Chapter Text
Like every other year, the almond trees bloomed earlier than any other flowers, signaling the approaching end of the winter. The cold was letting up, and Espio could finally leave the jacket behind when he went for his walks down the street. The sight of the pretty white flowers eased his mind, but it also meant that day would happen again soon...
—
Chaotix Agency, Friday, February 13th.
“What should I do? I wanna surprise her, but what if my gift is so creative that she doesn’t Slike it? If I always go with her favorite flowers, won't I become too predictable? She always says she likes them, but she could just be being polite. I truly want to impress her!”
“I… honestly don’t know. This isn’t a problem I run into regularly, you know that.” Espio tried to be patient with Vector. He deserved as much, but he could sometimes be a bit too eager when he prepared for Valentine’s day.
“She’s probably telling the truth, who doesn’t like flowers? Flowers are, like, THE BEST!” Charmy zoomed around the office excitedly. February was his favorite month of the year because the cold eased up, and he got to see all the beautiful early flowers begin to bloom with the passing of the days. “Pick any, you can’t go wrong! And make sure to bring some for me, too!”
“Hey, you know how flowers are extra expensive these days, you’ll have to wait for another week! Or impress someone, that way you might get some for free.”
“No fair! I want flowers too! I’m already impressive!” The bee puffed his cheeks, making his point.
“Why don’t you tell Sonic to share some with you after the day is over?” Espio suggested. “He always gets so many from his fans. I bet he won’t mind.”
“Sonic? That’s a good idea! Ooh. Wait, wait, wait I have a better one! I bet Shadow gets looots more flowers for Valentine’s day, because he’s so much cooler than Sonic!” Charmy was grinning widely once more, proud of his use of logic and problem solving skills.
Espio winced almost imperceptibly at the mention of the black hedgehog. Though he couldn’t quite disagree with his brother’s logic. “Don’t let Sonic hear that…”
“It’s not just about quantity, but quality too!" Vector pointed out. "That’s why you need to help me choose, Charmy, you can tell which flowers are the freshest, right?”
“Yayyy let’s go buy flowers!”
“We will! But first, you gotta help me pick an outfit!”
“What! That will take foreeever!” Charmy crossed his arms, pouting.
Espio was used to this happening every year. He didn’t mind the ruckus, but this time around he had thoughts (and feelings) of his own to deal with, regarding the special date tomorrow, so he excused himself.
“I’ll… be in our room if you need me.”
—
Espio sighed deeply. Before him, a blank paper, a bottle of ink and a brush.
What am I even doing…
How did one go about expressing their feelings? He grabbed the brush and twirled it in his hand skillfully, though his mind was elsewhere.
A few months ago, Team Dark and Team Chaotix had found themselves working side by side to investigate the mysterious disappearance of three Chaos Emeralds. Together, they uncovered Dr. Eggman’s latest approach: abandoning his usual loud theatrics in favor of something far more stealthy. It had made stopping the thefts considerably more annoying than usual.
In the end, the Emeralds were recovered, and the investigation was considered such a success that no one was particularly eager to stop there. They decided to continue working together, aiming to gather all seven Emeralds preemptively, since everyone agreed that if Eggman needed them, it was for something that promised nothing but trouble.
And just like that, a long term alliance between Team Dark and the Chaotix was born, and with it, a solid partnership between the most silent members of each group.
Though Espio enjoyed working with Rouge in more stealth-centered missions, everything felt like clockwork whenever he had to team up with Shadow.
Shadow… Espio closed his eyes and felt his face grow hot.
He opened them again and began writing.
He’d known he found Shadow handsome even before they started working together. What he hadn’t known is that they’d get along so well, that the brooding hedgehog could actually be so calm and gentle when no one was getting on his nerves. That he was so methodic, disciplined, precise… dependable, measured…
…and yes, very handsome indeed.
Maybe Charmy was right. Maybe Shadow got tons upon tons of chocolates, cards and flowers for Valentine’s day. What was even the point in trying to come up with something? It would go unnoticed. And at the same time, he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted it to go noticed either.
This was stupid. All of this was stupid.
But what if…
The paper was turned into a ball and promptly tossed against the wall with fury, as Espio groaned in frustration.
The only solace to be had was the fact that maybe, Shadow would get so many gifts that his would go unnoticed and forgotten. At least he’d have the peace of mind of knowing he’d acted on his feelings.
He almost jumped in place when Vector knocked on the door.
“Yes! Come in,” he called.
The crocodile peeked into the room with his usual upbeat tone. “Charmy and I’re gonna buy those flowers now, but I forgot to ask. Should we get ya anything?”
