(AN: So after getting yelled at to post this during Vecpio Week, I actually bothered to finish the next chapter! Sorry for the long delay, I got this... really weird procrastination vibe where like I KNEW I wanted to work on Transfer but everytime I opened my document, I was like... eh... I don't wanna do this.
Anyway, with that out of the way, I'm still gonna try and commit to more cute Vecpio stuff because, if you can believe it or not, we're getting CLOSER and CLOSER to the climax of this current arc. Don't worry, there's an end in sight! And soon, we'll be back to 24/7 Vecpio! But until then, time to check up on 'The Mobius U Chronicles; AKA, Everyone's Life Just Sucks. Also Vector and Espio do some cute things' for the time being!)
cw: minor homophobia and misogyny, mentions of transphobia and sexual assault
THE DAILY MEAN BEAN
STUDENT ORGANIZATION AND BODY CONTINUE CLASH AT MOBIUS U, NO END IN SIGHT?
by Brenda Hernandez
Monday, Feburary 15th
"Two weeks have passed since the start of a series of protests begun by the Central City Organization of College Campus Conservatives, or CCOCC, at Mobius University, and the group, as well as their targets and opponents, see no end to their ongoing feud.
The protests, which formally began the Monday following CCOCC's first open conference on Friday, February 5, have caused much tensions between Mobius University staff, students, and CCOCC and their supporters, both on campus and from outside supporters and counterprotestors. The purpose of the protests, as outlined by CCOCC student representative, third year political science major and Badniks running back, Connery Horse, is to outline the dangers of criminals at Mobius U and their alleged protection via the staff and students."
"Many people come to the assumption that this is being done as an act of racism, as the targets in question are members of the University's Foreign Exchange Student Program, but I believe all my critics are taking what's going on out of context," Connery told me, initially hesitant for an interview believing that I would "report fake news", with the Brotherhood Inquirer Network being one of very few news sources that CCOCC is willing to talk to for example. However, he agreed to sit down for a one on one interview, where he talked about the work he's done at CCOCC, and why he set up the February 5th conference.
"Conservatives at colleges have often been seen as laughing stocks by the far left Democracy Party members," he continued. "So to me, it's no surprise that they would harbor criminals from zones that we're being infested by, like Yurashia with no thanks to the policies of this current president. The messages I delivered during the conference resonated with many people, sick of this invasion. Parents of students, concerned citizens from our working class for example, so many of them heard a message that they can relate to, and many of them want their kids or their families to be able to traverse about without any fear. That's the goal of this protest, for the staff to completely overhaul the Foreign Exchange Student Program and fire the current head in charge for allowing criminals on campus and to expunge them, to allow us to express our free speech on campus demanding that our needs be met, all while doing so without pushback from the leftist student body. That's why I protest."
"Connery understood that there were some protesters on the side of CCOCC who had taken things more physical. "Unlike the left, I disavow any violence of any kind. Those people don't speak for me at all."
But those within CCOCC's limelight disagree.
"I've been called so many things and had so many lies spread about us," said second year Cosmetology major, Mobius U Division 1 swim team captain and LGBTQ League student representative, Razor Shark. Razor, heading the LGBTQ League with third year computer science major Nicky Hedgehog, has been the target of fierce fire for claims that he believes to be ludicrously false. "From the claims that we're groomers, to accusing us of promoting a gay agenda, to even saying we openly display sexual actions in front of children on campus. And by Gaia, the name calling. From childish insults like the alphabet mafia to flat out slurs, CCOCC and its supporters only amplify this, and the university officials are doing nothing to protect the LGBTQ League from all this slander. The homophobic and transphobic attacks we've all been facing have caused major mental health crises within our membership, and we don't see an end in sight. All we want is to just live like anyone else would want to, that's it."
Other student organizations, such as the International Club, whose members asked to stay anonymous for this piece, talked about how student emails were leaked on online conservative forums as well as on places like Scrambler and Friendspace, leading to an uptake in harassment, usually relating to the national and religious diversity of the group. One member told me that she no longer feels comfortable celebrating Ramadan, which comes up this coming April, on campus."
"CCOCC once again had no comment on these issues, with many of their members refusing to speak to me claiming that The Daily Mean Bean will only report lies, however, one such member, Badniks tackler and second year business major, Monk Gorilla, one of the spearheads of protests against the LGBTQ League and Mobius University's LGBT tolerance policies, did speak about the issues going on and the protests he's been leading and what Mr. Horse told me, telling me, "I very much agree with Connery here. What's going on is something that we want common folk to be aware of. Before, I was blind to the situation in the United Federations, not wanting to get involved in politics because it wasn't healthy. That didn't mean that what I saw didn't upset me. From young men working less, getting married and fathering children less all while they wallow in pity both mentally and physically, no thanks to things like fast food, pornography, and video games. To our young women killing their own babies, selling themselves out and not allowing men to take responsibility, among many issues not helped by the normalization of things like homosexuality, radical gender mutilations, and like I said, pornography. However, I've found a new calling, preventing the desecration of our society and natural order of life from groomers, all kinds of sexual freaks, and intolerable activists who want to come after us and our children all while labeling anyone they don't like a bigot for being normal people. And that's something that plagues this university alongside its acceptance of hooligan criminals, especially ones that can't seem to recognize what being a man is. That's why I protest and that's why I won't back down, because at the end of the day, our facts matter more than their feelings."
Headmaster Ivo Robotnik, when asked about what Mobius University plans to do for both sides to ceasefire, said, "Mobius U cares much about the free speech of our students on both sides of the aisle, and we condemn any and all violence as we ask students to remember that each of their fellow peers are entitled to their own beliefs, but they should not be willing to take things to the extreme. As such, we will continue closely monitoring all situations so that both sides can come to a mutual agreement and allow us to resume all operations without incident."
"Some members of the student body were not satisfied with this message, forming a counter protest outside the student service building demanding that Mobius U officials hold CCOCC accountable for harassment and violence, as well as for blatant bigotry. With no end in sight, it seems that these protests will continue into their third week."
It was almost six in the morning when an emergency Staff Orientation was held in the library between the entirety of Mobius U's staff. From Headmaster Robotnik, to deans like Valdez and Harvey Who, to professors such as Professors Longclaw, Finitevus, Montclair, D' Coolette, Von Schlemmer, Morgan, Cluckins, Quack, Cinder, Starline, and Remington, to sports coaches and staff like Coach Augustus, Zazz, Ripple, even AD Sommersby himself. There were assistants, ambassadors, everything.
Not only that, non-instructor related staff were present, from Whisper, to the janitorial and kitchen staff like Snively, to the RA's of each Hall like Sally and Blaze, to the campus officers, just to name a few. Hundreds of mobian and Overlander heads filled the library as the large egg shaped headmaster, with his thick mustache, walked in front of the entire sitting crowd.
"Good morning, everyone," he said, his glasses shining and his red and black suit grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. "I do apologize for the very early morning staff meeting, as well as the emergency one to boot, as we normally only meet on the third Wednesday of every month. But I do believe that, as the staff of Mobius U, we need to address a very obvious robot in the room. And I don't mean either of you two, Orbot and Cubot,"
"NOT AT ALL, SIR!" Orbot smiled as both he and Cubot shook their heads as the Overlander headmaster continued.
"There is a major crisis going on at this campus, and we need to address how we can not only keep the peace on campus, but do so in a way that can please both sides. I am of course, referring to the protests started by CCOCC."
But as soon as he was done talking, a large commotion began with everyone in the crowd. The headmaster looked around, his mustache following his head movements as his eardrums filled with the voices of everyone in the room.
"What compromise can we even make?"
"I'm being bombarded day in and out by parents, random people even about stuff that frankly isn't true!"
"Do you know how many people are calling for my retirement?"
"I've never once had a death threat over the simple action of teaching world politics!"
"You think teaching's bad? I'm being threatened just for being an RA! Apparently I don't, 'do my job good enough-"
"STOOOOOP!" Headmaster Robotnik yelled, holding up his arms as his yell echoed throughout the library. He sighed, cleared his throat, and looked around. "Only I can have that many voices in my head, NOT from my fellow staff. I think this just goes to show how much what's been going on affects us all."
"Headmaster, with all due respect," Valdez said, arms crossed as all eyes in the room flew towards him. "It's become frustrating to see many of the higher up officials of this university seem to take a moderate stance to what's been going on between CCOCC and the rest of us. You know that I talked to you about disabling my answering machine, hell, you've HEARD the messages I've been left. This is happening to EVERYONE in this room. You've even become a public enemy to an entire political party! Haven't you heard by now that Mobius U seems to be the hot topic talked about every NIGHT on the Brotherhood Inquirer Network?! How can you just continue to act like there'll just be an end to this?"
"My students have become fearful to stay in our classroom since the incident last week," Professor Longclaw added. "Imagine that. We've essentially traumatized first time English speaking students because someone thinks they can freely enter classrooms whenever!"
"When did this happen?!" Sally shot back, standing up.
"It was days ago. Some echidna came by my class and forced himself in, yelling at one of my students before I got the campus officers involved. This is blatant trespassing, headmaster! Are we just going to have to put up with MORE of this?! How much is enough?!"
"And it doesn't help that I too have also been scrutinized just for what I teach!" Professor Cinder also added. "Headmaster, I'll be frank. I've had enough. This is beyond exhausting and so many of us are at wits end."
"Not even I saw anything like this back in Soleanna University," Professor Von Schlemmer replied. "Keep in mind, this was a university that was SUED by its CCOCC branch. But this is just…"
"As the person who lets CCOCC use their classroom for their meetings," another one of the professors sitting by Professor Morgan said. "I don't see what the issue is. Did you not read the student paper? They outlined their issue clear and CCOCC disavows all the people who commit violence and their name."
"You can't be serious! How can you actually defend them at this point?!" the North Hall RA called out. "You heard what the students are saying. So many of them ARE the targets or just want to study in peace without all this disruption! Including me! We aren't making people pay mobiums up the wazoo just for them to feel threatened here!"
"Their conference even flat out named students!"
"Harvey, haven't you attempted to talk things out with CCOCC?" Professor Starline asked, adjusting his hair as Harvey Who, Dean of Student Affairs, put his hands close to his beak.
