(AN: Hi everyone. So yeah, I know it's been some time since the last chapter. And for that, I apologize greatly. I was hit with some of the worst writer's block I've ever dealt with before in my life and I mean, this was BAD. June was just... it was not a kind month for me.
And to think I missed posting vecpio on pride month. Shame on me, I know.
Regardless, I'm hoping this month things will look better since I actually have a new refill for my anti anxiety meds which really helped me write a lot more, just anything to get out of this rut. I apologize deeply again, and I hope this chapter more than makes up.
Plus, I figured I could give you all some time to ponder what was going to happen next? Well, this chapter has answers! But before you continue, it's important I mention that the last chapter was edited to add two extra scenes not in the original posting. The two scenes are during Monk's confrontation with Nicky but before Bow and the Mercian students intervene, and the second is towards the end of Vector's confrontation with Connery. So if you want to check those out, I recommend you do.
With that out of the way, I offer my final apology to those who waited so long for this chapter Thank you so much for being patient and understanding. And I hope you enjoy.)
cw: racism, lgbtphobia. Special thanks to my translator for this story for critiquing the cold opening.
"I must say, I am very happy to see you all sitting at this table with me tonight. The fact that you all took time out of your busy schedules, especially you, Representative, to come to this dinner, it means a lot. I hope that you'll be able to come to our next event in March and that you'll be able to help our agenda progress faster than ever before in the history of CCOCC. So, if you would like to join me in this toast-"
Connery grabbed his glass of champagne as a sea of drink glasses were raised, clinking together. Smiles and nods were shared as the toast came to an end, Connery taking his first sip.
"Thank you again for the invitation, Mr. Connery," replied Pluribus Fink, grabbing his utensils and beginning to cut into his filet mignon. "Ever since you contacted me last earlier this month about everything going on at your campus, I feel more compelled to work hard on overturning the trial results from January. The courts, unfortunately, are giving me a hard time as they see this to be a done and done case, but my staff and I are exploring every option we have."
"Well, we just want to see results first more than anything," replied the orange haired Overlander woman right across from the mouse, shaking her head. "I had been hearing from my sources and my staff about who the terrorist on your campus is, Connery. A disgusting Yurashian who refuses to follow our values and culture? Despicable. Everything I've heard, he sounds exactly like the type of person the left wants on our streets, destroying our laws and taking advantage of our taxes while he flaunts such a backwards way of living."
Connery took a sip of his champagne. "Unfortunately, many people still continue to defend the boy. Including people I have considered myself close with. I don't cry for losing their friendship. I simply just pity them for being blind. It matters not anyway, individuals like you all sitting in front of me are true Patriots. Especially you, Representative Huntress. I told you this when you arrived, but thank you for joining our dinner tonight and taking time out of your busy schedule."
"Please Connery, Katella is fine. You've known me for long enough, especially since it was your father that got me to where I am now," Katella replied, brushing her hand against her chin. "No need for the formalities. Especially during a dinner like this."
"Well, it's just my way to show respect, Representative. How can you expect me to forgo formalities, especially when I'm ready to discuss with you why I set up this meeting."
"Sir, your mushroom risotto," a sudden voice said, putting down a plate in front of the horse.
"Ah, thank you. Where was I… ah yes…"
Connery put his elbows on the table, chin resting against his hands as he looked around the table of mobians and Overlanders.
"As you know, CCOCC set up our first event earlier this month which included not only speakers from our group, but also special guests. Including your fellow representative, Katella."
"Kodos is frankly one of the very few people in our side of the house that isn't weak enough to bow down to the left. To say we've gotten along is an understatement," the Overlander replied.
"This time, I want our next event to be even bigger than our last one. We personally had to raise the funds from our last event after our budget ran out, and we were hoping we could finance things out and have you all come as a speaker too. CCOCC will be VERY glad to have you on board. Kragrok, as one of the top spokespeople on the Brotherhood Inquirer Network, having your network broadcast the entire event would help our cause even more than you've already done with our agenda. Is there any way you can convince someone?"
The dark red echidna rubbed his chin, setting his fork down. "I can see with the higher ups. I'm sure they won't mind, but if not, we can have some of our journalists come to write an article. I would even be glad to discuss it on a segment of my show too should we not be able to broadcast the entire thing."
"Here's one question," a green opossum next to Kragok replied. "What do we get out of funding your event? While I acknowledge the success of what you and your group has done, Connery, I'm not a charity. I worked for my money, so I wanna see if you genuinely mean every word you say when you want to plan this out."
"Must you be this distrusting of others, Clutch? You and I agree on so much when it comes to the economy, especially now that the senile fool we have as a president keeps begging for more tax cuts for hard working conglomerates like your business. Besides, I have already planned out much of not only what my speech is going to be, but who we have as speakers and our main theme. 'The Clenched Fist of Truth: The Fight against Wokeness and how to save our country from The Invasion'. That's what I've called our event."
"The Invasion?' Prosecutor Fink asked.
"You know exactly what I mean, Pluribus, especially as a prosecutor in immigration court. Over the last several years, the United Federation has been tanking as a country. Not only do we continue opening our borders for undesirables who want nothing more but to spread chaos and erase our identity, but we have a party that wants to defund our police all while crime rates go up. It's an invasion that only we can stop, because no place is safe from those who wish to destroy our country. Crisis City is a prime example of what happens when your leaders are weak. You're left with a city that's made its citizens fearful of even going out to get groceries thanks to non stop gang violence at the hands of thugs. And only their tyrannical governors are to blame. Katella, you definitely know about this too. In your district, you had that art thief going around desecrating our monuments to our history. That Phantom R character, was it?"
The orange haired woman nodded. "To think that the head of my District was a member of the Conservative Party, yet didn't seem to care about crime happening right before his eyes because he cared more about sitting in the kiddie pool with the left. It's a dangerous precedent to set. How much longer will our country be wrecked before someone does something about these criminals?"
"As long as we continue being censored, no one. But I never back down to anything, and the societal collapse of the United Federation is something I refuse to let happen."
"Even so, CCOCC is under major scrutiny right now," Clutch replied. "It's been all over the mainstream media, that riot that happened earlier today. They're saying someone from CCOCC did it."
"Clutch, don't you know by now not to care about whatever fake news is written about you?" Katella replied. "Every week I have to see a new OP-ed about me written by a fragile snowflake who can't handle the truth."
"Besides, I've told our university's newspaper that I disavow anything like that nor did I ask them to do it," Connery continued. "Of course, should that be how they resort to their message, who am I to butt in when more people know about our cause? After all, you all know the saying, 'Nothing wrong with bad publicity', no?"
"You really have learned from your father!"
"Why thank you, Representative. In all truths, I can't blame my fellow protestors and CCOCC members for their actions and attitudes today. Many of them are just as fed up with the university officials and their sheep of a student body. To see that passion out in the person… it really does remind me that our cause is not losing traction at all. But should any of them be under fire from the university, we've already planned out ways to not only bail them out, but to protect them from any sort of future liability. And if they're suspended or expelled? The officials will be begging us to stop what we have planned for them…"
"If anyone is prosecuted, come to me, Connery," Prosecutor Fink replied. "I'll work my damndest to get them off the hook. College kids are always the easiest provided murder isn't involved.."
"I still don't know why you want to fight with those socialist officials. But if you actually manage to turn something out, then by Gaia…" Kragrok replied as others around the table agreed in unison.
"What were you planning?" Clutch replied.
"When the people are fed up by the failures of the higher ups, they take matters into their own hands," Connery replied. "One of my fellow football players and CCOCC members did so today as one of the main leaders in charge of a group of protesters against our campus' LGBT group. That's the prime example of what happens when leadership fails and we the people take matters into our own hands."
"Thank Solaris that some in your generation have some common sense to protest child grooming and the LGBT agenda. Far too many people your age feel the need to support such degeneracy and not realize the evils of homosexuality and transexuality," Katella commented.
"That's his call and exactly the type of person I strive to be as a leader to my fellow CCOCC members as their student rep. However, should any of them fall to the officials, we plan to retaliate. Phone numbers, email addresses, we see no harm in pointing people in the right direction to voice their complaints. After all, the head of our foreign exchange program, the one responsible for bringing that Yurashian I mentioned in my speech, has had to cut his answering machine off from what I've heard."
Connery's look darkened. "But now, I want to extend this to anyone who opposes our agenda. Until we get what we want, I refuse to back down against anyone. My goals will be checked off one by one, and it'll start with getting that Yurashian chameleon off campus. As I always said, rooting out the source of the disease is better than trying to fix what's already spread."
The table was silent as Clutch put his hands on the table, staring at Connery.
"Done," he replied.
"Done?"
"I see you're absolutely serious about this and how much you've planned out. You have a deal, Connery. I'm willing to finance this event."
"And you have legal protection from me!" Pluribus replied.
"My platform is very large, so for us to be working together… your father would be proud," Katella replied.
Many others around the table agreed and nodded their heads as Connery felt a beam of light shining on him. Not only did he have a deal, he had all these people working alongside him and CCOCC!
"Where do you suppose we start first?" Kragok replied.
"Right now, that event that happened earlier today with CCOCC members and fellow protestors will need to be downplayed as much as possible. We need to make it seem like the left was the one who started this, wanting to suppress our free speech as much as they can. Plus, we can ask why they still continue to refuse to do anything about that chameleon who still continues to threaten our way of life. Do you not know how despicable it is, having to wake up on campus not knowing what he's planning next? If anything, he should be next on our chopping block."
The others stopped eating and paid close attention to everything Connery said. "Yurashia as a whole has been the subject of protests under us, and it'll continue as long as he still stays on campus until he gets the message. That we don't want a filthy Shian destroying our society and thinking that he has a place here even when he can't assimilate. After all, everything on our campus was fine until he arrived. And if doesn't get the message… well, he'll learn the hard way."
"And what's your plan?" Kragrok replied.
"To do what the police, campus officers, and courts have failed to do for so long… bring him to justice. You remember the trial, Pluribus. The Shian deluded himself into thinking he's a ninja. That more than anything should prove that he's as dangerous as can be, and I'm not going to let this city turn into Crisis City. And thankfully, I already have some help thanks to one supporter of CCOCC being a former officer-"
As soon as this was said, one of the mobians turned their heads to the side as she raised a brow. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Katella replied.
