Originally Posted: 1-4-2025, Written by Sparkel Dog
Audiobook ^
The pouring rain was finally slowing down. Standing under the eaves of a small shop, they had been mostly shielded from the sky’s direct onslaught, though a few fat drops of water still seemed to be leaking onto Vector’s head. There wasn’t any place better to stand though; Vector had realized as much earlier when he had been looking up at the roof’s edge. It was narrow and a bit shoddy in quality. Still, it was preferable to standing directly out in the rain.
Espio had not said much ever since the downpour had started. He had been silently sitting by Vector’s side under the roof of the shop. Though he rested his eyes, Vector knew it was far too cold for him to be asleep. He was used to Espio’s silence, though. Ever since the day he had met him, Vector had noted the kid’s default to keeping quiet unless there was something to say. He hadn’t even been able to get Espio to tell him much about himself.
The day that they had met was about a year prior to that point. Vector almost envied the situation he had been in that day in juxtaposition to the weather they were waiting out now, as the skies had been clear. He had been feeling on edge that day. He had the uneasy feeling of being watched. It was as if something was staring at him from out of the corner of his eye… But whenever Vector had turned to look, he saw no one. He tried to ignore the strange sensation of feeling as if eyes were trained on him, though. He had to get back to work.
He didn’t exactly have stable work back then (Not that he did now), as most places had turned him away. Though there was the obvious reason that Vector was quite young at the time, Vector knew there were other silent factors that contributed to his inability to hold a job. He didn’t have a place to call home and he knew that his appearance and scent probably reflected that, though he did what he could to stay hygienic. Even if it wasn’t something that anyone would say outright, the bias from hiring staff was still clear. Vector wasn’t blind to the looks he would receive or from comments muttered behind his back. The judgment and rejection time and time again only reminded Vector of the nagging voice at the back of his head. That voice often repeated the words that his parents had said about him. Worthless, Empty-headed, Failure. It was hard to shake those thoughts from his head.
Despite the challenge in finding a steady source of income, Vector was still hard working and strong, and would implement his skills in performing odd jobs for people. Though it wasn’t reliable or consistent, he did what he could when he could so that he could try to eat, try to survive, try to fight the fate his parents had expected of him and make a life for himself. And on that day, Vector had been able to find a small job he could preform. It was nothing more than manual labor, moving objects far too heavy for some of the smaller animals that lived in this town, but it garnered him some cash.
The day began to look more favorable. When all the work was said and done, Vector had been able to scrounge up enough money to afford an actual meal, that being a fresh hot pizza. Vector still remembered just how warm the box itself felt as he sat it down beside him at an outside bench before moving to grab a well earned crispy slice.
He took a bite and felt the cheese and sauce practically melt into his mouth. It wasn’t long before the entire slice had been scarfed down, and Vector couldn’t suppress a contented sigh. It had been about a day since he had last eaten, and it was always good to have warm food in his belly.
He moved to grab another slice from the box beside him, but then stopped. There it was again… That strange sensation that he was being watched… Only this time, Vector heard something… He didn’t know what. A soft scraping on the sidewalk, like a light footstep... But even as he examined his surroundings, nothing looked out of the ordinary… Was his imagination just playing tricks on him?
He considered the possibility for a moment, but then froze again. Though gone in the blink of an eye, there was a strange sight that caught Vector’s eye. It was like an odd refraction of light… And although he could not see anything physically there, the feeling of being watched filled Vector’s mind once more… After a few moments he concluded that some presence must have been there.
In an attempt to test this theory, Vector moved to stand, before swishing his long and heavy tail towards where he thought the light had played a trick with his eyes. If anyone had been passing by, they might have thought the big crocodile looked silly just swiping at seemingly nothing but the air.
Until his tail collided with something that was there! With a small cry, the invisible became visible; and from what seemed to appear out of nowhere, a figure was revealed and knocked to the ground.
“....There you are…!” Vector narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t recognized the figure at all, and it was taking him a moment to process what this person even looked like fully; but his suspicions had been confirmed. He had found the mysterious presence that had been trailing him all day.
The figure lept back, creating some distance between themself and the crocodile. However, they did not move very far, and when they stopped their body curled up. Vector stood in his place, but still tried to examine them closer. They were very small, much smaller than Vector was. While it was not uncommon for animals to be shorter than him (Vector was rather large), the figure’s size was small enough to where this was likely a young child. They had purple scales and a long, curled tail…. They were a lizard of some sort… A chameleon?