"I have. Many times," he replied, sighing. "Keep in mind, I've been handling issues with both CCOCC, the Mobius University Democracy Party Members, pretty much every single student group on this campus, and CCOCC seems to be one I talk to the most in regards to what they do that causes issues with other students or with who they bring on campus as a speaker. I understand that they should have their time on the microphone, though-"
"But that time should be up at this point!" Professor Longclaw shot back. "What they're doing this time has gone too far!"
"By all technicalities, are CCOCC members being involved in this, or outside vigilantes? We can't necessarily blame the group for those people, as they never said to come on campus and protest."
"As much as I hate to admit it," AD Sommersby replied. "Harvey has a point. Even if someone were to, say… sue, it's a point that would likely be accepted by the court as its objectively true. Trust me, I paid attention to what was said."
The female owl's beak lay agape as she shook her head, feathers ruffling onto the floor.
"I… how can you say that, George?! I'd like to remind you that two of the major faces in CCOCC right now are Badniks players that YOU manage! And you too, Augustus! They're YOUR players! Why haven't either of you stepped in?!"
"Football season is over, Longclaw!" shot back Coach Augustus. "Whatever Connery and Monk do now, it's of no concern to me, because it's outside my jurisdiction!"
"What kind of excuse is that?! So if either of them killed someone or… or dare I say violated someone… that's okay because it happened outside of your-"
"Please, stop this! I've 'ad enough!" Professor D' Coolette replied, getting in between the owl and polar bear and holding his arms out in between them both.
"Antoine has a point. We're getting nowhere fighting among each other. Longclaw, Augustus, stand down. Both of you," Professor Morgan replied. The coach and ESOL professor's faces fell as they looked at the ground.
"...it isn't just the students, Longclaw," Coach Augustus replied. "Trust me, I'd love to knock sense into Connery and Monk for what they've done, well… I can't do anything about Monk, because he quit the team after our last game of the season."
"Quit the team?" asked Professor Remington. Augustus continued, ignoring him.
"Not only are my players suffering… have you seen my email? I'm no exception. I trained those boys as hard as I could, and THAT'S what I get as a thanks. Threatening messages, harassment after harassment."
"I understand but… Augustus? You and George cannot be compliant to this anymore. As their higher ups, you have every right to reprimand them. An athlete doesn't act like how they're acting, letting the doors of this university open to such hooligans," Longclaw continued. "I understand this isn't as easy as it seems. We've all been through so much these last couple of weeks… and perhaps there is no true real answer to when this will end."
The rest of the staff looked solemn as Headmaster Robotnik returned as the voice of reason.
"E… Erm… apologies for the silence," he said. "I suppose letting you discuss this amongst yourselves has me finally alone with my thoughts. Longclaw, you are correct however. Perhaps the end of this tunnel is yet to come, and we need to continue our work getting there. For now, we will continue all operations as normal, but I'll make sure that, if needed, classrooms will be provided with security so that both students and staff can traverse without issues. Officer Wachowski, I'm sure you'll see no issues with this?"
"Of course, headmaster," the Overlander officer said. "I think that myself and the other officers have been doing a fine job keeping the peace, separating people when they need to be separate, all that. I just hope that the students come to their senses soon."
But Valdez stared daggers at Officer Wachowski, almost feeling offended that he seemed to pat himself on the back while he and Espio were subject to non stop harassment.
Though Headmaster Robotnik tried to continue the assembly with order, there was an unspeakable aura in the air that only raised tensions between the staff of Mobius U.
It was a little past 7 when Vector had woken up that morning. He opened his jaws wide and stretched, feeling Espio shift next to him. Smacking his lips, Vector rubbed his eyes as he grabbed his phone on the nightstand, unlocking it.
"Friday… huh…" he thought to himself, his eyes adjusting to the bright screen. "It really has been almost a week since me and Es started datin'..."
The situation with CCOCC only seemed to slow time down so much that he hadn't even realized that Valentine's was last Sunday. But it also felt like it really wasn't a week, not helped by the fact that it was almost like the two had been dating without properly dating for weeks now. Still, the fact that the occasion arrived, likely even more special for Espio since he wasn't used to anything like this, an idea popped in Vector's head.
Hearing Espio make brief noises next to him, the crocodile turned his head and saw that his boyfriend was slowly starting to awaken. Smiling, he grabbed Espio's elbow and caressed it with his thumb.
"Mornin' sunshine. Didja sleep well?" he asked. Espio rubbed his eyes, slowly turning towards Vector.
"Yes. But what is sa… sunshh… shine?"
"Just a term of affection. Makes me happy to hear yer sleepin' well. Hey, it's almost the start of the weekend, and it's been almost a week since we been datin'. How 'bout I do ya a favor to celebrate?"
"What is it?" Espio seemed curious now, raising his torso up from bed.
"Why dun we eat breakfast together here in the dorm? Ya know yer not obligated to eat in the dinin' hall. That's why they have shared stoves and microwaves downstairs. But regardless, I wanna treat ya to celebrate. Ya ever have pancakes?"
Espio put his finger on his chin, looking conflicted before shaking his head.
"Well, yer gonna love it! It's this really good bread-like thingy that ya put butter and syrup on. Oof, good as hell. I always love eatin' it when I get the chance. It is a bit heavy though, but I'll try to not get too many fer ya. How does that sound?"
It seemed that Espio was more curious by the minute, as his face seemed to be filled with a sense of intrigue.
"I want it, please," he replied.
"Well, just sit here in bed, and I promise I'll bring it back here and we'll eat together. I'll be right back, and I'll try to not take too long either."
Vector then pecked his boyfriend on the lips quickly before removing the covers off him.
"Love ya. Be back soon."
With that, Vector grabbed his Letterman jacket off the chair by the desk, grabbed a pair of sweatpants and his shoes, and quickly got dressed as Espio watched the whole thing from the bottom bunk. Vector felt himself smiling on both the outside and inside, happy to have breakfast alone with his lover as they'd hopefully have a good day before the chameleon set off to community service later tonight. Whatever the case may be, he was hoping today was going to be a good day, free from any and all bullshit.
One of the biggest blessings offered by the dining hall at Mobius U was the option of allowing students to take food from the dining hall in to-go containers to take back to their dorms or anywhere else. It saved Vector quite a few times last year during exam season, when he spent most of his time studying in his dorm or in the library and he didn't want to get distracted at all.
Such was the case as where he was now, standing behind a group of students grabbing sausage patties with a pair of tongs. The crocodile was listening to rock music on his headphones, waiting for his turn.
"C'mon… I'm hopin' this won't take forever. More people that I thought there would be today…" Vector thought to himself, tapping his foot impatiently as he held a styrofoam container. The line was moving more slowly than he'd like, and while he wasn't the type to openly complain, it was becoming mind numbing to the crocodile.
Finally, after almost ten minutes of waiting, it was finally Vector's turn as he walked towards the main buffet area, picking up a stack of different kind of pancakes served that morning. From normal buttermilk, to blueberry, to even chocolate chip, Vector wanted Espio to try a little bit of everything since this was going to be his first time ever trying pancakes, something that excited Vector.
"He's gonna love this!" he thought to himself. "Not just the breakfast, but the fact I'm bringin' it back to him too…"
There was nothing that felt more romantic than eating with the one you loved, especially in a place as sacred as one's own bed, and he knew it was an experience Espio likely would never have back home. As he told him just days ago, he wanted to make as many memories with the transfer student as possible, because once he was gone…
Vector shook his head. No, better to not think about than now. It'll happen when it happens, but for now, Vector focused on getting extra butter and syrup from the condiment fridge, grabbing plastic utensils as he figured he'd pick up some milk from the student store across the hall. Closing up his container, the crocodile paid for everything and was ready to head out when he heard a voice call out his name.
"Oh, there you are, Vector!"
It was a voice he had heard not even a week ago. It was Julie-Su. Vector was confused… didn't she say she had a boyfriend? Why was she focused on him this morning?
His answer came when he turned around, seeing not only Julie-Su walking towards him, but a VERY small person wearing a teal sweater that almost completely covered themselves up. As Vector got a closer look, he realized who it was when he noticed a pair of teal floppy ears.
"Kit…?" he asked himself. The quarterback knew both Julie and Kit were fellow cheerleaders, but the echidna was in high spirits this morning all while the fennec fox seemed beyond sullen, more than she normally looked.
"How's the morning coming along, Vector?" Julie-Su asked. "Say, what's with the containers?"
He didn't know how the echidna would take it if he suddenly revealed that Espio was his boyfriend, so as such, it was time to walk on eggshells.
"Just takin' it back to mah dorm. Ain't really in the mood to eat here today," he replied, partial truth in his words.
"Huh! That really isn't like you, Vector! You're normally the extroverted one, ain't that right, Kit?"
The fennec fox almost seemed jumpy as she quickly whipped her head to face the pink echidna. With a low voice, she said, "Hu-huh? Oh ye-yeah… yeah I s-suppose…"
"Come on, Kit! I brought you out here to help you get out of your funk! You know, focus on something else, get your mind out of the gutter! I'm sure you want something delicious right now, don't you?"
"Th-thanks Julie… but I'm not ready hu-hungry right now. I just don't feel sa-safe…"
"Everything alright?" Vector asked, now becoming concerned.
"I told you, didn't I, Vector? Kit's been in a bit of a pickle ever since this CCOCC protest began. She's been-"
"I… I can speak for my-myself, Julie," Kit shot back, trying to avoid her face.
"Look, I'm just concerned, that's all. We all are,"
"Not what the o-others think about m-me…"
Julie-Su sighed, turning back to her ex.
"I'm trying to get her out of her shell, but she refuses," she said. "It's really bad right now, all this CCOCC stuff."
"Tch, tell me 'bout it. I had to private mah social media stuff cause all the stuff I was gettin' was just too much. Not fun to read a couple of threats every day, y'know?"
"I guess I'm not surprised that the Badniks are suffering a lot. It makes me wonder… when are we gonna see an end to all this? I mean, thankfully they haven't been going after me, but I suppose it's mainly you boys getting all the pushback-"
"When Connery and Monk decide that makin' people's lives miserable has gotten stale. Unfortunately, that's all those two are good fer."