"I thought I heard something run off by us… like a person."
"Don't worry about it. Must have been a Ricky. Heaven knows Democracy Party infested cities like these are filled with such filth."
Connery, however, stared at the awning surrounding the outdoors area of the restaurant. His eyes lowered, something clear on his mind to anyone at the table.
"...that event that happened earlier today with CCOCC members and fellow protestors will need to be downplayed as much as possible… To do what the police and campus officers have failed to do for so long… bring him to justice. And thankfully, I already have help thanks to one supporter of CCOCC being a former officer… To do what the police and campus officers have failed to do for so long… bring him to justice.. one supporter of CCOCC being a former officer… former officer… former officer… That we don't want a filthy Shian destroying our society and thinking that he has a place here even when he can't assimilate. And if not… well, he'll learn the hard way… That we don't want a filthy Shian… filthy Shian-"
From the pitch blackness of where he parked his car, Vector stared down at the light coming from his phone, repeating everything Connery had just said. He raised his phone up, letting the horse's words sink into his mind.
"To do what the officers failed to do, huh?" Vector thought to himself, looking down at his backpack next to him filled with books on the law he borrowed from the library. All the while, the word Connery used to describe his boyfriend filling Vector's mind as he knew what to do next.
MEANWHILE
A half-eaten bag of chips sat in front of Espio as the chameleon ran his hands over his eyes. He had just finished telling Smithy everything that happened today during his first break, starting from the phone call he got from the hospital about Jewel to him being followed by someone back to the dorm and having to report the situation. The maroon lion seemed completely awestruck, not sure of what to make of the situation.
"I…" Smithy said, blinking rapidly as he shook his head. He whistled as he turned his head to the side. "I don't even know where to begin, kid. Sounds like you've had the longest week in existence the last time I saw you. You've been telling me about this stuff, but jeez, you hear about stuff like that happening on Prison Island. Not at a college."
"I do not know what to do…" Espio replied, putting his hands on his cheeks. "I do not feel… shtr… shtrong… is that correct?"
"Kid, I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you," Smithy put his hand on Espio's shoulder. "I think you've had way too much on your plate lately. Each time we meet, you describe all these things happening to you, each time getting worse than the last. At some point, you have to put your foot down."
Espio looked back down at his bag of chips, not saying anything as confliction was still on his mind. Smithy put down the wrap he held down onto his plate as he looked down at the chameleon.
"Y'know, there's something my old man used to say to me before I ended up getting kicked out," the lion said. "Believe it or not, I used to be a little bitch back then. Quite the cowardly lion as opposed to the person I would end up becoming down the road. And one day, my old man told me something after slapping me to get me to stop crying. He heard me say that I wanted to get revenge on a group of boys who used to pick on me and considering I already had my moments of outbursts, he knew I probably meant it seriously. So he sat me down and told me, 'Smithy, as much as you want to channel that anger into violence, you're still just a kid. Taking control of your own life means more than just trying to be a big man for your own sake, it means being responsible at times of need. There'll come a time where karma will come to those who wrong you. But that karma won't come to you whenever you want it. It only comes when the time is right."
Espio raised his head up, seeing that Smithy was back to his usual verbose self. But seeing the look on his face…
"Espio, I would have to say the same to you too. I used that same advice to justify punishing those who wronged the Diamond Cutters, whether through my fists… or… or even a gun. But I know now that I kept wanting that karma to be brought by my own hands, not by the flow of time. You, on the other hand, have so much opportunity to change the future. I fucked up my own life, but I won't let you do the same. You have to work to let that moment of karma choose to strike against the people that are hurting you and your friends."
"But… how?" Espio asked. "I do not know… how."
"It would be easy to give an answer, but it's better to work towards finding that answer. You yourself know it."
…
It was just what his father told him in his dream before he started this semester…
He looked back up at the lion. He knew he had told Smithy about how it was like seeing Buck and having his mind conjure up the memory of seeing his father instead of the deer, and right now, he could see an ashy sort of look in the lion's eyes. Still… it wasn't a cohesive answer.
He knew he had to get revenge on Connery, on Monk, and on CCOCC, but… how? Where was he going to begin… when he was never trained for this? How was he going to avenge his friends, the people of this school, and… and Vector…?
"Jewel tell me that… eeh… Dehmokuracy Party will help."
Smithy's face turned into one of skepticism, shaking his head in disagreement.
"Tch, no. No they won't."
"No?"
"Let me be real with you, Espio. As much as your Jewel friend believes that the Democracies will help, they only care about themselves. Same with the Conservatives too. They might hate each other, but one thing they can both agree on is how much they hate people like me and how much they wanna lock people up for even the smallest of misdemeanors. All the laws they've passed to make our sentences, our living conditions, all of that worse and worse by the day… they wouldn't give a damn about someone like you because to them, you committed a crime. You don't get the same healthcare that everyone else gets, you barely have money, you can't find a job, and everyone thinks of you as some dangerous monster. To solve this, you're gonna have to do what I would easily give the best advice to anyone new to the life of prison: You have to look out for yourself and take action into your own hands."
"Myself?"
"Luckily, you have another advantage I don't. You have friends. People who you look out for, and who look out for you. If your officials aren't doing anything about this little group that's terrorizing you, fuck it. Take responsibility into your own hands."
Espio blinked, letting Smithy's words sink into his mind for the rest of the night.
Take responsibility… into his own hands…
Still conflicted by everything in his mind, Espio saw the reflection of the campus hospital pass by the window of Officer Wachowski's squad car as he and the Overlander officer returned back to campus. The chameleon sighed, thinking about Buck and all the wires and objects he was connected to. He could only hope his friend was okay…
After being taken back to the campus, walking past someone with a large foam cup sipping from a straw, Espio walked towards down West Hall as he stood in front of the dorm door. He reached down to his inrou, grabbing his ID from it and pressing it against the scanner. With the usual beep, Espio opened the door as he looked to see an interesting sight.
Vector was currently awake, multiple books surrounding him as he sat at the desk.
"Oh, yer back!" Vector said, removing his reading glasses and turning around in the chair. "How was community service tonight?"
Espio removed his geta by the door as he shut it, turning back to face his boyfriend.
"Good…" he replied, still thinking about today's events. This wasn't lost on Vector as he frowned.
"C'mere," he said, tapping his knee. The chameleon walked towards the direction of his boyfriend, looking down at the desk and all the books atop it.
"What are you du-doing?" the transfer student asked.
"Just some late night readin'. Dun worry, I ain't slackin' on homework," Vector looked around. "Are ya okay? I know ya had a hard day, Es…"
"Vector… what do I do?"
The crocodile sighed as he put his hand on Espio's cheek, rubbing it softly with his large hand as Espio slowly held his boyfriend's forearm.
"I… wish I could answer. Even I dun have an answer at a time like this," Vector replied. "But I'm tryin' the best I can to live, and so should yeh. There'll be an end to this, I hope. I believe so anyway."
"But… I lose… hou… hope? I do not know that word. But you sei-say it."
Vector guided his boyfriend closer to him and kissed him on the cheek, hugging him softly.
"It's hard, I know. I can only imagine just how much worse things might get. But I think we've reached a point where maybe this'll all blow over. Connery, Monk, and all them, they'll get their just desserts. Just ya wait and see. And everyone who's gotten hurt will feel better too. That reminds me, didja wanna visit the campus hospital to see Buck tomorrow? I figured yeh'd be worried 'bout him."
"Ah! Yes! And Alan and Munch…"
"Hey, remember what I told ya. Ya gotta give them space and time. They're both still hurtin' from what happened today. But I'm sure Buck should be conscious tomorrow. Let's be sure to get him a get well gift from the student store too, okay?"
Espio nodded.
"Good. Now, I think yeh oughta head to bed now. Yeh had a frankly long day and I bet yer tired from everythin'. Dun worry 'bout me. I'll be in bed soon. I'm just tryin' to read through these fer somethin' important."
With that, Vector gave another kiss to his boyfriend, who returned the kiss and seemed almost relaxed now.
"Better?" the crocodile asked.
"I fi-feel… okay."
"Little by little, y'know? Just remember that ya know I'm always here, Es. Whatever's on yer mind, however ya feel, dun be afraid to tell me. I might not always know the solution, but imma try my damndest to make ya feel as calm and relaxed as I can. Now c'mon, make sure to brush yer teeth, okay?"
Espio nodded. "Okay."
With that, the chameleon climbed down his larger boyfriend as he walked over to the pullout dresser, taking out his night robe as he began to unsash his kimono, making sure to not get any part of his clothes dirty.
"But I still feel conflicted… and I don't even think Vector could help me… who should I talk to that won't try to harm me?" Espio thought to himself.
From across the room, Vector turned around back in his seat as he picked up his reading glasses and placed them over his eyes. Going back to his book, he put his cheek on his hand as his eyes guided along the words of the pages.
"...in each district of the United Federations, crimes are classified as either misdemeanors or felonies. In order to assign sentences to an offense, some districts will divide felonies into categories, punish an individual on a crime by crime basis (as in, the more times an individual finds trouble with the law, the harsher their punishment will be), or, use a hybrid approach. This section will talk about the differences between each type of felony and which district uses what felony category, as well as what potential charges could come from crimes committed by an individual…"
Vector's eyes continued to scan the pages of the large book, trying to find anything he could use to use against Connery to stop everything going on. He had the recording of him practically admitting that he didn't care what Monk or the other CCOCC protestors did, that he wanted to release the personal information of those who oppose him, to even his thinly veiled threat towards Espio that somehow involve a former officer.
"They really oughta have made stochastic terrorism a crime at this point…" Vector thought to himself, flipping the page as he continued reading. Even as Espio walked past him to come back from the downstairs washroom, to turn off the lights and as he turned in bed, Vector continued to flip more and more pages of books as they continued piling up next to the crocodile. Vector yawned silently, his jaws wide open as he slapped the side of his head to force himself awake.
"C'mon, Vec! Yer not only doin' fer yeh and yer friends, yer mainly doin' this fer Es. Ya can't let him down, can yeh?" he once again thought to himself. But it felt harder and harder. He was no closer to an answer for how to catch Connery in his tracks, using his own words against him to let everything backfire in his face. He even put on his headphones, letting the audio recording of Connery at Restaurant Swa play on loop over and over again, making sure everything he said wouldn't be lost on the crocodile.
