(AN: I'm updating again? Why, yes I am! After last chapter's frankly LONG length, I'm glad to do one that isn't as long as it (even though I think by now, this story is longer than the original transfer). I wish I could write the story as the months go by (as in write the October chapters in October), but ugh, getting motivation nowadays is way too hard.
Regardless, thanks for all the new reviews and hits! We're nowhere near the meat of the story, although we may see the very early seeds be planted. What do I mean? Well, go ahead and start reading!)
"Come on, Espio! We're going to be late!"
Mark breathed heavily through his nostrils as Espio followed behind him, the stomping of sneakers and geta loudly bouncing along the walls as the two were late for their math lesson, which was taking place in the computer lab on the other side of the A building. Normally, Espio wouldn't find himself sweating at a time like this, but it was unreasonably hot today. The chameleon found it fairly odd too, as just last weekend, there was frost on the grass and some of the windows in the early morning hours. What could have caused these strange weather phenomena?
Whatever the case was, it didn't matter to Espio, as he and Mark were the only two who apparently didn't know that their lesson would take place in an entirely different room. He wondered why that was the case, as Professor Remington did the same for their current project.
Just as they went towards the hallway with the Digital Art classrooms, the transfer student came across three familiar figures he hadn't seen in forever: the birds who told him where the A building was incorrectly on his first day at Mobius U. He saw the green bird turn his head and look towards their direction.
"Oi, you two!" he called out. Mark and Espio stopped, turning around.
"Y-Yeah? W-Wait!" Mark's brow furrowed. "I remember you! You told me where my programming class was incorrectly on the second day!"
"Eh, honest mistake," he shrugged. "What can you do? I guess I just forget whenever you're gone from school for three months!"
"Liar!"
"Hey, don't you try to talk to the boss like that!" said the large grey albatross, cracking his knuckles. Mark whimpered as he scuttled to Espio's side.
"Stand down, Storm. You really think he's gonna try and explode over Jet?" said the purple swallow girl, arms crossed. "Look kid, judging by you being with that foreign kid, I'm gonna assume you're friends, right?"
"Y-Yeah… and we're just trying to get to class! Don't try and lead us to the wrong place!" Mark argued back.
"Aw, really? You distrust us that bad?" said 'the boss', Jet. "And just when I was gonna tell you which direction I saw your class go. You know how these computer labs are with having their doors on a different side of the hall."
"I dunno… I don't trust you… Hey, Espio! Say something! Back me up, will you?"
The chameleon looked at his friend, although he wasn't quite sure what to say.
"Look, do you wanna know or not?"
"Ugh, fine! But if you're lying…"
"I'm not! It's A-122. Should be the lab at the end of the hall. Can't miss it."
"…alright, I'm gonna trust you this time, 'Jet'. I hope you're not lying… Come on, Espio."
With the two walking away, Jet grinned and started to snicker to himself, trying to hold back in his laughter.
"How is it that none of them have heard?! You think these idiots would check their email, but they don't! And guess what? They all get duped by that sheet I put up!"
"I gotta say, boss! That's probably the best prank you've come up with this year!" Storm praised, smiling.
"I must admit... faking a message from Professor Quack and having SO many people fall for it is frankly hilarious. I have to give you credit; it was smart," replied Wave.
Vector grumbled as he sat shirtless near the fan in the room. Normally, if it was a summer month, he wouldn't be complaining. In fact, being shirtless on a hot day would've felt nice, if it was July and he were on the beach… that would have been better than it being almost ninety degrees in the middle of September.
"Maybe this is what those people on the news are talkin' 'bout when it comes to all that warming stuff," he said, taking another sip from his water bottle. One thing that SUCKED about room and board here at Mobius U is that they didn't seem to have a budget to fix up their current AC systems, let alone give every room AC. So with so many running at the same time, and with not everyone getting a room with one, it spelled disaster for everyone at West, East, AND North Hall.
He wanted to give Sally a piece of his mind, but he wasn't the only one when he had went to complain about it to her. So many people crowded her office, but in the midst of all the complaining, Vector could see a note pinned to her door.
"I'm sorry if your room doesn't have an AC and if you have to survive with fans or water, but unfortunately, you'll have to take it up with the Headmaster. I'd love to help you, but you're all fucking adults. Start acting like it and DEAL with it. A little heat won't kill you, and having to hear you all complain will do more damage to my body than if I die from dehydration.
-Sally"
And so, here he was, stuck here since his Sociology II class was cancelled today. With not much to do before lunch, Vector sat around and watched some TV, messed around on his phone, and tried to get some of his homework done but to no avail.
"And I still gotta meet with Coach later today… he wants to discuss next week's game…" he said to himself, taking another sip. "Suuuuuuuck… maybe I should hang out with someone today? I wonder if anyone's busy?"
Just as he pulled out his phone, Vector struck a cord. Maybe Espio wanted to hang out? Sure, they have pretty much always been together but… maybe they could just… unwind today. Today it seemed like a lot of classes were being cancelled, so maybe they could have a relaxing day without the heat. Maybe he could even bring Espio to coach's office, or maybe…
"I wonder if they got those ice cream bars in the K building…" he said, remembering how good they were. In fact, treating Espio to some ice cream before heading out to Coach Augustus later today sounded like a great idea. Not only would he be grateful, but it would also be the first time he'd have ice cream. And who could go wrong with ice cream?
"Could sure go fer some right now…" Vector said, grabbing the tank top he left on the floor and flapping it like a fan in an attempt to cool himself down.
"Y'know, since I'm pretty much doin' nothin' at the moment, I wonder if Sally would be opposed to the idea of me throwin' a bucket of ice water on mah head… Ah, nah, she'd complain about the water and guillotine mah fuckin' head off. Ooh, maybe while I wait fer Espio to come back, maybe I could spend some time in the rec center's pool. I did wanna practice mah swimmin' a bit…"
But then Vector looked back at the desk, seeing the Physiology II and Advanced Athletic Health homework. He frowned, looking longingly at the door to the hallway.