"I'm sure you can handle this, Vector. Look at Kit, things are bad with her right now but she's still among the living! She's stronger than she gives herself credit for."
But Kit didn't seem convinced, turned away from both Julie and Vector as she hid her face.
"Anyway, me and the other girls were about to have breakfast, I shouldn't keep you held up, shouldn't I?" Julie-Su then turned her head to her right. "Oh! There's Tiara! Okay, for real for real, I gotta get going. Kit, c'mon!"
But as Julie-Su walked away, Kit continued to stand where she stood. The fennec fox only continued to brood as Vector looked down at her, crouching down to her height.
"Kit? Is…" Vector asked. "Is everythin' really alright?"
"I get th-that Julie-Su wants me to cheer up a-and to not focus on what's going on…" Kit replied. "B-But how can I… when every si-single day is just m-miserable?"
Vector's face fell. He could tell just earlier that Kit wasn't doing so hot. But to hear it from her mouth…
"Julie… told me a bit what's goin' on. CCOCC got to yeh, huh?" the crocodile asked.
The fennec fox continued to look down at the floor, holding her hands close to her chest.
"Y-You don't want to know how ba-bad it is…" Kit began. "Ever since that conference, C-CCOCC and their supporters have c-come outside all of our me-meetings in the LGBTQ Le-League… And-and they call us su-such horrible things, so much t-that we have to meet on a Ch-ChaoNet server remotely, because it g-got to be too much. Ra-Razor and Nicky are confronted l-like… twice a w-week… and the one doi-doing most of it is-is… is Monk."
Vector's brows lowered, his teeth gritting. "Whaddya mean? Monk ain't…"
"He's f-fueled so much of this. And not only i-is it Razor and N-Nicky… it's m-me. The amount of tr-transphobic attacks I've go-gotten is… it's too m-much…"
Kit lowered her hands, balling them up in a fist and letting go repeatedly. "I don't f-feel safe anymore… and the w-worst part is that I-I… I have to f-force myself to get up each morning and d-deal with all of this. To hear the things t-that trigger me, to see random s-strangers comment about me, e-even that stuff come out the m-mouths of TV commentators a-and politicians. B-But it's too much, V-Vector…"
Vector's face fell, watching the cheerleader break in front of him.
"It doesn't even m-matter if I'm on estrogen and socially t-transitioned, or if I h-have people giving me support. The stuff Monk says is s-so awful, my g-gender dysphoria is triggered when he or his supporters yell at me, saying the w-worst things about me. And all I can d-do is take it, walk away, and t-then cry when no one is around, my entire d-day ruined because of the c-comments they know will torment m-me."
"Kit…"
"I hate t-that I do this, and yet… it works. E-Every time… they g-get what they want. Cruelty. People like M-Monk live off this, s-seeing joy when, o-on the worst days, my dysphoria gets b-bad… and I cry in the sh-shower… asking Gaia why couldn't he m-make me a real woman, and wh-who could ever love such a disgusting f-face like mine, a face that only d-deserves to be ri-ripped off…"
"Dun say that Kit! Ya know that ain't true-"
Kit, who had already begun to cry at this point, was trying her best to bite her lip and stop herself.
"It doesn't ma-matter if it doesn't. It's something you w-won't understand, V-Vector… You don't k-know what it's like, ha-having random strangers misgender y-you with cruel i-intentions, to send you d-death threats almost daily, to be treated like a p-plague, a pr-predator, to feel like what they're sa-saying about me is true… G-Gaia, I even went to t-the university therapist th-they provide here b-but it does… does nothing… do-do…"
At this point, it proved to be too much for Kit as she began to sob, Vector pulling in the small fennec fox into his arms.
"C'mere. Ya had a long couple of days. It's okay, I'm here," he said. The crocodile didn't care if anyone thought it was weird what was going on, what mattered more was that Kit let everything out, something she refused to do. He rubbed her back, letting Kit sob.
"I… I hate th-that I let M-Monk do this to me…" she said. "Didn't y-you know…? Since w-we first met… Monk NEVER l-liked me… after f-finding out a-about my identity."
Vector felt his mind suddenly flash back to last year, when he overheard the purple gorilla ranting about Kit after their first game, saying garbage about how a 'biological male' shouldn't be invading women's sports. He felt bad, knowing he should have stopped what he was saying sooner…
"I know. Monk made it a big deal," Vector replied. "But none of the guys cared."
"B-Besides Connery and A-Axel… t-that's why I… I'm trusting you n-now, Vector… Because I know y-you aren't like Monk. Because you a-aren't like the other girls on the t-team…"
"Whaddya mean?"
Kit let go of the hug, more tears falling down her furry face.
"Some of t-the girls on the ch-cheerleading squad… they si-signed a letter saying that m-my spot on the team should be gi-given to a cis girl, and that they'll be w-working with CCOCC t-to make sure th-that… that…"
Vector couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Monk taking this so far that he was going to try and FORCE Kit off the cheerleading squad JUST because of her gender identity?
"I just… I hate that M-Monk has done all this t-to me…" Kit continued to cry, wiping her eyes with her jacket. "After we f-first met… I cr-cried after everything he said to m-me in the showers. B-But I made myself a p-promise that day. That I would N-NEVER… EVER… let a l-loser like Monk make me cry. No m-matter how much a-abuse he threw at m-me… I would never let myself c-cry over a loser… Not that first day we met, and especially n-not now. I would o-only hate myself m-more if I let him g-get to me…"
Vector smiled. "That's the spirit. Dun let assholes get what they want, that's what I like to say. Still… the fact he's done all this to ya, and he's finally gettin' what he wants just cause of what he believes…"
"C-Connery did this to him. He stroked Monk's l-little masculinity complex and… and turned him into t-this…"
"Monk always talked about that. Alpha this, real men don't eat that or act like that, blah blah, all that garbage. He liked to believe he was at the top of the chain, and that anyone below him was weak and inferior, especially guys who weren't like him."
"But he's wrong. There's m-more to being a m-man than aggressive displays o-of strength. Someone l-like you, Vector… you're m-more of a man than he is."
Vector looked surprised, but smiled again. "Wow, Kit. Didn't realize yeh were interested."
"N-Not like that!"
"Kiddin', kiddin'. I knew whatcha meant. Still… it… means a lot, especially since I've had mah own issues with Monk over the last couple of months."
"I h-heard too… he outed y-you in front of the Ba-Badniks, right? Rotor too, r-right?"
Vector felt his tail slink, remembering that awful night clearly. Though he was still happy for the support his team gave, the angry face of Monk popped up in his mind, everything he said to him burning into his mind.
"Y-Yeah… I'm surprised ya knew about it."
"When we h-heard about Monk retiring from t-the Badniks, the other girls were sh-shocked. At least, until J-Julie told us what happened between y-you and him. Seems like even y-you can't get away from him."
"Trust me, I can sympathize with havin' a buncha shitheads on yer ass over a bunch of lies. Mah bo-"
Vector stopped himself, realizing what he was about to say.
"Mah roommate knows what it's like."
"The purple Y-Yurashian chameleon guy, right? I haven't s-seen him in some time."
"Connery's the one havin' a field day with him."
"S-Sorry…"
"Not to worry, I can say the same fer yeh and what yer goin' through. But Kit… I'm glad ya were able to talk to me 'bout this. I just wish I could do more cause ya dun deserve all this. All this hate, how yer mental health's been, all that. Ya dun deserve it."
"Thanks, Vector… I just… i-it's just hard, to deal with this e-every single day."
"The way I like to look at it is as such; even though Monk and all them wanna make yer life hell, the best thing yeh can do is just continue to live. No matter how much hate they give ya, yeh can never give up hope. They'll all get their just desserts, and yeh'll get peace of mind."
"I'd like to b-believe that… but it's never w-worked for me. I've always been s-so lonely… it's why my friend was t-the one who pushed me to j-join the cheerleading squad."
"And ya made it, and yer an essential part of the team! It's like I always say, no matter how much everyone wants to make me and the other Badniks the stars, it's people like yeh on the cheerleading squad and the marchin' band players that all work together to give people a game they dun forget."
Kit looked up at Vector, almost awestruck as she did something she VERY rarely did.
Softly smile.
"Vector… I…" Kit put her hands to her chest. "Thank you… I see why you're t-the quarterback of the Badniks. You r-really are the type of guy who can g-give support when others need it. I know it w-won't be easy b-but… you believe in me, r-right?"
"Exactly! Ya never go down without a fight, that's what I like to say!"
"D-Does that mean I get to k-kick Monk if I get the chance, y-you know… if he b-bothers me bad?"
Vector winked. "Hey, he ain't a Badnik anymore. Whatever happens to him, I ain't concerned."
Kit covered her small mouth with her finger, softly chuckling.
"W-Well… I'll try. Besides, if M-Monk doesn't like who I am, then he c-can bite me. I'm happy with w-who I am, even if I still get d-dysphoria. B-Besides, I don't need to take it from some m-masculinity weirdo. I'm more of a man than h-he is."
The crocodile turned his head. "But… ya ain't a dude. Yer a girl."
"Exactly. I-It's the type of thing I know would m-make him upset."
"Course, of course. Anyway, I really gotta head out now, I still haven't gotten the chance to eat breakfast yet."
"O-Oh… sorry for keeping you here. I'll l-let you go. And… Vector? Thank you… f-for everything. You've done more for m-me than anyone else, or even w-what I've been doing to c-cope."
"Hey, ya got mah number, Kit. Anyone or anythin' botherin' ya, especially when it comes to yer identity, come to me. I'll make sure I talk to them."
"No wonder you're m-majoring in criminal justice. It's like you're a vigilante q-quarterback."
Vector smiled a toothy grin. "Maybe I oughta give mahself a cool nickname. I'm thinkin' Green Justice. How does that sound?"
"Oh come on, t-think of something less d-dorky than that."
"No can do! That's the name I'm stickin' with!" Vector proceeded to get up from the floor, only for him to hold his breath in, his cheeks blowing up like a balloon. "A-Ahh… jeez, leg day was a bitch yesterday…"
"Try not t-to kill yourself on the way back t–to your dorm."
"I'll keep that in mind. And make sure ya remembered everythin' I told ya today, okay?"
