushed and fevered cheeks he was beautiful. Quills like bright blue skies, fur like healthy brown soil, and eyes like green grass that flickered in the breeze. Sonic was as if the planet had been given a form to walk across it's own land.
Silver loved bright colors he'd realized. The saturated shimmering life that practically blinded him at every turn was nothing short of gorgeous. He also loved nature and the life that grew and thrived and made it's home all around him. And Sonic was some how all of that.
And Silver loved Sonic.
It wasn't a shocking revelation to him. At least not in a way that had him startling and running out with a flustered face and beating heart. Maybe he'd loved Sonic for a long time and had only now put words to it. Or maybe the feeling was so natural and comfortable that he just allowed himself to fall into it's warm embrace. And now he could only sit next to Sonic, pressing their foreheads together like a mother checking a toddler's fever.
Sonic was pretty warm, but it wasn't a blistering heat. Jewel also hadn't been too worried when Silver had spoken to her. He supposed he really could relax. He probably should have left Sonic to rest. He probably shouldn't have closed his eyes and keep their heads together in a soft touch that sent butterflies flittering in his very core.
He only opened his eyes again when he heard Sonic start to stir. He pulled back just in time to watch green emeralds blink open. The gaze was still hazy and tired but still flashed with recognition. Silver didn't see a need to fully pull away and kept close. Sonic smiled at that, a lazy and comfortable expression.
"Hey, I'm guessin' I feel asleep?"
"That's why I brought you here," Silver reminded him. "But I did find medicine and Jewel said she would bring someone with some tea."
Sonic closed his eyes again in his smile, lightly bumping their heads together once more. "That's cool. I don't wanna get you sick."
"I don't mind," Silver responded without thought. No thoughts about how in his time any illness was treated like a death sentence. No thoughts to if he got sick who would care for Sonic. The only thing that he thought was if he got sick he knew he'd be okay. "Hey, Sonic?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm in love with you."
Sonic pulled back just enough to look Silver in the eyes. Surprise morphed into a large and goofy smile. Somehow, on him, it was still dashing and cool all at once. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Silver nodded.
Sonic pushed their foreheads together again. "That's pretty awesome. I'm kinda honored, honestly." He reached a hand out from under the covers to caress Silver's face. Running his fingers through the soft fur. "I don't wanna lie to you, Silv. I'm not sure how I feel. But if you'll have me, I don't mind figuring that out with you."
Silver leaned into the touch. He rested his own hand on Sonic's. "I'd like that, I think."
Silver wasn't sure who pushed forward first. All he knew is he took one last glance at those brilliant green eyes and then pressed their lips against one another. It was soft and warm and probably going to get Silver sick but he couldn't find it in himself to give a damn. Every time they pulled apart it wasn't longer than a few seconds before they were pressed together again. Each kiss getting more daring than the last.
At some point between their kisses, Sonic pulled at Silver's arms, guiding him up and onto the bed. He took Silver's face fully in his hands to keep deepening the kiss.
"I can say for sure," Sonic said between presses of lips and an almost painful grin. "I like this a lot."
Silver slid onto Sonic's other side on the bed, so that he wasn't crushing the sick hedgehog. He kept his arms across Sonic's chest and his head up for easy access to his lips. He leaned in for another kiss, more interested in peppering Sonic with them than responding to his silly statements.
Silver paused at the sound of someone clearing their throat. Both hedgehogs looked up to see Tangle holding out two mugs. Her tail over her eyes and juts barely covering her flushed cheeks. "I, uh, brought your tea."
Sonic, bafflingly, began to laugh.