"There has to be somethin', ANYTHIN'!" Vector was now starting to dig his fingernails into his forehead, feeling more and more desperate by the second. Everything Connery was saying was starting to repeat in his mind over and over and over again…
That's when his face changed when his eyes skimmed over one specific sentence in the current book he was reading.
"FEDERATION CODE 18, SECTION 213
DEPRIVATION AND CONSPIRACY UNDER RIGHTS
Should any person, or group of people, conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any District of the United Federations in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the United Federations Constitutional Code, they shall be fined under this code, will not be protected under existing free speech laws, and, depending on whether the action was intentional, repetitive, caused harm to the person and their family, will be fined or will be imprisoned for no longer than ten years based on the opinion of prosecutorial court-"
Vector's eyes widened as he slowly got up from his chair. He paused the recording as he felt his breathing hitch, his eyes returning back to his phone as he rewound the status bar to a relevant portion of the recording.
"…however, should any of them fall to the officials, we plan to retaliate. Phone numbers, email addresses, we see no harm in pointing people in the right direction to voice their complaints. After all, the head of our foreign exchange program, the one responsible for bringing that Yurashian I mentioned in my speech, has had to cut his answering machine off from what I've heard. But now, I want to extend this to anyone who opposes our agenda. Until we get what we want, I refuse to back down against anyone. My goals will be checked off one by one, and it'll start with getting that chameleon off campus. As I always said, rooting out the source of the disease is better than trying to fix what's already spread."
Pause. Skip.
"In all truths, I can't blame my fellow protestors and CCOCC members for their actions and attitudes today. Many of them are just as fed up with the university officials and their sheep of a student body. To see that passion out in the person… it really does remind me that our cause is not losing traction at all. But should any of them be under fire from the university, we've already planned out ways to not only bail them out, but to protect them from any sort of future liability. And if they're suspended or expelled? The officials will be begging us to stop what we have planned for them…"
Pause. Skip.
"If anything, he should be next on our chopping block. Yurashia as a whole has been the subject of protests under us, and it'll continue as long as he still stays on campus until he gets the message. That we don't want a filthy Shian destroying our society and thinking that he has a place here even when he can't assimilate. And if not… well, he'll learn the hard way."
"And what's your plan?"
"To do what the police, campus officers, and courts have failed to do for so long… bring him to justice. You remember the trial, Pluribus. The Shian deluded himself into thinking he's a ninja. That more than anything should prove that he's as dangerous as can be. And thankfully, I already have some help thanks to one supporter of CCOCC being a former officer-"
Pause.
He couldn't believe it.
For someone like Connery, who almost seemed to fetishize over the law as a way to attack Espio's entire existence, he failed to realize one major thing…
"I gotcha… I gotcha FINALLY yeh asshole…" Vector said. But he knew this was just the beginning. Connery's empire still was wide over the entire university, and both he and Espio needed to collapse it from the inside out. This however? This may have just been the final nail in the coffin…
Quickly, Vector got out his notebook and a pen and began to write down everything he learned from his reading, as well as relevant things he recorded that would be the smoking gun to the horse's reign of terror.
It was about another hour of sitting at the desk, but Vector had written down most of what he needed. He wasn't the type to blackmail unlike the horse, but if things got worse around here, especially now that he wanted ANOTHER dumbass speech, he wasn't going to be afraid to pull out his secret weapon.
The crocodile, however, yawned loudly as he felt his body succumb to fatigue. He shouldn't be up any longer, as not only was there class tomorrow, but while Espio was at community service earlier tonight, he got a call from Coach Augustus to meet him in his office in the morning. He wasn't surprised if it had anything to do with what had happened earlier today, but there was that, and the fact he still had class.
But as Vector closed all his books and notebooks, he looked back at his bunk, seeing his boyfriend twitch in bed. His mouth slightly jerked, a face of anger and concern on Espio's face as he rolled in the bed. The crocodile frowned and felt awful seeing the sight in front of him. Espio, who always never seemed to break and kept his composure as best as he could, even as he tried to suppress tears or anger, finally reached his breaking limit with everything going on at campus. Added to that, and him flashing back to when his dad died…
"Everyone's hurtin'..." he thought to himself, walking over to the bunk. He was too tired to brush his teeth or change his clothes. He just wanted to lay in bed with his boyfriend, being the sole person to assure him in his time of need. The quarterback reached his hand forward, touching the transfer student's cheek as Espio seemed to almost shiver like a child.
Sitting on the bunk and pulling his legs up, Vector lay his body and head on the bed as he felt the chameleon fidget and turn right next to him, making mumbling noises in his sleep as the crocodile reached over, held his head and pushed Espio against his own body.
"No no… dun wake up… it's just me. Yer okay. Keep yer eyes closed, everythin' will be alright," Vector whispered, hoping that Espio would stay calm. "Breathe in… and out… okay, Es?"
Vector knew that Espio didn't like being constricted or very tight spaces, such as the time he freaked out when the elevator broke down, but he knew what Espio needed more than anything right now was pure comfort. And surprisingly, the chameleon didn't fight back. In fact, Vector brought Espio closer to him, stroking his back as he gave him soft kisses to his head.
"There… yer alright, Es. I'm sure tomorrow will be a better day…" he continued to whisper. "I swear on mah life it'll be a better day. We… we can go visit Buck tomorrow with the others, maybe I can… I can treat yeh to somethin' nice too. All that to forget 'bout those dickheads who wanna make life hard…"
Espio didn't respond, so Vector pulled himself back to confirm that Espio hadn't woken up. The chameleon's eyes were closed, but it seemed like he was forcing himself to close them.
"Just relax… it'll be okay," Vector whispered again as he gave another kiss to his boyfriend. "I'm here. Focus on me bein' here next to yeh. Nothin' else, okay? I'm here, and yer alright."
He felt the chameleon's hand slink over his side, allowing himself to hug the large crocodile as Vector smiled. He stroked Espio's sleeping face as he watched it for a few seconds.
"Love ya always, Es…"
THE NEXT MORNING
Espio was awoken to the sound of his phone's alarm and its vibration coming from the nightstand.
The chameleon gasped, jumping in bed as his field of vision became clear. The light coming into the dorm, the messy bedsheets, Vector being nowhere to be seen-
Espio raised himself up from the bunk.
Where was Vector?
Normally, he was always in bed with him every morning, and he was there last night when he started having those awful flashbacks again. Jewel… and picturing what it was like to see Monk act violent against his friends, his father's body laying in the middle of campus… it felt like both a mockery of his father's legacy and a reminder that his pain hadn't been washed away.
But before Espio could think about any of that, he turned his head over to his buzzing, noisy phone and sighed, rolling over as he reached his left hand outwards and grabbed it. Rubbing his eyes, the chameleon turned off the alarm, sighing as he felt liberated from the sudden rude awakening.
"I can only pray today is better…" he said to himself, noticing a new message from none other than Vector. Opening it up, Espio read it through squinted eyes.
"Vector
"Morning Es."
"sorry if I wasnt at the dorm today,
coach wanted me at his office in
the morning. go ahead and get
breakfast without me. Ill be fine"
"love you 3"
So he wasn't here because he had to leave… understandable. Espio knew Vector had his own life and responsibilities to take care of, but still… considering how he felt right about now, there was no one more he wanted to see and talk to than Vector. After all, there was still the thing he neglected to talk to the crocodile about…
Something that would have to wait, as there was a knock at the door and the beep of the scanner going off. The door to the dorm opened up as Valdez stepped inside, taking off his shoes. Dressed in his usual work attire, Espio noticed that the blue chameleon held a plastic container in both hands.
"Good morning, Espio-kun," he said, now walking over to the chameleon in bed. "I… heard about everything that happened yesterday. I assume you would likely be very tired today, no?"
Espio rubbed his face. "A feeling of exhaustion that I've never felt before…" he replied.
"I figured as such. Here, I know you likely don't have much energy to go to the dining hall, so I made us a breakfast bento last night. I figured we could eat here since I have a meeting at 9 and I'm not needed elsewhere."
"Valdez-san… you can't-"
"It's just as hard for me as it is for you, Espio-kun. I think something like this is the key to feeling better, at least, that's what I always thought living in Gojo."
Espio looked over at the bento from where he lay, Valdez opening the container and revealing what was inside. There was rice with furikake, a small cup of miso soup, four orange slices, cuts of ginger, and some kobachi.
"Valdez-san… this is…" Espio replied.
"I figured it's been a bit of time since you've had a Yurashian style breakfast. Besides, I had another reason for coming here too. I wanted to check up on you. Not only was there what happened yesterday, I've been noticing you're becoming… how do I say this? Not so much distant like you were before you came out. But more so you seem emotionally exhausted."
Now that was a word Espio hadn't heard before in his life. He knew about physical exhaustion, but… emotional? How did that work?
"Here, climb out of bed and we can eat together. Do you mind if I use one of your pairs of chopsticks?" Valdez added as he walked to the center of the dorm and sat down on his knees, seeing down both containers. Espio rubbed his eyes and slowly sprawled out of bed, his night robe slinking behind him.
"Good morning…" the fuschia chameleon replied, scratching his side.
"Good morning to you too, Espio-kun, as I've already said. Please, come sit down. You need your energy."
Espio slowly walked over to where the container Valdez sat down was and slowly got on his knees, sitting down as he opened up the mini fridge beside him. Grabbing the multicolored set of chopsticks for him and Valdez, the chameleon handed one pair to the Foreign Language Dean and the other to himself. Now opening up the bentos, the two chameleons put their hands together and bowed.
"Itadakimasu," they said in unison as Espio first grabbed the small portion of miso soup, putting the small cup to his mouth and slurping directly. It was just as cold as he imagined it, but he didn't mind. It wasn't the first time in his life he'd had cold miso soup.
"How is it?" Valdez asked.
" ...fine," Espio softly replied as he put the cup down, grabbing his chopsticks as he began to eat his rice. Valdez frowned as he simply held his container and utensils, staring at the chameleon.
" So…" the blue chameleon continued. "I mentioned it when I arrived earlier, but I heard about everything regarding what happened yesterday. Not just what happened between you and whoever tried to enter your dorm, but also what happened with Buck as well. Normally, I'm supposed to report whenever things like this happen to anyone who's a part of the Foreign Exchange Student program to a student's original university and their family, however, Bow and Thorn pleaded with me that I don't. I eventually relented but… it… I thought about it all last night."
