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Silver stumbled out of the portal and into a dingy sort of tunnel, knees weak from fighting for what was practically hours on end. His head swam with nausea, kicking at the space behind his eyes and causing his ears to ring painfully. The ground beneath him appeared wobbly.
But at least he was safe.
He took a quivering step forward, only for both his legs to give out send him collapsing to the floor, just barely catching himself with his palms before his arms gave out as well.
The chill of the concrete ground pierced through his fur. He wasn’t aware enough to mind all that much. The rest of his attention was given to the searing pain in his midriff, jabbing at his chest every time he dared to catch an ounce of breath. More of that same agony erupted when Silver found himself coughing up blood into the ground next to him.
He winced at the sensation, then braced his palms back onto the ground and shuddered his way into a sitting position against the wall of the tunnel. Even that slight of movement had his vision turning from blurred to blinding white. All the bones in his body were weak and sore shells of what he needed them to be.
This tunnel had him caged. Though it was more like ‘sheltered’, he couldn’t see it as that. Moving was an impossible task, and Silver thought he would pass out before taking more than four steps.
As much as it pained to think about, he needed help.
Carefully, he reached for his phone he kept tucked in his quills, hoping it wasn’t too damaged. Thankfully, it only had a few new cracks in the screen. The small weight in his hand brought more pain than he would have liked, but he pushed it aside and dialled for someone he knew would come. He just prayed he would answer.
-
Espio never paid much attention to his phone. The only reason he had one was for ‘emergencies’ or when Charmy was bored on an investigation or a long drive and he needed to shut him up.
So, when it started buzzing with an unknown number splayed on the screen, he was quite off-put.
Like any normal person, he had received scam calls in the past, so he figured it was nothing more than that.
His hand moved to the ‘decline call’ button, but ended up hovering right above it. Something was telling him to pick up, and over time he’s learned to never ignore his instincts.
He accepted the call and leaned back slightly into the living room couch where he sat, listening for any noise.
A shaky voice spoke. “Hi.” They said.
“Hello.” Espio answered warily. “Who is this?”
There was a bit of a pause before he got a response, which was preceded by unsteady, yet stifled breaths.
“Silver. I… um…” More irregular breathing.
“Silver?” He echoed. He did recall giving him his number at one point, just in case he needed (or wanted) a way to contact him, though he never thought he would.
“Yeah, I—“ A small, hissed sound. “Sorry. I— I’m kinda… I need help.”
Espio’s heart sank. It certainly sounded like Silver, no doubt about it. He appeared severely distressed, in pain even. It could certainly be a trap, he knew, but right now he needed to be sure his teammate was okay.
“Where are you?” He urged, standing up from the couch and moving towards the work bench, scribbling down a note to Charmy and Vector, a small notice of his absence. It was far too early in the morning for them to be up.
“Some tunnel thing… I don’t really know.”
That wasn’t a lot for him to work off of, but it would have to do. “Stay on the phone with me, okay? I’ll be there as fast as I can.”
With that, he bolted out the door.
He’d seen some tunnels in his time, a good chunk of them being far lengths away from the agency. Perhaps he could narrow it down. It was a bit difficult to speak clearly at his high speed.
“Silver, can you see anything significant? Something that would help me pinpoint where you are, anything at all.” He said.
“There’s… lots of graffiti… and I think a— uh, large yellow building outside.”
Large yellow building… Espio thought. He recalled seeing something like that in Windmill Village, and there should be a tunnel near that if he’s correct. He took a sharp turn and sped up even more.
“Thank you, Silver. Hang in there.”
It wasn’t long before he spotted the distinct visual of the village, or the large yellow building. He slowed his speed to more of an average run so that he could look for the tunnel. Silver’s laboured breathing on the other end of the line continued to worry him deeply.
Between the lush shrubbery and the high buildings, a darkened entrance to a tunnel was embedded in the side of a hill.
He sped towards it, immediately needing to suppress a pained gasp at the frail body left limp against the wall of the tunnel.
