Once upon a time - four years ago, to be precise - Espio was not a café worker. Basically the complete opposite. He was teaching children and teenagers at a school owned by his family, founded by his great-grandfather. They taught and practiced judo, and everyone there valued strict discipline and clear rules.

Espio was among the greatest students, and so ended up becoming a great teacher. Still, somehow, he didn't feel like he belonged there. He held his family in high regard, but it didn't feel like a family, more like a huge teachers' office.

And so, when he felt old and mature enough, he left. Not far, only the nearest city, but left nevertheless. He found a small but comfortable apartment, and ended up running into a crocodile that would soon help him find his place in the world.

Vector was pinning a job offer onto a notice board when Espio approached him.

"Hello, you seem to be looking for staff. What kind of qualifications-"

"Aaaand you're hired! Nice to meet you, soon-to-be assistant manager!"

Espio could only look at the guy, absolutely flabbergasted.

"Are you trying to pull some sort of scam? It can't be that easy, can it?"

"I mean, there's still a lot to do, but my wife and I have done so much planning and ground work, it's going to be smooth sailing from now on!"

"And what kind of job is this exactly?"

"Ah, right, I'm gonna open a café!"

"A café?"

"Yep, and you're going to be my assistant manager, help around the place, you know? Now let's go, we still need at least one server and a cashier. My missus and daughter can help with the food for now."

This man had to be out of his mind. Yet, somehow, his confidence made Espio curious enough to see what crazy plan he was cooking up.

Not much later, Vector had scored not just two, but three other random people who were willing to see where this train was heading.

And to everyone's surprise, it wasn't straight into the abyss of empty pockets and broken dreams. Even more surprising was that the café became fairly popular! The madman did it!

Even though everyone Vector had found were of age and the bossman himself was several years older than him, Espio felt ancient among them. So full of energy, so much to say, so positive all the time. He had always had trouble with the loud and strong personality types. Just what did he get himself into?

Although...maybe this was exactly the type of thing he needed? He had had enough of the discipline and rules back home. It was just going to take some time to get used to all... this.

Ray and Charmy had clicked immediately, being energetic little lads, and under his tough shell, Mighty was just as excitable as the younger two. Vector seemed like he had no idea what he was doing, but he clearly did. Or he was just extremely lucky.

Despite Espio being poker-faced and no-nonsense, the staff took a liking to him - maybe because he's reliable and keeps the place from burning down. Still, he learned to appreciate them as well. Turns out, Ray did parkour and could teach him a lot about agility, and Mighty spent some of his time helping people at the gym, so the three immediately had some common ground to build upon. Maybe, just maybe, Espio had found his place - struck gold - on first try.

It didn't take long for the staff to start to recognize some of the returning customers and remember their usual orders. Among the growing group of regulars was a particular chipmunk girl.

"Yooo, you're still holding up! Almost a year in the bag and everything's going fine!" Briar beamed to her already fairly close friends.

"I'm just as baffled as you are", Espio replied, earning a laugh in reply.

"Vec's clearly got everythin' under control, so chill out already! It's like ya want us ta go bankrupt!" Mighty said as he threw his arm around him.

"...do you?"

"Of course not, someone just has to keep a level head around here."

"Yeah, yeah, thank you Mister Assistant Manager Sir!" Ray saluted from behind the register.

"Pfft, you and your antics."

Lucky for her, the antics would stay pretty much the same for years to come.

It was around the third anniversary of the café that the topic of some unknown arctic fox started to come up.

"I've tried to convince her to move here several times already, but she's still not sure! I don't know what else I can tell her, please help me! She's clearly not happy up there!" Briar whined, banging her head on the table in front of her.

"Maybe.. a job offer?"

"What, you gonna kick someone out?"

"Not technically, no. Everyone has a lot of plans though. Ray's MeTube channel is starting to pick up, so he's been wanting to reduce his hours. Mighty's becoming a popular private trainer, Charmy's been helping Silver with the gardening. A new pair of hands could be of use", Espio explained, counting the staff members with his fingers.

"Huh.. well then, that just might work!"

"You give her a call, I'll ask what Vector thinks."

And we already know what he thought.