"Valdez-san…" Espio said as he put down the container away from his face. "Why? Why is this happening to us? Why is this happening to me?"
"I… I wish I had an answer for you, Espio-kun. Both of us are refused a voice, and as a result, we've been suffering major harassment from those who see issue with Yurashia for whatever reason."
"I feel so lost, and I feel like I can no longer turn to anyone or anything. This is just like how it was when I first came to the Outside World…"
"What do you mean?"
Espio set down the bento on the floor as he looked at the carpet.
"When I saw all those people yesterday, it was like… it was like war, Valdez-san. It's everything I've been trained to do all my life. My mother, father, and all my senseis, all my life, they've taught me the art of warfare, the art of espionage, and told me that one day, Gojo and the Historic District would face a war against those who wish to destroy our legacy. That's why we of the Shinobi Clan and the villagers of Gojo have trained all our lives in the way of the ninja like our ancestors before us. But… what do I do… when I'm forced into a war I was never told how to fight? A war not between swords nor spears, but with words?"
Valdez blinked, completely taken aback by everything that came out from the chameleon's mouth as he now put down his container. "Is… is this why-"
"Valdez-san… I… yesterday, when I saw Buck collapse. I… I didn't see Buck. I saw father."
Valdez's eyed widened.
"N-Naga-san?! What do you mean, Espio-kun?!"
"Everything about how he looked reminded me of him. Reminded me that I still haven't found out how to make him proud of me. Reminded me that no matter how much others want me to forget about him, I refuse to do so. And it came through the worst possible way: my friends all getting hurt. And… and…"
Espio felt hollow on the inside, confessing to the chameleon what finally had been tearing at him the last couple of days.
"...I have no one but myself to blame."
"What?"
"Don't you get it, Valdez-san?! If I hadn't come to the Outside World, Connery wouldn't be after me, and then no one would be hurt! Vector, Mark, Jewel, Manic, Buck, Alan, Munch, everyone at this school! They wouldn't be hurting!! But instead, because I'm here, they're hurting because of me!"
"Are you listening to yourself, Espio-kun?! How could you say that! You know that's not true!"
"Then why?! Why has everything changed ever since I arrived here?! I never did anything wrong! I just… I just wanted to know what life was like outside the village, and now look! People want to treat me as if I am the nail that sticks out, hammering me out until nothing is left!"
"I wish I had an answer for you, Espio-kun! I really do! But even I'm becoming frustrated not getting an answer!"
"That's exactly it, Valdez-san! Because Connery, Monk, all of them, they want me to suffer just because of who I am! And I… I deserve it! I should have just stayed in Gojo if I knew how much pain people would be in because of me! How can I call myself a member of the Shinobi Clan when I can no longer keep my emotions in check and be unable to protect those who are in need of protection?! It's everything the Shinobi Clan stands against! How am I supposed to make the Clan, my mother, my FATHER proud of me, when all I seem to do is mess everything up, from not being able to marry, to not succeeding in everything I do here, to my EXISTENCE being enough to be a source of scorn and mockery! And I can no longer retaliate due to the laws of this land, so I continued to be dishonored!"
Espio hung his head down, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth. "I'm worthless scum that not only doesn't deserve to be one of the Shinobi, but also is not good enough to be friends with those of the Outside World, not good enough to find love with Vector. Not even good enough to call myself the son of Bride of the Constant Vigil, nothing! Father must be laughing in Yomi, knowing that I let him down!-"
That's when, in a flash, Valdez slapped Espio. The chameleon didn't fall back, but instead, held his cheek as he looked back up at Valdez. The blue chameleon's teeth was grit and he seemed almost fuming.
"That's ENOUGH out of you, Espio-kun!" he scornfully yelled. "Is it not enough to disrespect your family and the clan, disrespect yourself, but to disrespect Vector, disrespect… disrespect Naga-san?!"
"Eeh?"
"Haven't you heard yourself?! You've convinced yourself that you'd be better off back home in Gojo, but that wouldn't solve anything! Ask yourself, do you see yourself as THAT much of a burden?! That your life hasn't changed since arriving in the Outside World?! That Mr. Connery and Monk wouldn't have had an issue with anyone with the way they act if it wasn't for you?!
"But-!"
"I said that's ENOUGH! I won't let you speak ill about yourself and your loved ones, especially when you yourself know that if you hadn't met them, their lives would be eternally different! Can you say now that everything going on is your fault?! When you know that in spite of everything… you've made memories with people you would have never thought you would have met, connections, friendships, and a feeling of… of belonging! You even said so yourself! You couldn't protect the people of this university! If you stayed in Gojo, would you EVER think like that?!"
Espio was silent as his mouth was left slightly agape. The chameleon put his right hand on the floor, hanging his head and bowing.
"I… I am beyond sorry… Valdez-san… I…" Espio said. Valdez's expression softened as he turned away from the fuschia chameleon.
"I get it, Espio-kun. You're beyond frustrated because you feel useless knowing you and your friends are being hurt, and that you can't seem to do much about it. I feel much of the same towards the officials, people I've seen as friends for years. But I'm still trying to find a way to get this to stop. Added to that, this recent incident has reminded you of Naga-san, and you can't help but feel that he would know what to do in a situation like this."
Valdez looked over at the window of the dorm. "The teachings of the Shinobi Clan painted our world as one between a force of good and evil, where we as ninja were brought up in the most heavenly of ways, pure from the freedom of the Outside World. But you… you realized that good exists in this world. It happened the day you first met Vector. He could have been like you, afraid of those in the Outside World, but he wasn't. From the first day, he included you in everything, never made you feel left out, and for the first time in my life, I saw something that I never once saw you have. A friend."
Espio stayed silent as Valdez continued.
"So that's why I feel anger for you, knowing that you feel like this. I know your mother wouldn't want you to act in such a way, and neither would Naga-san. They raised you to uphold the laws of the clan to the highest caliber. Remind me, what did our teachings say about protecting our allies?"
"Fight alongside them, be willing to put your life on the line for them, and defend those who are weaker than you..."
"The code of the Shinobi Clan has put emphasis on the closeness of our allies. It is why, when we returned to Gojo, I was accepted with open arms by the guards of the Dojo. Because they see me as one of them due to my connections to the clan. And you… you follow the code even in the Outside World. Wouldn't it make sense to apply this here?"
Espio blinked, grabbing his chest as he let Valdez's words sink in.
"I just ask that you not do anything illegal or that gets you into trouble. But… you know that at some point, you have to stand your ground and not let our oppressors walk all over you. Do not be afraid, Espio-kun. Just because you still have that tracker on you doesn't mean that you have to be okay with whatever happens to you or your friends."
"I see…"
Valdez scooted closer, putting his hand on Espio's shoulder.
"You're a smart man, Espio-kun. You hold some of the highest degree of honor and moral responsibility among the people of Gojo. You really are like your father, you know."
Espio looked back down at the floor, his face falling as he remembered just how much people respected his father while he was still alive.
"I want to help others and avenge those who've been wronged… not just for Vector, or my friends, or for the honor of the Shinobi Clan, but… but for my father. I have to make him proud of me. I just have to. I know he's watching me. He told me himself."
"But… don't let it get to your head. I can tell that what happened to Naga-san is a sight you haven't forgotten. Frankly, I would say you still hold trauma about it."
"Trau… ma?"
"A word used to describe a disturbing experience in one's life. You remember something constantly, flashing back to it from time to time and feeling negative emotions as a result of it. If I had to imagine… you still grieve for your father, no?"
Espio sighed. "It's just… when he died, it felt like mother, the Brides, and the others in the clan wanted to quickly forget about it after the funeral. But… I didn't. I still felt sad for my father's death, but… it was like I wasn't allowed to feel sad. I dreamt about him, wrote to him in my scrolls, prayed that he was doing well in Yomi, and yet… yet I can't help but feel like he's restless because he's being forgotten. I can't let him vanish from Yomi until he sees Shami married and a master of ninjutsu, until he's… he's proud of me!"
"As long as you still hold the memories of Naga-sama within you, he will not vanish from Yomi. You know as much as I do that when one enters Yomi upon death, the soul is aware of what happens in life and watches from the shadows in the afterlife."
"...that's why father said he knew about me entering the Outside World…"
"What was that?"
Espio looked to the side. " Nothing…"
"Look, the most important thing I can tell you right now is to continue living, Espio-kun. No matter what happens, we've been taught one of the biggest ways to fight our enemies is to continue living no matter how much we've been trampled. You, Vector, your friends, I'd tell them all the same. Do what you can, when you know what to do but don't know how to do it."
Espio continued looking over at the side, letting everything Valdez said sink into his mind. Still, he didn't respond as the blue chameleon shifted backwards from where he sat.
"Regardless, I'd recommend you finish up, Espio-kun. You have class soon and you need your energy for today. I didn't make this bento for you to not eat it. You know more than anything you ought to finish what's served."
"I know… it's just… even eating itself feels like a chore now. But I understand…"
With that, Espio scooped up the bento box with his left hand and grabbed his chopsticks with his right, placing a piece of ginger in his mouth.
"Apologies for my actions earlier, Espio-kun," Valdez said, bowing. "I shouldn't have let my anger out on you."
Espio stopped his chewing, knowing that it wasn't the worst bout of punishment he'd received. Still, there was something he thought about as he finished breakfast.
"Do what you can, when you know what to do but don't know how to do it…" Huh….
"Ah, Espio."
The chameleon's head turned as he walked into his public speaking class that morning, seeing Professor Cluckins walk towards him. The gray rodent's mustache bounced as his expression seemed somewhat somber.
"I heard about what happened to Buck yesterday from Mr. Valdez. I know that you and him are close, so all sympathies from myself. Don't worry about your presentation today. I'll allow you to postpone it until Buck is back in class. Until then, just make sure to revise and make any edits if you see fit and then submit it on Capsule after. Just be sure to name it correctly afterwards. Now, I have to start getting ready for the other presentations…"
As Professor Cluckins walked away, Espio sighed as he thought back to the cervid. He had texted the Merry Five's group chat after breakfast, but there was no response, and not even his message was read. The chameleon could only wonder how his friends were doing at a time like this, especially Alan and Munch…
As he walked over to where he usually sat and placed his bag next to his chair, Espio felt a tapping on his shoulder behind him just seconds after sitting down.