Espio hung up his end of the call. “Silver!” He yelled, swiftly coming up to his side. The anxious look on his face was something he surely couldn’t suppress.
Silver’s head lolled towards him, lips parted slightly with troubled huffs coming from them. He looked at the other through half-lidded eyes.
“Hi.” He said lowly.
“Goodness, Silver, we have to get you out of here.” Espio grimaced, hands hesitating over his clearly injured frame. Eventually, he swept an arm behind him and another under his legs, keeping note of the concerning silence.
“Is this alright?” With the hedgehog in his arms, he questioned. Silver nodded, his head resting against the other’s chest, and avoiding eye contact.
Espio began to leave the tunnel. “It’s a good thing you called.” He said. “Trust me.”
No response. It was probably best for Silver to rest, anyway.
It took longer to return to the agency than it was to leave. He wasn’t able to speed up that much without jostling his precious cargo, so he opted for a more leisurely pace.
The sun was about halfway done its run through the sky when they arrived. Espio had knocked on the door with the tip of his shoe, and was let in by a curious Vector.
“Chaos, what happened?” He asked, eyebrows knitted together.
The chameleon frowned. “Silver needed my aid so I left to get him in Windmill Village. I left a note on the workbench, did you not see it?”
“We saw it!” Charmy interjected from his place in front of the television.
While Espio moved to set his injured teammate on the couch, the young bee went to retrieve said note.
“Yeah, Espio—“ Vector took the paper from him and held it out. “You can’t leave a note like this and expect us to know what ya mean.”
He reread what he had wrote.
I’m leaving.
It was short and effective, the perfect note.
“Hate my writing skills all you want.” He said, looking over Silver’s body. “Can either of you grab me the first-aid kit?”
Charmy eagerly buzzed away to fulfil his request, giving him a small moment to properly take in the hedgehog’s state.
“Jeez, kid.” Vector said softly. Espio thought it disconcerting to have his thoughts vocalized, especially in front of the subject of the matter.
Bruises were littered across Silver’s torso and arms, all accompanied by their fair share of scratches. A fine layer of dirt settled over formerly white quills, specks of blood caked in as well.
“Stop that.” Silver muttered quietly, his golden eyes locking into his own.
Espio faltered, leaning away from the couch. “Stop what?”
“Stop looking at me like that.” He said, discomfort flashing on his features. “You…don’t need to worry about me.”
“Silver.” He murmured. A small white box was placed in front of him before he could continue. Charmy had set down the first-aid kit and was now sitting patiently on the armchair. Espio tried his best to ignore the audience and rummaged through the kit. “As long as you’re here, I am going to worry about you. That’s just how it is.”
He began by cleaning the area around one of the larger scrapes on Silver’s bicep.
Vector began to move away. “I’m gonna make him some food for when you’re done with all that, ‘kay?”
“Alright.” He said, unsure if Silver would be up for eating anything. “How are you doing?” Tone hushed, he asked.
“Fine.” Silver said, though he let out a shudder when the chameleon moved to his torso.
“If it hurts too much just let me know. I’ll stop.”
He sighed, “You—“ His eyes suddenly squeezed shut, body tensed. Espio pulled his hands away. A shaky exhale. “You won’t need to.”
He clenched his jaw before continuing his work. “Whatever you say.”
-
After a bit, Espio managed to finish patching Silver up. He didn’t eat what Vector had made him, despite the protests from both the detectives.
Silver was now resting in the chameleon’s room, as still as a rock the last time he had checked on him. Charmy had already gone to bed, tired after a day full of Chao cartoons and toy trains. The other two were in the kitchen, with Espio sipping a cup of tea.
“He’ll be fine, y’know?” Vector spoke suddenly while washing a mug. “Kid’s tough. Be back on his own two feet in no time.”
“I— yeah, I know, I… just hate knowing he’s hurt.” Was all Espio could say. It was the truth, of course, just not the whole truth. As if he knew what that was, though.
The lead detective nodded tentatively. “You’ve gotten real close to Silver, hm?”