“That explains how I couldn’t see you…” Vector was muttering a little under his breath. Though he didn’t know many chameleons personally, he had heard of how they had the ability to change the color of their scales… Was that how this kid was able to remain concealed in plain sight for so long?
“....” The child said nothing in response, still frozen. That was when Vector realized they were cowering before him in fear. …Shoot. Moments ago Vector had been mostly on high alert, as it was never really good for anyone to be secretly following you around. But this looked to be a young kid… And Vector did have a very sympathetic heart. He would never want to scare a child like this, or worse, hurt them. Did he knock his tail into them hard enough to do so?
Vector paused for a moment, before taking a hesitant step towards them, “....Are you alright?”
“...” The kid made little more than a soft sound in response, and before Vector knew it they had disappeared into thin air and vanished without a trace.
“...” Vector had blown it. He stood in silence for a few more moments, thinking over everything he had just seen. He really couldn’t in good conscience accidentally hurt some kid and then just leave them be after that… Though he also knew he had probably scared the kid off completely. He was quiet for a moment more… But then Vector decided to speak aloud, “....I’m sorry. I hope you’re not hurt…” He paused again, “.... I won’t try to hurt you again if ya show yourself.”
The only response Vector got was the silence of the wind.
Vector sighed, and eventually turned to sit back down at the public bench. He didn’t think there was much more he could do, and actively trying to track down this kid was likely not going to be a welcome action. He moved to pick up the pizza box and grab another slice.
That was when the purple lizard appeared once more. He was sitting a few feet away from Vector, staring with uncertainty. He made not a sound, but he was still close enough for Vector to notice immediately when he let down his disguise of invisibility.
Vector stared for a moment. He was able to get a better look at the kid now that he was sitting closer. He was very small, with wide eyes that seemed to stare directly into his heart. Perhaps he should have given him a better greeting now that they were sitting face to face, but instead he just asked, “....Who are you?”
“...” The chameleon hesitated to answer for a moment. Vector didn’t know whether he was just being cautious, or if the kid even spoke at all. But then a tentative answer was given, “....My name is Espio…”
“...Espio, huh?” Vector examined him once more. He really did seem small for a chameleon… And maybe he was assuming too much based purely on looks, but Vector got the slightest suspicion that maybe Espio was in a similar position in life to him, being that he was following Vector around on the streets. It was making Vector feel a little guilty for having frightened him. And so, he wanted to do something to make it up, “......Are you hungry?”
“....” Espio looked away for a moment, failing to hide a look of awkwardness from his face. Evidently, he may have felt a little self conscious admitting his craving for food. But after a few more seconds, he looked back at Vector; a little more intently this time. He nodded once.
“....Alright, here…” Vector felt a little strange as he opened the lid of the box and carefully moved to pull a cheesy slice from the pizza. He normally didn’t like sharing, it was hard enough getting food in the first place. But for some reason this felt different… He held the slice out in an offer to Espio.
Espio was still. His eyes darted from Vector, to the slice and back, weighing whether or not this was a trick of some sort. After a moment, he hesitantly moved to take the pizza from him, and was still once more after he had accepted it.
But the moment Espio seemingly decided it was safe to eat, he immediately began to scarf it down messily. Vector hadn’t ever seen anyone race to eat so fast, almost as if he would never see food again. In a few seconds the slice was gone.
“....Wow. You really were hungry.” Vector was still surprised, “...When was the last time you ate?”
“....” Espio looked away again, avoiding eye contact with an almost guilty look on his face. When Vector realized the obvious answer to that question was no time recent, he felt a small pang to his heart. He knew all too well the feeling of hunger, but it hurt to think about a kid even younger than himself having to deal with that. Vector moved to hand Espio another slice.
Once again, the kid hesitated a moment, though his pause was not quite as long as before. He quickly stuffed the second slice down into his belly. Vector began to eat as well.
Soon the whole pizza was gone, and Espio stayed sitting by the bench; seemingly content. Vector stared at him for a moment. He was glad the kid wasn’t trying to hide anymore at least, but he still knew barely anything about him. “....Espio?”
Once again, the chameleon seemed to freeze in hesitation, having been addressed directly. Though he did quietly respond in acknowledgement, “...Hm?”
“....You’ve been following me around today.” Vector stated the obvious observation, “...Why is that?”
“.....I’m sorry…” Espio looked away from him.
“I’m not mad.” Vector wanted to assure him of that. He didn’t think the kid had any negative intent in trailing him. If he were trying to be a pickpocket, he would’ve mugged him by now or just stolen his change whilst invisible. “I’m just curious about it…” He paused again, considering for a moment how and if he should ask this next question. But he wouldn’t know unless he did ask, and he figured he might as well ask it when he still had Espio’s attention, “...Don’t you got anyplace better you could be staying instead of following me around outside?”