The arctic fox in question had finally been swayed enough to make the move, and soon she joined her best friend in Seaside City. As soon as she had settled down, she could start at her new job. Nervous but excited, she entered the café with a bell chime and was greeted by the enthusiastic staff members, plus a polite but reserved Espio.

Introductions were made and papers signed, so the gang began teaching her the ropes. Espio showed her around the place, Ray taught her the face he used on rude customers, Mighty told her how to balance several trays properly. Later, Vector went through some basic etiquette, and Charmy educated her on what happened to the less presentable pastries. The last lesson was obviously the most important.

Though a bit awkward at first, Slushie got the hang of things pretty fast. She liked to bake, so she gladly spent a lot of time in the kitchen, although duties were rotated regularly so everyone knew how to do everything if need be.

She had the most trouble with customer service, which Espio picked up on during her first week. She could do what she had to, but didn't make a lot of eye contact and had trouble speaking sometimes. It often looked like it embarrassed her, face red and vexed.

Ah, maybe she has social anxiety. Seems capable of handling herself, though.

It didn't take long for Mighty and Ray to warm up to her - Briar had been hyping her up for weeks, after all. Whether she lived up to the hype or not, she gained some new friends. Espio heard her tell Briar that the two had very strong 'brother energy' and reminded her of her own brothers. They even went to hang out at the girls' place every now and then.

Espio didn't warm up to her as fast, being wary around new people. The others had immediately accepted her, though, so she could clearly be trusted. A nice, normal, seemingly calm person that should be worth getting to know.

Oh, if he only knew.

Turns out, another down-to-earth person was just what the café needed. Espio didn't have to deal with and manage the absurd energy levels by himself.

"Team calm is losing in numbers but at least 2/6 is better than 1/6. Gotta ask Briar for babysitting tips, though", Slushie grinned and took a quick look at Espio before turning to face the others again. The doors had just been closed for the day, and Charmy and Ray were competing who could mop their side of the room faster.

"There's a reason it's called 'Café Chaotix'."

"Pfft."

She might have seemed cold at first, but somehow her icy eyes were warm and laughter cozy.

Why is it that she seems fine when most of the staff is around, but when anyone's about to catch her alone, she's suddenly in a hurry? She seems so comfortable with everyone here, it's unlikely she's afraid of anyone. Should Espio, the assistant manager, be worried?

Case in point, Espio was on his way to have lunch, but the break room was occupied. Noticing him, Slushie threw a quick quip about how mature her cartoon lunch box was before quickly finishing her food and getting back to work.

Is that an anxiety thing, too? She always seems so social though... maybe she's just not... that good at it?

He wasn't sure whether he related to that or thought it was odd. In either case, Slushie was unknowingly making a home for herself within his mind.

It wasn't always easy for Slushie to be with the whole group, either. Since most of them were energetic and full of things to do and say, she could sometimes be metaphorically stepped on, like a doormat. Despite trying her hardest to take part in the conversation, the others interrupted her, not on purpose, but it looked like it hurt anyway.

Again, being the assistant manager, Espio's job was to take care of the staff, so he piped up, noting that Slushie had had something to say. The others kindly stopped to listen and she said her part, but had already forgotten the familiar pang of being interrupted. It was replaced by another familiar pang, and her face began to heat up. Not that Espio noticed, of course - he connected her red face to her anxiety. Deep inside, though, he was wondering just how long he could justify his actions by telling himself he was acting because of his position.

There was no position-related explanation to why he had begun to gravitate towards her, however. Or to why he's suddenly so keen to make her smile. Must be the novelty. He's had to deal with a lot by himself, it's refreshing to share it with someone.

She had been unusually avoidant of him for the past few days, though. It's a bit odd, and Espio couldn't deny the slight feeling of jealousy when he heard cheerful laughter coming from the direction of Slushie and the other staff. Will he ever be able to laugh like that? Or make others do it? Make her do it?

Although.. he's noticed that he has been smiling more lately. Maybe it's not an unachievable objective.

For the past few weeks Espio has been trying hard to get at least a little closer to that faraway goal of his. He's been consciously smiling at both customers and co-workers, looking for inspiration for his word plays and quips and approaching the others more, asking for opinions or just for small talk.

The others readily indulged him, and with some practice, the small conversations around the café became two-sided - neither side had to just sit and listen. It was good for morale as well. The atmosphere in the building got a tad bit warmer.

