Chapter Text
It had all happened so quickly.
Their task had been so simple, too. Eggman had acquired a Chaos Emerald and some weird new machine he was wreaking havoc with, and it had been up to them to put a stop to it- and it had gone amazingly at the start, Silver’s confidence soaring with every deflection and counter-attack and even Espio feeling good about their chances. But before they could strike the final blow the creation had malfunctioned and the Emerald had sparked, Eggman had cursed and a blinding flash of light had foregone a searing cry...
A scream of anguish forming on his own lips Espio had ran forward to where Silver had been struck head-on, but then any noise the ninja could have made in his horror had fallen silent entirely at the tiny form laying in the crater that had been formed.
“Of course we’ll take care of him,” Vector had promised when Espio came racing to the Agency with the unconscious body of the hedgehog in his arms, eyes wide and terror gripping him at all sides and voice almost too choked-up in shock to explain to the crocodile what had happened. “We survived Charmy, this’ll be a piece of cake! You’ll see, he’ll be the sweetest and cutest li’l lad to take care of.”
The chameleon had only been able to calm down at his colleague’s kind words, and both their reliefs had been palpable when the little hoglet had stirred in full and woken up in his arms with soft squeaks that made the ninja’s whole body melt. Silver had become so tiny, golden eyes large and unfocused before settling on Espio as recognition flowed back in, and the bright smile that had formed on the other’s face as their gazes met had made him melt only more. The ninja had deemed it a great start of a rather unexpected situation, more than ready to tackle and deal with this change until it could be reversed, but unfortunately his and Vector’s enthusiasm had been... somewhat misplaced.
Because Silver had turned out to be the most impossible toddler to take care of ever.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Espio asked for the dozenth time in what could only have been half an hour at best, though the bowl in his hands was still as full as before his first suggestion and adorable golden eyes had not let up their narrowed stare. “It is, uh... really tasty.”
A huff was all that followed his half-hearted encouragement. “No, ‘s not.”
“Yes, it is.” Putting the food on the tabletop for the moment the chameleon stifled a deep sigh, grabbing the tiny hedgehog and lifting him up in his arms from where the other was in the middle of a daring escape attempt from the chair. With Vector and Charmy helping Tails out while the genius fox was searching for a way to reverse the effects of Eggman’s machine, it was up to Espio to care for the child back home… and to say he perhaps was in over his head was an understatement if he had ever heard one, no matter how adorable and tiny his beloved had become. “Why are you being so difficult, my small one?” Espio asked the little toddler in earnest, tucking him against his chest and rocking him like he had done so often with Charmy as well. Silver always was on the light side, but the other was positively weightless in his grasp now, existing most of downy fur and tiny quills that failed to bristle and be sharp... Gently Espio prodded a little grey belly, a frown forming on his face at the lightness of the hoglet in his arms and not even the silly squeaks his touches elicited soothing his worries. “You have to be at least a little bit hungry, you haven’t eaten for hours.” Though, despite this little factoid the ninja could only sigh deeply as his eyes fell on the entirely full bowl of baby food once more. Compared to the stubborn child he was holding now, caring for Charmy had been beyond easy, the bee at least wanting to do some stuff like eat or play or sleep and easily coaxed into his guardians’ wishes through backhanded means... Meanwhile Silver’s vocabulary seemed to consist mostly of one word, and it was ‘no’. Chaos, he and Vector had been so confident at first...
If anything Silver blinked at him more apologetically, tiny hands mushing Espio’s cheeks and a quiet giggle resounding. “You!”
“No, you can’t eat me.” But the other was reaching for the spoon in the bowl next, and the chameleon blinked in confusion as he leaned forward and let the tiny hoglet grasp it in full. Maybe Silver was one of those children who wanted to be independent and do everything on their own... which was rather difficult for him and his desire to have everything under immaculate control at any given moment, the ninja grimaced as the spoon got grabbed and all but clattered onto the table with the bowl’s sinful orange sludge spraying everywhere. It did not deter his beloved; with an absolutely manic laugh Silver raised his little fists and made the air spark cyan, the utensil... twitching on the table, one end getting lifted only an inch at best before falling down once more. “You know? I think we should be glad you can’t control your powers and they weakened so much along with you,” Espio noted dryly. “We’d be in trouble if either of those had not happened.”
Cooing softly Silver grabbed the spoon once anew, the chameleon helping all the same- he was not going to be stuck here until Tails had found the cure with a hedgehog unwilling to listen while tugging uselessly on their utensils and taking up all his patience that way. “Eat!” the other cried triumphantly, spoon tugged up clumsily by tiny grey arms and getting all but flung through the air... right against Espio’s cheek, the latter’s eyes narrowing as an inkling of just what his charge wanted began to form.
“You don’t... wish for me to eat this too, do you?”
