Awe
I thought this would be my last fanfic now for a while. I have written these stories incredibly fast, comparing to how slowly I usually finish my stories. Probably that's why the quality of my texts is dropping and the atmosphere is very similar in all of them, so I must take a break. I hope these fanfics look better in readers eyes than in mine. :D
And then about this fic. I wrote half of it after I had published my first fic, but then dropped it out (that's why there are some similarities to Colleagues). Got inspiration from another fanfic. I don't know why, but I like to write about characters' ordinary days and life which is not much shown in the games. The story takes place at time, maybe a month or a couple, after Knuckles Chaotix, so I tried to make Espio and Charmy act a bit differently than they would nowadays (for example, Charmy is a bit more childish and Espio is more withdrawn 'cause they are younger and haven't been a team very long yet). Charmy's dream is based on one that I saw many years ago, and it was a very scary and very stupid one.
So yeah, another not so original fic, but I hope you can enjoy it. :D
The clock was just over midnight. Espio sat alone at the kitchen's table with a steaming cup of tea in front of him. He had just a moment ago returned to the office, after having spent the whole day in one restaurant playing bartender, trying to track down one criminal. The day had actually been very productive, and the chameleon hoped that he wouldn't need to return to that place tomorrow to listen drunks' gibberish. If only the information he had gathered matches with the ones that Vector and Charmy hopefully had got on that day, they could probably solve this case in few days. In any case, Vector would likely take care of most of the information processing, so Espio could lighten up a bit tomorrow.
Hopefully.
The chameleon dropped his gaze into the tea and silently sighed to himself. If only he no longer needs to stand behind that foul bar counter. He felt sorry for all of those who actually worked in places like that. Maybe it was suitable for some social persons. Espio was quite unsocial. Many times trough that day too, he had just wanted to turn invisible and secretly sneak out. The criminal could have at least been an actually dangerous one, but the one in question was just some kind of illusionist, who mostly annoyed people by stealing wallets and small valuables.
Espio took a deep breath and calmed down the frustration. If he wanted to go to bed soon, it would be better to soothe his mind. The chameleon sipped his tea and momentarily stared the curtains in front of the window.
At the very moment, Espio realized someone was at the door. The chameleon turned to look and saw Charmy standing in the doorway, looking miserable and sleepy. The bee was silent.
"Weren't you sleeping yet?" Espio asked. Charmy nodded and ran to him.
"I had a bad dream." the bee mumbled and hung on the chameleon, who once again, felt somewhat helpless, even though they had had some situations like these in their yet somewhat short career. From two of them, Vector was the better one at giving sympathy.
"Right. Well..." Espio wondered what he should say and gently tapped the top of the bee's head. "Tell me what you saw. When telling nightmares out loud, they usually aren't scary anymore."
Charmy opened his eyes, looked up at the chameleon and then turned his head back down somewhat embarrassed. Was the dream so scary that he needed to come tell about it? When he now thought about it, it felt more and more silly. Would Espio regard him as a coward?
"Well... it was a really dumb dream really." Charmy said.
"Most of them are." Espio noted, and the bee couldn't object.
"Well... in that dream, there were me and you and Vector and some other friends too, and then there was a really big bad guy-balloon, who turned all of you into paper, and I was the only one who could have stopped it, but I couldn't and was left alone. I really tried to attack that balloon, but even once I didn't manage to pop it." Charmy told and then looked back at Espio. The bee began to laugh and a smile found its way on Espio's face too.
"See? You don't need to be afraid." the chameleon said and the kid nodded.
"It didn't even sound like a bad dream anymore." he giggled, though he still weren't completely sure. There had been many terrible moments in that dream.
Espio scanned the bee more seriously. Sure he saw that Charmy was still uncertain, but he didn't know what to say. Bee's laughing died down.
"Should you go back to bed?" the chameleon proposed. Charmy thought it a few seconds and then shook his head. So the nightmare still troubled kid that much.
"Right... Shall I brew you a cup of tea?"
