Espilver Flufftober 2021

9. Text messages

Tails' technology always was filled with surprises.

Sure, Espio noted to himself as he stared down the black screen of the bright yellow device the fox had delivered to them a few hours earlier, the young genius was a powerful asset in their fight for justice and protection of the innocent... but it would be nice if he kept in mind more that not everyone was as technologically inclined as he was. And that, in Espio's humble and occasionally-technologically-inept opinion, gadgets were better of simple and straight-forward and easy to use than... whatever in the world he was holding right now.

"This thing is so coooooool," Silver gushed for the dozenth time that day next to him, the hedgehog's Miles Electric somehow not turned off yet despite Espio's basically extinguishing its spark of life the moment the chameleon laid his hands on it. At least his beloved was having fun, the latter soothed himself; the bright sparkles springing up in golden eyes each time the other explored something new were something about him the ninja treasured deeply. "Look, Espio! I can make letters form on it!"

With a flick of his tail at his own machine that wouldn't be forming letters anytime soon at this rate the ninja nodded. That had been another invention of the devices' creator; a way to contact everyone with a Miles Electric without Eggman being able to intervene. Tails had boasted his... messager, Espio figured it was called, had been secured with the highest protective measures and defences against attacks, rendering them able to chat with each other undisturbed in a large group or individually to others... Blinking over at Silver's screen he couldn't help but smile when his eyes fell on just where in the messager the other was looking.

"Here, watch this," the hedgehog happily noted, typing down something the chameleon could not make out with clumsy fingers before hitting the green button just above the keyboard and turning his bright eyes to Espio... and the wretched Miles Electric the chameleon was holding still, a more playful frown morphing on Silver's face as he leaned over with a giggle. "You do need to make sure it's awake, silly!"

"I wish it was. It committed sepukku the moment I happened to look at it." With a grumble Espio pressed the button on top of the accursed thing once more, though nothing happened other than a flicker darting over the screen for nary a second. The similar blackness it had been adorned with so far overtook it once again immediately afterwards, now accompanied by a quiet curse as the chameleon bristled. If there was anything he did not appreciate, it was looking like a fool, especially with something that had been described to him as easy and intuitive.

"Here, let me help," Silver purred at him, clearly more than just a little amused by the troubles he was experiencing. Scooting against him the hedgehog moved up his finger, pressing the button as the screen sprung to life immediately and Espio's tail stiffened in ire.

"Why did it work for you and not me?!"

"You need to do it gently, Es. Hold it, but not for too long."

"...That is ridiculous and you know it."

Silver's grin only broadened as he nestled himself against the chameleon's side. "You're just salty because it's not doing what you want."

"Am not."

"Are so."

"Not," Espio hummed back as he got forced into an entry screen of sorts, his fingers wiping over the smooth surface as he tried to unlock it before it could die on him again. Tails had told them whole plans for passwords and finger presses and what-not, but luckily he had been spared that horror as the fox ever so graciously let them explore the device and all its features before putting it to work in full. He had a missed message, it told him... Curiously he tapped on it- and again, and once more for good measure as a very mischievous hedgehog muffled his chuckles beside him – before ending up in said messager, where he had seen Silver just a bit before, but then on the other side. And on his own screen he could see...

I love you. <3

"Huh." With a smile morphing on his face before he could do anything to stop it Espio wrapped his arm around the sweetly-purring hedgehog, pulling him close for a kiss as butterflies began to twirl through his stomach. "That is very sweet of you, my love."

"You know I like telling you I love you," the psychic cooed back. "And you love me too!"

Stroking behind happily-flicking ears Espio nodded, frustration melting away into a puddle of adoration and fuzzy feelings he wished would never fade. "Forever and ever. How did you make the heart?"

Nosing against Espio's cheek Silver beamed, grabbing his own device and unlocking it with a speed Espio feared he would never be able to master himself. "Tails showed it to me. You need to go to the extra letters," the other explained as he tapped something on the keyboard in the corner, and Espio blinked as they all changed to symbols, "and then you just pick the, uh, thingie, and the, uh, the number. The three!"

"Interesting..." Jabbing down his thumb onto his own keyboard Espio grumbled as he shot right past the symbols and ended up in the letter section once more, though he got it by the second time – a remarkable improvement, he praised himself. Typing out a <3 himself – adding an I love you too would likely take at least ten minutes and cause both Silver and him immense frustration – and pressing the green button he sunk back into the pillows, putting the Miles Electric to the side so he could wrap his arms around the delightedly-gasping hedgehog and pull him close. "I propose we leave it at this for today, though."

"Hey, you made great progress. You just need to practice, and you'll be writing out message after message to me in no time," Silver told him with a most serious peek upwards, though his façade shattered into giggly shards as Espio looked down at him with a quirking eyebrow and a didactic finger finding its way onto a twitching nose.

"Nothing beats writing things out on paper, tenshi. The normal way, like it was always intended to go, with no fuss and spontaneous deaths."

"Yeah, except Tails says we can contact each other whenever we want with this, no matter where we are!"

Shaking his head with a warm smile Espio closed his eyes, stroking the hedgehog's quills entirely on instinct as the world he could see turned into a swirl of stars and brown colours. "That does not make much difference for us, since we tend to not go far without each other. Though it'd be nice to know you are safe when you're out exploring with Sonic, or on occasions like that..."

"Exactly." Pressing a kiss to his cheek Silver shuffled around a little before settling, the world behind the chameleon's eyelids turning just a tad darker as he did so, and Espio smiled as he embraced the other in full. No doubt Silver had quickly typed out another message in response to his heart, that he would get to see when he had finally mustered up the courage to work with that wretched device again... but he would be lying if he said the thought of opening the messager again and seeing what Silver left for him didn't make his actual heart beating in his chest flutter at least a little, he smiled to himself as both hedgehog and chameleon relaxed.

Tails' technology always was filled with surprises, but if it gave Silver and him yet another way to say they loved each other, he could perhaps get used to it after all.

Author's notes:

Hi everyone ^-^ I'm back with another Flufftober! So I know Espio is not actually that technologically incompetent - they put him on hacking in Shadow the Hedgehog, at least - but as I wrote this I saw some headcanons on Tumblr about this boi being technologically inept, and thus that is what I went with :3 As for why Silver is better with it, it's because he is Younger and More Knowledgeable About These Things, because all younger people just are (I speak from experience, rip). I really like this chapter, I hope you did too! <3 Have a great rest of the week ^-^