Vector had also finally purchased his long-awaited piano, and after practicing in private - thank the stars - started playing some jazzy tunes in the background. They did have a perfectly functional audio system, but live music was a big plus they didn't want to miss out on. Vector clearly enjoyed himself, too, so it was worth the cost.

The younger three guys had become more and more busy as the days passed. Charmy was available fairly often, but the eccentric and popular MeTube-star MrHog - aka Sonic the Hedgehog - had somehow found Mighty and Ray, and asked them to join his crew. They were ecstatic and often went along with whatever crazy video ideas he had, no matter the continent or cost.

Espio was happy for them, but surprisingly found himself missing the boisterous duo. The café got a lot more quiet in their absence.

So he and Slushie had to up their game to keep the morale up.

He made checking up on her a habit; just some small bantering, even once a day, lifted his mood considerably, and he hoped it was the same for her.

Has talking to others always made him this happy, though?

He should've realized it a lot earlier, really. He just doesn't have much confidence in this particular area, and the small amount of knowledge he has comes from unrealistic movies and tv-shows.

Once he connected the dots, however, he wished he hadn't. It just made everything more difficult. Also, he learned to appreciate being a Mobian capable of changing his skin color at will in a way he hadn't before.

Face feeling uncomfortably flushed? Boom, he used the 'boil the frog'-technique (is it a cruel turn of phrase in universe? sorry Froggy) and subtly changed his entire form's color to a similar, but slightly redder one. The perfect cover, and not really noticeable unless you knew to look for it. He hoped she didn't.

Why, you might ask? He wasn't going to act on the newly discovered feelings. Slushie seemed to enjoy the other guys' company more than his, anyway. He had a hunch that Mighty liked her, too. Why embarrass himself further? Why act on something when he knew it wouldn't amount to anything good?

He would be satisfied with being a work friend, staying close enough to help if needed, but at a distance emotionally.

Still, his feelings didn't seem to fade, and keeping his face not-obviously-blushing was going to make him explode one day.

On one particular day, he could have found out about her feelings, had he been confident enough to consider the possibility.

The day, of course, was the day Briar had noticed Slushie's crush due to some bucket-related shenanigans.

Espio was too busy covering his own blush caused by the proximity to notice that Slushie's usual anxiety-induced flushing was particularly pronounced. She wasn't usually so jumpy, though, so the possibility of having given her a static shock crossed his mind. Her sharing his feelings wasn't a possibility he considered.

He did notice Briar constantly staring at him after the incident, which confused him. Did he do something wrong? Did she catch his facade?

He hoped she didn't. She was Slushie's best friend, after all. Too close, too dangerous. He had to keep his cool.

Mighty and Ray came back from a month long trip conveniently exactly when Slushie had had other things to do and asked for some time off. Maybe Vector was better at organizing the timetables than Espio gave him credit for.

In any case, everything felt odd without her. He was unconsciously looking for her, about to start some banter or throw a quick quip, wishing for a glimpse of her eyes, but she wasn't around. He knew it, yet he caught himself acting on it several times.

Mighty and Ray noticed it pretty quickly, and cornered him in the break room.

"We've been gone for a month 'n you keep lookin' for the one you saw yesterday. A bit rude if ya ask me", Mighty grinned, feigning being hurt.

"Be nice, she's always here so it is a bit strange. Also, isn't he being really adorable right now?" Ray tried to stand up for Espio but ended up making it worse instead. He cleared his throat before answering.

"I have to cover for her so I'm keeping my eyes open, don't misunderstand."

"Yeah, yeah, and Ray's a donkey."

"Wha-"

"We're here to cover for her so ya don't gotta carry this place by yourself, dude. Also, you're so obvious, even donkey here noticed."

"I'm not a big fan of the tone of this conversation-"

Espio was grasping at straws.

"I'm allowed to miss a friend, am I not?"

Mighty sighed and placed his palm on his face.

"Look, we ain't gonna 'out you' for being a 'fellow person with feelings' if that's what you're worried about", Mighty emphasized the accusing words by shaking his hands dramatically.

"We can help you if you want, though", Ray piped up.

"Alright, alright, I give up. Thank you, but I'm not going to do anything about it. So no meddling, please", Espio said with his hands up, prompting the two to calm down.

"O-kaay, I have a lotta questions, but whateva', you do you man."