"…but there are some more important things, like this homework due tomorrow…"
Parting ways with Mark, Espio was slightly annoyed. After almost fifteen minutes of waiting, someone came by to chastise Mark, and none of their classmates came by the computer lab Jet told them was where their class was. Was there just no class today? Espio couldn't believe it. None of his senseis back in Gojo ever missed a SINGLE class, no matter how sick of injured they were.
"That must be another odd thing they do in the Outside World…" he said, holding his bag close to him as he walked back to West Hall. Since there wasn't much left to do, Espio still had some time before his next class, although even he wasn't sure if it was going to happen or not.
"I wonder how you know when there will be class or not…" he said to himself after opening the door from the hallway connecting West Hall to A building. Regardless, he did have some free time, and thankfully, Valdez helped him with the homework he had for all his classes over the past few days. There was still his Environmental Studies project, but Valdez and Professor Remington were still letting him get more adjusted to that 'computer' device, so he didn't want to worry about it too much. As such, perhaps if Vector was still in class, he could maybe train back at the dorm? It had been a long while since he had been able to train, but now would be the perfect chance.
Just as Espio was about to reach the intersection and continue going forward, someone suddenly bumped into him, causing him to crash onto the ground. His textbooks and notebooks spilling out of his bag, alongside his hakama untying slightly, the chameleon looked up to see a large purple cat towering above him.
"O-Oh gosh! Oh gosh, oh gosh oh gosh!... I… I'm so sorry!..." he said. "I-I just… I can't find my frog!... Have you seen him?..."
Espio didn't know what he was saying, but only looked up at the cat.
"O-Oh… I don't think you know… I'll ask downstairs… I'm sorry for hurting you…"
He began to run off towards the connection hallway as Espio got up from the floor, seeing all the lint and dirt on his hakama and haori. He sighed, knowing he would have to wash this soon. Of course, back home, it was the Shinobi Clan's nanny that took care of all the laundry, but here, Vector was usually the person who washed their clothes and Valdez even taught him how to specifically do it. Still though, how was he able to not only wash his hakamas, haori, and even his kimonos? Was there a well and a bowl somewhere in West Hall? And was there also a way Vector learned arai hari?
Whatever the case may be, Espio knew it was time to take these off soon. Mother always got mad if even the smallest smudge of dirt got on his clothes, and even almost a month into his stay at Mobius U, her grip still was tight on him…
Finally reaching the dorm, Espio got out his card key from his bag and swiped it, opening the door, he immediately was taken aback at what he saw: Vector was sitting near the 'television', nothing covering his upper body as some kind of strange spinning device was in front of him. The crocodile turned to face him.
"Oh, hey Espio!" he said as a droplet of sweet rolled down in between his eyes. "S-Sorry yeh had to see me like this. It's a little damn hot today, eh?"
Espio closed the door behind him and set his bag down. Seeing Vector like this reminded him of how he looked during the football game last week; rugged and tired. Could the people of this world not stand this heat?
"Say, I got a proposition fer ya," the crocodile continued. "I gotta make a run to Coach's office to talk 'bout next week's game. Why dun I treat yeh to a nice treat fer lunch today while yeh join me? It's on me! No problem!"
Espio turned his head, confused as to what Vector was saying.
"Okay, lemme say it a bit easier. Follow me."
Thankfully, 'follow me' was something the two were practicing on their own. Valdez helped with that lesson, and thankfully, Espio quickly picked up on what it meant. He could only wonder where they were going. Maybe it was time for an early lunch? He wasn't TOO hungry, but maybe Vector was. Maybe he just wanted to walk? It's not like either of them had a place to go. Regardless, Vector got up from the floor, dragging his tail as he walked to the drawer and pulled out a logoless black shirt.
"Alright, let's go."
The two then proceeded to make their way out of the dorm and to the hallway.
At the K building's student store, the two reptiles stood in front of the freezers, looking into the selection of ice cream bars and popsicles. Espio looked at it with confusion on his face. What… was this stuff? It was… cold to the touch, but he wasn't sure why they were here until Vector opened up the door and reached inside, grabbing a packet with some kind of… brown square with a stick on it on the cover?
"Alright, here's mine!" Vector smiled. "I'll let ya pick out any ya want! Mah treat!"
Espio looked back at the freezer. As his eyes examined each of the packaging, there were so many colors to these objects. It reminded him a bit of all the deserts he'd find during festivals or that people would be selling at stores in Gojo. Seeing a pink treat, he pointed at that one, as the color reminded him of dango; his favorite food.
"Oh, a pink lemonade popsicle!" Vector said as he grabbed the bar. "Not a bad choice for yer first frozen treat here. Lemme pay for these and we can head out to Coach's office, okay?"
Following Vector, Espio watched next to him as he walked up to a counter, handed a card to an old wolf woman behind the counter, and returned it as the crocodile handed the chameleon his treat.
"Have a good rest of the day, Vector," she said. "And tell your roommate that I'm always here if he needs anything to buy."
"Not to worry, see ya later, Mrs. Vandersnout!" the quarterback said, the two walking out of the student store as Vector teared open the packaging of his brown rectangle treat, biting into it.
"Mmm… that's good stuff… Alright, let's head to Coach's office now!" he said, making his way out of the building. Espio looked at his treat, not really sure how to open it. As such, he tapped his roommate's arm and handed him the package.
"Can't open it? No issue. Here," Vector grabbed the treat. "See? Ya open it like… this!"
Vector tore open the packaging from the bottom and grabbed the stick, handing it to Espio. He audibly went, 'Ah!', as he watched, grabbing the bar from his roommate and bowing slightly in response. As the two went out the door and towards the I building, Espio watched as Vector licked his treat and bit into it. Thinking he should do the same, Espio brought his treat to his mouth and licked it, surprised at not only how cold it was, but also how… sweet it was.