Espio paused to think. He’d planned to get it himself later, but it would certainly save him some time. “Actually, if you happen to find this…” He noted something down on a piece of paper and handed it to Vector. “Just one will do,” Espio added, returning to his desk to minimize the time his face was exposed.
“Hmm. You got it!” Vector slowly slid out of view brandishing a wide knowing smile that promised follow-up questions later.
—
Chaotix Agency, Saturday, February 14th. [Valentine’s Day]
That Saturday, on Valentine’s day, Vector returned to the Chaotix Agency after another successful dinner date with the lovely Ms. Vanilla. After telling Charmy about it, he asked him about the third team member.
“So, did our ninja make his move already?”
The bee shook his head. “He has been in our room for the past three hours, I kept watch!”
Vector shook his head. “He was supposed to be watching you. Plus, at this rate he’s gonna miss his chance. Kids these days…”
“I'm not a kid anymore.” The door to Charmy and Espio’s door had unlocked. Vector and Charmy went silent and straightened up.
Espio walked out of the room wearing a light jacket, and holding the pink tulip casually by his side, like it wasn’t a precious gift. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he said after clearing his throat, not wanting to make a big deal about it. “Hope your date went well, Vector?”
Vector acted casual again. “You bet it did! Want some tips before you go on yours?” He winked at the other, while Charmy cried “Ew, no, we don’t wanna know!” They hadn't yet managed to make Espio confess who he would give the flower to, but it was obvious there was someone in his mind.
“I’m not—it’s nothing of the sort. Just… I’m just delivering this.” Espio walked past them wanting to leave already.
“Of course. Well, get going then, don’t be back too late!” Vector didn’t buy it, of course.
He and Charmy glued their eyes to the window as soon as Espio stepped out, ready to leave the building the moment he was far enough not to notice. They hoped to follow him and find out who he planned to gift the flower to, but to their disappointment, the chameleon vanished from sight after only a few steps.
“Aaaw, what a party pooper!” Charmy complained, flying back into the room with crossed arms.
“Well! It was worth the try.” If Espio didn’t want to be found, then no one would find him. Vector knew this well. “Don’t worry, we will find it out eventually, it’s what we do best!”
—
Meanwhlie…
Club Rouge, Night Babylon, Saturday, February 14th. [Valentine’s Day]
Club Rouge had been bustling with people all Valentine’s day. And while most people had visited to enjoy some drinks or have something to eat with their date, many others had been there just to leave their gifts for the Ultimate Lifeform.
Knowing of his friend’s popularity, Rouge had prepared a desk for the sole purpose of receiving Shadow’s Valentine’s presents, and it had been a great success, especially for her business, as many would also stop by and buy something at the bar.
She’d personally talked with some of them, wondering why they wouldn’t go and try to find Shadow in person instead of showing up there. It always turned out they were either too shy to directly talk to him, or didn’t know the first thing about who Shadow really was, or where to actually find him. The dark and handsome hero remained a mystery to most.
—
After 9 PM the desk had finally been removed, and Rouge had personally delivered the presents to Shadow’s home.
The tiny living room in the small apartment he lived in felt even smaller with how much space was taken by the pile of presents.
“This is absurd,” Shadow complained, though it didn’t completely surprise him. It had been the same ever since he had helped save the world the first time, but it grew with every passing year.
The pile reached as high as his waist, with numerous bouquets (mainly roses), an unhealthy supply of chocolate to last him a year, and the corniest collection of printed cards.
Rouge seemed quite pleased. “You can give some of the chocolate to me if you don’t want it. Happy Valentine’s day, by the way,” she handed her own little box of gem-shaped bonbons to him with a wink. “For being a great partner in crime! Don’t get the wrong idea though, these are just platonic!”
Shadow deadpanned. “Chocolates? Seriously? I mean—wait, we don’t even do crimes, what is that supposed—”
“They’re coffee-flavored!”
Shadow’s ears perked up a bit. He put those aside. “Hm. Thanks.”
Rouge’s grin widened. “Well, with that done I think I’ll leave the rest to the staff and finally go visit my own date now. He gets grumpy if I make him wait too much, and I think I made him wait just the right amount! I should get going. Have fun going through your gifts, I wanna hear all about them later!”
“How is going through this fun? It’s nothing but purchased sugar and sentences. There's no home-made chocolate, no genuine words, not a single bouqet was even handpicked. If they put in zero effort, then why should I? Hmpf.” Shadow opened the door to his room, already planning to do something better with his time: Rest.
“You’re being too hard on them, Shadow, they just like you!”
“If this is their idea of showing romantic interest, then the least they could’ve done was face me properly. It doesn’t surprise me that someone willing to leave gifts like these would be too scared to do it in person…” He slowly sighed. “No. I’ll deal with all of this tomorrow. Have fun on your date. And… thank you for handling all of this.”
