Espilver Flufftober 2021

23. Hold Me in Your Arms

Sometimes Espio wonders if Silver has taken the term 'falling for someone' a bit too literally- but if he had, the ninja is not complaining about it in the slightest.

Vector had quirked up a bemused eyebrow as they stumbled down from the attic and teased them about Silver's time-travel powers finally causing both of them to go insane, but the hedgehog had merely stuck out his tongue and swept Espio into his arms before taking off. The thick winter jacket is snug around his purple-scaled body, and despite the sun shining brightly in the cloud-less autumn heavens the chameleon is happy he is wearing it; it is cold, a good five thousand meters up in the sky.

"This should do nicely," Silver purrs, his fur hued in cyan the same beauty to behold as always. The ground underneath them simply cannot compare, but Espio smiles at the same at the tiny specks that indicate landmarks and small puddles that are cities. The horizon is farther than ever before, swallowed up by the ocean stretching out in front of them, and he can see places he has heard the name of but never could visit due to the distance. He is at peace, and he loves life, and he loves Silver. "Where do we live, Espio?" the other yells over the wind tugging at them, floating in the air steadily despite the forces acting out on the two of them.

The chameleon hums and leans over, arms wrapped around Silver's neck just in case. "There," he notes, tail flicking down to indicate a small street in a city at the edge of the sea. "You can see the red roof of our house, just to the left of the park and above the supermarket."

"It's so tiny," the hedgehog responds, the chameleon chuckling at the delight in his voice. "I feel so big like this!"

"For the world down below we're just as small." But the other's delight is infectious, and Espio presses a kiss against a red-tinted cheek as he holds onto his beloved a bit more snugly. Usually they operate the other way around, with Silver in the chameleon's arms and getting carried around protectively whenever he has done something reckless or has gotten himself hurt. But the younger one delights in this change in position, Espio knows very well, and he'd be lying if he said it didn't bring quite some enjoyment to him also. It's nice, to be lifted up and tucked against a warm chest with frosty cheeks to kiss and soft white fur within reach to tease and caress.

"Stop that," Silver huffs, a shiver going through his entire body as the chameleon meets his next target and presses a small peck right on top of that downy fluff. "I'll lose my concentration and then we'll die."

"My love, you are much too adept at using your powers for that to happen," Espio flatters, but he relents all the same. The psychic is not above opening his arms and letting the ninja drop freely without following – at first, at least – and though the rush is exhilarating, Espio would rather share it with his beloved than be forced into it alone. The same goes for Silver, he is well aware; in that case they are falling for each other so much he hardly has the words to describe it. He doesn't want things to ever be different.

Espio's body is shifted threateningly all the same at his teasing, though both hedgehog and chameleon know Silver's reckless movements are controlled down to the slightest motion. "Are you ready then?" the time traveller purrs, the words whispered against the chameleon's crest, and Espio wraps his arms around Silver's clothed shoulders and nods and then they are falling and falling and falling.

A thrilled gasp slipping past his lips the ninja holds on tight to Silver as they spin through the air, the wind tugging at them and making their descend that much more tumultuous- but he can't help laugh along with Silver's whoops and cries of delight as the ground and all its attributes steadily get more detailed underneath them. "I love this!" his beloved calls out against the horizon and the pale stars above as Espio clasps onto him like a non-anthropomorphic chameleon would do with a branch. "I love you, Espio!"

"Likewise," the ninja laughs back, the wind and drop eliciting a playful carelessness in him he rarely experiences; but he loves the tumbling descent back to the planet's surface too, and he loves Silver just as much as the other loves him. Falling in every sense of the word, both literally and figuratively, had been so much better than he could ever have imagined, and who he has fallen for and is falling with only makes it more wonderful. Though, between the adrenaline flowing through him at the fall it is impossible to miss how the world below them truly has gotten quite large now...

But Silver doesn't slow down.

"Watch out!" Espio cries to him, the adrenaline-fuelled chuckles that are slipping past his lips despite the ground rushing up to them hard to contain. Silver only grins at him, fearlessly and boldly, and Espio knows he does not need to shut his eyes... but he does anyway to humour his beloved, holding onto grey-furred shoulders tightly and making himself small and waiting for the inevitable moment their movements are cancelled out completely into inertia. And it comes, just a second later as always than he expects, and as warm nuzzles are being placed over his crest he hides a smile and opens his eyes anew. Around him is a glowing bubble of cyan which breaks open into thousands of sparkles the moment he stretches out to touch it, and he sighs in contentment as Silver puts him down on the solid ground underneath. "So reckless, my love."

"But you adore it." Silver's grin is one from a hedgehog fully convinced of his correctness, and Espio can only press a kiss against that twitching black nose. It's always a bit interesting to stand on the ground again after having seen it from so high up, but with the psychic at his side he gets used to it quickly again, stroking ruffled quills lovingly.

"Of course I do, Silver."

With a huff the thick jacket covering Silver's body is unbuttoned. "And I do too," the other notes before Espio's falls victim to the same quick fingers and the chameleon heaves a sigh of relief at the now-slightly-uncomfortable warmth getting diminished, "but it's a lot warmer down here than up there. I say we take those off and go cool off at home, heh."

Slyly Espio tugs his beloved's ears, playful ploy taking shape in his mind with crystal clarity. "I feel like one of us should carry the other. Who will it be?" Though before he has finished his question Silver has already scooped him up, playful giggles resounding all around him as they are lifted up into the air anew and race back into Seaside City, and the ninja presses his forehead against the side of the other's head in quiet appreciation.

Even if Silver had taken the idea of falling for someone too literally, Espio is right beside him, falling endlessly along and already looking forward to the next time they can do this.

Author's notes:

Hi everyone ^-^ I'm trying very hard to remember where I got this fic idea from; either it was from talking with a friend or a drawing I had in mind once, but I legit don't remember, haha. As it stands it's a good thing both Silver and Espio are not scared of heights! Since Silver has psychic powers and is very adept at using them, I imagine he likes to call on them for basically everything, and what better way to hang out with your beloved than flying a good 5 km into the sky for some free-falling? They indeed fell for each other💕 Next chapter has like.... five sentences in my draft so far, so maybe I'll combine it with another I already have. We'll see! Have a great day and weekend and stay safe, everyone🍀