And plus… what was… this flavor? It tasted like NOTHING he's ever had before. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it tasted like, but one thing that was certain; it was good. In fact, the more he licked it and eventually bit into it, even if it made his teeth cold, it was REALLY good. Even though it sure didn't beat mochi, it didn't beat anmitsu, and it DEFINITELY didn't beat dango, this was still a very good treat. What did Vector call this, papusukul?
"Whatever this is… it's very good…" Espio thought to himself, taking another bite.
Inside of the I building, all of the coach's offices were located at the northeastern side of the building, with Coach Augustus' office being at the farthest section of the building. It was a little cramped, with just a desk in one corner, a locker and filing cabinet, and various things hanged around the room, Espio looked at them all as he was about to finish up his popsicle.
"Ah, there you are, small fry!" Coach Augustus said as he walked into the room, quickly noticing what the two reptiles had in their hands. "Hey… what's this?! You aren't putting shit into your body that you don't need, are you?!"
"I ain't coach!" Vector replied, holding his hands up. "I just wanted to treat Espio to somethin' nice. Can't I?"
"Just try not to shove too much sugar down your throat. We especially don't need that when the game is coming up next week."
"Which is why I'm here. Tell me coach, what have ya got so far?"
"Okay, come here, Vector. I wrote down a few ideas I have in mind…"
As Vector walked over to Coach Augustus' computer, Espio stared at a bulletin board containing a copious amount of pictures, news cutouts, and medals. The chameleon got on his tiptoes, reaching his hand towards one of the medals to get a better look.
"…so, what I was thinking that we could start by having Knuckles go from behind, following Connery and have him move in a kind of zigzag direction. Meanwhile, you try to keep up with him as he passes to you on the other side of the fi-" Coach Augustus said before looking up, seeing what Espio was doing. "W-Wait, Espio watch out!"
Espio pulled down the medal as some of the pictures and thumbtacks holding them up fell onto the ground. The polar bear got up from his desk.
"You should have asked, kid. Hold on, lemme get these."
Quickly grabbing all the tacks, he placed the pictures back on the bulletin board as the chameleon guiltily gave him back the medal.
"I mean… I guess since you have it, you can look at it. Gosh though, it is such a beauty, ain't it? That was the medal I got my senior year of college football. Last time I ever played for Mobius U before being signed onto the big leagues. Oh, the good ol' days… I got plenty of more stuff if you wanna see."
"Ya dun mind, coach?" asked Vector.
"Eh, we can take a small break for now."
"A break? Coach, we ain't even done this for five minutes!"
"No questioning your coach, Vector!" the large polar bear said as he opened his locker. "Let's see… Ah, here we are!"
Coach Augustus brought out a large blue trophy and placed it on his desk, Espio staring at it with awe.
"Hey, it's the trophy we got durin' the finals tournament! Too bad it wasn't first place…"
"Because you tripped on your face, Connery had to sit on bench during the second half, and Rotor did an illegal move, amongst many issues! At least we did come in second…"
"Still though, we're gonna make sure we win this year, don't we?"
"Provided we play perfectly? Yes. Now let's see… oooooh! Here's my certification that allowed me to coach here in the first place! That brings back some memories! And some more pictures I couldn't hang and-"
Espio looked at each of them, seeing some of the most unique things he's seen, to pictures where Vector was sometimes in them. He even got to see a picture of the team's lineup last year, seeing many familiar faces he recognized from the dining hall table that Vector liked to sit at.
"Jeez, look at you all. You're all probably some of the tallest and strongest bunch of small fries I've had since I began coaching," said Augustus. "Built like true athletes, I'll say."
"The more ya talk like that, coach, the more I'll assume yer crushin' on one of us!" Vector replied, laughing.
"And what? Can't I compliment how strong my boys look?"
Despite the lollygagging, Augustus put away his memorabilia back in his locker and returned to Vector to his computer. Espio on the other hand, waited around on the chair across the desk, looking at the time. He knew there was still some time left before he had to go to class, so waiting here seemed fair. And sure enough, after almost an hour and fifteen minutes, Vector looked at the time.
"Oop! Looks like Espio and I don't got much time to stick around. Sorry coach, we gotta cut short early. D'ya mind if I come later tonight and discuss the rest with ya?" asked Vector.
"Of course! We still got plenty more left to talk about! And we can extend this to tomorrow too."
"Let's try to get as much done today. We need to come up with an effective game plan fer next week's game, and that has to start with practice this weekend. We only got eight hours though… is that enough?"
"We'll see what we can do. If not, we can schedule a brief practice on Friday evening. You okay with that, Vector?"
"Late night one I imagine?"
"Anything to do to win."
"Alright. We'll just need to discuss that with the team."
The two looked at Espio, who was still awake but was very much trying his best not to doze off.
"Heh, hope we didn't bore you too much, kid!" Coach Augustus said. "Say, listen: I wanna thank you for coming to our practices the last couple of weeks. Normally its just us around on weekend mornings, so having someone keep company with us well… it feels nice."
Espio looked at the polar bear and nodded. He had remembered something that Valdez and Professor Longclaw was trying to get him to correctly say, and knew now would be the first out of class time for him to say it.
"S-S-St-Sth-Thank yu-you v-veri-very ma-ma-much," said the foreign exchange student, praying mentally that he said it right.
"Well, you're welcome, Espio. Here, call this a gift for being such a good sport. Normally, we make our students buy fan clothing at the student store, but for you…"
Coach Augustus got up from his chair and opened his locker, pulling out a blue jersey just like Vector had and tossing it to Espio. He gasped softly open holding it. Sure, it was far too large for him, and sure it… also smelled weird. But the thought of being given a jersey just like Vector had…
"You might not be a player, you might not even be water boy like I'd like you, but hell, I see you as a part of our team. Enjoy it, kiddo. You earned it."