“...” Espio did not respond, though the frown on his face and the way he darted his eyes back to the ground sufficed in conveying the answer.
In fact, even after Vector let Espio hang around him in the weeks and months that followed, the kid never shared much about how he came to be in his situation living in the streets at all. Vector tried not to pry too much, though. It was probably something personal.
He was still able to learn a lot about Espio just from being in his presence though, even if he wasn’t talkative. While he wasn’t naive, Espio did show a curiosity about the world and his surroundings, and he would often stay quiet just to watch people walking by or going about their day. He also had a knack for picking up on small details that went unnoticed by Vector at first. One of the things that Vector found really interesting about the kid, though, was that he claimed to be training to become a ninja.
“...A ninja?” Vector had asked the first time Espio had shared this with him.
Espio had nodded and paused for a moment, “...I’ve been training with steady resolve…”
“...What does that involve?” Vector had a faint idea, “...Is that part of why you’ve been turning yourself invisible to spy on your surroundings?” The day they had met was certainly not the only time Vector had observed this. He had quickly discovered that the chameleon had a habit of disappearing for minutes at a time. And since Espio had grown more comfortable hanging around Vector after he had given the kid food, Vector was able to watch Espio slip into his cloak of invisibility right before his eyes quite a few times by now. It was really quite impressive, though Vector did get the snagging feeling that Espio was perhaps not the most experienced at performing this trick, yet. There were a few times when the light in the air would shimmer in a way that indicated exactly where he was hiding. Vector figured it must have been just because he was rather young and inexperienced. Though Espio acted with maturity and talked with a sense of understanding and profoundness, he had surprised Vector with the information that he was only 9 years old.
“That… is part of it.” Espio looked away from Vector for a moment, “...Though the greatest part of my training involves focus and self discipline… Observing my surroundings and being able to think and react to them.”
Vector paused for a moment, but then chuckled softly, “...Sounds pretty serious, kid.”
Espio nodded, and then he moved to pull out one of his few belongings. It was a small, sharp and pointed weapon… a blade with a short handle. Seeing this startled Vector enough to make a small sound and stare with eyes wide. It was a bit surprising to find such a dangerous looking thing concealed on a small kid like him. Espio only had an air of calmness as he examined the blade though, the light from the sun glistening off of the sharp metal, “....I also have kunai and shuriken that I train with.”
“...Huh?” Vector blinked, still staring, “...Where did you get that?? And why haven’t I ever seen you with it before??”
“...Heh.” Espio smiled to himself with a bit of amusement, before concealing the weapon on his person once more, “...We haven’t found ourselves in a situation where it’s needed, yet.”
“...Yet??” Vector goggled for a moment more, before eventually shaking his head. Espio was full of surprises, and perhaps it was best just not to question it, “....Well, just be careful not to cut yourself or anything with that, kid… I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“....” Espio did not respond verbally, although he did look over at Vector with a hint of puzzlement written on his face.
“...What?” Vector stared back, a little confused as to why he was receiving this look.
“....” Espio shook his head, “...I didn’t know you were concerned.”
“....Uh.” Vector made a soft sound, caught a little off guard by the look Espio was now giving him. The chameleon evidently hadn’t expected Vector to care about him, but why shouldn’t he? “...Of course I’m concerned….. You’re just a kid.” While Espio was serious and capable for his age, he was ultimately still young, small and a little helpless. No amount of ninja training and self reliance would change the fact that he struggled to eat and had not a place to rest or call home. And the city itself wasn’t the safest place to be either. “....If anything bad happened to ya, I would feel terrible.”
“.....Hm.” Espio thought over that sentiment for a moment, before ultimately moving on from the subject and ceasing to speak anymore. It was unclear what exactly he was thinking, but the answer Vector had given seemed to suffice in justifying the statement.
Espio’s reaction stuck in Vector’s mind long after that, though. With the look the kid had given him after he had expressed his concern, he almost felt as if he should have been embarrassed over feeling that care. The stare had felt almost accusatory (Of what crime Vector did not know), though after mulling it over Vector realized that of course hadn’t been Espio’s intent. From the genuineness written on his face, Vector gathered that Espio really had just been confused as to why Vector had expressed that care…
But why? Was Espio simply not used to feeling cared for? The thought made Vector’s heart sink. In fact, thinking of Espio in this regard at all made his chest feel strange… Vector’s compassionate heart was used to caring for those he considered his friends or even just for those in need. But Espio was someone who made him feel a particular way that he had never felt before… Perhaps it was just because they had become rather close friends in the time since they had met. Vector felt protective, as if he wanted to keep Espio safe from any further harm. The kid really was something special, and he felt a strange pride watching him grow, practice his skills, observe the world around him and learn day by day. Now more than ever, since it had been about a year since their initial meeting, Vector felt even closer to him than he ever had.