Mighty and Ray left him alone again, and he let himself fully flush for a moment, hoping that letting it go would help him relax. He sat in the confines of the break room, covering his face for a few minutes before collecting himself and getting back to work.

This was getting out of hand. Are those two capable of keeping a secret?

Espio was a bit on edge now that Briar was back, still staring at him. He was concentrating on keeping himself in check, but caught a peek of Zephyr's leg - right in front of his unaware sister - and his heavily trained reflexes kicked in.

He swooped around her, caught the tray with one hand and her arm in the other, hoping that it was enough to keep her from hitting the floor. Not optimal for her shoulder, though. He should make sure it didn't get dislocated or otherwise affected.

After he caught her, however, he took a quick look at her face to gauge her reaction. It didn't stay a quick look, though, as Slushie was - for the first time - looking back at him. He was taken off guard and nearly let go of her arm. At least she was starting to find her footing again.

He had forgotten just how much he's wanted to see her eyes, to meet them, and didn't notice that he was still holding onto her arm. She turned to look at his hand and he quickly took it back, forcing his flushing to stay as invisible as possible. Slushie had no options like that, so she chuckled awkwardly and turned away, staring at Zephyr murderously.

When Zephyr and Briar started talking, Espio's 'assistant manager' drive kicked into gear, and he handed them for the boss to deal with. He then made sure he hadn't injured Slushie with his poorly executed save. He was trained better than that, but tableware was expensive. He forced on a calm smile and the two resumed working.

He couldn't get the cold-but-oh-so-warm icy blue out of his head for days.

That night Espio was invited to a group chat, and he wasn't sure whether he was excited or terrified. A party? At the girls' house? Staying over with the others?

He was going to explode.

He promised to come, in his usual cool and collected way, with proper punctuation and everything, and diligently read every message to make sure he was up to speed with what was happening. The memes confused him, though. He wasn't very tech-savvy.

He did his best to act calm at work as always, and his daily check-in with Slushie in the kitchen went without a hitch. Too well, in his opinion, as he had to collect himself afterwards, finding the exchange so natural, so cozy, and he wanted more. So much more than he could get like this. The taste of the cinnamon bun made by her didn't exactly calm him down, either. What was this psychological trickery, the pastries were made using the same recipe and ingredients every time! Maybe 'made with love' wasn't absolute nonsense after all.

Everyone was expected to bring something to eat, so Espio decided to make his favourite, dessert takoyaki, which was tasty and quick enough to make. He had also found out that Slushie really liked chocolate, which definitely didn't affect his choice.

He tried to calm himself down on the way, and had managed to get into a chill state of mind, but everything broke down when the door opened within seconds from him ringing the doorbell. No warning steps, just ding dong and BAM. Okay, cool.

The takoyaki was received positively - good, good - and to hide his nervousness, Espio quickly turned his attention to the familiar singing voice. Humor was always a good distraction. He surprised himself by offering to take the dessert to the kitchen, but thought he could maybe catch a breath in there as well.

He couldn't, Briar was there, grinning at him. She definitely knew. He escaped as quickly as he could.

He was about to enter the living room when he noticed Slushie being handed the microphone. He quickly dove to a spot he could see well from but not be easily observed by others.

He forgot to care when she began, though.

She wasn't remarkably skilled, but not a complete novice, either. She clearly liked to sing, and seemed to know the song well, too. Barely one verse in she started to tap her fingers and sway along to the beat, and soon her voice became more joyful as her smile widened. She still needed to warm up and let loose, but it was obvious she liked doing it.

And so did he.

Somehow he ended up following the café group into Slushie's room. They were taking turns at the kart game. He took in her room while the others concentrated on the game.

Drawings on the walls with her name on them? Nice, both liked making art. Color scheme? Simple blacks, whites and grays with nice pink accents here and there. He liked the room. It was homey. Undoubtedly hers.

He was taken aback when her fluffiness was brought up. He was cold-blooded and therefore drawn towards warm things, so he didn't think much about what he said. He didn't mean to be sappy on main, but he was only speaking the truth.

For some reason the fox froze up for a moment, though. Espio still didn't believe she could reciprocate his feelings. Maybe she was just happy that the group liked her fluff? Yeah, that must be it.