Kit nodded as she put the hoodie she had over her head, still trying her best to not draw attention to herself. Vector still felt bad for the fennec fox, but he knew Kit was strong, and he promised to have her back whenever.
"With what those two are doin', I need to protect everyone I can…" Vector thought to himself as he walked back to West Hall, his tail waving back and forth as he thought back to the crying Kit earlier.
"I knew that CCOCC was tryin' to run this place like it's their turf, but this really showed me fer the first time that ain't just me, Espio, or the rest of the Badniks. So many people live in fear of these guys, even if we got people tryin' to protest back. It makes me wonder… how far do they wanna take this? Are they gonna go overboard until they see Espio gone?"
Vector shook his head. He didn't want to think about this at all. He told himself he was no longer going to let Connery or Monk, or whoever they want to throw at them next bother him anymore. He knew what his life was, what Espio's life was, any they wanted to spread lies to whoever heard them out.
And frankly, there was something more important than thinking about CCOCC at this current moment;
What Espio's reaction would be to eating these delicious pancakes. Seeing the look on his face, getting to try a new food, tasting how good it was… that mattered more at that moment.
LATER THAT NIGHT…
It was around a quarter until 8 PM when both Vector and Knuckles found themselves at the indoor basketball court in the first floor of the A building, watching the second round of the Central Mobius College Wrestling Championships qualifier tournament. Being invited by Mighty to go, and with not much to do that night, the two football players watched intently as their friend's hand was raised in the air by the referee, announcing his win for that round against the Soleanna U team as they had gotten done cheering for their friend.
"I think these guys def have it," Vector said. "They're definitely gonna go to Empire City in March."
"Mighty's been training a lot harder. I've even been helping him out quite a lot over the past couple of weeks."
Vector couldn't help but be reminded to how Espio helped him out training for the Winter Playoffs, a memory that he would never forget. It was a shame the chameleon couldn't be here with him tonight, since he was off at Community Service for the umpeenth time. Still, just as long as nothing went wrong, he'd finally be able to start leaving campus after so long.
"I'm just glad that I've had a surprisingly calm day today," Vector continued. "This week… eh, couldda been better. More of those protestors are startin' to come after Espio, and it ain't just him too. They came after Mark as well."
"Mark… that tapir friend of his, right?"
"Yeah, the one who came by on Christmas. Espio told me how some dude from CCOCC came up and yelled at him, and when Mark tried to stand up fer Espio, the dude took like a bunch of his cards and threw them and got them all damaged."
Knuckles made a clear face of disgust. "What the fuck…" he muttered. "How absolutely childish. Even if you have beef with someone, what do you gain from destroying something that matters to someone?"
"Ya tell me, dude. Espio told me Mark was really heartbroken, cause one card he got him was badly damaged and he had to throw it out."
"Do you know what the dude looked like?"
Just then, an announcer's voice began to boom, the two turning their attention back to the main mat.
"Coming up next, representing the 170 Weight class, is Mobius U wrestler Timothy Caldwell versus Soleanna U wrestler Robert Washington. Wrestlers, on the mat."
The two looked towards the direction of the mat, where they saw two Overlander wrestlers come towards the middle. Representing Mobius U, the caucasian Overlander named Timothy adjusted his sky blue singlet as he cracked his neck, staring down at his dark skinned rival for this match.
However, the whistle to signify the start of the match blew, Vector's eyes narrowed. Knuckles took quick note of what was going on.
"Vec, what's wrong?"
The crocodile couldn't help but continue staring at the Mobius U wrestler, realizing something at that moment.
"Espio told me that dude had really bushy brows and drew out someone with a pompadour and a kinda big nose cause he couldn't describe it…" Vector thought to himself. " Naw… it couldn't be… could it?"
Just then, Vector felt his arm being tapped.
"What's the matter?" Knuckles asked as Vector turned to face his friend.
"Ya know what I was just tellin' ya? 'Bout the dude who yelled at Espio and Mark and who ruined Mark's cards?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, Espio tried to tell me what he looked like and even drew him out cause he couldn't describe it. Ya see that guy right there, the one on the Mobius U side?" Vector's eyes darted to the mat, where Timothy and Robert had already begun the first round of the match.
"Are you saying that's him?"
"I just wanna make sure I have the right guy, but the hairstyle and the nose shape and size Espio drew out completely matches. If this IS the same guy… I think he has some explainin' to do."
"You aren't thinking of going up there and stopping the whole match just because of drama?"
"It AIN'T drama, Knux! Do ya not know how hurt Espio looked when he came back to the dorm in the afternoon? That guy… that mother fucker right there caused it. And he ain't gonna get away with it."
Anger began to boil Vector's blood as he stared at the man wrestling. The fact that he could just go about with life with no remorse for who he'd hurt… it sounded just like one of Connery's supporters.
But he wasn't going to let him get away with this, especially not when his boyfriend was so hurt by him…
MEANWHILE, SOME TIME LATER…
It was finally coming to the end of Espio's Community Service shift, and the chameleon had just finished washing up before he returned to Officer Wachowski and sign his hour confirmation sheet. It was another usual shift, only that there was something concerning about today.
Even though today was a Friday, Smithy was nowhere to be found.
As much as Espio wanted to spend his time abandoning his post to search for his lion friend, he was chewed out for it when he attempted to search for him after he was asked to bring more water bottles from the back and stock up the cooler.
Drying his hands with a paper towel and throwing it away, Espio's geta clacked on the floor as he made his way to the front of the soup kitchen.
But just as he opened the doors to the main part of the building, a familiar face held a large bag of rice thrown over his shoulder, standing in front of the doorway. Overtowering Espio with his height, he looked down at the chameleon and smiled.
"Well hey, look who it is, my ol' pal!" Smithy said. "Was wondering about you all night, boy."
"Ah… Smithy…" Espio replied. "How are you? I do not s… see you."
"Sorry 'bout that, kid. The Prison Island guards wanted me to help unload food trucks for the kitchen tonight so I've been stuck there pretty much all night. Only now are we finally starting to get done."
While it was a shame he didn't have time to tell Smithy everything that'd happened since last week, Espio was just glad they were able to meet again.
"Where you off to?" the maroon lion asked.
"I have to go."
"Time up, I imagine? A shame. But… before you go-"
"Smithy, get out of the fucking way!" one of the prisoners complained, holding a large pot of chili as he walked past the lion and chameleon, who darted out of his way. Smithy stared at the man before back at Espio.
"Did you tell him?"
Espio, realizing who the lion was referring to, nodded.
"And?"
"Vector is my b-boy… fu-friend? He say that."
With his free hand, the lion put it on Espio's shoulder as he nodded his head.
"Good. I'm glad. I think he's a swell choice for you, boy. Well, looks like I've already pissed off one person tonight, better not make it two. I'll see you next week, kid."
With that, Smithy took his leave back into the back kitchen area as Espio headed to where he usually was. After signing his hour sheet and being guided to the usual police cruiser, both Espio and Officer Wachowski drove back to Mobius U without issue.
However, when they finally parked, the Overlander officer spent some time on his phone, typing away as he hadn't unlocked the car at this point. Espio was confused. What was holding up Officer Wachowski at a time like this? He wanted to go back to the dorm and see Vector after his long day.
"Ec-excuse me…" Espio said, hoping to get the officer's attention. Thankfully, this worked as the brown haired man turned towards the transfer student.
"Oh right, sorry sorry. Shouldda let you out by now. Hold on-" Officer Wachowski proceeded to dig through his pockets, which jingled intensely before pulling out his keys and unlocking the doors. Espio unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, geta colliding with the pavement as he waited for the officer to get out. But once again, as he looked into the window of the police cruiser, the Overlander was STILL on his phone. Espio knocked on his window, remembering that he couldn't leave as he had to be personally escorted back to his dorm after coming back from community service. Officer Wachowski held up his index finger before soon opening the door and getting out, locking his cruiser as his boots walked to where Espio stood.
"Sorry about that, Espio. It's been a busy couple of days with what's been going on. My hours have increased tenfold and I guess I'm now kind of the head honcho of peace around here. Well, as peaceful as peace can get. I just wish that…" Officer Wachowski yawned into his hand. "...I'm promised good sleep alongside a steady paycheck… anyway, lemme take you back to your dorm. 'Course, you already know the deal… maybe I should just let you off on your own and clock out now so I can just head home…"
Espio was surprised that the officer was perfectly fine with letting him go, but this meant that he could run back to the dorm with no issue. But just to make sure…
"May I?"
"I mean, you've been a good kid all this time, I suppose it won't hurt. But you better not misjudge me. I hear ONE complaint, and you bet your ass I'm telling the court when I'm summoned Monday. Got it?"
"I understand!" Espio proceeded to bow in a perfect 90 degree angle. "Thank you very much!"
With that, the chameleon zipped past the officer and headed to West Hall. It felt so rare being so free on campus, especially with all the people from CCOCC sending him harassment. But to finally run his way back to the dorm to see Vector… well, he had been waiting to once again sleep in the same bed as him, something he was getting VERY used to.
MEANWHILE
The Mobius U wrestling team began to pile out of the men's locker room at the back of the I building. With people like Munch, Storm, and Ripper, amongst many others on the team heading back to their dorms for the night, there was one head that joined alongside the crowd. With his brunette pompadour making him clear to anyone in the crowd, Timothy took the exit that took him by the coach's offices. But as he turned the corner…
"Hey, yeh stop right there."
Timothy turned around as he noticed Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty all walk up towards him. The Overlander looked both confused and annoyed.
"What do you want? Can't you tell I'm tired and that I wanna go back to my dorm?" Timothy replied.
"Not until ya can answer a few questions fer me, Timmy."
The Overlander's face grew nasty as he walked towards the crocodile.
"Who the fuck do you think you are, mobian? You think you scare me? And don't fucking call me that, it's TIMOTHY-"
"Like I give a shit. Is it true ya hurt mah friend's friend?"
"What… what in the hell are you-"
Just then, Mighty came up behind the crocodile.
"Mighty! Is… is THIS your friend? Tell him to back off!" Timothy exclaimed.
