Work Text:
Let it be known that, despite his stoic demeanor seemingly suggesting otherwise, Espio truly enjoyed spending his days with the Chaotix in their ramshackle office. Sure, Vector’s music often blared from his headphones loud enough to be heard across the room, where Espio was trying to meditate, and sure, Charmy had a bad habit of flying in the path of his kunai while he was trying to train to ask a thousand different questions about nothing in particular, but the three of them had long since formed a bond that surpassed that of mere coworkers; They were his brothers, his family, and family had a way of weathering the frustrations such actions tended to cause.
Usually.
Sometimes, like today, it all became a bit much. Peace was hard to come by unless you sought it out yourself, somewhere far away from the office and the hustle and bustle of Seaside City, and after the hectic journey to track down the Astroscopic Lenses, peace was exactly what Espio needed.
So, against his better judgement, he commandeered the Chaotix Copter and, white knuckled, flew to the most peaceful place he had ever had the privilege of knowing:
Angel Island.
The Chaotix had just visited recently, but that was business, not pleasure, and Knuckles had been as gruff as ever in his dismissal of the trio and their questions. There were no hard feelings though; Despite Knuckles having long since separated himself from the agency in order to focus on his guardian duties, Espio considered him just as much family as Vector and Charmy, and he knew, though the echidna may never admit it, the he felt much the same as well.
Which was why, this time, when Espio arrived hoping for relaxation instead of interrogation, Knuckles was much more happy to oblige.
And that was how they found themselves lounging on the dais of the Master Emerald, watching as gentle winds blew through open fields, and soft white clouds floated overhead. In the distance, birdsong mixed with the joyful cries of chao playing in the woods. Espio allowed himself a small smile; This was exactly what he needed. No blaring of car horns, no litter clinging to his shoes or the smell of diesel filling his lungs. Times like this, he almost envied the guardian, if he didn’t know the sacrifices that needed to be made to maintain such tranquility. So much time alone, at some point Espio might have longed for it, but now it just seemed, well, lonely.
“I apologise again for the earlier interrogation, Knuckles. We simply needed to exhaust every lead.”
From his reclined position against the Master Emerald, Knuckles simply shrugs, not bothering to open his eyes.
“I get it Espio, no stone unturned, right? I would’ve done the same.”
“And G.U.N didn’t give you any issues? They saw the footage as well.”
Knuckles snorts, “Like they could. They should know better than to try banging down my doors. But no, they never showed. Guess your questioning was enough for them,” Suddenly, Knuckles’ brow furrows, and he lets out an annoyed sigh, “Although…”
Espio looks over at his friend at the sudden shift in mood, and watches as the guardian brings himself up into a more proper seated position as he opens his eyes, scowling at nothing in particular. “That batty bat did come along not too long after you three left.”
“Rouge?” Espio asks, interest peaked.
“Rouge,” Knuckles grunts.
“What did she want?”
Knuckles waves a frustrated hand, “You know her. Can never get a straight answer out of her. She was going on about making sure I was ‘keeping out of trouble’ and ‘not trying to muscle in on her business ventures’, whatever that means.”
“The Astroscopic Lenses,” Espio deduces, to which Knuckles casts him a confused look.
“She was after them as well, for her own personal gain of course,” Espio clarifies, “I doubt she truly believed it was you conducting the heist, but she is impressively thorough in her spy work.” Impressively skilled, too; Despite outmaneuvering her in the end, his pride still smarted from the sheer number of times the bat had managed to outwit him over the course of a single case.
“That explains it,” Knuckles says, “She also tried to convince me to join in on a little ‘treasure hunt’ with her. Said she’d make it ‘worth my while’,” He snorts, “Whatever that means. Anyway, I obviously told her off. Probably was just wanting me to tag along so she could slink off and grab the emerald once my back was turned,” He finishes with a huff, crossing his arms and settling back against said emerald once more.
Well, that’s a familiar tune.
“She tried something similar with me,” Espio says, and Knuckles raises a curious brow, “Over the course of this case, she was very insistent every time we crossed paths that I abandon the Chaotix and partner up with her, that we could do ‘whatever we wanted’ together,” Espio shakes his head, still confused even now, “I don’t know why she thought I would do such a thing, how dishonorable could one be? Abandoning their teammates in their time of need!”
“Batgirl has trouble with the word ‘no’,” Knuckles agrees.
“And her sense of personal space is abysmal!”
“Right!? If I had a ring for every time she messed with my dreads, I’d be rich!”
A simultaneous, long-suffering sigh leaves the two of them, capping off their impromptu rant.
“Batty bat,” Knuckles mutters once more, shifting to lay flat on his back, hands behind his head as he closes his eyes.
“Batty bat,” Espio agrees, mirroring the position, but with his hands folded at his chest.
They lay there in silence for a time. The wind whispering through the grasses, the smell of wildflowers dancing on the breeze. Birds sing, chao play, and peace lays steadily across the land.
Four eyes snap open.
Two backs snap upright and seated.
“She was flirting with you!” So in sync, it sounds like one voice.
“ME!?” And again.
“Are you insane? There’s no way–!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, she would never–!”
“She just gets her kicks from–”
“She was only working an angle–”
“Always trying to get under my skin–”
“Clearly had an ulterior motive–”
“And even if she was–”
“And even she she wasn’t–”
“I would never!”
The two are left staring at each other, shellshocked; Processing, replaying, digesting.
Knuckles breaks from his stupor first, slapping his gloved hands over his face with a groan. “What is wrong with us?”
“How could you not have noticed? She’s been doing this to you for years!”
“Hey! I spent most of my life living alone on a floating island! What’s your excuse mister ‘detective’? How’d you miss this?”
“I–that’s–my ninja training left very little time for experience in–”
“Oh don’t even try to pull that one, you live in the middle of the city! Interacting with people is literally your job!”
“And you have been adventuring with Sonic and Tails for years, you can hardly claim ignorance on any outside matters nowadays!”
“I’m usually a little busy–!”
“So was I!”
Well. Peace is never meant to last, one must suppose. And the tranquil sounds of Angel Island are lost under a cacophony of brotherly bickering.