It had taken Vector quite some time after mulling all of these thoughts before the inkling of an idea sparked into his mind. A single word that might have explained these strange feelings that his confuddled brain had been pondering over:
Parental.
Now that was something that brought a whole onslaught of confusing emotions and thoughts to flood into the poor crocodile’s head. Parental? Was THAT how Vector was feeling? His immediate rebuttal to this thought was that his big, dumb, sappy heart was muddying his judgment. Thinking of someone in the same way that a parent thinks of their child felt drastic, and it wasn’t as if he could just father this kid at the drop of a hat. How could Vector feel such a thing when he was in no shape to be a parent of any kind? He was only a few years older than Espio. He had barely been a teenager for any time at all. He wasn’t in a position where he should have to be looking out for another kid. And besides, Vector thought, it wasn’t as if he knew anything about good parenting. He had only ever experienced coldness and anger from his own parents. The only thing that came to his mind even thinking about them was the messiness of the fights and arguments they had, and how their resentment and abuse towards Vector had only worsened in the time leading up to them wishing him dead and kicking him out to live on the streets.
When he considered all of those thoughts, the idea of feeling parental made his stomach churn a little, almost making him sick. He wouldn’t ever want to act that way towards someone, especially not Espio. Espio deserved more than that. If he could prevent it, Vector wanted to keep him as far away from misery or hardship as possible. And while he knew the experiences he had gone through were not typical and that actual good parents were only ever loving to their children, he knew nothing of what made a good parent or how to be one.
Those worries and thoughts made the voice in the back of his head amplify. You can barely even care for yourself. What makes you think you could care for anyone else? Over and over the words crashed against the inside of his skull. He was Too stupid, too inept, Too worthless.
“.....Vector?” Espio’s soft voice cut through his mind, interrupting those words.
“......Huh?” Vector opened his eyes. It took him a few moments to process where he was and what Espio had said. He had gotten so lost reminiscing within his thoughts that being shook from them was almost disorienting.
It was cold. He was wet. There were drops of water dripping down his head, each one sending a bit of a shiver down his spine. Ah…That’s right… He had been standing under the eaves of a shop.
“....The rain’s stopped.” Espio glanced at Vector, and then out into the open streets. He was ever so slightly leaning out from under the roof’s shelter, looking up at the sky in an attempt to see how much the clouds had cleared.
“...” Vector followed his gaze, verifying Espio’s observation for himself, “...You’re right.”
Espio turned his head back towards Vector again, giving him an expectant look that Vector had seen enough times to the point where he could read what Espio was asking before he said anything. Though Espio liked exploring out of his own curiosity, he had grown a habit of staying by Vector’s side. He would loyally follow him pretty much anywhere like a lost puppy, and he liked to let Vector make the decisions and lead the way. And now, Espio wanted to know where Vector wanted to go next, now that the rain had cleared and the opportunity to move had arisen, “...Should we go?”
“...” Vector nodded, “...Might as well…” He stepped out from under the shop’s roof into the sunlight that was starting to shine through the parting clouds, and as he did he felt a low rumbling in his stomach, “...We need to find something to eat eventually, anyways.”
“....” Espio knew this to be true, but he pointed out the obvious anyway, “...We haven’t earned any money this week…” It wasn’t as if they could walk down to the streetside cafe whose pastries and delectable smells were calling their names, or order a filling meal from the bustling family restaurant that was waiting just around the corner. In fact, by even imagining those fantasies, Espio knew that he was deluding himself. They couldn’t even afford to get a meal picking and choosing off the Meh Burger dollar menu, as they often did when they had some cash but not enough to spend elsewhere. But finding work had been difficult this week, and it had left them with squat. They were down to the last dollar.
Espio felt there was little he could do about their situation, despite his desire to help out Vector as much as he possibly could. But if Vector was struggling to find any jobs, someone younger, weaker, and less than half his size wasn’t going to fare any better. Much like everything else life seemed to throw at them, it was out of his control.
“....I know, Espio…. Things have been tight.” Vector’s voice was apologetic. He was looking away with a frown… and Espio could read the guilt that was written across his face, signaling Vector’s sorriness for not being able to provide for them adequately. “...We'll just have to make do with whatever we can find, alright?”