"Timothy… IS it true or not? Vector was telling me how you took someone's deck of cards, threw them, and damaged them all. What is that? That isn't the Timothy I know!" the armadillo said. The Overlander's bushy brows lowered as he stared at the three mobians.
"Ah… I see now…" he said, nodding his head. "So, YOU'RE the foreigner's friend, eh? Crocodile… and constantly obsessed with some little Yurashian chameleon… you must be Vector, eh? Connery's told me PLENTY about you."
"Answer the question," Knuckles said, getting closer to Timothy. "Did you, or did you not?!"
"And besides, how do you know Connery?!" Mighty questioned.
The Overlander walked up towards Vector, the crocodile not moving from where he stood.
"So what if I did? What the hell are YOU gonna do about it?" Timothy shot back, getting in Vector's face.
"Ya think yer just gonna get off scott free, aintcha?"
"Why are YOU concerned about some obese fuck? He's the one that tried to make things physical!"
"Listen to yourself!" Knuckles yelled. "Is THAT how any normal person acts?"
"Besides, ya took HIS cards and ruined them! That's HIS property, ya know! So what if he did it first? Still doesn't give ya the right! And I've known Mark fer some time, he ain't the type to get in someone's face! Lyin' 'bout things now, eh?"
"I don't lie, croc. Frankly, the fact you've tried to convince us that chameleon is a productive member of society should be a lie."
Vector put his hands on his hips, ignoring the comment about Espio. "…fer someone in a group that loves to drool all over the law, ya sure don't care about the term, 'Malicious Destruction of Property', no?"
"Tch, like I give a shit what either of you think. Especially this oversized handbag here," Timothy stared right at Vector. "We're finally fixing all the problems on this campus thanks to Connery and Monk's work, and I'm not gonna fear some overweight socialist manchild, an uncivilized criminal, or either of you."
Mighty's mouth lay agape as he walked forward. "T-Timothy… are you saying you… you've been a member of CCOCC all this time?! Why didn't you say anything about this? You… you always said you had something important during practice sessions or in the locker room… Was… was that it?"
The Overlander turned towards the armadillo. "Mighty… I respect how well you wrestle… but as long as you continue your association with the criminal lovers on the football team like these two, then I'm afraid you and I can no longer be acquainted with one another. And seeing as how you associate with the criminal at that… then I see no choice but to stop any kind of relationship we have."
"So yeh hid this from Mighty, completely hurtin' YOUR OWN friend too?!" Vector questioned, now getting angrier. "Yer a piece of shit, Timothy."
"Maybe look in the mirror, Vector. I think I'm done with this little charade. But let me tell you something, croc…" Timothy, for the last time, walked up to Vector, staring him down. "At this point, I would forget asking for mercy from any of us. We're finally being listened to by the people, and no one is going to stop us. Not the university, and ESPECIALLY not you. That little chameleon criminal is going to get what's coming for him, and I won't have sympathy. Unless you wanna fall with him, I suggest you stop dying on the hill that he's a good person. You know just as much as I am that he's a bloodthirsty, psychopathic menace to society, ready to attack and possibly kill anyone who doesn't agree with him. So if I were you, stop sticking your snout where it doesn't belong."
With that, Timothy took his leave as Knuckles raised his fist. "Get back here! How dare you run away like some coward! Espio isn't like that and you KNOW it!"
Vector's blood boiled, every muscle in his body resisting the urge to chase after Timothy and tackle him down, beating on him like he did to Connery in December. But knowing that both he and Espio had already faced enough scrutiny as is, the quarterback could only back down as he shut his eyes.
"Forget him, Knux," Vector replied. "He ain't gonna listen to reason."
Just then, the crocodile turned towards the armadillo, who stood in complete shock as he muttered to himself.
"...he was a CCOCC member… he knew he was hurting me…"
"Mighty? Ya gonna be okay?"
"Y-Yeah…" Mighty shook his head. "S-Sorry… it's just… I've always been so friendly with Timothy… He always joined me, Storm, Munch, Ripper, all of us when we hung out. Heck, I even TOLD him about what's been going on… and the fact he all but confirmed he's involved…"
"He likely hid it as a way to not associate himself with CCOCC. But it seems that Connery wants the group's members to be openly proud of being a member of CCOCC," Knuckles replied, arms crossed. "What has he done to this place where people act such a way without shame?"
"His way of tryin' to run this place, all as a way to get rid of Espio…" Vector replied. "Ya heard Timothy. All this is just so Connery can get what he wants; to make Espio forever leave Mobius U. Nah… not just Mobius U, this country ENTIRELY!"
"So what do we do?" Mighty asked.
"I won't say I got a plan… but first, I need to do somethin'."
Vector got out his phone from his jacket pocket, unlocked it, and opened up his contacts. Scrolling down to Espio's entry, he pressed call and put the phone up to his ear. After a couple of rings, it finally picked up.
"Vector! How are you?" Espio replied.
"Eh… not too shabby… could be better," Vector replied. While he was happy to hear his boyfriend's voice, there was something more pressing at hand.
"Where are you? I do not see you when I co-come back."
"Sorry 'bout that. Mighty invited me and Knux to one of his wrestling matches, and it happened while yeh were gone."
"Ah… okay."
"I'll be back in the dorm a bit. But before I hang up, I wanna ask… ya got Algebra with Mark tomorrow, right?"
Espio sounded confused. "No…? What is going on?"
"Here, I'll head back to the dorm right now, but text him and see if he's awake right now. If he is, tell him that after yeh two get outta class tomorrow, maybe around lunchtime or so, meet me in the dorm. There's something I wanna talk to him 'bout. Can ya do that?"
"Okay!"
"Thanks. Lo-"
Vector stopped himself, realizing that he was about to say 'love you' in front of Knuckles and Mighty. In fact, now that he thought about it, he HADN'T revealed his relationship with Espio to his two friends. Maybe he should sit down and talk to them about it, something he knew the two would be happy to talk about.
Although, with everything going on, perhaps today was NOT that day. He just hoped it wouldn't have to be pushed aside because of this shitshow…
THE NEXT DAY
It was sometime after noon when Mark texted Espio, telling him that he had just gotten out of his Programming Logic Design lecture and that he would be at the dorm. From his texts, he seemed to be overall confused why Vector of all people wanted to talk to him, as he thought that the crocodile only interacted with him because of their connection to Espio.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he's defensive over what happened. That Timothy asshole probably lowered his spirits a lot," Vector said after Mark sent his last text. The chameleon nodded, still looking concerned. "Look, Es… I promise we're gonna get to the bottom of this. And that I'm gonna help yeh, and I'm gonna help Mark too, okay?"
He put his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, Espio putting his free hand on Vector's larger hand as he looked up at him.
Finally, after a five minute wait, and taking off his shoes before entering, Mark sat at the chair by the desk. He moved his short legs back and forth as he looked down at the floor, a very clear expression of confliction on his face.
"I think yer likely confused why I'm here talkin' to ya, Mark," Vector said, arms crossed. "Dun worry, yer not in trouble. It has to do with what Espio told me about what happened the other day. The dude who ruined yer cards, right?"
Mark sighed, his trunk drooping to the floor. "I still don't wanna think about it, Vector… even just looking at my cards brings me bad memories. Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"
"More than just that. I got invited to a wrestlin' match from mah friend last night, and judgin' from what Es told me 'bout the dude, even drawin' him out, found out that it's the same dude who ruined yer cards. I hate to make ya relive bad memories, Mark, but ya gotta do somethin' 'bout this. Ya can't let him get away with this!"
But Mark looked unconvinced. "I don't even know if I want to do that… I just feel so exhausted thinking about it and I just… I don't wanna deal with it either. Every time I always try to stand up for myself or anyone else, this just happens. I'm used to it at this point…"
"Mark…" Espio said, walking up to his friend. "Listen to Vector."
The tapir turned towards his transfer student friend. "Espio… I know you care about me a lot… but this is something that runs deeper. Something I think that… even you might not be able to handle."
"Mark, ya can't let people walk all over ya," Vector continued. "Ya oughta be pressin' charges against the dude, not standin' idly and bein' afraid. Who cares if those cards are cheap? At some point, ya gotta retaliate."
"But everytime I did, I would get what's coming to me! I would get physically attacked, targeted even more, called names… ever since Elementary School, it's been like this!"
"College AIN'T public school! Ya got access to so many more resources, and not to mention, if whatever happened to ya back then wasn't okay then, then what happened to ya with yer cards isn't okay now. Ya can't just let it slip by! Espio was even tellin' me how ya told him the card Timothy destroyed was an expensive one too…"
"I…" Mark's face now started to appear more stressed, conflicted, and even… angered. "What is it with you thinking I'm brave enough to do that, Vector?! I appreciate that you actually want to stand up for me. An athlete doing that is something I NEVER thought would happen but… but I'm not as brave as you! I'm a coward who runs at the first sight of actual one on one conflict! And everytime I try to fix that, it never works! I can't physically and emotionally handle it!"
The tapir put his hands on his head, sulking as Vector and Espio looked at one another.
"I knew Mark always felt uncomfortable around me and the other Badniks," Vector thought to himself. "But… I didn't realize that it ran this deep because of what happened to him. Because of guys like me…"
The chameleon walked over to his friend's side and hugged him, something that initially surprised Mark as a look of distress still continued to stay on his face. Vector walked over, crouching down.
"D'ya see the difference now, Mark?" Vector asked. "Unlike before, not only do ya have resources like I said, but ya got friends too. Espio is one of yer best friends, and as his boyfriend… I wanna see ya rise up above this. Okay?"
Mark looked over at the crocodile.
"I know I should…" the tapir replied. "And frankly… a lot of changes need to happen. But I really do try my best and I just… I fail… It happened when I stood up for Espio, and it happened when I tried out for the swim team."
The quarterback raised a brow. When did THIS happen?
"Huh? Ya did?..."
