Star-crossed Lovers

Chapter 4 – Chaotic Getaway

Espio searched through the pantry to see if he could find something that he could cook for Vector and Charmy. He found some angel hair pasta and thought he could whip together some simple spaghetti. He went rummaging through the kitchen, and he was able to find some spaghetti sauce.

He then began to cook with the ingredients that he was given. After ten minutes though, Vector finished with his shower and went over to check on how lunch was doing. He entered as Espio was stirring noodles in a boiling pot. He didn't want to think about it, but Espio actually looked pretty good while he cooked. 'It shows a more sensitive side to him,' Vector thought to himself.

Espio continued to work with the noodles, hoping that they would finish soon so that he wouldn't have to keep Vector waiting for so long. A second later, Espio recklessly grabbed a noodle from the pot, despite the immense heat, and placed it into his mouth. He smiled, because it was just the right consistency to work with.

Espio, while looking at the pot, tried to reach for some plates to put the noodles in. Though, when his hands went over there, he ended up touching a soft gloved hand. Espio was shocked, because he knew that he wasn't touching the plates. He looked up and saw that Vector was standing right next to him staring at his work.

Espio was startled and he quickly retracted his hand. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I'm sorry, Espio, did I startle you? I was only there for a minute or two."

"Oh. Well, you can go sit at the table and wait for me to finish. I'm almost done."

"Well, I was wondering if I can help you."

Espio then gently pushed Vector to the side as he reached for the plates. "I can handle it myself, Vector. Besides, it doesn't take a whole lot of effort to put noodles on a plate and garnishing it with sauce." Espio then threw more than half of the noodles onto the plate with a single swipe. He was about to get the rest of them when the phone began to ring. "You can help, though, by answering the phone."

Vector sighed, because he didn't like being pushed aside by Espio. However, he did do what he was told.

Espio continued with his cooking. He put the spaghetti onto three different plates, and then individually placed an adequate amount of spaghetti sauce on each of them. He didn't consider this the best dish he ever made, but he certainly liked the finished product.

Espio took all three plates simultaneously and placed them onto the table in front of each individual chair. Vector entered the kitchen after finishing the phone call. "Can you go get Charmy and tell him that lunch is ready?" Vector nodded and exited the room again.

They all then sat down and began eating at Espio's spaghetti. "This is actually pretty good, Espio," Vector started. "I thought that spaghetti sauce, but it seems like it's a-okay."

Espio smiled and said thank-you. "Though, if you guys get food poisoning… I should've probably checked the expiration date on that sauce.

Vector laughed to himself. "It's okay; it wouldn't be the first time."

"So Vector, who was on the phone?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. That blue hedgehog was wondering if the three of us can go to the beach with him. There was something about introducing a friend of his."

"That actually sounds kind of fun," Espio said. "Why don't we all go?"

"Well… I actually have already offered to do something for Vanilla today. But, you and Charmy can still go if you guys want to."

"Actually, I'm still not ready to go back to the beach after that big wave accident."

Espio frowned, because not only would he be going to the beach alone, but he would be going alone because his best friend is ditching him for Vanilla. "Alright, I guess it'll be just me."

Vector and Charmy nodded, not even realizing that Espio was upset about going alone.

An hour later, Espio told Vector and Charmy that he was leaving and he left to go to the beach. He walked slowly, just thinking to himself about Vector. There were two things that crossed his mind: how mad Vector can make him and how happy Vector can make him. It was all so confusing how two opposites can work so well in a person like him. Espio tried to shake the thoughts, but they just continued to linger for the entire day.

Espio finally picked up the pace and made it to the beach at a decent time. He didn't quite recognize anyone there, other than Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge and Shadow. He later found out that the pink and green hedgehogs there were Sonic's sister and brother. He also found out that the other green hedgehog that was with Sonic was named Scourge.

Espio greeted everyone politely and then sat down on the ground since there were no available seats open. He then listened in on some pretty healthy conversation, most of which were on Knuckles and Rouge. Espio didn't even know that they were a couple, especially since he doesn't really do a whole lot outside of Team Chaotix.

Though, as they talked about their relationship, Espio imagined himself being in a relationship. He never exactly had the experience of love, but there has always been someone that has "caught his eye"… Vector.

Espio then decided to chime in on the conversation and said, "I never heard this story. Where did you two first fall in love? I know that you knew Rouge for quite some time. What finally caught your eye about her, Knuckles?"

"Well, it wasn't simple. When Rouge was apart of Eggman's team, I didn't see much in her other than the fact that she was big on jewels. But after some time, I saw a sense of charm in what she does, and I kind of figured that she saw the same thing in me. So we got to talking, and well here we are." The two of them nuzzled together, expressing their happiness together.

"That's good," Espio blankly said. He thought that was kind of ironic, because Vector seemed like an arrogant boss when Espio first became apart of Team Chaotix, but now it seems like they have been the closest of friends. He didn't exactly know what to think of that.

"What about you, Espio," Knuckles started. "Do you have a special someone that has caught your eye?"

"As a ninja, I do not experience love in the same way as all of you do. I am disciplined." Some of the people then giggled at Espio's serious response. "But, there is someone that has caught my eye."

Sonic gave Espio a smile. "Oh, do we know her?"