“Anytime! And you know I will!”
After Rouge left, Shadow closed the door to his room and fell on the bed with a sigh.
“Finally, some peace and quiet…” No more dealing with anonymous, generic presents that meant nothing to him.
He couldn’t wait for things to get back to the usual routine on Monday. Just one more day and they would resume their investigations. It was Espio’s turn to work with him… things were bound to go smoothly.
He wondered what Valentine’s Day looked like at the Chaotix Agency. Would they get as many gifts as Rouge and him? Probably not… and he envied them for it. He knew Vector and Vanilla were an item, like pretty much everyone else, so it would surprise him if anyone were bold enough to declare their love for the lead detective.
Charmy of course was too young for such things. Or maybe Cream would give him some homemade chocolates, as a friendly gift? Now that Charmy came to mind, maybe he’d be the right person to give all those flowers to. He could pay him a visit the next day.
And maybe he would also get to see him…
Espio had surely gotten something. After working with him for a few months, Shadow knew the ninja tried to keep a low profile at all times, but his striking neon purple scales, spiraling tail and alluring deep voice were bound to draw attention.
There was no way no one felt attracted to the way the lighter scales on his chest were shaped like a heart, or maybe a cherry blossom petal. With golden eyes like those, there was surely someone out there sighing over him.
Shadow sighed, breathing deeply.
As he did, he caught something in the air he hadn’t noticed before. He looked around for the source of the scent and spotted a flower that hadn’t been there earlier that day, resting on the desk by the window.
Huh? What’s that flower doing there?
He stood up and checked the window. It wasn’t locked, but it had been closed the entire time.
Plus, his room was on the third floor.
Confused, he looked back at the flower. A small tag hung from its stem, reading Tulipa ‘Purple Prince’. A tulip was certainly an odd choice, the first one he’d seen all day, and even in a long time.
Beneath it was an envelope.
He half expected it to contain another store-bought card, but was surprised to find a handwritten note inside. He sat on the bed and read it, feeling a small spark of anticipation.
He checked the back, no signature to be found. No petitions for him to become someone’s Valentine. Just black ink, perfect calligraphy, and poetic resignation.
As if hoping it might offer answers, he lifted the tulip and inspected it carefully in the dim light.
If ‘Darkness and Silence’ is ‘We’... It was easy to assume then that ‘Darkness’ alluded to Shadow. So who could this hiding ‘Silence’ be that wanted to protect him, of all people?
Could it be…?
Shadow lay back on the bed, pressing the handwritten poem to his chest with one hand, the tulip still held up in the other. He stared out the window, thoughts drifting.
He would definitely have to pay the Chaotix a visit.
—
Chaotix Agency, Sunday, February 15th.
The next day, Espio woke to Charmy’s insistent knocking on the door to their room.
Groaning, he slowly opened his eyes, as it was too bright already. He had had trouble falling asleep the night prior, so he was grateful it was Sunday—clearly he had overslept.
"Come oooon, say I can come in!"
"What is... oh. Come in, Charmy.”
The kid entered the room flying, looking even more hyper than usual. "Come, get up, you have to come, NOW, you've got to see the mountain of flowers I got!!! Oh, and Shadow is here!!! He asked where you were hiding."
Espio's eyes shot open, glad his face was still concealed under the sheets. "What? ...I'm-I'm coming…"
—
After freshening up as fast as he could, Espio stepped outside the Agency to find Charmy resting atop of the pile of flowers Shadow had brought along, like he was a tiny dragon nestling on top of its precious treasure.
Close to them stood Vector talking to Shadow, who was facing away with his arms crossed. They were discussing something about responsible daily sugar intake amounts.
Just the sight of his black and red quills made Espio’s heart pick up the pace. He sighed deeply to calm his nerves and cleared his throat to announce his presence.
When Vector acknowledged him, Shadow turned to look at him as well. “Ah. There you are.”
"Good morning…!" Greeted the chameleon, trying to act casual.
"You mean ‘good afternoon’?" Shadow corrected with a relaxed smirk, as he approached him.
"Ah, yes, good afternoon I guess." Espio bowed, hiding his slight embarrassment. "Are… all of those flowers yours?" Espio eyed the huge pile trying to keep his emotions in check.
"Not anymore. I think they found a more suitable owner." Shadow looked back at the flowers, which were being inspected by Vector for any remaining thorns.
Espio kept looking at them too, actually impressed at the sheer amount. “That’s… very generous of you. Charmy looks quite happy.”
The amount of flowers was indeed outstanding. As he took the sight in, Espio discreetly inspected the pile wondering if his tulip was in there somewhere.