"Oh…" Mark wiped his trunk. "W-Well… after that Connery dude insulted my weight when Espio and I were at the Club and Organization Day, it made me feel even worse about myself and I wanted to try and balance it out, but as you can imagine… I've been terrible at sports all my life. But, when I was a kid, as a way to get me off the computer, my parents put me through a bunch of sports. I hated all of them except swimming. I was actually pretty good at it and did it for a couple of years, but I quit because they kept separating me to go with some old lady who did personal lessons with me and kept criticizing me. I just couldn't stand it…"
"I'm sure she meant well…"
"Not really. Of course, come today, I haven't swam in years, and around the time Espio's trial was happening, that's when the Division I swim team tryouts began. I wanted to at least try again, but heh heh… as usual, when I try my best… I failed and didn't make it. I sorta kinda expected it, so I wasn't too disappointed. Still, as much as people gave me weird looks… there was one person who didn't mind me being there. Razor."
Vector felt a lightbulb appear in his head. He recognized the name and even knew who he was talking about. Razor was the swim team captain who would sometimes come by AD Sommersby's office during meetings, and not to mention, he saw the shark during Club and Organization Days too.
"That dude?" Vector asked. "I've seen him around."
"Ye-Yeah… he said that he was proud of me for at least trying out and doing my best, even was surprised to hear I knew how to swim. Razor even left me his number to keep in touch, so that's how I got to know him little by little. And that's why I suggested you go to him when you came out to me, Espio."
The chameleon looked surprised, but nodded. "I see…"
"Regardless," Vector shook his head. "I'm glad yer at least tryin', but… this has gotta stop. Right now, me and the rest of the Badniks are gettin' hell, but Espio is still public enemy number one. And what I'm afraid of is… how far is Connery gonna go with all of this?"
"You know, maybe YOU oughta join the swim team. Be like me and just bolt it if any of those CCOCC fascists show up."
But the crocodile felt static appear in his mind when the tapir suggested what he did. J-Join a swim team?...
"Uh…" Vector said, looking around. "N-Nah… I'm good."
Mark looked confused. "I-I… I thought you were good at this stuff?"
Guess he had no choice… it seems that he was shoved into a corner, so now he had to reveal something he NEVER thought he would have to reveal.
"I can't swim."
"Huh?"
"I… I can't swim. I just sink at the bottom and I never really bothered to learn."
"What?! You're a crocodile! And besides, aren't you a jock?! Aren't they all good at like, every sport in existence?!"
"Just cause I'm a croc and good at football doesn't mean I'm a god at EVERY sport in existence!"
Suddenly, the crocodile could hear a very faint chuckle coming from the chameleon, who turned around and was seeming to cover his mouth. Vector snorted at this, finding it both adorable and amusing to see Espio act in such a way.
"Look, the main thing is," the crocodile continued, turning back to the tapir. "...is that this ain't like before where ya probably had no one. This time, even if ya got no one to back ya up," Vector reached over and grabbed the chameleon, pulling him in for a side hug. "Ya got me and Espio. And that's somethin', right?"
Mark softly smiled, but it still didn't seem assuring. "I… suppose…"
That's when Espio spoke up. "Ah! What happen to Norris… De-Dave… and Hacka-Hacker?"
"Oh… well… ever since what happened to me, anyone who seems to be associated with me in any way seems to also get crap from CCOCC. Norris had someone push a cup of coffee he was drinking out of his hand and got yelled at while passing by a demonstration on the way to class… Dave wanted to film what was going on for one of his classes and almost got his camera destroyed by someone yelling at him to not film him and yada yada, and Hacker thankfully hasn't been targeted but… They're all now afraid. Norris even told me that he wanted to try and lay low because of what I did, saying that I shouldn't have tried to play hero because now he and the others are attacked because of guilt by association. And I think Dave, Hacker, and the guys we play Depths of the Crypt with too feel the same…"
Once again… Vector was learning about how more and more people related to Espio in some way were now the next to be targeted by Connery and his group, and how far the cruelty would go. There was already Kit, now it was Mark's friends… and all because of association?! But there was also the fact that none of Mark's friends seemed to help him at his time of need, something that didn't fall on deaf ears.
"Mark," Espio continued. "You will be my friend. Okay?"
"I get what you're trying to say, Espio. And… thank you. It means a lot to hear… I'm still really not over what happened but… as long as you guys are here for me, then… then I'll try to stop being so scared."
Vector smiled, nodding his head. Though the situation still continued to affect the three, at that moment, he felt like he, Espio, and Mark had gotten closer than before. He just hoped that in this time of crisis, hope would shine through no matter what…
TUESDAY
It was the next week on Tuesday when something extraordinary happened.
A rare severe storm event.
Normally, February would find Central City usually cloudy or sunny with one similar detail; pure cold. But today, something unexpected was happening: there was a moderate chance of severe weather. With the heavy rain pelting the city alongside flashes of lighting and rumbles of thunder, Mobius U was on high alert that day, as classes had actually been canceled that day.
Currently, Vector and Espio were held up in their dorms, the crocodile watching the rain falling, heavy winds blowing through the trees at the front of campus, and the occasional flash of lightning followed by the shaking of the dorm as thunder rumbled. The radio was turned on to one of the local stations that provided the minute weather coverage, feet away from Espio, who sat at the desk on his laptop finishing up class discussions on Capsule.
"...repeating that again, the weather bureau has issued a severe thunderstorm alert for the Central City area until 2:45. Be on the lookout for possible tornadoes, as a tornado watch is also in effect for this area…" the radio droned on as the chameleon turned towards his boyfriend.
"Vector? Are you going to u… uo… work?" Espio asked as Vector looked behind him.
"Oh!... uh… in a minute. I mean, we got all day to catch up. At least, I dunno 'bout you, but I wasn't assigned too much today. Dun worry 'bout it, Es."
It was true that all he mainly had were class discussions and to read and answer the review questions for the next chapter in Kinesiology II, but the crocodile wasn't going to lie, he was in no mood to do homework or assignments or anything like that. Of course, he knew better than to procrastinate, as heaven knew what would happen-
That's when all of a sudden, the lights in the dorm room began to flicker. Vector looked behind him as another rumble of thunder sounded, the flickering now catching Espio's attention.
"What is happening?" he asked. Even though the chameleon was used to electricity by now, this must have been his first time ever seeing a light flicker.
"Oh… well, durin' big storms like this, if it gets REAL bad, the power can go out."
"Go out?... I do not understand."
Vector turned towards his boyfriend. "Ya know how when ya turn the light switch on, the lights in the dorm turn on, right?"
Espio nodded.
"Well, imagine if ya did that but no light came on, even if the switch is set to on."
The transfer student seemed confused. "It is not… how do you say that word…"
"Nah, we dun got infinite power. If this place goes out, it likely means the entire university's power is out-"
But almost as if on cue, like a deity listening in on his conversations, the sound of the minifridge dying and the AC unit turning off could be audible as the lights in the dorm completely shut off. Due to the dark clouds outside, the dorm was almost completely pitch black, leaving Vector and Espio in the dark.
"What is happening?!" the chameleon asked, getting out of his chair. Thankfully, there was still one source of light; Espio's laptop.
"The power went out. Looks like we're gonna be stuck in here fer a bit," Vector replied, turning towards the desk. "Close yer laptop, Es. Ya ain't gonna get any internet until the power comes back on, so ya can't continue yer assignments-"
But Espio had already gotten back to his laptop, turning to Vector and asking, "Vector, no in… inta… net."
"Er… inTERnet, I told ya this, Es… but this ain't the time fer an English lesson. Here… uh… what should we do… this ain't happen last year…" Vector got up, pacing around the room as it was briefly lit up from another flash of lighting outside. Just then, as he looked over at the nightstand, he noticed something on it.
"Hey…" Vector said, walking over and grabbing the candle of Solaris that Espio hadn't lit up. "Well, guess we're doin' things old-fashioned."
"Buck's gift…" Espio replied.
"And I bet ya likely recognize this, Es. But I dun have a lighter…"
That's when Vector thought of someone who DID, someone he HOPED was at their dorm in the middle of this. In fact, if he could listen clearly, he could hear her and the sound of a walkie-talkie down the hall…
"Actually, wait RIGHT here, Es. I'll be right back. And dun close the door! I dun think I'll be let back inside cause of the power outage."
With that, the crocodile took off out of the dorm after placing the candle back on the nightstand, ready to see an ever so familiar chipmunk.
Even if he knew he was going to get yelled at for interrupting her from doing her job.
Less than two minutes later, Vector came back to the dorm with Sally's cigarette lighter, walking over to the candle as Espio came by to watch. As the crocodile flicked the lighter and fire sparked out from it, the chameleon was completely shocked by what he was seeing.
"Not used to one of these, eh, Es?" Vector asked. "This is how we light fires nowadays. Convenient, ain't it?"
"This is not in my h-home…" he replied.
"I would ask if ya want it, but I uh… gotta give this back to Sally soon. Not like we got much to do anyway. Just gotta ride out this storm and wait fer the power to get back on."
The crocodile sat down on the floor, sighing with relief as he did. He carefully placed the candle on the floor, making sure that it was nice and stable so it wouldn't fall.
"Imagine that. The power goes out one minute, and next I burn this place to the ground. Literally," the quarterback joked. "Dun just stand there, Es. C'mon, sit down with me."
Vector patted the floor next to him as Espio slowly did what his boyfriend requested. Moving his hakama out of the way, the chameleon slowly crouched down and sat next to Vector, the crocodile resting his body on Espio's.
"Been a bit of time since I've seen a storm this bad," Vector said. "Where I live, we usually dun get them a lot. Kinda safe if ya ask me. The worst we've gotten is like, the backyard gettin' flooded cause we have a lot of flat ground there."
"It does not?" Espio asked.
"Yeah. It's always been a great place to play with mah friends or mah pops even. We used to spend a lot of time there, me 'n mah folks. I even trained there back in high school when I first joined the football team."
"Vector… I wo-want to know… about fu-football…"
Vector was confused. "Whaddya mean? Ya seen so many of our games and yer still confused?"
"No no… how do you… go to football? I do not know how to say that word."
"OHH! Are ya askin' how I got into it?"
"Ah! Yes!" Espio nodded quickly.
As another flash of lightning from outside and rumble of thunder shook the dorm, Vector looked over at the window and then back to his boyfriend as the weatherman on the radio droned on about information.
"Ya know what? The power is likely gonna be out fer a bit if I had to guess, so… why dun we pass the time?" he said. "Here, sit nice and cozy next to me and I'll tell ya, okay?"