Somehow Rouge had managed to drag him into the spotlight. He wasn't much of a performer, but he did like music. Rouge was going to steal the show anyway, who would care about him?

Slushie did, but he was avoiding looking at her. He was in front of so many eyes, he had to keep his cool.

At the end of the night Slushie suggested they go outside to look at the stars. He wasn't as into it as she was, but liked the sight just as much as the next person.

What he was into, though, was this completely new side of her that Slushie showed him. She was so enthusiastic, so full of words, pointing at the different constellations with so much glee in her eyes. He didn't think, he just followed her, and listened. He had a good excuse to look at her, too.

He was in so deep. But maybe it's not a bad thing.

He was eager to learn about her background, and suddenly so happy he suggested the job offer all those months ago. Managed to share a bit of his story, too, before sensing something behind him and catching Charmy by his wrists.

Shenanigans ensued, and apparently Slushie knows how to let loose as well. He has a lot to learn, but he's willing to try. He wants to join in. This time as the responsible adult, but still, he was part of the activity.

Is he allowed to use the word 'cute' to describe her?

He didn't get much sleep that night, so he just stared at the ceiling, trying to sort out his feelings.

He's not going to consciously act on them, at least not yet, but he won't deny it either.

He really likes her.

The next morning he had the most domestic experience of his entire life. Eating cereal on the couch, watching cartoons together... Wait, had he been leaning on her? ...She's so warm, though...

He wants more of that.

When it was time to leave, he, of course, helped put the mattresses back and did whatever else he could. He politely thanked the hosts and departed.

His apartment never looked so empty before.

He might have decided not to do anything consciously, but ended up doing things without noticing, reaching for her warmth whenever he could. Even when passing the trays to her - a normal, daily occurrence - he almost kept touching her hand unconsciously.

Is it weird to want to touch her?

Lucky for him, she's started to initiate physical contact herself, so it seems to be allowed.

She has stopped running away from him. They can finally eat their lunch at the same time. They often shared meaningless small talk, but he was happy with it.

When the eye contact issue came up, he was eager to help. Partly for selfish reasons, like wanting to see her eyes more and wanting to be the one she could practice with, partly because it has obviously been bothering her all this time.

He had to fight the blush when he let himself be stared at, but it was for the greater good. He was proud of her from the start, encouraging her to keep going.

His lunch breaks became a lot brighter.

At some point he realized that he'd started to laugh more. Small chuckles here and there, sure, but actual laughter. With others too, not just her.

He almost started to cry at the realization. He's never been this happy before.

He absolutely adored the cinnamon buns, but her bad pun and smug grin even more so.

Espio wasn't a big phone user, but his worrying made him start texting Slushie. It started with making sure she got home alright, but soon turned into her teaching him about memes. 'Good morning' and 'good night' texts also became a part of their daily routine.

He had been eagerly waiting for the day their eye contact practice would start to include his as well.

When he got the permission to open his eyes, his world was filled with color. The icy blue filled his vision until she asked him to look somewhere else.

He had gone from 50 to a 100 immediately. Idiot.

He immediately complied and let her take her time. His face was starting to get unbearably warm, though.

When she called his name, he kept his eyes from hers, not wanting to make the same mistake again. He definitely wasn't expecting what she was about to say.

"I really like you."

He forgot his previous mistake and turned to look straight at her.

...Did I hear that correctly?

She looked determined but her face was redder than he's ever seen it.

Espio was quiet for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and the fox started to get anxious.

He sighed.

"You have no idea how glad I am to hear that", he said with a relieved smile. "I've been having an internal battle for so long."

He then sighed again and let his colors change on their own for the first time in front of her, his face turning from the usual purple into a deep maroon.

"Oh my stars", she squeaked, threw her hands on her face and bended over the table.

"If that's you blushing, why is it in my favourite color?! You didn't know that, right?"

He shook his head and grinned shyly. Slushie started to laugh at the sheer chance of something like this happening.

Before the two could start to think of what was going to happen next, Vector leaned in from the doorframe.

"That's very cute you two, but we just got a 10-top and you gotta get out there right now!"

When they got the chance to talk at the end of the day, Espio properly shared his feelings as well, and they decided they were going to take things slow. Both were new to this, so there was no hurry and they could learn and find out everything together.

Needless to say, neither slept that night.