Shadow’s eyes remained on the chameleon. “You don’t look so well though. What’s wrong?”
“I just… had some trouble sleeping yesterday, nothing you should be worried about.” Espio looked away, hoping to hide his reaction. ”I see you had quite a busy Valentine’s Day? I bet you got many interesting gifts. You seem to be quite… popular,” he added, wondering what that would be like.
Not wanting to dissuade Espio in case he truly was the author of that poem, Shadow disregarded the attention. “That? Nothing interesting there. Just a pile of stuff bought by people who don’t know the first thing about my tastes or who I really am.“
“Nothing at all? That’s… disappointing I guess.” Espio just kept eyeing the flower pile, looking even somewhat crestfallen. “Not that I would know… I’ve never been in that situation myself.”
Shadow kept paying attention to the chameleon, hoping to finally get a reaction. “Well… there was one thing. There was this tulip… I don't know where it came from, and it's surprising that whoever sent it did so without me noticing. They even left it inside my own room.” Shadow surprised Espio by facing him inquiringly. “I want to find the one who sent it. Wouldn’t you happen to know anything about it?”
“Me?” Espio looked back at Shadow, afraid he had been already caught. He quickly thought of how to steer the conversation away from him to remain in the clear. “Ah, I get it, you want me to look into it! You may formally request an investigation. We've been a little bit busy at the agency lately, with all the Chaos Emerald related missions, but… Maybe I could take on the case in a few days, if you don’t mind waiting?”
Shadow studied the awkward smile on Espio’s face with a frown. When Espio didn’t add anything else, Shadow finally crossed his arms and closed his eyes, somewhat disappointed.
Espio looked nervous, not flustered, and acted like he had nothing to do with the gift. Maybe his suspicions had been all wrong?
“…No. It's fine. I think I’ll do some research on my own.” He faced away again, distracted by how Charmy had started classifying all the different flowers. “Based on the message they left, they didn’t sound ready to confess to me anyway,” he added, shaking his head.
Even when his eyes were finally off him, Shadow’s words added to Espio’s tension on his shoulders. “Well, I don’t think I’d blame them.”
“Hm? What is that supposed to mean?” Shadow asked, his curiosity genuine.
—
The night before….
Club Rouge, Night Babylon, Saturday, February 14th. [Valentine’s Day]
Shadow opened the door to his room hoping to finally get some rest.
Inside, an invisible Espio was carefully closing the window he’d slipped through moments earlier, ready to return to the Agency after leaving his gift behind. He froze the instant he heard voices behind him: Rouge’s and Shadow’s.
Perfectly camouflaged and utterly still, Espio held his breath. Shadow hadn’t turned toward the room yet, standing in the doorway while Rouge and him talked. Even with flawless invisibility and absolute silence, the fear of being caught washed over him.
“You’re being too hard on them, Shadow, they just like you!”
“If this is their idea of showing romantic interest, then the least they could’ve done was face me properly.”
Shadow’s tone was tired, bordering on irritation.
“It doesn’t surprise me that someone willing to leave gifts like these would be too scared to do it in person…” He slowly sighed. “No. I’ll deal with all of this tomorrow. Have fun on your date. And… thank you for handling all of this.”
“Anytime! And you know I will!”
Espio felt those words hit him like a ton of bricks. He thought of retrieving his gift, but the risk of getting caught was already too high.
He managed to close the window before Shadow sighed deeply and turned around, but his eyes were on the envelope and flower he had carefully placed on his desk, now out of his reach.
There was no turning back. The mistake had been made, all that was left to do was deal with it.
How could I have been so wrong to assume Shadow would like something like this?
What will he think if he finds out it was from me? Will he see me as a coward?
Or… he could stay a little longer. Watch. See how Shadow reacted. He wouldn’t know Espio was—
No. I shouldn’t be spying on him!
But…
What if there’s a chance he likes it…?
No! That doesn’t justify spying. That would be wrong and dishonest!
And besides… if he doesn’t—
No. He wasn’t ready to watch Shadow’s rejection unfold in front of him.
By the time Shadow lay down on the bed, Espio was already gone.
—
Back to the present…
Chaotix Agency, Sunday, February 15th.
“Espio?”
Espio pointed towards the flowers. “Imagine the bloodbath if your army of admirers found out someone’s trying to steal your heart behind their backs!” He awkwardly chuckled, trying to mask his nerves behind a weak joke.
Oh Chaos. The realization hit him then. Not only had he not presented his gift in person, he hadn’t even shown up at Club Rouge to do it. He’d avoided everyone entirely. The Ultimate Coward. Shadow had a point… He probably wasn’t ready to properly confess.
Shadow looked at the flowers again, humming. “More of a reason to find them. I wouldn't want them to fall in such awful hands.”