"Hey, that's really cool of yeh, Espio!" Vector said, smiling at his roommate. "Now yer a true Badnik!"
Espio smiled at the jersey and back at Vector. He recalled Valdez telling him that their team was the 'Badniks'. And even if he was still getting used to the outside world, the fact people here treated him so nice…
In spite of the issues he had or the people who didn't like him, in that moment, Espio couldn't be more grateful to be in the situation he was in now.
After parting ways with Coach Augustus, Vector and Espio headed from I building back towards the back campus of the school.
"Alright, Espio. What class ya got next?"
He still couldn't quite answer his question just yet, but Espio remembered his next class was Psychology I. Since it was back at A building, Espio knew just where to go. He started to walk towards the building, leaving Vector behind.
"W-Wait, Espio! Hold on! I just forgot that I left somethin'!"
Turning around, the crocodile ran up to the chameleon and bumped his arm with his elbow. "Heh, almost forgot! I need to give yeh yer English notebook and yer assignment fer this week. C'mon, let's head back to the dorm quickly and I'll take yeh to yer next class, okay?"
Vector started to make his way to A building, with Espio following behind. He didn't understand what he meant, but he heard the words 'English notebook', and while he followed Vector, realized that it wasn't with him. So, the two went quickly up the stairs and back to West Hall, grabbing the notebook and making their way down the hall.
"Y'know, let's grab the elevator so we can get to the first floor quickly. Plus, I can teach yeh 'bout it!" Vector said, grabbing Espio's hand and leading him to a black door he had seen a few times. The chameleon was startled, wondering why they weren't going through the hallway connecting West Hall and A Building.
Sure enough, the doors to the elevator opened as Vector got inside.
"Come on, Espio! Dun wanna be late now, d'ya?"
But as Espio stared at the elevator's interior, he realized something: It was small. It was VERY small indeed…
There were two things Espio hated more than anything: forced interactions, and small spaces. The feeling of being cramped, not having space to even breathe… No person should be in a space that small, and he remembered how upset his mother would get at his fear.
He didn't want to get on, but seeing Vector's smiling face… Well, he had to do it for him at least…
Bracing himself, Espio got onto the elevator as Vector pressed the button to the first floor. The doors to the elevator closed, shaking as it started to move down as Espio's fear intensified. His palms started to shake, sweat dripped down his back, and he could feel his feet get clammy. It felt like he was in an area where he shouldn't be, and even though Vector was taking it well, Espio found himself looking around.
"Why would the Outside World permit anything like this?..." he thought to himself. "When will this be over? Please?!"
Pressing his back against the wall, Vector turned his head towards the direction of Espio for a brief second before…
Silence.
The hum of the elevator, the vibration it made, and the lights inside… all turned off simultaneously. Vector looked up.
"Oh shit, what the fuck?!" he said, running up to the door. "A fuckin' blackout while we're on the elevator? Give me a fuckin' break!"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, that's what happens when ya go on an elevator when there's a blackout. So let that be a lesson fer ya, Espio: If there's ever an emergency, always take the stairs. Ya never know if-"
But Espio wasn't listening to him. Everything in his ears registered as white noise, as static filling his mind as he began to see stars in his vision. Espio's breathing hitched, getting heavier as his nerves started to tingle. He retreated to the corner, closing his eyes and grasping his head. He prayed for someone, ANYONE to make this stop.
"I don't like this, I don't like this, I don't like this…" flashed through his mind, trying his best to ignore the predicament they were in. Was… this how things ended? Stuck in a dark, closed small space with no one to hear them? Yes, Vector was here… But-
That's when a sudden light filled his eyes. Espio groaned as he tried to cover his eyes, realizing that it was the glow coming from Vector's phone.
He wasn't sure if Vector could see his face, but from just touching it, it felt… cold to the touch. How horrified did he look? And more accurately… why was Vector…?
"E-Espio?! Are yeh okay?!" the crocodile asked, quickly getting on the floor and touching his roommates forehead. "I thought ya had a fever fer a minute. Espio, what's wrong? Ya looked… uncomfortable since ya got on. Do… do ya not like closed spaces?"
Espio didn't respond but looked down at his hakama.
"I mean… I get it, dun get me wrong. I mean, who wants to be in a small room with no light while it being hot as fuck? I sure don't. I pressed the call button on the elevator and we should get things runnin' soon. Just… calm down fer me, okay?"
But Espio continued to ignore him as the tingling sensation began to spread all across his body as his breathing pitched up. He began to make small whimpering noises as his mind flashed to every enclosed space he's been to in his life. That's when he began to feel someone hug him.
"Listen, it's alright. I know yer scared, yer nervous, whatever. Regardless of the case: I'm here fer ya, Espio. I'm yer friend, and if yer hurt, I have every right to be worried. Things are gonna be okay, Espio. We'll get power soon, and even if we don't, I know how we can get out. But ya gotta be strong fer me too, okay?"
It was weird…
The way Vector talked was… nice. Peaceful, and calming… It was nothing like how his mother or senseis reacted to his fear. Being hugged like this… despite sweating more and more, and despite still seeing near pitch blackness, he felt protected just being in this hug. Espio hung onto his roommate's shirt, not wanting to let go and not wanting to open his eyes until they got off. He didn't care that his roommate was sweaty or that his shirt was starting to get damp, or even that the small elevator was starting to warm up. He didn't want to ride this thing anymore, and wanted nothing more than to get off, and he hoped that being like this with Vector would only speed up the process of moving again.