Espio went wide-eyed, because he didn't know how people would react if he told them that he liked a guy, especially if that guy is Vector. "I have said too much. Can we please change the subject?"

Everyone sighed and giggled, because they actually wanted to hear if Espio was doing with his life other than being a ninja for a poor detective agency. Espio blushed a deep pink that was visible even through his pink body. This gave everyone the re-assurance that Espio is actually in love with someone at the moment.

Espio didn't want to talk about the matter anymore, because he could blatantly feel the blush rushing to his cheeks. Though, he was saved by Sonia who offered for everyone to join her in the water. Espio quickly nodded, and joined a few others to go to the ocean.

He took off his shoes and socks in fear of getting them wet, and then decided to sit down at the shore's edge, watching as the water move forward and touch his feet and retract back. He liked the feeling of the water's motion. Frankly, he actually liked a lot about the water, especially how serene it is.

Espio simply sat there enjoying himself while he watched everyone else have a good time out in the water. Knuckles and Rouge were playfully splashing each other, and Manic was chasing Sonia around in the water. He liked the sight of this, because he never truly had a family of his own, nor did he have a relationship that was similar to Knuckles' and Rouge's.

He sat there for a few more minutes and then turned his head. He saw that everyone that was back at the chairs was all gone now. Espio was curious as to why they would all just leave their stuff there, but he didn't question it. When he swung his head around again, he then realized that Sonia was coming over to him and sat down next to him.

"Why are you playing in the water, Espio?"

"I don't like being in the water that much. I just like it when it brushes up against my feet."

"Yeah, but you're sitting here all by yourself."

"It's fine with me," Espio reassured her. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Sonia sighed. "Espio, this is the first time meeting you, and I can already tell that something's already pretty wrong."

Espio frowned. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Of course it is. Does it have something to do with the whole love thing earlier?"

Espio paused for a brief second and then finally said, "Yeah, it does a little."

"You must really care about this person a lot."

Espio then thought back to earlier that day when he ran with Vector through the forest outside of his home. It was the one real time that he had truly spent with Vector, and he enjoyed every minute of it. He also thought back when Vector fell on top of him and his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I don't know what to think of… this person. One minute, I can't keep my mind off of… this person, and the next minute, I can't help but be constantly irritated with… this person."

Sonia giggled to herself. "You sure are saying 'this person' a lot, Espio. We have pronouns in this world for a reason. It's almost as if you don't want to tell me the gender of "this person".

Espio then began to sweat on the inside, which immediately caught Sonia's attention. "Oh my goodness, you don't want to tell me the gender of 'this person', because this person isn't a girl, is he?"

Espio could only nod. Sonia tried to hide her shocked expression so that she wouldn't make him uncomfortable. "That shouldn't be something to be ashamed about, Espio. Love has many forms, and gender doesn't change anything ever." Espio looked over at Sonia and smiled. She was doing well with boosting his spirits. "So… do we have a name to fit to this 'some person'?

Espio thought about it for a second, but he realized that he really could trust Sonia with whatever he told her. "His name is Vector, and he is the leader of Team Chaotix, a detective agency I'm apart of."

"Oh, then if you're already that close, then maybe you should tell him how you feel."

"I don't know, Sonia. I think he has feelings for Vanilla the Rabbit rather than for me, and I don't want to ruin our friendship by making things awkward between the two of us."

"Well… don't give up, Espio. If you truly love someone, then you have to keep trying, because you never know… 'this person' may just love you too."

Espio smiled and nodded. He never had the courage to expressing any of his feelings, but everything that Sonia was saying was making sense. He really did want to tell Vector how he feels, despite any consequences that should follow. "Thank you, Sonia. I should probably head on home now. I don't think I'll be able to stay here with something like this on my mind."

Sonia nodded. "I hope everything works out for you, too. You seem like a nice person, Espio, and someone like Vector would be very lucky to have someone like you." Sonia then got up and re-entered the water, attempting to tackle Manic while he's not looking.

Espio got up from the sand and returned to the chairs where the group was at earlier. This time, Sonic and Scourge were finally back from wherever they went. Espio was about to go over to them to tell them that he was leaving until something unexpected happened. Not a second later, Espio caught the two of them kissing. Despite the awkward moment that his presence would bring, he decided to approach them anyways.

Espio walked up to them without them noticing and just waited for them to finish. Sonic then looked up while kissing Scourge and was completely shocked to see that Espio was standing there.

Sonic separated the kiss suddenly and thought of something to say. "Uh… and that's how you perform CPR on a drowning person, Scourge. Now you can use it on anyone you see drowning."

"Thanks, Sonic. I always wanted to know that."

Espio lifted up an imaginary eyebrow and placed his arms on his hips. "I don't know how gullible you two think I am, but I believe it is best that I stay out of it."

Sonic and Scourge gave Espio an innocent, uncomfortable smile.

"Anyways, I think I am going to leave now. Thank you for inviting me to the beach."

Sonic simply nodded awkwardly, hoping that Espio would leave as soon as possible. Espio then simply took his shoes and socks and carried them away from the beach.

'What they just did,' Espio thought to himself, 'I want too. I want it really bad.'

Alright, let's see how dedicated you guys are. There's something strangely familiar about this chapter. If you are the first to point out why it's familiar, then… you get a hug… or a personal fan fiction written by me just for you. Whichever you want, you can specify in your review.