Espio felt silent and had to stop himself from blushing, but he didn’t have time to react any further.
“We have work tomorrow. I’ve identified a possible location for one of the missing Chaos Emeralds. Meet me in Station Square at ten. I’ll be waiting.”
“I’ll… I’ll be there.” Espio bowed his head, and Shadow decided he’d leave the other for the time being before he disappeared in a flash of light.
He’d have to think of something else if he wanted to outsmart the detective to find the truth.
—
Station Square, Monday, February 16th. Morning
After some good rest, Espio was ready for things to go back to normal. He welcomed having some work to do, hoping it would take his mind off things. As planned, he met Shadow at Station Square early in the morning.
They exchanged a brief, professional greeting and got right to work.
“So, what is this lead you mentioned yesterday?”
“I detected a high burst of Chaos energy near this area. I thought we should start looking here.” Shadow turned and pointed at Twinkle Park’s entrance, not far away from their location. “It’s the biggest establishment in the area.”
Espio acknowledged the plan and they walked closer to the entrance, only to find a sign announcing they were currently closed.
Shadow crossed his arms and frowned. “Hm, that’s odd… it’s a working day. Just our luck… I guess we’ll have to break our way in.”
Espio wondered. “It’s probably not a coincidence. That energy spike you detected might have disrupted the park’s normal operations. Maybe we should gather some intel first.”
They looked around, and Espio spotted some people standing by an open hatch on the wall not too far away from the entrance. They looked like they were working on some repairs.
“Look, over there. Those technicians must be part of the park’s staff. Let’s go ask them.”
Shadow followed, still bummed that the plan to break in had been dropped so fast, but trusting Espio’s judgment and investigating skills.
The chameleon approached the young lady overlooking the repairs and bowed politely at her. “Good morning, may we ask you about what happened here recently?”
“Good morning! Oh… you must be one of those couples who came here on Saturday, right? We’re so sorry we had to turn you down, on Valentine’s Day no less!”
Shadow, standing casually by Espio’s side with his arms crossed, noticed how the woman didn’t seem to recognize who either of them was. That gave him an idea.
The conclusion reached by the manager had Espio stalling though. “Actually we, uh…”
“Yes.” Shadow cut in, unfazed, making Espio go quiet and tense up. He hoped his blush wasn’t too evident over his already bright scales.
Shadow took the opportunity to discreetly look Espio’s way and try to read his reaction. The chameleon had picked up on his idea, so he just hummed in agreement, focusing on the lady once more.
Shadow decided to carry on with the inquiry. “We came here yesterday, but we were told the park had been shut down. We would like to know what was the reason behind our ruined date.” He made sure to sound mildly offended.
The lady looked genuinely crestfallen. “I wish I could tell you, honestly. Our technicians have been working on calibrating the power generator ever since everything broke down, but every time it seems to be fixed… something malfunctions again. We’re very sorry about your ruined date. When we’re able to reopen, we hope to reinstate our policy of letting cute couples in for free, though we don’t have a confirmed date yet. So we hope to see you again… once we finally fix these issues.”
“Very well, thank you then.” Shadow eyed Espio once more, still looking as chill as a cucumber, “You got any more questions, honey?”
“Uh… I don’t think so…” Espio’s voice was barely inaudible. He cleared his throat and tried again. “We express our gratitude for satisfying our curiosity on this matter.”
“Well, that was time well wasted… And also a breath of fresh air. I can’t believe those two didn’t recognize me. I hope you’re ready for never-ending gossip if they ever figure it out… maybe even that army of enraged admirers you were so worried about.”
Shadow smirked, still observing Espio closely. He and Espio were well away from hearing distance now, planning their next steps.
Espio did look somewhat bashful, but overall he was just uncomfortable thinking of what having all of that attention on him suddenly would be like. “I’d… rather not have to deal with that. But I have to admit it. Your… ahem, idea to pose as a couple was pretty smart. It didn’t raise any suspicions as to why we were inquiring about the power supply breakdowns, and now we have new information in our hands.”
Shadow rose an eyebrow. “We do?” Shadow could tell there was Chaos energy in the vicinity, but to pinpoint the exact location wasn’t always easy. That was where Espio’s investigative eye came in handy.
Espio nodded, focused once more. “It’s safe to assume those employees know how to do their jobs properly, given how confused they looked. Meaning, there’s probably a factor they are not accounting for.”
As always, Espio was already on the case. Shadow stood with his arms crossed, absorbing every word. “Go on.”
Espio continued, focused on his line of reasoning. “They fix the issue, but it keeps breaking down again, as if they’re not actually solving the problem, but instead, treating its symptoms. My theory is that the Chaos Emerald is that overlooked factor.”