Ignoring the knot in his stomach and the urge to relieve his nausea, the two reptiles stayed in the same position for a few minutes until suddenly, there was a loud BEEEEEEEEEEEP. The two undid their hug and saw the light of the elevator above the floor counter lit up as the gears of the elevator could be felt turning as it slowly made its way down. Espio sighed, putting his hand on his chest as the elevator soon came to a crawl. The two got up from the floor as he walked up to the door, wanting nothing more than to get up and leave. As the doors opened, the two came across two familiar faces.
"Vector! And Espio too!" Knuckles said, Mighty next to him looking shocked.
"Were you two really on the elevator for five minutes?!" he asked. "Geez, I can feel how hot it is in there from here…"
The two reptiles stepped off, Espio quickly getting off first. He took a deep breath, clutching his chest.
"Is… Espio okay?" Mighty asked.
"He's just a little spooked, that's all. But that's besides the point, what the hell happened?!" Vector asked.
"I was just walking through B building when the power cut out. Sally told us the heat might have short circuited the electricity since usually the technicians have a system that keeps the grid at the right temperature depending on the season. Guess since it's September, the system didn't expect it to be hot today and overheated. She said it won't be a big deal and we shouldn't expect another one later today," Knuckles explained. "We were just on our way back to West Hall ourselves, we wanted to take a dip in the pool in I building. It's frankly WAAAAAY too hot right now. Wanna join?"
"Eh… sorry Knux, we'd love to, but we got class comin' up. They cancelled only some of our classes today, not all of 'em. Maybe some day we can though, provided if it keeps bein' this hot."
"Maybe this weekend?" Mighty asked.
"We got practice, Mighty. Besides, when does Wrestlin' start up fer ya?"
"Actually… next week. Our practices begin on weekdays though, but in two weeks we have our first match."
"Ah, so ya do got time."
"Yeah. Anyway, we're gonna be off…" Knuckles said as the two walked into the elevator behind Vector and Espio. "Hey, make sure to give that grey bird a good thrashing, okay?!"
"Storm? Come on, dude. You know he's a good wrestler…"
The doors closed behind them as Vector and Espio looked at each other.
"Hey… ya gonna be okay?" asked the quarterback. Espio looked down at his geta. He wasn't sure how TO feel right now. He just wanted to get to class and forget he showed any weakness to Vector…
But at the same time, curses for him only being able to say 'Thank you', and not give him a full thanks like he wanted to. As such, there was only thing Espio said that he felt wasn't satisfactory enough.
"S-S-Ssth-Thank y-yu-yu-o-you ve-veri-very ma-mac-much…"
Vector smiled at his roommate, patting his shoulder. "Hey, dun mention it."
A FEW DAYS LATER
Espio sat in front of a computer in the ST building during Environmental Studies 102, slowly typing as Valdez watched over his shoulder.
"Okay, you can copy and paste that," Valdez said, pointing at the lines for him to 'highlight'. "Remember what you have to do right?"
"Source the w-website?"
"That's right."
He still wasn't done with his Environmental Studies project, and he felt frustrated that most of the students had finished theirs while he wasn't even halfway done yet. He sighed, watching a green canary in front of her sigh in relief as she got up and grabbed her bag.
"Alright class! As I'm sure you know, today is the last day to turn in our first research paper!" Professor Remington said. "I expect to see all of them in my inbox by the end of the day today, otherwise I will take off five points for each day it's late. So far, half of the class have gotten theirs in, which is good. And you should be getting them back at LEAST by next Monday or Tuesday."
Then, the echidna professor turned to Espio. "However, don't worry, Espio. I understand you will need some extra help so I don't mind having your due date be by this Sunday."
Espio frowned, while he was grateful for the extra time, he couldn't help but feel like he was given special treatment only because he didn't know how to use a computer fully. It didn't make him feel special, it made him feel singled out…
And worst of all, Espio already wasn't having as good of a day as he was. Not only was he not finished with his project, but he had other homework left to do, Valdez wouldn't be able to help, and the biggest one of them all? Vector had another football game, but he couldn't go to it this time…
He wasn't even sure why. Valdez explained that the game is called 'Away', meaning you have to travel to another school to see the game. But not only was Vector not allowed to bring other people, Valdez couldn't drive there as he had duties to stay on campus tonight. As such, the chameleon found himself incredibly depressed that day.
"Valdez-san, can we finish this tomorrow? I'm not feeling good…" Espio said.
"Is this about not being able to go?" the blue chameleon asked. Espio nodded.
"Espio-kun… I understand you're disappointed, but we can't really do much about it. If it makes you feel better, you can watch the game on TV or perhaps Vector can tell you what happened. And besides, the game after that will be here. It's just one game, Espio-kun."
"I know… but still… I feel like I owe it to him…"
"You've been using that word a lot these past couple of days… why?
He still hadn't told Valdez about the incident a few days prior, and Espio had been trying his best to wonder how he could make it up to Vector for seeing a side of him he didn't want him to see. Restricting him to see the game was what ruined that plan for him…
"It's… it's hard to explain why," Espio replied. "However-"
"I get that, but perhaps it's more important to finish our schoolwork first? Look, if you want, I can keep you company when we return to the dorm and we can finish your homework together. That way, you can watch the game without any work looming over you?"
Espio sighed, but knew it was for the best. "Okay, let's continue."
After Environmental Studies was over and all the students had left, Espio and Valdez returned to the dorm to finish up the chameleon's homework. By now, the sun had very so slightly began to set, and just as they returned, they saw Vector packing up.
"Oh, hey Espio, hey Valdez. How was class?" the crocodile asked, unplugging his phone.
"It was fine, we're just going to finish up some homework before I have to monitor campus tonight as well as do some paperwork," Valdez replied. "Espio here is rather disappointed to miss the game tonight."
"Aw, really? Yeah, I'm sure seein' all the homecomin' stuff around campus probably don't help either. Sucks that he didn't really get to participate all that much, but hey, I'm sure he can find tonight's game on TV."