“....” Espio suppressed a grumble… He knew full well what that meant, and he didn’t like it. They were going to have to find something to eat, and that most likely meant picking through the discarded leftovers of strangers in some dumpster hidden in the alley by a restaurant. And while he knew he had no room to complain, seeing as there were quite frankly no other options, it was still something Espio detested.
Still, he held his tongue and nodded, just deciding to follow in Vector’s stead.
And so off the two went, walking down the sidewalk in the general direction of where they knew the good restaurants were. These places served big, hearty portions to those who were lucky enough to actually be able to afford it. And since the food here was plentiful, it often meant that those who didn’t take home their leftovers threw them away, and the two might have been able to score something substantial enough to count as a meal. Espio walked quickly in an attempt to keep up with Vector’s larger strides. He was making sure to avoid stepping into the puddles of water left over from the rain as he did; if his shoes had gotten wet then he would have gotten cold feet, and Espio did not handle the cold all that well.
When they arrived at their destination hidden in the back alleyway, Vector was the one who took charge in beginning to actually search through the trash in hopes of finding anything that could relieve them of their hunger. He leaned over the edge of the dumpster and began to dig through the mess of garbage and discarded packages, napkins, expired ingredients… He had to be careful as he was doing so not to accidentally sift his hand through anything truly disgusting. Especially at these kinds of restaurants, when food was thrown out it could be messy or spoiled; He had encountered his share of unpleasant, sticky sauces, juices, and God knows what else. Of course there wasn’t anything hygienic about searching through the trash this way, but if he could help it he would like to refrain from getting too messy. Moreover, he had to be wary and careful enough not to accidentally touch any shards of glass or anything else physically harmful.
At first, Vector didn’t see anything salvageable. But it only took a few short minutes before he spotted a discarded takeout box… Now that was where the gold was. The food inside of those was usually packaged to take home, only for some forgetful customer to abandon it on the diner table and for it to then be tossed. That meant that whatever was inside was something worth eating.
It was honestly a little gross to eat from a stranger’s leftovers, especially when it had been so unceremoniously thrown into the garbage and had likely accumulated germs from whatever else was in the dumpster. Vector knew that it made Espio’s skin crawl; he had seen the faces he made whenever he offered the kid this kind of food. Espio would cringe and spend so long in hesitation before reluctantly accepting it, knowing there weren’t any other options. While he tried to buy their food as often as he could afford to do so, the fact that they even had to resort to this made Vector feel bad. Espio was a good kid, and he deserved clean, not half eaten food… He deserves to be living with someone who can actually provide. You need to do better. The voice in the back of his head found it laughable that he was even still trying.
Vector tried to shake that from his mind, instead just reaching down to grab the take out box so he could examine it’s contents.
“.....Vector…” Espio’s soft voice was heard, but Vector didn’t turn to look.
“....Good news. I might’ve found sumthin’ here, Espio.” The food looked mostly untouched, and while they probably weren’t going to get full from a portion this small, it was at least something that would satiate them in the meantime.
“.......Vector…..” Espio was a little bit louder now, a hint of urgency in his tone.
“....I know…. It’s not the best situation… And I’m sorry we can’t actually afford any food….” Vector frowned a bit to himself, “....But it doesn’t look like it’s been touched much… It’ll at least do for now, and-”
“Vector be quiet.” Espio snapped a bit, in a sort of hushed shout. When Vector turned to look, the chameleon was frozen in a rigid, on edge pose, his eyes darting in different directions as if they were trying to pinpoint an invisible target, “....Listen… There’s something here…”
“...What?” Vector stopped. He didn’t know what Espio was talking about…. But then he too froze, the small and muffled sound meeting his ears. Something was making a noise… Almost like a pained animal crying, it started out low but was slowly growing louder. It had to be close, but it wasn’t evident where exactly it was.
“.....It’s behind us.” Espio’s voice was barely a whisper, his gaze glued over his shoulder to the area across from them in the alley. They didn’t see anyone there at first, but there were a couple more large dumpsters, boxes and trash littered on the ground around the area.
Espio silently drew his kunai. He was still for another moment, but then silently began to move towards the source of the sound, slipping away from sight into the shadows.
Vector was trying to keep his voice down, “…Hold on, kid…” Vector was unsure what the source of the noise was, or how dangerous it was. He didn’t want Espio to get hurt just walking straight into the unknown. At the same time, he knew Espio was somewhat stubborn and wouldn’t want to leave the noise be. And another strange, gut feeling crossed Vector’s conscience: The thought that even if Espio was investigating this sound, Vector trusted him enough to be able to handle it; so long as it wasn’t a threat too large. “...Be careful.”