Shadow hummed. “So you’re implying that the Emerald is in the park somewhere?”
Espio nodded yet again. “That would make the most sense. It’s probably stuck somewhere near their power supply, causing the system to overload with energy. I doubt the power supply itself is the problem. There’s no such thing as a commercial Chaos energy detector, so without specialized technology, they can’t detect or measure whether Chaos energy is affecting it. They’d have no way to diagnose what’s wrong. From their perspective, everything should be working properly by now.”
“Well, that theory’s good enough for me.” Shadow nodded, smiling confidently. Espio’s reasoning was, as always, solid and reliable. “Plan stays then, we break our way in?”
It was Espio’s turn to smile. “I prefer the term… infiltrate.”
Station Square, Monday, February 16th. Night
They decided the safest time to break into Twinkle Park would be at night, when the park would most likely be deserted. By the time they regrouped, the stars were already shining brightly in the sky above.
Sneaking their way into the park was child’s play for the dexterous team. After a flash of teleportation and some nimble climbing that took mere seconds, they were inside Twinkle Park’s grounds, ready to search for the source of the mysterious Chaos energy.
Armed with nothing but Shadow’s instincts as a compass—as good, if not better, than any gadget Tails could come up with—they moved through the park’s attractions.
Espio kept watch in every direction, though he found himself frequently distracted. The place had bowling alleys, roller coasters, pools, and even a towering fantasy castle.
Shadow and Espio landed on one of the castle’s huge balconies. They’d checked almost everywhere, leaving only the interior unexplored, but Espio decided to take a quick break and gaze out at the roller coaster coiling around the building and the attractions below.
The chameleon approached the parapet, mesmerized by the view. “I never knew how beautiful this place was. I might bring Charmy here someday... I think he’d enjoy it.”
“Hm, that sounds like fun.”
Espio turned to look at Shadow, eyes wide with surprise. “Come again?”
The hedgehog had stepped closer to the castle’s balcony to join him, staying just a few steps behind. “What? Don’t give me that look, I know what fun is and how to have it. When I choose to.”
“No, I… I understand.” The reply had just been pleasantly unexpected. He hadn’t even expected one to begin with.
Espio looked away once more, hands resting on the parapet. “You know… You’re free to join me and Charmy then. And Vector, he’d probably want to join us too.”
“Hm. Maybe I will.” Shadow looked up, considering it.
“And no more playing a couple I hope, hahah…”
Shadow looked at Espio once more, as the other kept looking away. His eyes softened. “...I hope not.”
After a quiet moment, Shadow suddenly turned around, as if something had caught his attention. He approached one of the castle’s windows and peeked inside, as he tried to confirm his suspicions. It was the familiar tug of Chaos energy, coming from within the castle walls. “Hey, I can feel it. It’s definitely in there somewhere.”
Espio shook his head, trying to push the distracting thoughts aside, then straightened up and refocused. “Right after you!”
As expected, they found the main power generator in one of the service rooms hidden inside the castle. It was a rather large contraption, more than twice their height and covered in pipes of different sizes. Scattered around it were all the tools the maintenance staff had been using to try to fix it, adding to the overall mess.
It took them both a while to navigate around everything and inspect every crevice, until…
“Found it!”
Shadow looked up to see Espio standing atop the generator, holding the bright gem triumphantly in his hand. He wasn’t sure if it was just to show off, or if he wasn’t doing it consciously, but the scales closest to the gem seemed to take on its hue.
Once Espio climbed down from the generator they both walked outside again, with Espio admiring the powerful precious stone in his hand, deep in thought.
“Great job today,” Shadow tried to encourage him, wondering what had him so distracted, “both infering it would be here, and now finding it.”
Espio suddenly turned to face Shadow, and stopped before him with his hand extended.
“You should probably keep it.”
“Me? …No.” Shadow raised his hand to reject it. “That’s not how this works. You find a Chaos Emerald, it becomes yours to guard.” Who knew what chaotic forces drove those enigmatic gems to decide exactly where and when to appear? “Just make sure to keep it someplace safe.”
“I know that. And that is exactly why I must insist.” Espio stepped closer, placing the precious gem in his extended hand himself.
This time he couldn’t help the light blush when their hands touched. “I can’t think of a safer place than with you.”
Shadow took a single step forward before Espio let go of the Emerald and stepped back and turned around, unable to hide his reactions for much longer. “Let’s head back, it’s quite late already,” he simply stated, heading for the exit.
—
All through the weeks after Valentine’s Day, the missions happened one after the other. Most entailed investigating places or questioning people for clues about where the remaining Emeralds could have reappeared.
At every opportunity, Shadow pushed his personal, secret investigation forward, hoping to discover whether Espio truly had been the author of that poem. But with every attempt at making him confess came immediate avoidance.