"That's what I said too. Are you leaving now?"
"Yeah, not only is all the team gettin' ready, but everyone involved in our homecomin' show has to arrive earlier than normal."
"Who do you think will win?"
"King and queen? Eh, I dun really follow that. Have some nasty memories connected to that… Personally, I have mah bets on Knuckles and Rouge. Not cause I like, WANTED to, but I know he's gonna lose so like… best to pretend to be supportive."
"That certainly doesn't sound nice."
"Well, when yer friend is a massive simp, ya gotta uphold 'em. Anyway, time fer me to head off. You two be safe, okay! And Espio?... sorry ya couldn't come. I'll def tell you how the game went though!"
Grabbing his duffel bag and his keys, Vector headed out of the door as Espio looked at his geta. Remembering that he was going to be by himself on campus with no way to support Vector… it made him upset.
"Alright, Espio-kun. We should get started on homework for now," said Valdez. "First, let's start with what Professor Morgan assigned to us. Now, get out your textbook and let's look at the questions for Chapter 7. First, what's the difference between osmosis and diffusion?"
After almost three hours of work, most of Espio's weekend homework was finished up. All that was left was a small 'essay' assigned to him by Professor Longclaw, but unfortunately, Valdez had to leave for his duties just as Espio wrote his first sentence; "My name is Espio the Chameleon".
As Valdez left, Espio opened his mouth and got up from the desk when he realized something: the blue chameleon forgot to tell him how to use the 'TV'. Espio looked at it sad, walking over to it, but unable to know what any of the words on the device meant. How could you even turn it on? He didn't even want to mess with the buttons out of fear that he would break it, and making Vector angry after everything he's done for him would be the last thing he wanted…
Espio sighed, realizing that it was around dinner time. He even wondered if it was worth it, since most of the people on campus were at the game away. If only he could be one of those people…
"Maybe I should meditate… Or perhaps I can use this opportunity to write another message to Mother. Perhaps I can tell her about my achievements in English? Maybe I can tell her about how Professor Starline gave me a good grade on my Psychology test?" he said to himself. "…no, I don't want to do either of that…"
That's when it finally hit him why he was feeling down.
He was lonely.
Normally, this wouldn't be something he minded. In fact, back in Gojo, or whenever he and the Bride visited Genshu, he always wanted to keep to himself. But now that Vector took him wherever he went, he was starting to get recognized by some people, and the fact he had actual 'friends'…
He was lonely, but for the very first time, he didn't want to be lonely.
Espio sighed. Perhaps a plate of rice from the dining hall would be enough to calm his stomach and his mood. He got up from the floor, made his way out the door (but not before grabbing his bag), and left towards West Hall. Once again, he could truly feel how lonely the halls were as he walked past them, his geta clacking on the floor and echoing across the hall..
Going past the hallway connecting West Hall and A building and into the building itself, Espio started to make his way downstairs, past the main hall of A building and towards the back, continuing to walk towards K building. As he did though, a certain familiar face opened the doors and revealed himself. Despite it being dark outside, with just the lights from the various windows across each building and the lamps scattered across the back campus, Espio could recognize that pudginess and round glasses anywhere.
"Espio?" asked Mark, tilting his head. "I didn't think you were still on campus. I thought you would have went to the football game today. I'm sure you definitely wanted to support your roommate, right?"
The chameleon didn't respond, but when he heard 'roommate', he knew Mark was confused. Espio was certain Mark wasn't the only person who noticed how much the transfer student hung around the quarterback. The tapir nodded.
"I see… you probably weren't able to go tonight if you're here. I'm sorry to hear… Were you about to grab dinner?"
Espio heard the word 'dinner', and knew that was the English word for supper, and nodded, murmuring a soft 'yes'.
"W-Well… I've actually been meaning to ask you, Espio… An-And if you're busy, I totally understand! B-But if you're feeling a bit lonely tonight, why not hang out at my dorm tonight? I've been wanting to hang out with you for the longest time, and-and I can show you all the cool anime I have too! You'll definitely like it! It's all in Japanese so you can understand it!"
Espio was confused about what Mark was talking about, which is why he tilted his head.
"Okay, I didn't think you understand me. Here, why don't you grab your dinner and meet me here," Mark stumbled around, digging through his pockets until he pulled out his wallet and brought out some kind of paper. He scribbled something on it with a 'pen' (a pencil like device that's apparently similar to a brush and ink according to Valdez), and handed it to the chameleon. Espio grabbed the paper and read, 'C-133'.
"Come to my room after you're done, okay?"
With that, the tapir parted ways, walking back to A building as the chameleon watched from afar. Another rumble came from his stomach, and Espio knew it was time he better get something to eat.
SOMETIME LATER…
After his dinner of just plain white rice, Espio stood in front of C-133 at East Hall. He was a bit nervous to be in a building he'd never been to before, and the chameleon looked around the hall. Seeing no one around him, he knocked on the door, waiting for Mark to show up. Sure enough, seconds later, the tapir opened the door.
"Oh, you're here!" said Mark. "I was worried that you might have gotten lost! Well, come on in, Espio!"
The chameleon ever so slightly took a step inside the room, looking around. It looked SOMEWHAT similar to his and Vector's dorm, just a little bit bigger though. The main difference between their rooms however was the TV, which was on the wall and FAR larger than the one he and Vector shared, and most obviously, he saw a black and green computer on the right side of the room.
"C-Co-Comu-Comp-py-putar…" he said, pointing at it. Espio knew he was saying it ABSOLUTELY wrong, but he was shocked to see that Mark had a computer in his room. He thought they were only in the ST building due to how large they were compared to the 'laptop' Vector and his friends and classmates had.
"Yeah, I brought my own computer from home!" Mark said. "I wasn't just gonna let it rot! Not only does it let me do assignments, but I can keep playing Witchcarts all from the comfort of my dorm! But that's not what we're here to talk about."