"Okay." Charmy climbed to the next seat, glanced the clock on a wall and got confused because he had slept only a couple of hours, but it had felt a lot longer time. Sleeping was weird. Soon Espio brought Charmy a mug of green tea and also sat down. His own tea was getting cold. Some time they just sat there, sipping their drinks and silently wondering various things. Then Charmy asked one thing which had came at his mind right away he had entered the kitchen.
"Do everybody see bad dreams?"
Espio nodded.
"You and Vector too?"
Another nod.
"Are you ever afraid of them?"
For a moment, the chameleon stood still.
"Rarely." he answered then and slightly gazed the unbelieving expression on the bee's face.
"But... ninjas aren't afraid of anything." Charmy stated. Espio didn't allow himself to laugh. Since they were talking about being afraid, it was actually unusual even from Charmy to be so freaked out. The bee was hardly ever scared. Almost anything they had come across, the kid had usually got excited. Was it then just child's naivety or a trait in his person, Espio wasn't yet completely sure.
The bee still stared at him, waiting for some kind of respond.
But ninjas aren't afraid of anything. How childish comment.
"Everyone is afraid sometimes, of absurd things too." the chameleon answered. Charmy gave a laugh.
"You too?"
"Everybody." the lizard nodded. The bee laughed intermittently and then gave a big yawn.
"You should go back to bed." Espio said and stood up.
"Not yet." a slight panic replaced the smile on Charmy's face.
"It's late and tomorrow–"
"I don't want to!" the bee cried out and Espio turned to look. The kid's wet eyes shined at the ceiling lamp's light. The chameleon took a deep breath and recalled about what he had been told in his own childhood. After a moment of thinking, he managed to shape his advice in a less harsh form that he had been used to.
"Listen Charmy. It's no use to run away from fears because they'll always catch you. They must be faced sooner or later."
Yet the bee didn't look much encouraged, so Espio sighed trying to think continuation, but for some reason, it was now extremely troublesome. How on earth he should explain to a little child that it's senseless to be afraid of non-existent things?
"I mean... Nightmares are just products of imagination, and imagination can't create anything existing. Do you understand?"
The bee nodded a bit diffidently.
"Well, the nightmare you had, could something like that happen in real life?"
"No maybe." Charmy answered slowly.
"It couldn't," Espio nodded. "If you're afraid of something, ask yourself if there is a reason to be afraid. Dreams and other fictions aren't real, so you don't need to be afraid of them."
"But they are still scary."
"I know, but... Being afraid isn't dangerous, but completely natural. Most important thing is that you control the fear and it doesn't control you."
Charmy thought that silently. His dazed brain lost about half of the chameleon's words, but the first and last comments he still remembered fully.
"Okay," Charmy said then, stood up on his chair and drank the rest of his tea. "Now I'm ready to go to bed." he smiled breezily. Espio gave him a pleased nod and took the mugs from the table. Apparently, he had said something right.
"Go then." he said kindly.
"Espio," Charmy stopped the chameleon once more and the lizard looked at him. "Can I tell you if I can't sleep?"
Espio was that much confused that he couldn't answer immediately. Charmy asked something that he had been too ashamed to ask back when he had been in that age. If you wanted to be a ninja, both mental and physical control were critical. Everyone only by themselves could curb one's own thoughts and emotions, and that must be done.
The chameleon gave an affirmative answer, the bee wished good night and skittered back to his own room. Espio quickly washed the tea mugs and analyzed the conversation. How ridiculously hard it was to explain something to a child. You had to be clear but still shouldn't underestimate children's comprehension. In the middle of the night, a too complicated explanation could just increase the feeling of anxiety.
Had he been too cold to Charmy? Perhaps. Patience he really had, but otherwise, he wasn't that good at handling kids. He was a ninja, not a big brother. Why had he agreed in this co-operation with Vector and Charmy in the first place?
Espio sighed silently. He was too tired and somewhat frustrated to find the answer. He sure knew it, but couldn't remember it right now. Now he only wanted to go to bed and wake up at morning to do routines as always.