While Vector couldn’t see the now invisible chameleon, Espio paused and nodded. He wasn’t going to respond verbally. Instead, he crept his way towards where he thought the sound was coming from…
It was definitely coming from somewhere around this dumpster…. But where exactly was it? Espio needed to climb the edge of the tall dumpster itself to even be high enough to peek inside (An easy feat for him; he was great at climbing given his ability to cling to vertical surfaces and walls for an indefinite amount of time), but a glance inside rendered the possibility of anything hiding inside useless: There was hardly anything even in this one, a stark contrast to the dumpster that Vector had been searching through earlier.
Espio hopped down from the edge of the dumpster…. Only to be startled by an especially loud cry that erupted from right beside him. Alarmed, Espio jumped back a little. Unknowingly to him, Espio was startled enough that he had made himself visible once more. He poised himself in an offensive position like a cobra ready to strike, only instead of using poisonous fangs his weapon was his small blade.
However, despite the abrupt sound, there was no apparent attacker. In fact, Espio didn’t see anyone there at all. But what he did realize was that he could now pinpoint where exactly the sound was coming from: There was a loud but muffled cry from a small box laying just a foot away from him on the ground next to the dumpster.
He was still for several moments, staring intently. The cardboard walls of the wet box were shaking, so whatever was making that awful wailing was most definitely inside. Espio’s mind was racing, most of his messy thoughts being clouded by the fear. He had initially thought that someone- or something- dangerous was close by. But… this box was small….. And the sound definitely sounded like a sad cry of some kind. The juxtaposition between his thoughts and the apparent facts was confusing… and Espio’s curiosity was tugging at him. He hesitated a moment more, but then very carefully stepped forward, body still with anticipation. Espio carefully moved to open the box and peer inside.
Vector was hiding in the shadows, and though he was trying to spy on what Espio was doing, he couldn’t see exactly what the kid was examining. He did, however, see the kid’s expression completely change in a few instants. The chameleon froze, his eyes growing wide. He was still, grimacing as his face and scales turned pale. When he spoke, his voice was unusually high pitched, “...Vector…. There’s a baby here…”
“...There’s a what now?” Suspecting that he must have misheard what Espio said, Vector stood. He approached Espio, and once he was close he peered into the now open box that was laying on the ground at his feet.
He hadn’t misheard. The source of the crying sound, which was amplified and piercing their ears now that the box was open, was a small infant child. It was shrieking and writhing in discomfort, it’s black and yellow fur soaked from the rain. That box it was laying in evidently hadn’t helped in completely shielding it from the elements. It was an insect of some kind, Vector could tell from it’s antennae.
Panic flooded Vector’s brain. There was a lost child here, and from the look of it, it couldn’t have been more than a few months old. It was tiny, small enough that it might have been able to fit into Vector’s large hands. That strange, parental feeling was once again rising in the back of his head, and it was beginning to ring alarm bells. What was he even supposed to do?!?
After being frozen in his tracks staring for a few moments, Vector tried to regain himself; though he couldn’t shake the racing thoughts from his head. Gently, Vector leaned over and tried to lift the child from the box. He had to examine it to see if it was hurt, or at least do something to get it to stop crying. As he took the baby into his arms he was able to get a better look at it’s translucent wings and the sharp stinger protruding from it’s behind: It was a bumblebee.
“...Vector,” The urgency and tone of panic in Espio’s voice was to an extent that Vector had never heard from the kid before; his face was twisted into a mixture of both shock and worry. He was looking up at Vector with expectancy, as if somehow Vector would know the answer of how this was going to be resolved, “....What do we do?”
“...I dont know!!! You just handed me a baby that was laying in an alleyway!!!” Vector was losing his cool. He was so alarmed and disheartened that the pressure was choking him and he almost felt he could cry. He then took an uneven breath and tried to examine the baby’s body. “....It. I don’t see any injuries or anything….” When the baby’s cries grew louder, Vector instinctively but awkwardly tried to hold it closer, “...H-hey, shh, don’t cry…”
That was when Vector realized how cold the child felt, it’s body was shaking from the freezing rain. That was an issue, especially with the sun growing lower in the sky and the temperature slowly dropping. They didn’t have any jackets or anything, but Vector tried to glance at the rubbish around them, “...Espio, we need something to dry them off…”
“......Right…” Espio nodded, and then disappeared from Vector’s side so he could go rummage around and try to find something, anything that could help them. There wasn’t much. After a minute or so though, Espio brought back a pile of napkins that looked to be untouched- an unusual find considering they were looking through garbage.