"Hey, Espio-sama!"
It was Norris, the giraffe seemingly not as concerned about life compared to… almost everyone Espio knew at this point.
"Hey, what's with the long face? You normally aren't like that!" he said. "Well whatever. Listen! I wanted to know and I… I've been meaning to ask you… did… did you wanna hang out with me during lunch?! We never spent time together! And with Mark just kinda vanishing, now is the perfect time! So c'mon! What do you say?"
Espio looked down in front of him, noticing Buck's empty seat next to him.
"Buck is… ha-hurt. I have to sss… see him," Espio replied. Norris' face, however, showed that this was not the response he wanted.
"Oh come on, Espio! You've been hanging out with that guy ever since you got partnered together! I seriously have been waiting to hang out with you for the longest time, and you're just never around because you're avoiding so much!"
"What?"
"I don't get it! I told Mark he had to stop getting involved in all this protesting stuff because it's annoying! Not to mention that we're getting yelled at because we know him! Like, the other day, Dave was setting up his film camera to record the front of the university and some guy almost broke it and tried to fight me and Hacker! And now YOU'RE apparently in it, Espio-sama? Forget about all that! You're Yurashian! You're like… the most non-political people ever! You just wanna eat sushi and be left alone! That's why I'm offering you to hang out so that you can forget all that crap Mark's wanting us to be involved in. Come on, PLEEEEEASE? We can finally discuss anime that Mark's too afraid to introduce you to… oh oh! And you can tell me all about what's the best places to go when I visit Yurashia! And-"
Norris continued going on as Espio simply just stared at him. It felt odd that Norris, unlike the rest of his friends, didn't seem too affected. Did he not care about Mark being so torn about losing a precious gift from his friend? Did he not care about what happened to Buck, what happened to… to him?
Maybe this was Norris' way of cheering others up. After all, the giraffe had a point, he hadn't hung out with him as he did Mark and his other friends… Perhaps he knew what to do?
"Okay, good morning everyone," Professor Cluckins announced as he shut the door. "As you know, our duo Informative Speech presentations are today, and I hope that you've managed to practice. I have all of your powerpoints in Capsule, so when I call your names, I'll let you download your presentation and begin. Remember that I'll be checking for both the content of your presentation and your…"
As Professor Cluckins continued to give instructions, Norris once again tapped the chameleon's shoulder.
"I think I'm about to go first! Come on, give me an answer, Espio-sama! I need to hear something! Anything!" he said. Espio looked all over, his mind scrambling as he blurted the first thing to come to mind.
"Ah… eh… eeeh… i… ye-"
"Yes?! You'll do it?! Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about!! Don't worry, once you spend time with me, you're gonna forget all that politics nonsense like you should! I can't wait! Okay, I'll text you when I'm on lunch, and don't let me down! I-"
"Alright, Fanny and Norris, you two are up first," said Professor Cluckins.
A female mobian Turkey stood up from the other side of the room as did Norris.
"I'll meet you later today, Espio-sama! I can't wait!" he whispered as he followed Fanny. Espio raised a hand and sighed, looking at his desk.
He was supposed to be seeing Buck after all his classes were done for the day and before he left for community service, and now here he was, getting himself involved in whatever Norris wanted him to do even though he felt, as Valdez put it earlier this morning, 'emotionally exhausted'.
What was he getting himself into?
3 PM
The branches by the large tree in front of North Hall blew softly as Flickies could be heard chirping from inside it. As a red one flew into the sea of brown boughs, down below, a group all began to walk towards the same direction to meet up. Vector and Espio stood close by as they walked towards their meetup place, the chameleon thankful to be on time considering how much time he had been with Norris earlier and how he'd also promised to hang out again. From the distance, Knuckles and Mighty came from the I building and Jewel the H building, walking towards Vector and Espio. As the sound of a crowd could be heard from the front campus, no doubt more of the protestors supporting CCOCC. Ignoring the noise, however, the five all walked up to each other and stood still in a circle. Everyone eyed each other, looking up and down in silence as they stared at each other. Jewel notably held a Chao plushie with a red bow and wearing a shirt that read, ' GET WELL SOON' in her arms, no doubt a gift for Buck.
"So…" Mighty said, breaking the tension. "How was… the day?"
"Could have been better…" Jewel replied.
"Fine? I guess?" Knuckles added.
"Okay," replied Espio.
"Still, we know why we're here," Vector added. "C'mon, let's go pay Buck a visit. I'm just hopin' nothin' bad happened since last evenin'."
The idea that such a thing occurred to the deer while he was gone struck a fear that he never had once in his life into Espio's chest. It was a feeling he never had once while living in Gojo, but once again, he couldn't help but be reminded of his father…
In pure silence, the quintet walked from the front of North Hall to MU University Health Services and Hospital, making sure they were still considered on campus so as to not set off Espio's tracking device (something that completely crossed Vector's mind, which he commented to with no response). As Jewel's wings flapped and the sound of the other four's shoes hitting the pavement was heard, there were many feelings in the air. Uncertainty. Concern. Anxiousness. Many words could describe how Espio felt at the current moment. He tried not to think of the worst case scenarios, something installed in him years and years ago when his ninja training first started. But with Vector here…
"Dun worry, Es," Vector said, gently placing his hands on his boyfriend's smaller shoulder. "If yeh need someone here, yeh know I'm always here fer ya."
The assurance was nice, but it didn't change how nauseous Espio felt. He slapped his forehead, hoping to get rid of the feeling.
Soon after, the five arrived at the campus hospital, and after passing by other students and several normal citizens in the waiting room, Vector walked up to the lineless front desk. A different lady was working the front desk today, an Overlander compared to the mobian from the other day, and she looked up at the crocodile.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Hi, yeah," began Vector. "Mah friends and I were hopin' to visit a friend cause they were here yesterday."
"Were they discharged from our ER department?"
"They were, but I'm not sure if they gained consciousness. They were still unconscious yesterday."
"Is there a name?"
"Buck. Species is a mobian deer. He's also a student at Mobius U."
"Just a minute. Let me look that up for you."
The Overlander turned to her computer and began to type away for a few seconds, clicks of a mouse being heard as Espio looked up at his boyfriend next to him. He just wanted this feeling of anxiousness to go away, to be assured that his friend hadn't had anything happen to him overnight. Considering all the flashbacks he had to the day his father died, having a recreation of when Yuen-Li covered all of his father's orifices in cotton before the funeral, he rather would not like to have such a thing occur again…
Soon after a few pings, the Overlander turned her head back to Vector.
"Okay, he's still in Room 323, and according to a nurse who attended him at about 7am this morning, I can confirm that Buck is one hundred percent conscious and is able to respond to basic commands," she said. Espio bounced as Jewel put her hand on her chest.
"Thank goodness! I'm so happy to hear!" she said.
"At least something good has come in the last day…" Knuckles said. "Can we see him?"
"He should already have visitors in his room, so I'll call and let them know you'll be arriving. In the meantime, I'll need you to wear identification tags for security purposes. As such, I need all of you to line up so I can take your pictures."
With that, Espio waited for his turn as the same thing happened yesterday, a printed out sticker of Espio's face and name stuck onto his kimono. Thankfully, he was assured that it would come off, and with everyone wearing one like they did yesterday, Jewel included, they were pointed into the direction of the elevator he, Vector, Knuckles, and Mighty used to see Jewel yesterday.
With the jewel beetle in tow, the elevator was a lot more cramped, leading to Espio's hands becoming clammy as he could feel his anxiety trigger. Just before he could do anything, however, Vector held onto Espio's right hand.
"Dun let go, okay, Es? I promise that as long as yeh dun let go, I won't let anythin' happen to ya," the crocodile assured him. Espio looked up at his tall boyfriend, gulping as he felt his hand shake. Still, he tried to be as brave and calm as he could for his boyfriend's sake, and stood still continuing to hold Vector's hand until the doors of the elevator opened up, leading the five to the third floor.
As they walked through the hall, the sound of their footsteps echoed throughout as some nurses and even what appeared to be students in the blue nurse's uniform walked through the halls, passing by the five.
Soon, the five reached Room 323, and Vector was the first to knock.
"Hey, it's me, Vector," he called out. "I got everyone here to visit Buck. Espio, Knuckles, Mighty, and Jewel. Hope ya dun mind the big party."
There was a voice that called out, a familiar accented voice.
"Wow, that was fast! Come in, come in! The door's unlocked!"
Vector grabbed the handle and opened the door, stepping inside as everyone soon followed. Espio turned his head to the left, seeing the room as unchanged as it was since yesterday.
"Yer here!" another voice said. Seeing Bow and Thorn standing up from where they were.
And that's when Espio saw him.
Sitting up in bed still dressed in the same hospital gown he had, his swelling black eye all bandaged up clear as day and wires and tubes connected to him, a hand over a book…
"Buck!" Espio called out as he ran up to his cervid friend. The chameleon was completely gobsmacked, holding his hand up as he felt a sense of relief knowing his friend didn't die. The deer weakly smiled as he stared back at Espio. Knuckles, Vector, Mighty, and Jewel all came behind him, happy at what they were looking at.
"How are u… you?" Espio asked.
"It…" Buck replied, adjusting himself slowly in his bed. "It certainly isn't a situation I appreciate but… I… I'm quite glad to be okay… I do hurt quite a… aah…!"
The deer held his upper right chest as he winced in pain. Bow and Thorn quickly attended Buck, scolding him for ignoring the doctor's advice as Espio noticed that he sounded very tired, no doubt audible in his slower speaking and just how much physical pain he was in. But he still seemed to be full of life. How?
"Does it hurt?" Mighty asked.
"Oh! Yeh couldn't imagine. Sufferin' through that crowd, passin' out. Not exactly painless. But… I shan't allow myself to give into such pain. I always like to think back to this quote from the Holy Book of Solaris whenever something very painful happens…" Buck opened the book, its title reveal not coming as a surprise to the chameleon. He flipped pages as he stopped around the quarter mark of the book, putting his finger on one of the pages.