“Eat,” Silver repeated a whole lot more forcefully in his squeaky toddler voice, manoeuvring the spoon some more and mushing his little fingers against Espio’s mouth.
Realising the futility of arguing with a young child very well Espio narrowed his eyes all the same, pushing the thought of how greatly his credibility was getting impacted by the slurry on his cheek firmly out of his mind. “I will eat if you do too. And you’re taking the first bite,” he retorted. He had no idea if Silver even understood what they were talking about, but the hedgehog did seem to, at least mostly- and Espio knew his beloved well enough to understand when Silver truly was not following him, and which moments simply were moments the psychic did not want to listen. So far it largely had been leaning to the latter.
“Hm.” Nose twitching most disdainfully the hoglet pushed his little ungloved hand right into the sludge in the bowl, scrutinising his digits as Espio stifled a grimace above him. Silver was willing to try it, the chameleon soothed himself as best he could despite the situation, even if it was through shoving his entire slurry-covered fist into his mouth and smearing food all over himself with the mere movement. Maybe a bath was in order after this, terrifying as it sounded… Though, Silver’s delighted laugh did make everything just a bit better all the same. “’s Good! You!!”
“…Yes, yes, I’ll give it a shot,” Espio sighed back; he truly was not going to escape from this one, unappetising as the food looked. But it wouldn’t kill him, and if it could coerce Silver into eating more… Rescuing the spoon from where it had ended up in the miniscule patch of fluffy no-longer-white chest fur and scooping up some of the food the chameleon suppressed a gag at the odd, carrot-like taste, keeping his features carefully neutral instead. “Yummy, delicious. Your turn again.”
A second disdainful hum resounded at the ninja’s ‘encouragement’, though at least Silver was consuming some more of the stuff… by foregoing utensil usage entirely and only using his hands to eat, and rather messily to boot. Unable to keep an amused though slightly wry smile off his face the more his beloved’s grey-furred pelt changed colour to a smudgy orange Espio forced himself through some more spoonfuls of the food as well, until he finally could scrape the last bits from the bowl’s sides and give it to the toddler. “There, that was the last of it. Well done.”
A giggle resounding as a small grey hand grabbed the utensil to tug on it Espio quirked up an amused eyebrow, Silver freezing in his arms and staring owlishly at himself. “…Ick,” the hoglet mumbled, studying his body with large golden eyes and small grey ears sinking right against his scalp as the damage was assessed, and the chameleon couldn’t stop a laugh from slipping out in full at the somewhat-horrified look getting sent his way next.
“That’s what you get with your spoon usage, small one- or rather, your lack of it. Sometimes it’s good to let people help you.” Placing the bowl and spoon on the counter for now and making sure the child was firmly tucked against him the chameleon left for upstairs. “Let’s give you a bath.”
“. . .No.”
“You do need one, my little love.”
“No.”
“Your pelt is dirty.”
“No.”
“Are you denying that your fur is all but covered in that horrid, reeking, possibly toxic orange waste they call toddler food? You noted yourself you look icky.”
“No.”
“…Do you even know how to say yes?”
Tipping his head to the side Silver blinked before cooing and smiling, giving Espio all the answers he needed. “I am so getting you back for this,” the chameleon swore, giggling child firmly in his hands as he entered the bathroom. “You are repaying me in kind for your dastardly toddler ways, and being even more cute than normal, and making it absolutely and utterly impossible to be mad at you.”
Carefully the hoglet got placed in the bathtub and the tap turned open, Espio sinking down next to his beloved on the plastic and pulling him onto his lap after a moment of contemplation- he had to be careful Silver didn’t get hurt or drown in a moment of inattention on his side, fear grasping the ninja already at the mere thought. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” he hummed, washcloth and soap at the ready to scrub the little one – and himself – free from all orange goo adorning both their forms. “Just sit still and don’t fuss.”
“No!!” the little one squeaked back at him, inbetween delighted giggles as his tummy got cleaned and coos of wonder as small grey fists tried to grab the foam forming on the water. “No, no, no! NO! …Uh.”
“Are you just being difficult or are you trying to say a word you can’t pronounce?” Espio teased gently. it couldn’t be a protest regarding his attempts at washing the other, what with the psychic reaching out for his hand the moment he stopped scrubbing at the other’s body and sitting on his lap as if he was king of the whole bathroom and Espio was his throne. “Like soap, or bubbles? Water?”
For a moment he could have sworn something of literary value would slip out of Silver’s mouth, the child pulling an adorably scrunched-up face and anticipatory silence filling the whole bathroom… before a sneeze followed, golden eyes blinking up sheepishly at the chameleon and the lithe grey body snuggling into his chest. “You’re cute like this,” Espio chuckled warmly; and Silver was, no-one could deny it. “But I’ll still be happy when you turn back to normal and I can scold you for being such an adorable little no-sayer.”