Vector uttered a thanks when he took them, and then tried to use them the best he could to start drying off the baby’s fur. It was very ineffective, but if Vector rubbed the bee’s fuzz thouroughly enough he found he was able to help remove the water a bit. The baby continued to squirm in discomfort, and by the end of it all, they were about halfway dried off. At least they weren’t sopping wet anymore.
What Vector didn’t know how to fix was the crying. He was holding the baby close, and the only things he could really think of doing was rocking and trying to soothe them by speaking softly. By the time he got any results at all, the sky had started to turn pink and orange, the clouds being painted by the setting sun. The baby seemingly cried until they were completely out of energy, passing out in Vector’s arms. They were clinging close to the crocodile’s body.
“....They finally stopped crying…” Espio’s voice was hushed. He had remained largely quiet for the past half hour, evidently unsure of how he could help Vector.
“...” Vector didn’t respond immediately. He was staring quietly at the sleeping child he was holding. His heart was honestly aching a bit; the baby looked so young. How had they even ended up back here?
…Unfortunately, the answer to that question was likely grim. Babies don’t usually end up abandoned in alleyways by accident.
Espio moved a bit closer, he was trying to get a better look at the child. After a moment, he spoke once more, “....What should we do?”
“...” Vector was frowning, considering the different options that they had. “.... I can’t believe anyone could leave something so defenseless in a place like this… We need to find who this kid belongs to.”
“....Hm.” Espio nodded in agreement. He thought for a moment, before stepping back over to where the box the baby had been in lay. He carefully picked it up and began to examine it. “....Vector… I believe they left a clue.”
“....Oh?” Vector shifted the baby in his arms, though he was careful not to wake it, as he stood to approach Espio, “...What’d you find?”
“....This shipping label…. Most of it has been torn off.” Espio had turned to Vector to show him the box. Said box was just about as large as Espio was himself, so it was a little difficult for him to adjust it to where Vector could get a good look at it. “...But they missed this last part.”
Vector leaned over to get a closer look… Espio was right. The address on the shipping label was evidently removed… Though there were a few numbers still showing at the very edge of the torn paper. “.....You’re right kid… This looks like the end of a zip code.”
“....That could narrow down the area of where the box came from.” Espio said.
Vector paused for a moment after that though, “...Do you think we’ll be able to find anything from just that alone?” A zip code was very general information… but it could still tell them a lot about the area they would have to search in.
Espio continued to stare at the torn label intently, “That’s not the only part left behind… Look at this.” He pointed to the remaining part of the line above the zip code. “...FL 5, APT 124.”
“Woah, good eye there!” Vector beamed a little. He couldn’t help feeling a little prideful of his buddy’s keen eyes, “...You really got a knack for pickin’ up clues. You could be a detective!”
An odd expression crossed Espio’s face. It was as if he were trying to hide his bashfulness from Vector’s praise in an attempt to remain stoic, “...You think?”
Vector nodded. “These clues are a great start.” His prospects of being able to find the baby’s home were becoming a lot more hopeful. He looked again at the scrap of text, “FL 5…. Floor 5…. It must be one of those fancy high rise apartment buildings!”
Espio paused with uncertainty, “...Do you think we can figure out where it is from just this information alone?” The main part of the address designating the street was gone.
Vector grinned, “...We’re lookin’ for someplace that has at least 5 floors… There’s only one street that would fit that zip code and has buildings with addresses like this. It’s to the East of here, you’ve seen those big apartments, haven’t ya?”
Espio nodded, trusting that Vector knew the town well enough that his judgement was sound.
Vector took one last look at the number left on the ripped label, repeating the numbers to himself to ensure that they stayed in his mind. “...We should get going. It should be this way.” He nodded in the direction.
“...Rodger.” Espio said in acknowledgement, before deciding to take the lead, starting off towards where Vector had directed them.
~~~
There was still half an hour of sun left in the sky when the two friends arrived in front of the towering high rise apartment building. Though it was an area of town they were unfamiliar with, Espio and Vector’s spirits were high and they were determined that they could get the baby that was still peacefully sleeping in Vector’s arms home before the night befell upon them. Espio had to crane his neck to take in the whole apartment.
It was no mansion, but it was also a much nicer place than he and Vector had access to stay in. They felt a little out of place as they rode their way up an elevator to the fifth floor. The clean walls and fancy red carpets lining the floors were almost alien to them. All of the people here must make pretty good money, Vector enviously thought.