"Ah, here we are… Romanus 9:7…" Buck cleared his throat. "Within suffering in the present, it shall not stand with the glory of the future…' Anytime somethin' happened to me, whether I got sick or such as the time I accidentally broke m' leg when I was younger, mum and dad always told me to think about that verse. Even now, I think 'bout it sitting in this bed. My body may hurt, but my mind knows that the future is bright with healing."
"That really is like yeh, Buck," Thorn said, hands on her chest. "And 'oll of yeh, bless yeh so much fer coming to see Buck."
"Hey, it's no chip off mah block!" Vector said. "Any friend of Es is a friend to me! And besides, we're in the same English class too, Thorn! Dun worry 'bout it."
"Oi, what's that there?" Bow asked, moving his beak towards the plush Jewel held. The beetle looked down, fluttering towards the bed.
"Oh, this is for Buck! You know, just to help him feel better!" she said.
"Why, thank you so much…" Buck replied as he weakly grabbed the Chao plush. "I didn't know they offered cuddly toys as gifts to those in Hospital… although, I've never seen such a thing before since we don't have a big hospital in Avalon. Thank you very much… err… pardon me, I don't think we've been introduced? I've seen yeh around though."
"Oh! My name is Jewel! I'm also a friend of Espio's! I was there when everything that happened yesterday occurred because I admitted myself here. I'm… sorry about what happened. We heard what happened from Bow and Thorn here. I've been trying forever to get CCOCC under scrutiny but no one listened to me. And now look…"
"Don't blame yerself… yeh couldn't have stopped what happened. What occurred occurred, as I say… Still, I'm very blessed to know that all of yeh were there to help and that yeh even waited fer me to be discharged. I apologize for makin' you miss class. Everything about what happened is quite unfortunate really. Makin' yeh worry, possibly missing mass for the first time tomorrow-"
"Oh!!" Jewel suddenly exclaimed, turning her head as she noticed a glass jar with white flowers in it, sitting next to Buck's bed. "Buck, these are really pretty!"
Buck grabbed one of the flowers and sniffed it, smiling as he did so.
"Lily of the valley. M' favorite flower. Representin' humility. Thorn got these for me this mornin'."
"Yeh've been here all mornin'?" Vector asked.
"We decided to skip class again today. I know it ain't the best but… we were so worried 'bout Buck," Bow replied. "Besides, ain't the first time I've done such a thing…"
"Both of us, remember?" Thorn added. "We were forbidden from seeing each other fer days after we got caught…"
"Regardless, we've been here since sunrise. We did everythin' from help feed Buck breakfast, see what he needed done in terms of classwork, all that!"
"Yeh didn't have to do it, but I'm very thankful yeh stuck around," Buck said as he sat back in bed. His smile however, suddenly fell softly. "Although… they weren't the first people to visit me."
"What are you se-saying?"
That's when Buck stared ahead, leading everyone else to turn their heads to the right. That's when Espio heard Jewel gasp, saying to herself, 'Oh my goodness!', and the chameleon almost winded out of breath from what he saw.
From across the room, Alan sat on the AC unit, turned around and stared at everyone in front of him. Unlike the others, it was VERY clear that Alan wasn't okay. Not only were there very clear bags under his eyes, his sclera was red and veiny, all clear signs that the quail hadn't gotten a single ounce of sleep all night. Though they couldn't see his beak, the look in Alan's eyes said everything as he turned back around, staring at the wall in front of him as he continued holding his lute, his plume sadly drooped over.
"When I woke up this mornin', the first person I saw was Alan. I tried to ask what he was doin' here but… he didn't respond. That's when Bow and Thorn told me what happened yesterday after they arrived. I… I didn't realize that I was the cause fer such a fight. I knew they had their past but… I thought they got along. But this…"
"Don't blame yerself, Buck!" Thorn replied. "Everyone was… was…"
"Emotions ran high," Vector added. "Alan and Munch weren't thinkin' straight and turned their stress, sadness, and anger out on each other. I dun agree with how they did it, but considerin' how they saw yeh so beat up…"
"I suppose but…"
"We 'aven't heard from Munch all day. We've been trying to message him, even tried to ring 'im up a few times. But… nothin'," Bow added. "I don't know where he is and how he's doin'... but I'm worried… I don't think he even knows that Buck is okay and awake. And I don't know… what he'd say to Alan too. If either of them want to talk to one another…"
Everyone stood in complete silence, not sure of what to do or say to help the quail in need. Alan continued to sit motionless, Espio feeling more useless by the second the more he stood by and watched his friend despair.
"Vector…" he said, turning back to face the crocodile as he tugged on his hand. "What do we do?"
"It ain't up to us to decide…" the crocodile replied. "It's all on Alan and Munch."
Espio's head softly fell. He thought about what Valdez told him this morning, about doing what you could when you know what to do but don't know how to do it. He knew he had to bring up Alan's spirits, and the only way he could was if Munch and Alan talk. But with the copper rat missing… it felt futile.
That's when there was a sudden knock at the door. The chameleon turned around quickly, wondering who it was.
"Can ya get that, Es?" Vector asked as the chameleon turned his head towards his boyfriend, nodding. Espio's geta clacked against the tile floor as he walked away from where he stood, going over to the door as his haori and hakama fluttered with his walking. He grabbed the handle and opened the door, surprised at who he saw standing in the doorway. Standing at the door, with his familiar green bycoket and shirt, as well as his ragged and faded gray overalls and dirty brown boots, Munch stood at the doorway, a… more somber look to him than he had yesterday.
"Afternoon, Espio… mind if I come in?" he softly asked. The chameleon was unsure of what to do. He knew Munch would be excited to see Buck awake and well… but what about Alan? What would he say when he saw his friend?
Unsure of what to do, Espio stepped aside slowly as he intensely watched.
"If either of them fight, I have no choice but to step in," he told himself, refusing to let the two argue again. He watched as Munch walked into the room, his heavy boots hitting the floor as the rat turned his head to see Buck. He gasped, quickly dashing towards the cervid.
"Buck, yer alroight!" the rat said, sounding relieved as Bow and Thorn stood up, staring at Munch. Buck lay back in his bed, staring up at his friend.
"I know you were concerned, m' friend, but I always tell yeh to keep faith with Solaris in times of need," Buck replied. "Besides, I would never allow m'self to die unless I've had m' last rites read beforehand. Still, it brings me joy to see you here."
"Yeh… couldn't imagine how worried I was… seein' yeh so bloodied up… I really did think the worst 'appened. It felt loike it too…"
"I can imagine."
"What? What do yeh mean?"
"Don't worry about me, Munch. I'll be fine. However… I believe there's someone more important yeh should be talkin' to at a time like this."
Buck's head moved forward in front of him, leading the rat to look up at Alan. The quail continued to sit on the AC unit, turned around staring at everyone again before quickly turning back to the wall. The chameleon could see the rat's face fall as he stood there unmoving.
"Munch… please," Thorn said. "Yeh know that yeh can't be like this forever. 'Oll of us hurt from what happened…"
"If there's anyone who could cheer 'im up, it's yeh, mate," Bow added. "I could see it in 'is eyes."
The chameleon walked forward, looking up at his rodent friend. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what to say.
"Es here has been real worried 'bout yeh, Munch. He thought that yeh and Alan would stop bein' friends," Vector suddenly said. "Forget 'bout the rest of us, I think this is more important now. Yeh took the time to cool off, now I think it's time yeh talk it out between each other."
Mighty elbowed the rat, offering his solidarity to his fellow wrestler. "We're all here for you, man. It's okay to still be angry about what happened, but… understanding where that anger comes from instead of throwing it at each other is healthier if you ask me."
The rat looked around him, seeing all the support he was getting from everyone in the room as an indescribable look appeared on his face. It was blank, emotionless, difficult to get across with words. Espio watched with bated breath as he stared at the rat walk away from the bed and feet away from where Alan sat. The rat took a couple of deep breaths as he adjusted his bycoket, an apologetic look of sorrow now forming on his face.
"Alan…" Munch finally spoke up, with the quail once again not responding. The rat raised his right arm upwards before slowly letting it fall, his tail slinking to the floor as Munch lowered his head.
"Alan, I… I know yeh ain't gonna believe me, mate. After everythin' I did to yeh yesterday, yeh deserve to shut me out loike yer doin' right now. Yeh… yeh were roight. I did act like a total gammon to yeh yesterday. I didn't care at all 'bout how yeh felt…"
Munch rubbed his right arm, the silence of the room outside of the beeping machines being the only thing that echoed throughout the room.
"I was pissed. Real mad at that gammon for what he did to Buck, but… I didn't realize that neither of yeh were to blame. We just wanted to do what we did in Avalon, and when I saw yeh bein' 'oll happy and smiles, I got more mad. I thought yeh didn't care. But when I left, I cooled off by hittin' a punchin' bag at the gym. And as I did, I realized somethin'. I put 'oll the blame on yeh fer thinkin' that yeh didn't care, let all me anger out on yeh. But as I hit that bag more and more, it dawned on me that… that I wasn't just hurt. Yeh were hurt. We 'OLL were hurt. And what did I do? Use yeh as a scapegoat to take me anger out on, not knowin' yeh were hurt as is. That final punch to that bag made me realize… that yeh weren't to blame fer what happened here. I was. I was the gammon yeh said I was…"
Alan continued to stare at the wall, unmoving from where he sat as the others watched intensely. Espio turned to see Buck wipe a tear weakly.
"...I get it. Yer real pissed at me, and who wouldn't be. But… I want to say… I'm… I'm sorry, mate. Fer everythin'. Fer yellin' at yeh. For sayin' that yeh didn't care, fer gettin' everythin' I know yeh don't loike talkin' 'bout involved, 'oll of that! If I could take it back, I could. If I could beg in front of Solaris right now, beg fer His forgiveness and the hope that yeh'd feel the same, I would. I hurt yeh deeper than I ever have before, and I… I fucked up. I really, really did."
Munch continued to stare at the floor, slowly looking up. "And… I hurt the one thing I know yeh love more than anythin'. 'Oll that I said 'bout yer songs, I even knew that wasn't true. I just wanted to use anythin' I could to be mad, but… but I… I'm lyin' to meself. I don't believe it at 'oll. Yeh really did want 'oll of us to feel better, and that's what yeh always have done. Yeh sing to put a smile on everyone's faces. If the children back in Avalon got hurt, yeh'd sing them a shanty and they'd be smiling and gigglin'. During holidays and festivals, everyone wanted a song from yeh, because yeh gave them somethin' from the heart to make them feel loike they were special. And… and yeh don't have to take m' word for it. Buck knows, Bow knows, and… especially Thorn."
