Espilver Flufftober 2021

25. Cuddling and Snuggling

Sometimes Silver ponders about how differently he and Espio communicate at times.

Sure, both of them can talk, one a bit more eloquently and calmly and the other more abstractly due to their different upbringings, but those differences hardly cause problems. Talking is something they like to do often, about the past and the future and any moment inbetween, and Silver loves it. But it does not take away that they are two different species, and two that allegedly differ quite a bit more from each other than most. Something about reptiles and mammals and habitats and living styles; he had hardly understood it. He is Silver and Espio is Espio and that is more than good enough for him, but even the hedgehog has to concede it does cause the occasional hiccup when they want to convey something to each other without words.

For starters, Espio is a chameleon and chameleons can change colour.

The ninja has shown the psychic a few times, cycling through nigh-infinite tints with each hue and shade more vibrant and lovely than the last, the marvellous show often accompanied by an explanation of which emotion each conveys... and Silver keeps track of it, he really does. Red for anger and blue for sadness and gold for love; Espio does not stray from his usual purple colour often, but at least Silver can tell what is going on with him if he looks at the other's scales enough and recalls what their colouration means, in the rare moments Espio slips and lets it show. It makes up for his beloved's demureness regarding talking about his actual feelings and the fact chameleons allegedly are very quiet animals; sometimes the mask comes down and Silver knows what the other is experiencing despite his silence.

But Silver himself is a hedgehog, and apparently hedgehogs can be very noisy.

He did not use to be, actually, or at least only rarely. Being noisy was tantamount to suicide in the ruined future, drawing malicious survivors or mindless monsters to his location and putting him in severe danger; he had quickly learned to keep his mouth shut when hiding and suppress any noise rumbling in his chest, making up for the agonising silence by chatting loudly to himself when out and about and ready for a confrontation. But here, in the Chaotix Detective Agency and Seaside City, such dangers are not present anymore, and realising just how nice it is to mew and squeaks and chirp and click for no reason other than the fact he wants to had not taken him long at all. The only thing such behaviours have influenced is his communication with Espio.

Because hedgehogs cannot change colour, and chameleons do not mew, but they can learn from each other.

Nose twitching as he tiptoes into the dark living room Silver beams at the person sitting on the ground in the corner, the space quiet other than soft breaths his sharp ears pick up easily. "Espio," he whispers, a spark of psychokinesis forming to grab the other's attention; the chameleon is sunken deep into his meditation, and he does not wish to startle him. "Come to bed, it's late."

A mere flick of a purple tail – something the two of them do have in common – follows, a purple eyelid slowly moving up to fix the hedgehog in a golden stare. "What time is it?" Espio whispers back, not moving up from his position as Silver scoots closer and leans in to nuzzle his cheek.

"After 12. I was waiting for you."

"Oh, my apologies." But Espio does not get up, instead letting Silver slip onto his lap in full, and the hedgehog smiles as the prehensible tail curls over his stomach and hands begin roaming his body as well. The warmth of the other makes him yawn; he had rested only shortly as he waited for his beloved to join him, and the haziness of his sleep is clouding his mind still. "I was lost in thought," the chameleon continues. "Would have come upstairs shortly, though."

"Did I disrupt you?" Silver realises, ears drooping. Espio does not like to be disrupted in his meditating, the chameleon did not need to change colours for anyone to be aware of that. "Sorry..."