He’d even gotten a chance to see Espio’s handwriting, and it had been strikingly similar…
Espio’s fear of being tagged a coward kept ironically sabotaging his own intention to properly confess, reinforcing the negative loop. He’d been thinking about it, trying to come up with the perfect in-person gift he could present to Shadow, but whenever he pictured the scene in his mind, he promised himself he’d do it later, when he felt truly ready.
Ready to handle rejection properly in case it happened… ready to handle acceptance, too. Both scenarios were a bit overwhelming in their own ways, so that perfect moment never came.
To make matters even harder, Shadow had been so… nice to him lately. Open in ways Espio had never seen before. How could he risk ruining that? They had never been this close… He was in too deep now. Just thinking about doing anything that might break that balance made his chest tighten.
Chaotix Detective Agency, Saturday, March 14th. Afternoon
As every year, March 14th was just another regular day for everyone but Espio.
He’d long since lost hope of ever celebrating White Day. It didn’t seem like anyone really acknowledged it as a thing. He was used to it, at least. Besides, for him to be able to give something back, he’d have to receive something on Valentine’s Day first…
This time around, the fact that it fell on a Saturday made it even more of an unremarkable date, so he was surprised when he received a phone call from Shadow late in the afternoon.
“Hello, Shadow.” Espio bowed politely, even though Shadow couldn’t see him from the other end of the line. “How may I help you?”
“Hey. … Are you free right now? I’d like for us to meet.”
“Did something happen?”
“Something might. Can you make it to the beach just outside the casino district in half an hour?”
Concerned, Espio nodded. “Of course, I’ll be there,” he confirmed, checking the clock.
Assuming it would just be work despite it being a Saturday, Espio showed up punctually as he always did.
The sun was low over the horizon when he arrived at the beach, tinging the clouds in the sky a vivid assortment of orange and fuchsia colors.
He didn’t have to walk far before he found Shadow standing there overlooking the sea with crossed arms, easy to spot thanks to his dark fur and quills that gently swayed in the sea breeze.
Espio took a moment to appreciate the view before swallowing and walking the rest of the way.
“You wanted to see me?” he said as he reached his side, to announce his presence.
Shadow turned to look at him, causing Espio to stand a bit straighter. The hedgehog looked calmer than he had anticipated, like there was no danger looming or any urgent matter that needed their attention.
“Yes. Thanks for coming on such short notice. So…” Shadow fiddled with his quills. “I’ve visited Twinkle Park earlier, to check if things were running properly again, and… I got these two tickets.” He extended his hand, revealing two colorful admission coupons. “Guess that lady remembered me from when we talked to her last month.”
Espio looked at the tickets in awe, as Shadow handed them out. “Are these for…us?” Thankful for the colors in the sky masking his blush, Espio grabbed the offered tickets.
“Not really.“ Shadow shook his head.
…and of course they weren’t. Espio deflated, why would they—
“These are for Charmy and Vector. They told me the cute couple’s policy is still being applied on Sundays, so I thought we could all go there tomorrow.”
“I—Uuh…!” Espio bowed as low as he possibly could without tipping forward or curving his back, arms straight at his sides. He needed to hide his face somehow, and turning invisible right after being gifted something would just be plain rude. "Thank you for thinking of inviting us. I’m sure they’ll be just as excited to go as I am!"
Shadow kept smiling as he watched the other accept his proposal so politely. Bowing like that was so very Espio.
Face still concealed, the chameleon spoke again, but this time he didn’t sound as upbeat. “But then we’d have to pretend, and I’m not—Maybe… maybe I should just buy us tickets…” Espio slowly got back up, keeping his eyes down and slowly shaking his head.
Shadow’s smile faltered. This was it. He had to play his last card. He needed to know for sure, before he pushed things forward and possibly made a mistake.
“There’s another thing I wanted to talk about. Remember that person who infiltrated my home back on Valentine's Day to leave a tulip inside my room?”
“What about them?” Espio inquired, visibly nervous.
“I might ask you to run that investigation after all. I think my secret admirer breached my room again last night.” Rummaging between his quills once more, Shadow produced a white envelope from his quills. “I found another love letter.”
Espio froze, feeling a chill run down his spine. The confusion in his eyes could only mean one thing. “What? A love letter? But it-it wasn’t a—”
He covered his mouth at once, realizing his mistake.
Shadow wouldn’t take his red eyes off of him…
He knew.
“Espio-”
“I—I need to go!”
In a desperate move, the flustered chameleon formed a seal with his hands, and a gust of leaves burst around him, lifting the sand in a swirling rush of wind. In a second, he vanished from sight.