"Especially her?" Vector asked.
"Didn't yeh ever think it was weird that when we first met, I didn't like yer songs. I thought they were gratin', distractin', even thought of yeh as a show off. But then… it changed one day, and suddenly, I was interested in learning how to make music?"
Munch looked behind him back at his friends, then back at Alan.
"...d'you remember a few years back before we left for uni in Snottingham… when Thorn's nan died?"
Espio turned to see Thorn, the lop rabbit's face and posture falling.
"We all knew she was in failin' health, but she really wanted her to live long enough to see her graduate from uni. We did everythin' we could to make her loife easier, but… she still passed a month before we had to leave. Yeh remember how she was… inconsolable, in such a deep pain that we never saw in her before… yeh knew how much she loved her nan."
Munch continued. "Then, a week before we had to leave, Bow decided that we should try to cheer her up, so we took her to the pub for a pint and some fish and chips. Despite it bein' three weeks since we last saw her, she still hadn't gotten over it, and she didn't eat or drink a single thing. She just sat there until eventually, when we tried to talk to her about how she felt, she just… broke down."
"Is all this true?" asked Vector. Thorn gave a silent nod as Bow held her shoulder, giving comfort to his friend.
"And then, yeh did something. Yeh had the most to drink out of anyone there, and as a result, yeh stood on the table. I remember tellin' yeh to get down from there as Bow and Buck looked so confused, and then 'oll of a sudden, yeh got our yer lute and yeh started to strum and sing. It was utter rubbish if I wanted to be honest, nothin' more than the words and actions from a tipsy quail, but everyone in the pub found it entertainin' enough as yeh made a total arse out of yerself. Then when yeh were done and Buck had to help yeh down, I wanted to die out of embarrassment, and I felt like this was the most inappropriate thing to do while Thorn was still hurt."
He looked back at his friend. "But when I looked over at her, she did somethin' I haven't seen her do in weeks. Fer the first time… she smiled… and then she laughed."
Espio could swear from behind him, he could hear Jewel choke back a sob.
"'Oll this time, I never understood why so many people were entertained by yer songs. But that night… fer the first time, I saw why people loved them. I saw why yeh loved to play and entertain people. Yeh wanted to put a smile on their faces even in the darkest of times. I thought of it as nothin' but annoyin' rubbish. But… that showed me that what yeh do it's… it's magical. And that's why I asked yeh to teach me how to learn music. And I kept it from yeh 'oll this time. But… not anymore."
"This is… the most sorry I've seen him be," Bow commented.
"I can't expect yeh to forgive me still with everythin' I've done and said to yeh. Even now, I know yer still mad. But… I believe in you, Alan. We may squabble from time to time, but… but yer one of the best mates I could ever ask fer. We're 'oll the Merry Five fer a reason. We don't even split up, not ever. And I know I seem like after all this, it seems loike I'm just blowin' smoke up yer arse to get yeh to feel sorry fer me. But, I'm beggin' yeh…"
Munch proceeded to grab his bycocket off his head, holding it in both hands as his ears fell down more.
"...can yeh can find it in that happy-go-lucky heart of yers to forgive this gammon… twit of a Miller's son?"
There was no response from the black quail still as he continued to sit still like a statue, Munch's head turning away as he seemingly accepted that Alan wasn't going to accept his apology in spite of everything.
"Alan, please," Buck suddenly said. "I could see and hear Munch, and you know all of it came from the heart as much as I do. Please, give him an answer."
This request was all it took for Alan to respond. He slowly turned around, his puffy, tired eyes clear to everyone in front of him. Soon, his body followed suit, slowly turning as he put his feet on the floor, slowly walking up to Munch as he continued to hold his lute. The rat continued to hold his bycoket in his hands, looking guiltily at the quail. Silence was held between the two as Alan wiped his eyes.
"I… I can't say I forgive m'self entirely," he said, his voice hoarse and emotional. "Because I don't. I still am beatin' m'self up fer everythin' that happened yesterday. But… yer right. The Merry Five always sticks together no matter what. Even if we squabble, there's no other person I want to be around with then me mates. To lose them, it's…"
Alan sniffled as he turned away from Munch, covering his beaks. "So-sorry… I'm rubbish at this whole emotional thing…"
"No chip off the block, mate," Munch replied. "Yeh sure loike to be happy and sad fer others, but not fer yerself. It's fine though. Now yeh understand."
"M-Munch… yeh… I never… never expected yeh to sound loike that before. It…" Alan sighed. "I'm sorry 'bout what I said too. I knew that hurt yeh and yet I still said it. Dun act like yer the guilty party, mate. I hurt yeh just as… ju-just as much as y-yeh said-"
"Hey, hey hey hey, dun blubba' on me now. It ain't loike yeh, mate. What happened to that brave minstrel yeh like to claim yeh are? Words are rubbish anyway, I think there's no better apology than an Avalon apology, eh?"
Alan looked up, his sad face slowly starting to fade away as a sole tear streaked down his black beak. He started to slowly smile. "Yeh mean it?"
"Depends. D'ya forgive me?"
"Loikewise too, mate."
The two held up their hands, and upon making contact, connected together and shook once as they slid their hands up each other's arms. As they reached their shoulders, both of them came together, hugging each other tightly. Smiles on their faces, Alan let his lute down on the floor as they both squeezed each other tightly.
Meanwhile, Espio sighed a breath of relief, happy to see that his friends were finally back together again. He could see Bow, Thorn, and Buck all looking at one another and smiling, a hand over the lop rabbit's chest.
"See! I told ya, Es!" Vector said, slightly slapping his boyfriend's shoulder. "All they needed was a bit of time and they'd be cooled off!"
"They really are that close, huh?" Knuckles asked. "To see them like this in spite of everything going on… it gives me hope, not gonna lie."
"What, jealous that we haven't done such a thing?" Mighty teased as the echidna smashed his fist down on the armadillo's shell.
"Shush you!!"
"Still… to see Munch finally smiling again after yesterday, especially since he didn't arrive to practice… I'm glad. There might have been a lot of things Monk screwed up, but… a bond as powerful as these guys' is something he can't damage."
"It… it's so pure!" Jewel cried, emotional at the sight in front of her. "Oh, someone pass me a tissue, I need to blow my nose…"
As Jewel fluttered past Vector and Espio, the chameleon looked up to see the crocodile staring down at him, smiling.
"Look at 'em. Yeh helped encourage Munch to apologize. No matter what people want yeh to think 'bout yerself, Es, yeh bein' here right now changed so many of our lives fer the good," he said. Just then, Espio felt something grab his hand. Surprised, he looked down to see the crocodile squeezing his smaller hand tightly, his tail wagging softly. Looking back up at his boyfriend, Vector's grin grew wider as Espio too smiled softly. It may have been a gesture no one else in the room saw, but in the moment, it reminded Espio just how much he meant to the crocodile.
He really did love this man…
Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door, taking everyone's attention away from whatever they were doing as they stared at the door as Munch and Alan pulled away from their hug. They weren't sure who it was, but as the door opened up, there was the sound of wheels rotating as a small metal table was pushed into the room. Espio looked over to see various plates, cups, and a bottle of water on the table as an Overlander woman walked into the room.
"Hellllllllo, Mr. Buck~," she said cheerily, her dark skin shining as bright as her attitude and her attire. "I've already been informed by Nurse Quack about your condition, so I'll be the one attending you this afternoon. How do you feel?"
The deer sat up in his bed as the Overlander began to push buttons on the side of the bed. "Much better than yesterday, although m' body still hurts quite a bit."
"Have the painkillers you've been prescribed working?"
"Somewhat. When I sit still it's fine, but when I move, that's when I feel pain."
"How about your mind? Does it feel foggy? Can you remember what happened this morning? Are you slurring your words?"
"Not particularly, it seems fine."
"Well, I have your lunch here. But before I serve it to you, I'm going to do a quick cognitive test just to make sure you're alright. I just need you to stare at my finger and follow it without moving your head, okay?"
"Hey, before yeh start…" Vector said, a confused look on his face. "...have I seen yeh around somewhere? Yeh seem familiar."
The Overlander woman looked at the crocodile and turned her head. "You know, I can say the same for you too as well. I feel like we've met before."
"Aren't you Officer Wachowski's wife?" Knuckles asked. The woman snapped her fingers.
"That's it! That's where I recognize you! You were those boys that Tom and I talked to before we left for Christmas! Yeah, now I remember!"
"Maddie, wasn't it?" Mighty added.
"And you remember too! A pleasure to meet you all. As these gentleman have said, I'm Officer Wachowski's wife."
"I didn't think yeh worked here," Vector said. "Wouldn't be the first person on the hospital staff married to another person part of the university."
"Oh! I actually don't. I'm here today because the hospital I work at has nursing interns from Mobius University, and I was asked to help them out here. I'm a natural when it comes to caring for Mobians though, it's been my pride and joy. Anyway, we should get started Buck, so you can eat."
With that, the others watched as Maddie performed a few tests on the deer as she wrote down the results on a clipboard atop the table. From asking him what he remembered when he woke up, what today's date was, flashing a light into both of his eyes slowly, to name a few.
"Okay… it seems that your cognitive functions are quite well in spite of what happened to you! Of course, later today the doctor will come in to not only do a CT scan, but he'll be doing a balance test as well. Provided that you pass all the tests and you're able to do tasks without much pain, you may possibly be discharged tonight! Of course, we'll still prescribe you painkillers to take to help alleviate the pain you described the nurse this morning. As for your black eye well… ice is the best thing we can prescribe for that," Maddie continued.
"Thank you very much, Nurse. And… m' lunch?"
"Of course!" Maddie pulled out a tray from the side of the bed and slid it in front of the deer. She went over to the cart she had and placed the plate in front of Buck alongside a glass of ice water. "Here you are Buck, vegetable soup, strawberries and blueberries, key lime pie yogurt, and salad. The doctor already told us about your food preferences, so this was prepared with that in mind."
"Bless you very much, Nurse Maddie. I'm quite hungry actually."