“Of course I have. As an honorary member to the team, he has my respect.”
“Right, yeah. More than that, though.”
More? To the extent of his knowledge, it was just nice having someone his age around for once. “He’s more… serious than you and Charmy, which is nice.”
“Heh. Suppose so.”
“What’s your point, Vector?”
“No point. Just wanted to know. I mean, it’s not like you’d run all the way to Windmill Village for anyone.”
Espio’s cheeks felt warm. “I guess not.” Suddenly, his tea didn’t feel all that appealing.
Silence stretched on for a moment longer, then Vector cleared his throat. “Well, I’m going to bed. Night, Espio.”
“Night.”
He waited until Vector was out of sight to let his shoulders slump. What was that? He quickly brushed it off, finishing the rest of his tea. There were better things to worry about.
After putting his dish in the sink, Espio wandered to his room, hesitating before the door. Don’t be silly, it’s your room.
The door creaked open, spilling some additional moon light into the room. Beneath the blankets, Silver lay on his back, chest rising and falling slowly. His eyes weren’t closed. His head turned, gaze locking onto the other. “Espio?”
He froze momentarily before forcing himself to relax. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“Are you… feeling any better?” He asked, afraid to get any closer as if the hedgehog might break.
Silver pursed his lips and looked at the ceiling. “I’m doing just great. Everything’s peachy over here,” he seethed.
“Silver, you can tell me if you’re not—“
“Fine! You wanna know how I’m doing?” He interjected, angrily trying to sit himself up. Espio felt his heart drop.
Once Silver stabilized himself against the backboard, he glared at Espio in a way that could burn holes in his eyes. “I’ve been fighting anything and everything for days! I don’t even know when I am, here and there!
“I’m—“ He sputtered, hands held in front on himself. “I’m tired. Okay?” His eyes began to glisten.
“I’m tired of there being no end in sight, I’m tired of knowing everyone I love is dead back home, and I’m tired of having to worry you every time I come back here.”
Espio’s breath hitched. “Silver…” He said, sitting down next to him. “I know you’re tired. Any normal person would be. But… just admitting it means so much.”
He placed a gentle hand over his leg. “You’re insanely strong. You know that, right? Physically and mentally; you’re one of the strongest people I know. Everyone gets tired. That doesn’t change anything.”
Silver’s ears flattened, covering Espio’s hand with his own. “I know. Just feels like it does.”
“Yeah.” He leaned back onto the headboard. “I think we just have to get used to that feeling until it goes away. Fake it ‘till you make it, as they say.”
“I guess so.”
Espio let the silence continue for a little bit, unsure as to whether or not another conversation was in order. That was, until, his mouth ran faster than his mind.
“I was thinking about you yesterday.” Was what ended up being articulated. Judging by Silver’s sudden and intense focus on him, it must not have been a great choice. “I mean, your, um, presence— lack thereof, has been…” He stumbled over his words, looking at the wall. “I’ve… missed you, I suppose.”
Espio didn’t dare look at Silver.
“…you missed me?” Silver repeated.
Shame on you, you sound creepy. “I suppose— yes.”
The hedgehog let out a small hum, and Espio, with great struggle, looked back at him. Despite what he was telling himself, he didn’t look mad. Nor upset, nor annoyed, nor weirded out. Just… quietly curious.
“I missed you too.” Silver said simply.
That caught him by surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah,” He yawned. Must have been getting sleepy, especially by the way he rested his head on Espio’s shoulder, seemingly without thinking anything of it. “It’s nice talking to you.”
“Oh.” He said. “Thank you.
“…If you’re sleepy, you should get some rest.”
“I am.” Silver mumbled against a purple-scaled shoulder.
Heat crept up to Espio’s face again. “You— want to sleep… on my shoulder?”
“Yeah.”
While his heart was banging out of his chest and his mind was completely numb with fear, there seemed to be nothing more important than the white hedgehog leaning against him. So, he couldn’t dream of saying anything other than;
“Well then, sleep there you will.”