Mark ran over to a small box he had on the desk, running back to his computer desk and placing it directly on top. Espio watched as the tapir opened the box, revealing something he hadn't seen before.
"What… is that?" Espio thought to himself, looking at various colorful covers with people on them. Mark grinned wide as he brought out a cover, showing it to Espio.
"See! See?!" he said. "This is what I was wondering if you've seen! Ever since I learned you were from Northern Mobius, I've been wanting to know if you've seen any of this!"
Espio looked at the cover funny. It depicted a bunch of mobians in armor, with various horses with wings on them surrounding them. Never before had he seen something so bizarre… And what was Mark saying? He couldn't understand him all that well, but he had NEVER seen anything like this before in his life. Espio grabbed the cover, confused as to what it was.
"You… You've never seen anime, have you?"
The transfer student looked up. He wasn't sure about that word… 'anime'… It wasn't a word he heard back in Gojo, so he shook his head. Mark gasped.
"You haven't seen ANY anime?! And you're from Northern Mobius too?! Nope, nope nope nope, we're changing that tonight. Here, you can take the chair. I don't mind standing."
Mark pulled out the chair as Espio looked at it. Was he wanting to show him something on the computer? Confused as to what was going on, Espio sat down as he adjusted his happi, getting himself comfortable. He continued to look at the cover of whatever Mark gave him, turning it around to see more images of the people on the cover.
"Do you mind if I see that?" Mark asked, holding out his hand. Espio obliged, and seconds later, he was blown away as the tapir opened up the cover as if it were a book and pulled out something circular. He had NEVER seen this before…
Watching intently, the chameleon watched as Mark pressed a button on his computer and opened up something on it, placing the circular device in it and shutting it. In fact, now that he recall, Valdez said to not mess with a button that opened some kind of drive when he and Professor Remington were teaching him how to use the computer. Was THAT what it did?
As he heard noises coming from the computer, Espio turned to see Mark pull out some kind of bag from his fridge, opening it up.
"Snack?" he asked. Espio looked at what he was being offered, reaching his hand into the bag and pulling some kind of small, hard object. It was yellow, left oil on his hands like that strange snack he got poured on during the last football game, and each one seemed to be of a different shape and a color. Noticed Mark putting some into his mouth, Espio inferred that it must be some kind of food. Despite having rice for dinner, Espio followed suit, surprised at how loud the crunch of whatever this was and the noise of his chewing.
And yet… it was… good… In fact, it was REALLY good!
Just as Espio wanted to grab another piece, the computer monitor turned black.
"Oh, oh! It's starting!" Mark said, pointing at the screen. "Prepare yourself, Espio! You're gonna be blown away!"
After staring into the screen, some things popped up on the screen before a slideshow of clips appeared, showing more of the people he saw on the cover. After Mark fiddled with the mouse, the screen grew blank once again as something began to play: music. The people on screen ran towards him as a song began to play, sounding like something Vector would be listening to on his headphones.
And then, he noticed the title.
"Koudoutai no pegasasu kishi-dan?..." Espio asked, Mark looking over at his friend excitedly.
"Yup! The Pegasus Knights of the Zodiac!" he said, clapping his hands. "It's one of my favorites."
He was surprised. Did Mark know Japanese too and he never knew about it? From how he was looking, it seemed that he was VERY familiar with this. How come Espio had never heard of this before? It was clearly in his language, so that-
"…must mean this must be something else from the Outside World…" Espio thought to himself, the realization quickly sinking in. Before he could mull in his inner thoughts, someone began to sing. And… and it too was in Japanese! In fact, while there was English on the top of the screen, the very bottom showed it all! Kanji, hiragana, katakana, all written correctly and…!
Now Espio had his full attention to the screen, standing up straight and leaning in closer to the screen.
"Wait wait wait, here comes my favorite part!" Mark said, pointing at the screen. Another one of those winged horses appeared on the screen as the tapir suddenly yelled out. "Pegasasu no chikahra wo unmay wo sakusay!"
Espio slightly laughed to himself. Mark was being rather silly with how much he was getting into it, despite seeming more knowledgeable with whatever this 'anime' was. Plus, there was also the fact that he wasn't saying, "Pegasasu no chikara o unmei o sakusei" correctly, but maybe it was fine seeing his friend enjoy himself. And Espio wouldn't deny it either, just this song alone had already got him interested.
For the next twenty minutes after the song was over, Espio and Mark sat in silence, eating the snack that the tapir told him was called 'chips' and watching the anime. It was surprisingly interesting, where a goddess, upon learning about an evil skeletal knight named Hogarth, entrusts the power of 'Pegasus' to eight ordinary teenagers. Pegasus, as it turned out, were these horses with wings, and the characters would use certain powers to defeat foes as they traversed on a journey. They were already two episodes in, and Espio was glued to the screen hard.
"Espio? Did you want to see what else I have?" Mark asked after Episode 2 was over. The chameleon blinked and turned to his friend, who was pulling out more stuff from the box. There, he saw more covers with different images and colors, all of them looking different from 'Zodiac'. There was one that Espio took interest in, mainly because it seemed to be entirely in Japanese compared to the others.
"Sakura… Taisen?..." Espio asked, holding the box and flipping it around, seeing various Overlanders with different clothes, hairstyles, etc, and seeing large… well, whatever those devices were.
"Oh, you found Sakura Wars?" asked Mark. "Yeah, I wasn't able to find that subbed yet so would you believe I had to import that from Northern Mobius? I dunno how you feel about that one, it's part mecha, part romance. I have a few of them here, like uh… oh!"
Mark then pulled out another box. "I really like this one! Love Love: Our Wavering Feelings! I always cry at the end of it even though it's so happy…" he chuckled. "Ooh, you should check out what else I have!..."