“No, wait! Don’t you just disappear on me…” Shadow looked around in frustration. “Tsk…” Is this how it feels when I teleport away? …I should really stop doing that.
In his urge to flee to a less crowded stretch of shore, Espio overlooked the fact that he was leaving a trail of footprints in the sand.
Shadow quickly tucked the empty envelope away and followed the fresh trail with ease, his speed far superior to that of the ninja. In a matter of seconds, he intercepted the invisible chameleon’s path, positioning himself so Espio ran straight into him. Shadow caught him with his arms already outstretched—careful so the horn wouldn’t accidentally poke him—and immediately held him close, making sure he wouldn’t run away again.
“Hey. No more hiding from me... Please.”
Still concealed, Espio tensed in his hold, but eventually he lifted his technique and became visible again. He kept his head pressed to Shadow’s chest, turned toward the sea, unable to bring himself to look up.
“You are them, right?” Shadow continued, voice soft once again. “The one who left the poem. You are the one behind the Purple Prince.” It wasn’t a question anymore, just a shared truth.
What was the point of denying it now? Shadow felt so warm. Shielding Espio from the late winter’s sea breeze… He’d probably let go anytime now. Enjoying it while it lasted, Espio finally gave up.
“Yes. That… that was me.”
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Espio didn't quite understand why Shadow was still holding him. Not that he was complaining.
“Because… you’d think I’m a coward. You said so yourself, only a coward would leave their gift without properly facing you.”
Espio stepped back from Shadow, gently pushing him away. He wasn’t going to run anymore, but that didn’t mean he was having an easy time returning his gaze, so he focused on Shadow’s tuft of white fur instead.
“I said so myself? What are you talking about? I don’t recall ever saying such a thing.” Shadow looked visibly confused.
“The night I left the gift, I heard you… I-It wasn’t my intention to! I just happened to overhear you say that someone who leaves gifts anonymously like that are just too scared to do so in person. You sounded so frustrated, I—I thought about taking it back, but it was too late. And to make matters worse I kept hesitating ever since… ”
“Espio, I think you got it wrong. It’s the thoughtless gifts I didn’t care about, the laziness of addressing bought stuff to me and not even taking the trouble of facing me to give it… I was just venting. Because I didn’t really care for any of that.” Shadow rubbed his face, regretting what he’d said. “Then I found your poem, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Espio finally looked up. Shadow was the one averting his gaze now, recalling that day.
“You took the time to write that poem for me. You chose the flower that most resembles you to go with it. I could tell you put a lot of thought into it. I wanted it to be yours. And I was almost certain it was, but instead of saying something I just…” It dawned on him how stressful the last month must have been for the other. “I just comfortably waited for you to make a move, when I could have done something myself. Bring it up, outright ask… No. Instead I pushed you into confessing. Ugh… I’m sorry.”
Espio froze, refusing to believe what he was hearing. “Wait, wanted it to be mine? Are… are you implying…?”
“I didn’t even think of giving you anything, thought it’d be pointless, but… I hope I can do things right this time."
For the third time that day, Shadow carefully grabbed something he had been hiding between his quills. "This is for you."
A beautiful white rose.
Espio stared at it, incredulous. He stood there, stunned, his heart doing all the running for him. All this time...
“Espio… I—”
“Wait! …wait please.” The chameleon finally broke from his trance, startling the other as he took Shadow’s hands—rose and all—and looked straight into his crimson eyes. In them, he finally found the courage needed to let it all out. "I need to find the right words."
Shadow stared back into his eyes, softly smiling, allowing him that needed moment. His own heart was racing in anticipation, a feeling he wasn't used to, but that wasn't unwelcomed. As he waited, his thumbs moved in small, gentle circles over the backs of Espio’s gloved hands.
After the much needed pause, Espio sighed softly and cleared his throat.
“Shadow the hedgehog
For my lack of confidence
I apologize.
Strength to call you mine.
I have finally found it,
Be my Valentine?”
Shadow chuckled softly, almost purring when he heard the words Espio had carefully crafted especially for him. “Chaos, Espio, yes… of course I would. So, please," he continued, smiling wider when he saw that Espio finally, finally smiled too.
He lifted the rose again with one hand while holding Espio’s tightly with the other. “It pales before your words, but... please accept this white rose, in return for your gifts. Happy White Day, tulip.”
“Tulip…” Espio decided right then that he liked it much better than honey. He held the flower, and nodded once. ”I do. Accept it, I mean… Thank you.”
Unable to hold back anymore, Shadow pulled Espio into his arms again. “I hope I got this White Day thing right?”
If Espio’s love-struck eyes weren’t answer enough, bright with a nervous laugh, then the sweetest first kiss between them that followed certainly was.