"If it hurts to eat, have one of your friends press the alert button. We'll serve you something else instead. The doctor will be back to attend you in the next hour or so to check up on you. In the meantime, I'll try to find a nurse here to put this into your record since this hospital works differently than the one I work at. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to use any of the resources you're allowed. If you excuse me,"
Maddie grabbed all the paperwork she filled out regarding Buck's tests as she turned towards everyone else in the room.
"Buck should be very thankful he has all of you to keep him company," the dark skinned Overlander said. "Sometimes at my hospital, kids your ages don't have many people to care for them after they're discharged from the ER. I have faith that you'll take care of him well."
"Of course! Buck's been our friend fer so long!" Bow said. "It ain't loike us if we let 'im be!"
"Still, when I heard about what happened from Nurse Quack, I was quite shocked. Incidents like what happened to Buck shouldn't happen on a college campus. You deal with drunk drivers, people coming down with viruses, even the occasional questionable moment that lands someone in the ER. But… trampled by a crowd?"
"Not when our campus is bein' run by a bunch of sociopaths," Vector grumbled, arms folded.
"I've only heard about some of it from Tom," Maddie walked over to the window of the room, staring out of it as she had her hands in her coat pockets. "I always see him come home so late and so tired, dealing with so many kids who say they're being tormented or trying to stop random people from putting their hands on the students. This isn't what Tom signed up for. It's not what people who go to college sign up for. They go so they can strive for higher education and improve the knowledge of what they know and love. They don't go to be afraid of leaving their dorm out of fear that someone will verbally abuse them when they tried to do anything."
"Even Officer Wachowski too…" Mighty commented.
"I just want my husband to do the job he signed up for without issue, not having to wake up in the middle of the night thinking that someone's trying to reach him."
Maddie sighed.
"But that's neither here nor there. I have faith in Tom that he and his fellow officers will serve justice to anyone who'd do anything like physically attack people," she turned around and looked at everyone, giving a weak smile. "I'll be fine. If anything, you should be hearing what my sister said when I told her about all of this. I'm surprised she isn't here joining along to give her an excuse to throw hands with Tom."
Maddie chuckled to herself. "Well, I really should be going. You kids keep safe leaving the hospital, okay?"
With that, the Overlander nurse started to walk out of the room as she opened the door and shut it behind her, leaving Vector, Espio, Knuckles, Mighty, Jewel, Bow, Thorn, Alan, and Munch all standing around staring at the door.
"Let's hope for our sake, Connery and Monk don't make ANOTHER friend," Knuckles joked.
Minutes later, everyone all stood around in different parts of the room as Buck munched on his lunch, scooping up blueberries and placing them in his mouth. As he drank from his glass of water, Alan and Munch sat together on the AC unit, the quail holding his lute as he moved his legs back and forth. Meanwhile, Thorn whisked the vegetable soup together as she began to blow on it to cool it down as Bow got the deer more comfortable. Finally, Vector stood by the window that Maddie stood, staring at it as Espio stood by his boyfriend, Knuckles, Mighty, and Jewel by the brown sparrow.
"So, what's the plan now?" Bow asked. "What do we do?"
"As it's lookin', Connery, Monk, and the rest of CCOCC pretty much control the entire university. They're gonna stop at nothin' 'till they get everyone they dun like off campus, and the officials ain't doin' shit to stop them," Vector said, turning around as he looked away from the Mercian transfer students. "I'm so sorry. If it wasn't fer me, I couldda stopped those two from becomin' the lunatics they are now. And now, I got yeh five involved in somethin' yeh should have never been involved in."
"Oh, Vector…" Thorn said, all five of the Mercian students' faces falling when they heard this.
"I only heard briefly about this Monk fellow from Bow, the one who apparently was responsible fer what happened to me. He was acquainted with you, no?" Buck asked after swallowing some soup.
"He was. He was a former member of our football team," Knuckles replied. "He quit after he received no support from our team when he revealed details of Vector's private life. Now, he's joined the main conservative political student group that's headed by another one of the members of our football team."
"Conservative?" Bow asked. "Y'mean, Loyalists?"
"I don't remember Loyalists in Snottingham actin' like the people here do," Thorn added. "Then again, Loyalists like to pretend people like us don't exist."
"That ain't the point," Munch added. "What matters is that whether we loike it or not, this Monk bloke painted a target on our backs. Meanin'... it won't be long before he tries somethin' else, eh?"
"Besides, not only is it just us… it's Espio too," Bow added. "Espio's our friend too. And we won't let some minger try and ruin 'is loife. We won't stand fer that!"
"Bow…" Espio said.
"But what can we do?" Jewel asked. "Even I don't know how we're going to get this to stop!"
"It's as Vector said. The university seems like it's done trying to control CCOCC and they're just letting them do whatever they want without butting in," Mighty said. "Likely because they're afraid of any kind of backlash if they DID try to intervene."
"The officials, the campus officers, all of them. They've given up and let everyone fend fer themselves," Vector added. "Well, fuck it. Fuck all of 'em. If CCOCC thinks they can get away with this, they got another thing comin'. We… we gotta take things into our own hands."
"What do you mean?" Thorn asked.
"I think it's time that CCOCC tasted a bit of their own medicine. To get them feel what they've made… no, not just Es, or you Buck, EVERYONE in this room feel."
Vector turned around, Espio noticing a confident look on the crocodile's face. "Whaddya say, Es?"
"I…" Espio looked down, trying to process everything. If he was understanding this, was Vector implying that he wanted to retaliate against Connery and Monk? He wouldn't deny that he was not opposed to this, but if he wanted to commit such a thing, he needed to have a plan.
But… with how much the two as well as CCOCC and their supporters had dishonored him and his friends, perhaps this was what Valdez meant when he talked with the chameleon this morning.
"This is what Valdez-san meant… this is what I have to do… This is what Smithy meant…" he thought to himself. "Take responsibility…. Into my own hands."
"I don't want what happened to Buck happen to someone else," Munch said. "Espio's me mate, and anyone who messes with them has to answer to me. If yeh wanna take revenge against this CCOCC… then I'm in."
"Munch!" Bow, Thorn, and Buck all said.
"Vector's right! How long will it be before someone else gets hurt? Before… before someone dies?!"
"Still… we musnt resort to violence…" Buck said.
"Buck's right! I hate CCOCC, don't get me wrong, but maybe perhaps we can go about this a different way? I mean, if we get our hands dirty, then we're no better than them!" Jewel exclaimed. "I mean for Gaia's sake-"
"Please don't use the Pillars' name in vain, Jewel."
The jewel beetle turned to give the cervid a bit of a sour look.
"Frankly, Connery and Monk are long overdue for a lesson in what happens when you act like an asshole to everyone," Knuckles added. "They think of themselves as untouchable gods, when they're nothing more than dishonorable cowards."
"I have my qualms getting my hands dirty too. I'm a pacifist by nature, but… sometimes you have to do the wrong things for the right reasons in dire times," Mighty replied. "You and Espio have been unfairly targeted for weeks now, Vector. That isn't right. That's why… if you want to stop CCOCC, then I'm in."
"Same for me!"
"And me!"
The others agreed, although Buck and Jewel still seemed uncertain.
"If yeh two wanna sit out of this, it's fine," Vector said. "I ain't gonna hate yeh fer it. But… I'm doin' this not just fer me or fer the school, but fer Espio too."
"Me?" the chameleon asked. Vector turned around and crouched down, grabbing the chameleon's shoulders.
"Es… yeh know that I love yeh too much to be idle and let all that's happened to yeh since the start of the month continue. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Yeh… yeh matter too much fer me to let this continue. When I asked yeh to be mah boyfriend earlier this month, I did so knowing that I would do anythin' fer yeh as mah partner."
Espio was about to open his mouth. He was worried at the prospect of more people getting hurt rather than letting him take things into his own hands. But… everyone else sans Jewel and Buck seemed certain to join him in solidarity.
But suddenly-
"As long as yeh don't expect me to put m' hands on someone and resort to violence… I'll be glad to join as well," Buck said. "Solaris said that when one is hurt, the world weeps with them. I refuse to let Espio be hurt anymore ."
"Jewel?" asked Vector.
The beetle still seemed uncertain, rubbing her arm. "I… I can't say I've ever done anything like this. But… if this is what I have to do since Harvey isn't listening anymore… then… then I guess I have no choice. Bu-But make my role minimum! If someone on the staff finds out about what I'm doing…"
"Hey hey, I'm sure we'll find somethin' fer yeh to do. And yeh know what? I'm sure we can talk to others too. It won't just be all of us! The more people we have, the better!"
"So, when do we start plans for enactin' revenge?" Bow asked. The quarterback was ready to open his mouth again before he started hearing a snore come from the other side of the room. Everyone turned to see Alan resting his head on Munch's shoulder with his eyes shut, succumbing to how tired he was.
"...y'know, maybe we can wait 'till we're all in tip top shape first," Vector said. Alan suddenly woke up, snorting. He mumbled as he raised his head up.
"Okay, let's get yeh to bed, mate. Yeh've been real tired," Munch said as he got off the AC unit. Alan followed suit as he put his arm around the copper rat's wide shoulders. Suddenly, Bow and Thorn came up behind the two.
"Huh?..." Alan asked, dazed.
"Hey, yeh heard Munch!" Bow replied. "The Merry Five is always together no matter what! We'll make sure yeh get to bed hunky dory!"
"D'yeh mind if you boys look after Buck while we're gone?" Thorn asked the others. "I'm sure he'll be fine, but I shan't imagine how he'd feel being so alone."
"Take your time," Knuckles replied. "We'll be here until you get back."
The lop rabbit nodded as the four left the room, the quail yawning loudly from down the hall. As Espio watched his friends leave, he thought about what was going to happen now.
He… he really was going to do this. He was going to get his revenge. And not just him, everyone else who Connery, Monk, and CCOCC wronged as well.
The chameleon looked up at his boyfriend, who walked over and took a seat by a desk. Vector said… he was doing this for him. Because of how much he loved him…
He thought back to everything he said this morning talking to Valdez, realizing that he was a fool. If Vector didn't care, he would just let this be.
But instead, he wanted this to stop by taking matters into his own hands. Just like what Smithy said yesterday…
"Vector… sometimes, I feel like you wish you could be dating someone from the Outside World instead of me. But…" Espio thought to himself. "You're willing to risk so much because of me. You really… really do love me…"
END OF CHAPTER 37