The chameleon got closer to Vector as he looked up, excited for this sudden story.
"So… how I got into football… hm…" the crocodile said, scratching his lower snout. "Well, when I was a kid, pops and I used to LOVE to play football in the backyard a lot. I had one of those like… uh… soft footballs meant fer kids. But he and I used to love to play after he got home from work, all while mah mom watched and laughed. Then, I wanna say when I was like… eight, our park had sports fer kids to sign up fer. There was the common stuff like soccer and all that, but they had recently put in a youth football league fer our park so after beggin' fer WEEKS, dad signed me up. If anythin'... I owe mah love fer the sport to him to be honest."
"Your father…" Espio said, a… somewhat solemn look in his eye as he looked down at the floor before turning back to his boyfriend. "Is there more?"
"Ya bet there is. I kept up with the youth league until middle school, when they let the seventh graders finally join sports teams. So I quit the youth league and moved to mah middle school's football team. Yup, yer lookin' at a loud and proud Emerald Hill Middle School Driller veteran right here and now!"
"Sugoi desu ne…" Espio said in his native tongue, likely unsure of how to reply in English. "More?"
"Ha ha, ya wanna hear the full story of Vector, the world's greatest football player, huh?"
Espio smiled and nodded.
"Alright alright, full story time. Ya convinced me. So, after mah time in Emerald Hill, I moved to Green Forest High. Ya remember that sweater I gave ya fer Christmas? That's the high school I went to. Fun fact, that place is where I first met Knuckles and Mighty. Knuckles I met while we were on the team, and he was… a lot more different than he is today."
"How?"
"He was a lot more quiet, didn't really speak as much. He was also a lot more harsh on others, tellin' others off fer even the slightest thing. Me and him actually didn't get along too well until one of our games durin' the middle of the season. I actually helped him out of a huge pickle and won that game, to which he admitted I was a lot better than he was. Kinda grew into a huge funk I had to help him outta slowly. Learned it was cause around that time, his parents were goin' through their pretty nasty divorce, so he kinda took it out on the world. As yeh can tell, he got better."
"And Mighty?"
"Me and him were a lot more chill. I met him 'round the time we first started football together, askin' him what Knuckles' issue was. He was a bit more vague about it, but he kinda took me in. Course, once we sorted out our shit, we became almost inseparable, and Knuckles opened up a lot more. Honestly, without those two, I dunno where I'd be. They're some of the greatest friends I've had fer how long I've known them, and considerin' we all had plans to go to Mobius U together, it all worked out. And well… now ya see where I am now. A Badnik… and talkin' to ya…"
Espio slowly nodded his head. "You are… gu-great, Vector…"
Vector rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, Es…"
He gave his boyfriend a quick peck on the forehead as the chameleon rested his head on Vector's arm.
"Well? I had a bit of a story time. Whadda 'boutcha? Ya heard how I got into football, I wanna hear more 'bout Gojo. What's it like there? How is it like bein' a ninja?"
"Gojo? It is my home."
"Well, yeah… I figured as such. But… what's yer family like? Are they all ninjas like ya?"
"Yes. Mother is a ninjja… my sister is la-learning. And father…"
Espio grew silent, looking at the light of the candle as his face fell. Vector looked down at his boyfriend, a look of concern on his face.
"Oh… I forgot…" he said, remembering what Valdez told him about Espio's dad. "H-Hey… I'm sorry if I asked-"
"No no… it is okay. I want to tell you about… father."
Vector stayed silent as Espio continued to stare into the fire.
"Father… ke-care for me. Very much. Mother is…? Was?... Busy with Gojo, so father was with me?"
"Yeah, ya got it. Keep goin'. What was he like?"
"Father was ka-kind… he loved me very much. He love ichigo daifuku, and always give me. I loved su-sweets because of him. He also ch-train me too. When mother was bi… busy, father was there to help me."
"Wow… what a guy. He was kinda like yer mom in a way, since wasn't she like some ruler or somethin'? Mr. Valdez said so."
"Yes. She is the Bu-Bride of Gojo. My sister will be the Bride when she is old."
"How's yer sister like? I remember that image of her ya showed me when ya came back from Christmas Break."
Espio smiled, arms over his legs. "Shami is… very happy. She look like father… I love her very much. I miss her too."
"And yer mom?"
Suddenly, Espio's smile faded as he looked… conflicted. "Mother is… I… I do not know how to say that word…"
"Conflictin', I imagine? With all that stuff 'bout ya gettin' married, I can imagine yer not all that stoked. Seems like she really wants to push that hard. Hasn't she ever considered ya may not like who she wants ya to marry?"
Espio shook his head. "We do not know about gay in Gojo… I learn it here. But… I learn that gay exist in Yurashia…"
"Really now? Where did ya learn that?"
"When I learn about be… being… being gay? Is that ko… correct?"
"Yeah, it is. Still… I'm surprised they kept it from ya if it existed in Yurashia. Why do ya think so?"
"I… do not know."
The two reptiles looked back at the burning candle as a question in Vector's mind popped up. It was a question that he was curious about, but… he wanted his boyfriend to be as comfortable as possible. If he asked him this… he didn't know how Espio would react. But… he always believed in being open with your partners, even if it came to talking about the things that brought discomfort. As such, with nervousness in his stomach, Vector asked his question.
"Say… Es…" he began. "I've been curious all this time… and if ya dun wanna answer, I understand. But… ya told me that yer dad died, right? What… what happened?"
The chameleon stopped. His eyes grew wider as his breathing was hitched, something that Vector grew concerned about.
"Oh no… Es… I'm real sorry if I asked, I… I was just curious about-"
"No… No, Vector…" Espio replied. "I tell you… It is…"
"Dun worry. I'm here, Es… It's okay. Take as long as ya need."
Vector put his hand over Espio's as he waited for his boyfriend to calm down. Espio resorted to looking at the crocodile as he did so, knowing that his presence would be enough to calm him down. Finally, after a couple of deep breaths, Espio looked forward again.
"It happen… two yi-years ago. Father help people of Gojo… he always help them. Ba-But… he fo-fall. And when he fall… he died. I saw him… I will never forget…"
Though his description was brief, likely for obvious reasons, the fact that the chameleon saw his own dad's dead body horrified Vector. One day, your dad is healthy, alive, well, and smiling. And the next… he's lying on the ground after falling, motionless, completely unaware his own son is staring at his dead body.
Vector hugged his boyfriend tightly, squeezing him. "I am… so sorry that happened, Espio. I can only imagine just how horrific it was… ya shouldn't have to deal with that."
"It is… okay. I know he is okay too…"
"How do ya know?"
"I saw him… again. He talk to me…"
"What did he say?"
"He knew about me and this wa-world. He know about me and being gay. He tell me this. And… we do not be sa… sad… in Gojo."
"Didja not hold a funeral?"
"Fi… yuneral? What is that?"
"When someone dies, ya hold a ceremony in their honor. Dontcha do that?"
"Oh… we do. Ba-But… I… be sad for him enough. I know he does not want that."
"Still… Ya deserve to be sad over somethin' like that. Even if it is two years, most people would tell ya they dun really get over their folks dyin'. I dun even wanna think 'bout it when it comes to mine. It… it scares me. But… yer stronger than ya give yerself credit for, Espio. Ya really are a true ninja, huh?"
"Ninja do not be sad… I learn this in Gojo…"
Generational teaching… no wonder Espio felt conflicted about his dad's death…
Just then, the room started to get slightly colder as Vector shivered, unwrapping his arms from Espio as he rubbed his arms.
"Rrr… is it just me, or did it get cold in here?" Vector said. "Probably the heat goin' out… Here, why dun we get in bed fer warmth? It'll be like the time our heater broke."
The crocodile got up, grabbed the candle, and placed it on the nightstand next to his bunk as he sat down on the bed. He moved his legs and spread his body across, Espio soon realizing what he was doing and crawling over Vector as he lay next to him. The crocodile grabbed his sheets and placed them tightly over the two, the two reptiles now covered up.
"Better?" asked Vector. Espio nodded in response.
"So, while we're gettin' warm, tell me more about what it's like bein' a ninja. Yeh and Mr. Valdez always talked about it, but I wanna know more. Whaddya learn? How is it like? How many weapons do ya know how to use?"
Espio looked over at his boyfriend. "Do you want to know?"
"Yeah!"
"Ninja ti-teaching is a secu-secret."
"Aw, c'mon! I won't tell anyone! Pretty please, fer yer boyfriend?"
The transfer student sighed. "I only tell small things. Okay?"
"Yeah yeah! So? What's it like?"
"I train every day for ha-hours. I know ninjutsu, shuirkenjutsu, boujutsu, kenjutsu, kyuujutsu, jujutsu. I also know naginatajutsu, but I am not good."
"Are those all different fighting styles?"
"Yes. And… how do you say that word… Setsu say it… uep… weapon?"
"So hand to hand, weapon usage, all the other ninja stuff like turnin' invisible like ya do, all that ya learned?"
"Yes. Ninjutsu is important to the Shinobi."
"Shinobi?"
"My ku… clan."
"Wait… ya ain't just a ninja… yer apart of a NINJA CLAN?! How much cooler can ya get, Es?"
"Ku… kool?"
"Like, awesome… amazin'! Like, ya know all this stuff, Es! Well? Gimme some pointers! I wanna get a quick ninja lesson!"
"Okay… I know how to kill someone."
"Yeah and… wait… what?"
Espio raised himself from the bed, grabbing Vector's hand. Confused, the crocodile also raised his torso up from the bed as the chameleon reached over to the back of the head.
"Here," he said, rubbing the lower back of Vector's head. Then, he moved to different parts of the crocodile's body. From his upper chest, to just above his armpit, his heart, his liver, his inner thigh ("E-Espio…! Whaddya doin' to-touchin' there!" Vector almost yelled out when the chameleon reached his hands under the covers), and behind the knee.
"All this… these pa-parts… you will die if sh… shtruck."
"Wait… ya… ya know these? And… and have ya… tried it?"
"Not on people. But I know it very well."
"Oh… I see…" a conflicted smile appeared on Vector's face as he looked around nervously. "Es… remind me that if we start livin' together, if I ever make ya mad, make sure I hide whatever knives we have…"
Espio seemed confused as he lay back down on the bed, looking at the top bunk and sighing.