Sure enough, they took a small break, where the two friends dug through more of Mark's collection. After putting down Sakura Taisen and Love Love, the tapir showed Espio Intergalactic Arms, My Everyday School Life, My Sister is also the Demon Lord who I have to Slay, and one particularly odd cover calling itself 'Paramiko'.
"Let's… not talk about that…" said Mark.
After their break, the two returned to watching more Pegasus Knights of the Zodiac. Now that they were on Episode 3, Mark was starting to get a bit more tired, as shown by him getting on his bed and watching from afar, but Espio stood still in his seat, watching intently as images and light flashed into his eyes.
12:03 A.M.
"Ahh, feels great to be back!" Vector said, duffle bag strown across his shoulder as he walked into the dead A building. It was an exhilarating night, the Homecoming celebration was better than he expected, the king and queen got front row seats to the game, and surprisingly, despite a very tense first half, the Badniks were able to pull in a last minute victory. Even Coach Augustus was proud of their performance, as he told the team he was ready to give them all the yelling of the century.
But unfortunately, it was VERY late. He knew by now, Espio would be asleep and there wouldn't be much to do. But with there being no practice until Sunday, this could mean he could sleep in as late as he want to and not have anyone get on his ass for it.
Walking up the stairs towards West Hall, he wondered what he should do tomorrow. Maybe he could treat himself to a nice breakfast? Well, his cheat day wasn't until later this month so maybe NOT… Besides, he had made a late night burger run with Knuckles and Mighty since the crocodile and echidna hadn't had anything to eat since 3 PM… Maybe he could do something with Espio, something that wasn't… school related, maybe something… fun! Maybe they could go to the new arcade corner they installed in K building, or maybe they could-
…not be there.
Vector stood alone in the empty dorm room, the lights off and everything in the dorm completely untouched. Turning the lights on, he didn't see the chameleon anywhere.
"Uh… Espio? Ya in here?" Vector called out, putting his duffle bag on the floor. The crocodile scratched his head. "Espio?... Helloooooooooo?..."
Now he was starting to get worried. Where could he have gone? Perhaps Valdez had him tonight? But he never did anything like that? Did he get lost?"
"…guess I'm not goin' to bed now," he said, placing all his personal belongings on the desk as he ran out the dorm. His tail flopping, Vector cursed to himself as he looked around. "It's times like this that I hate that Espio doesn't know how to use a phone!"
His running however, hadn't gone unnoticed, because as soon as he turned to the intersection, the RA's office door opened wide and a sleep deprived Sally stepped out.
"What… in the HELL… are you doing running around at midnight?!" she questioned.
"Sally!" Vector said, surprised. "Geez, yeh alright?"
"Well, I don't know, Vector. Maybe the fact that I haven't gotten any sleep with everyone coming back to their dorms and me having to wake up in five hours, and my sleep pills aren't working, might have SOMETHING to do with that. And you just… stomping up the halls, what, you're gonna wake up everyone else too?!" the chipmunk whisper-yelled.
"Geez, sorry! Look, since yer here, lemme ask: Have ya seen Espio anywhere? I can't find him."
"Who in the hell is Espio?"
"Mah… roommate?..."
"…let me guess, the stupid one?"
"Knuckles ain't mah roommate! The purple chameleon dude!"
"Oh… him? Yeah, I saw him with some dude from East Hall. Brown tapir I think it was… they were just out an hour ago getting something from the vending machines outside the rec area near the medical classrooms. I saw them as I was patrolling A building once everyone started coming in."
"D'ya know where I can find him?"
"I dunno, Vector. You think I manage East Hall? Go ask the RA there… Now leave me alone…"
Sally closed the door behind her as Vector knew where to head next.
After unfortunately waking up the East Hall RA and getting chewed out, Vector stood in front of C-133.
"Well, should be the place," the crocodile said to himself as he knocked on the door. He heard some noise and shuffling from inside as someone opened the door, revealing himself to be Mark: the freshman he helped on his first day.
"Hello? Can I help you?" he said, raising up his glasses.
"Hey uh… I'm here to pick up mah roommate," the quarterback replied.
"Roommate?"
"Yeah, uh… Espio?"
"OH, right! Hold on one minute."
Mark went back to his room as Vector peeked inside. He watched as the tapir shook Espio's shoulder, saying, 'Espio, your roommate is here'. The chameleon shook his head and got up, quickly walking towards the door and seeing his friend. Vector smiled upon seeing him.
"Hey there, pal. Didn't know yeh were friends with Mark. Ya had a good time?"
From the look on Espio's face, whatever they were doing must have been fun. Vector smiled, he knew Espio was disappointed, but at least he was able to find SOMETHING to do.
"Alright, well we're gonna take our leave. It's gettin' real late. Yeh should head to bed soon, dude," said Vector.
"Wait, before you go, Espio!" Mark said from inside, running back to the two with a stack of DVD's.
"Here, I'm streaming most of my anime watch list so I don't mind lending you my DVD's. You were really liking what I have, so watch them on your own time and tell me how you like it!" he continued, dumping them into Espio's hands. The chameleon bowed in response.
"Ssth-thank yu-you veri-very mu-much!" he said, looking at the stack with stars in his eyes.
"Alright, we better get goin'. Have a great night, Mark!" Vector said as the two walked off.
"Bye Espio! Come back next time!" the tapir called off as he closed his door. Vector looked down at his roommate.
"Well, look at yeh, when yer not lookin' at us jocks smashin' into each other, yer off bein' an anime geek!" he joked. "So, tell me Espio, yeh weren't too lonely, were ya?"
Espio looked down at the floor in response.
"Yeh… I can tell… Sorry yeh weren't able to come to the game tonight. B-But hey, while we're still awake, lemme tell ya about it! Okay, so the game started off with our Homecomin' celebration, and that's…"
