Tossing, turning, groaning, Silver just couldn't sleep. How can he? Hell, since when has he ever slept in peace? He was always caught up in a war. Come to think of it, he was more used to fighting than resting. He grew up like that and trying to be the hero has been his shtick ever since.
Seeing his future turn to ruin once more, he had to return to the past to see what was going on. And it was true: Sonic is gone, Tails lost hope, Eggman expanded his empire all throughout Mobius, and everyone is living in fear. Who knew the sudden death of a single hero could befall every other hero fighting their own battles? It was ridiculous, incredulous, but it happened. Where was Shadow in all of this? Did he help Eggman conquer the world? Why, that sneaky bastard!
And where was Blaze? She was nowhere in site when he met up with the resistance. Was she killed? No, this cannot be!
"Don't worry, Blaze evacuated Cream and a few more of our friends into her own dimension, so they're safe there for now," Amy explained. The hedgehog sighed heavily with relief. Thank goodness... it's better for her to be there than here. I can't imagine the rest of my life without her, Silver thought bitterly. Among the resistance stood Amy, Rouge, who was about to leave the hideout with Knuckles on another mission, a bee, who introduced himself as Charmy, a crocodile who bragged his name to be Vector, and Espio, an old friend he once met during his quest to save his era from the all powerful Ifrit.
Silver couldn't believe his eyes - everyone felt hopeless, distraught, defeated without Sonic. He shook his head and gave them hope, hope for them to work together to create the miracle they tried to seek out for the past six months. While he was too busy to look it, he greatly appreciated Espio's support to his plan, only for the new rookie to arrive alongside Knuckles. Once the rookie was sent out on their first mission, everyone was given little time to rest themselves and monitor the rookie's current position to give him the basics.
The sun began to descend, which was the perfect time to rest and strategize. When there was nothing left to report, Amy ordered Silver to lay down and recharge his energy before getting too involved. Vector helped a nervous and surprisingly tired Charmy fall asleep. He slightly observed Knuckles communicating with Rouge about Sonic's whereabouts, and Espio was nowhere to be found.
"Hey, uh, Vector is it?" Silver whispered.
"Keep it down! Charmy's sleeping," Vector hissed.
"I am keeping it down!" Silver whispered impatiently. "Have you seen Espio?"
"He's sitting around here somewhere, invisible like always. He does that when he wants to be alone."
"Shouldn't he be afraid of being alone at this point?" Silver mumbled back worriedly.
"Just go to our room. He should be there on his bunk," Vector answered. "But don't take too long. When we get a report back with the rookie, I'll call you two to come back here."
"Sure thing."
Silver didn't need to ask Vector where his team's room was, all he wanted to do was explore the place, make sure there aren't any spyware lurking around the premises. Then again, why do that when Espio's there for the job? Hey, two's better than one. As he entered one room, he narrowly stopped an incoming kunai from reaching his face using his telekinesis.
"Easy there, chameleon!" Silver exclaimed, using that same nickname he used on the ninja when they first met. He released the kunai from his control as it landed on the palm of his hand. "Quite a useful weapon. What is it?"
"It's a kunai. I use it during combat along with my shurikens." Espio retrieved the weapon and kept it within before meeting Silver's eyes. "What brings you here? Did Knuckles need me?"
"No," Silver answered quickly. "I just wanted to find you."
Espio chuckled with his arms folded. "Do you miss me already?"
"Uh, yeah?"
The chameleon sighed hopelessly. This guy can't get a single joke. "Come in. You should probably rest like Amy told you to."
"Justice never sleeps, Espio."
The two sat down on a nearby ottoman, gazing outside at the demolished buildings from the dusty window. Silence filled the room as Espio continued to meditate while Silver stared blankly into the chaos, unfazed by the scene.
"You know, I had a feeling you would come back," Espio spoke. Silver said nothing and continued to stare off into space, albeit listening to every word. "You seem unfazed by all this. Is your world always this desolate?"
"No. Well, most of the time. There are days where I get to see smiles on everyone's faces, and see clear blue skies. But somehow something always goes wrong and the future I want doesn't last."
"The future isn't set to stone, Silver. Things change," Espio explained, still meditating.
"I suppose you're right. Hey, at least it's a good enough excuse for me to come back, right?" Silver chuckled. Espio broke out of his meditation as his chest felt heavy.
"You come back so many times," he began mumbling shakily, which caught Silver off guard as he stared into his eyes. "Yet we never really spoke to each other. There are days where Vector and Charmy would get on my nerves all the time and not even finding solitude by myself is enough to relax my mental state."
"So being around me calms you down more?"
"Quite frankly the opposite, yet we're kind of alike. And I... I missed it."
"Missed what?"
"What we had. We had our own adventure together, remember? You got me roped into fighting your battles with you and becoming your strength. We collected chao, went against our comrades, took down Eggman Nega and defeated a giant monster that was going to destroy our world for goodness' sake! I even got to travel through time and it was my first time ever doing that. I missed that.
"I missed... you. I kind of wished we would do something like that again... but I kind of thought you forgot about me for a while."
"Are you kidding, it's the total opposite!" Silver retorted. "The minute we parted ways you were constantly on my mind! I'm not the kind of guy who considers everyone I meet as a friend but you... you're one of my closest friends aside from Blaze! Heck, you're probably the closest... guy friend I've ever had!"
Espio's now dilated eyes met Silver's shining orbs once more. He uncrossed his legs and left them hanging next to Silver. "Really?"
"Yes, really! I'm glad I met you. I know there are journeys I never got to remember, which still bug me to this day, but I don't ever want to forget us, Espio. You helped me save the future when everyone thought I was crazy!" Silver then sandwiched Espio's hand in his. "Everyone except you. You trusted me, and that's the greatest gift anyone has ever given me: trust... and faith. How could I forget that?
"So for now, let's not give up hope. This world is depending on us! Our new rookie is depending on us to help them fight alongside us. I know what I said about Sonic, but deep down he could still be out there and I've got a little faith left in me. You gave me that faith, remember? What you gave to me, I now return to you. You do feel that, right?" Silver cooed and leaned close, his eyes fixed on his hand still protecting Espio's hand.
A faint blush became visible on Espio's cheeks. The setting sunlight beamed across half of Silver's face and it was a touching sight. Espio smiled warmly and rested his right hand over Silver's. Silver's eyes widened slightly and let the moment sink in as he relaxed against the chameleon's gentle touch. He then felt Espio's forehead lean against his. Glancing up, he noticed Espio rendering the same warm smile he made moments ago. With their foreheads still touching, their eyes met yet again as Espio finally answered.
"I do now, thanks to you."
Moments later, there came a knock from their door. Then they heard Vector's muffled voice on the other end. "Heads up, guys, we received some intel related to Sonic's whereabouts!"
"Whereabouts!? You mean he's alive?" Silver exclaimed with excitement.
"We don't know but it's highly likely!"
"Guess you're not as realistic as you thought?" Espio teased as he made his way to open the door.
"Psh, it's not like you're very optimistic either," Silver retorted. The chameleon pushed the door open and scoffed.
"Touche. I'm just glad you're safe."
"I'm glad you are too, Espio."
Then after that, they realize Sonic is still alive and the game goes on. Just so everyone knows, I haven't played Sonic Forces yet. I haven't written Sonic fanfiction in almost a decade. Feel free to review and respect each other in the comments. I won't be sharing stories here for a while.