"Like Gojo, I learn ma-much here," Espio said. "I learn about history. I learn about other things. About English… and about what you la-like, Vector."
The chameleon raised his hand up, almost as if he was reaching out.
"I look at the moon when I was ya-younger. I wanted to know if someone go to the moon to see… how do you say that word… Thorn is one."
"What about her?"
"She is a…"
"...rabbit?"
"Yes! There is a rua… rabbit on the moon. I want to know if someone go to it. If someone go to see the sutars too. I always think about going…"
As Espio continued to raise his hand in the air, he felt Vector suddenly grab it. Espio looked over at his boyfriend, Vector's large palm overlapping his own.
"Well then, I'll be there with ya to see everythin'. The rabbit in the moon, all the stars in the sky. Whatever ya want, I'll do with ya, okay? How does that sound?"
"Vector…"
The chameleon looked deep into his boyfriend's eyes, and with the sounds from outside being drowned out by his inner thoughts, at that moment, it felt like the two reptiles were closer than they had ever been before. He smiled down at Espio, still refusing to let go of his hand. He knew they were just seconds from giving each other a kiss, but… something about the moment just now… felt more special. Being here like this, it was like-
A siren going off.
All of a sudden, Vector raised himself from the bed as he heard the sound of a siren.
"What the…?" he asked himself. The crocodile looked around the room as Espio too looked concerned.
"What is that?" he asked. Just then, there was the sound of loud beeps coming from the radio.
"This just in. A Tornado Alert has been issued for the Central City area. Doppler radar has indicated rotation detected in the severe thunderstorm currently above the city. Residents are asked to take shelter in the center most area of the building…" it said.
"Tornado?! Whaddya mean?! They never happen here! Especially durin' this time of year!" Vector exclaimed, grabbing the radio. Just then, loud commotion began to sound from outside.
"Okay everyone! You saw the text from the university! Leave your dorms immediately and head straight down to the shelter on the first floor of West Hall! NOW!" Sally called out. "Make sure to also leave all elevators and ramps open for our disabled residents!"
Just then, Vector's phone began to buzz loudly as he got it out from his pocket. Seeing that it was an alert from the university, Espio reached over to look.
"Shit…" Vector said. "We gotta get outta here. C'mon, Espio. Get yer shoes on quickly and let's do what Sally's saying."
"Vector, what is going on?" Espio asked.
"There's some really bad weather outside and they're askin' us to head to the shelter we never use. It won't be long, and usually it's just a false alarm. It still is protocol though," Vector said as he got his pair of shoes, not even bothering to put on socks. "Here ya go,"
The crocodile quickly handed over his boyfriend's geta as he grabbed his wallet, opening the door before walking over to the nightstand and blowing out the candle.
"Just in case. Ya ready?"
Espio nodded as he finished placing his geta.
"Good, let's go."
With that, the two reptiles left the dorm as large crowds of dorm residents moved through West Hall. As Belle and her roommate passed by the two reptiles, Knuckles and Mighty quickly caught up to their friends.
"Talk about a commotion," Mighty said. "You get the alert, guys?"
"We've been listenin' to the radio all day pretty much," Vector replied. "Still… a tornado in February? Talk about weird…"
"And I was excited that we actually got our classes canceled. This just blows…" Knuckles replied. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime?"
"Ride this thing out and pray to Gaia the roof doesn't collapse over our heads. Well… I think yeh'd be okay at least, Mighty. That shell of yers has always withstood anythin'."
"Speaking of that… is this Espio's first time being in a tornado? Will he be okay?"
"I told him these things usually just tend to be false alarms. We'll be fine, Mighty. Just gotta do what Sally says."
With that, the four followed the crowd of people from the third floor to the first floor of West Hall, piling into a large shelter area as the residents all sat around the perimeter of the room. Many of them were talking to one another, on their phones texting and calling their friends or family, while others seemed bored. Vector, Espio, Knuckles, and Mighty all found a place to set as Sally was helping some of the physically disabled residents of West Hall into the shelter.
"Okay, that should be everyone, right?" the chipmunk asked. "I'm going to come around and ask which dorm number you are and how many residents there are just to verify."
As Sally began, Espio looked over at Vector.
"Vector… will we be okay?" he asked. The crocodile looked down at his boyfriend, putting his hand on Espio's once again.
"We'll be fine, Es. I promise. In 'bout an hour, we'll be back at our dorm, hopefully with the lights back on, and all that jazz. And if I'm wrong, well, ya can call dibs on dinner for tonight. How does that sound?"
Espio nodded softly as Vector brought the transfer student's hand up, kissing the back of his hand and rubbing it with his thumb. "See? That's a promise on mah part."
But as he watched Espio smile, there was the sound of someone going, 'Uhh…' behind him. The two turned around, seeing Knuckles and Mighty. Eyes widened, almost in complete disbelief, Vector realized what he had just done.
He thought he was still back in the dorm alone with Espio.
Remembering that he STILL hadn't told Knuckles or Mighty about this, the crocodile looked around, trying to ease the tension between his friends. It's not like he expected them to be completely shocked, just a little surprised if all. Still, that feeling of awkwardness could be felt deeply as the crocodile turned back to his friends.
"W-What? It's just assurance. Maybe yeh two oughta try it."
Thankfully, the warning came and went as moments after the announcement of the alert ending, the power finally came back on to West Hall, much to the happiness of its residents. With that, everyone returned back to their dorms as the rain and thunder finally had started to calm down.
Vector was just glad that the stress of the day seemed to finally end, as he could focus on finishing up his last bit of assignments. As such, he walked back with Espio in tow, scanning his ID back to the door. But before he could open it up.
Someone cleared their throat behind him.
Vector and Espio turned around to see Knuckles and Mighty standing by them.
"What?" he asked.
"You know what. What happened back there," the echidna replied.
"Vector… are you and… Espio… dating?" the armadillo added.
"I suppose I shouldda told ya sooner, huh?" Vector sighed. "Yeah, it's true. Sorry fer not tellin' ya… as yeh can tell, a lot happens in a couple of weeks. I shouldn't have kept ya in the dark 'bout this."
Knuckles walked up to the crocodile, stared at Espio, then at Vector, before-
Punching his arm.
"Actin' like a sly devil behind our backs, huh?" he joked as he grinned. "Look at you, Mr. Big Shot Football Star has himself a boyfriend. Oh, how you break the hearts of our cheerleaders."
"Heh, maybe they'll get the message!"
"By the by, Mighty... you owe me thirty mobiums. They dated before finals."
"Come on! Not now!"
Both Knuckles and Vector laughed as Mighty shook his head alongside them before turning to the crocodile.
"I don't blame you, Vector. With all this stuff going on between you and CCOCC, I get it. Totally. But for real, I'm proud of you guys. You and Espio just… work off one another so well. It's like you guys were… oh boy, am I gonna say this? It's like you two were made for each other."
"Really?" Vector asked as he brought in Espio for a side hug, surprising him.
"Dude, there was like a joke between some of the guys on the team about how long it would take for you and Espio to start dating. At this point, I can't say I'm surprised. But… you're my friend, Vec. And you too, Espio," Knuckles added. "I just hope that you have a healthy relationship in spite of all this CCOCC crap."
"Tell me 'bout it," Vector replied. "Well, no matter what Connery or Monk does, I dun give a shit. I'm happy bein' with Espio, and Espio the same too. I wanna make this guy the happiest I can make him, each and every day."
"Okay, get a room you two," Mighty replied, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, SORRY that yer jealous that ya ain't gettin' the cutest couple award! Why dontcha two start? Maybe then you'll have SOME hope climbin' outta ninety-ninth place!"
Mighty grinned. "But for real though, congrats. Next time though… actually tell us, okay?"
Vector nodded. "Not to worry, not to worry! It was just this once! Anyway, me and Espio gotta head back to work on assignments. If yeh ain't busy, wanna head to the dinin' hall together fer dinner? We haven't done so ever since wrestlin' has ya so busy, Mighty."
"Well, practice for me is canceled today so, why not? What do you think, Knux?"
The echidna crossed his arms. "Just as long as you and Espio aren't locking tongues, I'm down!"
"Hey, I have SOME self-respect, ya know! Just cause me and Espio are datin' doesn't mean I'm gonna bend him over in public! Soundin' like Monk now…"
"Gaia PREVENT the day I sound like him… anyway, we'll leave you to it," Knuckles then walked up to his friend and patted his shoulder. "We'll see you later!"
Mighty walked by and patted Vector's arm as the two reptiles watched the armadillo and echidna return to their dorms.
"They are okay with a-us," Espio said.
"Yeah…" the crocodile replied, turning to Espio. "They always been chill about that kinda stuff. They were never gonna be like CCOCC at all. It ain't like them. Besides… if anythin', that kinda positivity is needed after everythin' goin' on. I'm just glad those idiots are smart enough to not protest durin' a tornado."
But Espio still seemed conflicted. What was wrong?
"But… I am worry… worried… about Gojo…"
Vector looked down at Espio, knowing that Espio must have been conflicted about everything his home was in regards to his relationship. As such, he crouched down and looked the chameleon in the eyes.
"Listen to me, Es… I said it before and I'll say it again. I unfortunately can't stop ya from returnin' home to Gojo and gettin' forced into a marriage ya dun want. But what I want is fer yeh to have the best few months here that ya possibly can, so that when ya go back home, the memories of us datin' will be priceless. I want ya to never forget who truly made ya happy, who cared aboutcha, and who still is gonna think 'bout ya even when yer gone. Okay? All this I'm doin'..."
He then grabbed his boyfriend's hand. "It's fer yeh. All of it. I'm gonna make ya the happiest chameleon yeh've ever been, no matter what. I already know yer makin' me happy. Just bein' here right now with yeh… it makes me happy as is."
He looked down at Espio, who seemed to let everything sink into his mind. The crocodile then opened the door for his boyfriend, bringing him into the dorm and holding his hand throughout the entire way, letting it truly sink into the chameleon's mind that Vector was going to love him more and more each and every day.
And Vector would make sure he would uphold that promise, no matter what or who got in his way.
END OF CHAPTER 34