“No,” resounded from against him in a little coo followed by a huge yawn, and as Espio laughed and got out of the bathtub to dry the child and patiently waited for Tails to come in with good news he figured maybe Silver was the sweetest and cutest to take care of after all.
------
Something was stroking his ears.
Sluggishly Silver stirred, darkness inside his mind wavering and his senses slowly returning- had they ever been gone? Why did the world feel so distorted, so different? What had happened- and why did he feel so safe all the same? Where was he?
With a quiet groan the time traveller tried to open his eyes, relief flooding through him at the hazy splotches of achingly familiar purple resting beside him. His name got murmured against his ears, the voice making a smile bloom on his face despite his confusion and his haphazard thoughts, and as Espio kissed his forehead and ran his fingers over his quills he understood exactly what made him feel so protected. “What…” the hedgehog mumbled all the same, tongue heavy and odd in his mouth. “Es…”
“You are alright, my love,” got spoken calmly as Silver moved an unwilling hand up to rub at his eyes. “Please, do not fret. You’re safe.”
Safe… Letting himself sink against Espio’s chest more the psychic hummed quietly. “From what…”
“…Your own stupidity, basically. Were you always this difficult as a little toddler? Good grief, I was so worried about you-”
Blinking up in surprise at the small tangent following the other’s gentle words so unexpectedly Silver tried to focus inbetween the confusion holding him. Stupidity? Toddler? The former he could place, usually it’d mean he’d done something reckless that backfired on him in a fight or similar, but… Wasn’t a toddler a little kid? He wasn’t a kid!
“-and you kept saying ‘no’ to everything, it was a nightmare. I really just wanted to take good care of you and I honestly like to think that I did, but it’s not made easier if you don’t want anything- why did you not want anything? You didn’t seem confused, or scared, or-“
“Es, what are you talking about,” Silver protested, rearing up his heavy head and fixing the other in a dazed glare. “Where- are we at Tails’?” He recognised the other’s workshop, though he now was laying… on the workbench, that little factoid confusing him only more. He wasn’t allowed up there! And he had been wrapped in a blanket and from what he could tell he wasn’t wearing his clothes and his body felt like it was just too big and clumsy for him and…
“Stop fussing,” Espio scolded him warmly as the hedgehog began to writhe and wriggle in the chameleon’s grasp. “Everything is alright with you. You just…” The few seconds of silence that followed were most suspicious indeed. “Well, you transformed into a toddler,” the ninja eventually noted. “Do you remember…?”
Sending his beloved an incredulous glance Silver shook his head, wracking his mind for the details. They were… fighting Eggman, he could recall, and then he’d been in pain, and then everything had been… vague, and so much larger than him, but also so safe… He still felt so safe. “I dunno,” he mumbled back, snuggling underneath Espio’s chin as his headache caught up with him and made him groan. Toddler… it would explain why he felt so off, at least. And Espio wouldn’t lie to him like that… “That’s wild. That I became a toddler.”
Espio’s chuckle made his tail wag just a little despite his confusion. “It was a riot in all the best and worst ways, tenshi. Good thing Tails always knows what to do. He’s upstairs with everyone else, making you some tea and food. Said you’d be just fine in a bit, and hopefully a bit more compliant.”
“I’m just tired… and my head hurts.” Flicking his ears Silver pondered the detective’s words over some more. Had he caused trouble for Espio? …But if the other was mad about that, he would not be holding him so gently, or laugh so sweetly or talk to him so kindly… “Were you there?” the hedgehog asked, voice soft.
“I was, my love. I didn’t leave you for a single second, and I took care of you as best I could.”
“…Then it’s all okay.” A warm smile forming on his face Silver began to purr, huddling even closer against his beloved. Turning into a toddler or whatever oddity it was that had happened to him this day, as long as he had Espio with him he could survive anything. Except… “What do you mean, I kept saying ‘no’ to everything. I don’t do that!”
A cheerful laugh resounding Silver got bundled against the other’s chest a bit more tightly. “My love, you wanted nothing. You didn’t want to eat, you didn’t want to bathe… I’m glad you fell asleep as I was washing you, because if I had to make you doze off myself I am sure you still would be sitting on me and just saying no to everything I could have done to make you tired.” Playfully the chameleon tugged at his ear. “I’ll keep the details for when I need to embarrass you with something, which surely won’t take long. But… you really don’t recall?”
“…No,” Silver was forced to admit before laughing as well, and as his and Espio’s lips met and the other took to running his hands over the hedgehog’s entire body to see if he truly was not hurt the psychic closed his eyes once more and allowed himself to doze just a little again.
Toddler or teenager, Espio would always be there to care for him, after all.