Espio was marching ahead with some speed. He had a serious and determined expression as his eyes darted from door to door, analysing each number plate. 120, 121, 122….
“Vector!” Espio came to a stop and turned to face the tall, oak door. “We’re here… Apartment 124.”
“Good job, Espio!” Vector was right behind the kid. He beamed a little bit, “Thanks to that clue ya sleuthed out, we’ll be able to return this kid to their parents, safe and sound!”
Espio had a smile on his face. He then stepped aside a little so Vector could walk up to the apartment’s entrance.
The crocodile shifted the baby bee to one arm and reached his other hand out to knock three times on the door’s solid wood.
They waited for a moment. Loud shuffling sounds could be heard from inside the room, until eventually the doorknob rattled as the door was unlocked and cracked open.
A lady poked her head out into the hall, her lips creased into an apologetic smile, “Sorry, but we don’t want to buy anything.” From the busy sounds of the tv and others in the apartment behind her, as well as the slightly displeased tone in her voice, Vector suspected they might have accidentally interrupted these people. The woman was tall, clearly an adult. Her dress was casual but expensive looking.
She was also a bumblebee.
Vector shook his head, “Oh no, we’re not salespeople-“
“And we aren’t interested in your religion, either.” The woman curtly cut him off.
Vector groaned a little bit. He didn’t want this to turn into a big ordeal, “We aren’t solicitors, ma’am! We just came so we could return your baby!” Vector moved to hold the small bee in outstretched arms so the woman could actually see the little one. The infant started to groggily wake up from the commotion.
Once the woman’s eyes landed on the child, she froze. All color seemed to leave her face. She seemed too stunned to answer until a short moment had passed, “A-A baby??” She stuttered.
Vector locked his stare onto the woman, “…They’re yours, aren’t they?” Once the child in his hands sleepily opened their eyes and saw the bee in front of them, they made a loud squeal and started squirming.
The woman was still with wide eyes for a moment, but then she started to laugh. It was a loud, overcompensating laugh. It was almost like she was making a show of it as she doubled over and snorted. After a minute or so, she tried to regain her composure, the smile still tugging on her lips, “Oh, what a misunderstanding! That isn’t my child.”
“Wh…What?!” Vector’s jaw dropped. How could this kid not belong to this family?
“What, did you find them playing around the apartment complex somewhere?” The woman’s tone dropped and turned a little patronizing, “…Not every bee is related, you know. Just because you found a bee child doesn’t mean I know whose it is. Why don’t you ask around someplace else?”
“…It is your baby!” Espio shouted suddenly, glaring up at the woman. “…We were led here directly by the address label on the box they were left in!” He certainly was very direct in confronting this stranger about it.
There was disdain in the woman’s eyes as she looked down at the little chameleon, “What???” She seemed caught offguard by Vector and Espio’s sudden intrusion into her life. It took her a moment to respond to the accusation, “…I don’t know anything about any box. If one of our mailing boxes winded up in the trash, anyone could have used it. You don’t have any proof that kid didn’t just wander off and crawl into it, do you?”
“Abandoning small children is a crime!” Espio’s yells grew more passionate. His scales seem to turn red with anger, “…If you’re reported, you may receive a fine and even jailtime as a felony.”
That provoked the woman into shouting back at Espio’s face, “And how are a couple of kids like you supposed to report us with absolutely no evidence?!”
Espio flinched, taking a step back.
“Don’t you feel sorry for the kid at all?!” Vector’s outburst was loud and startling. There was genuine anger in his voice, and it’s intimidatingly deep tone sent a shiver down their spines. This child was so small, so helpless, left in a place where they could have easily have died on their own. And this woman was showing no remorse whatsoever?
It was even worse than anything his parents had ever done to him. It was worse than whatever he could have imagined happening in Espio’s past. It was evil.
“….Sh…Shut up…” The woman seemed a bit shaken. Her voice was now a low mumble, avoiding the eye contact of either of them, “Kids these days, trying to threaten an adult like this….” She was quiet for a moment more, before giving them both a stern glare. “…You’d better beat it if you don’t want the cops called on you. Don’t believe that they'll take the words of a couple of bums.”
“Fine!” Vector turned with a loud stomp, his large tail swishing as he began to storm off towards the elevators they had come from.
“V-Vector!” Espio squeaked, jumping a little when the woman slammed her door firmly shut. He glanced up at the apartment with uncertainty, before turning to try and run after the crocodile.
It was hard to keep up when Vector was moving so quickly, clearly overcome with his emotions too much to pay much attention to the world outside of him. He was clutching the now crying baby to his chest again, holding tightly as if to never let go.
Espio wasn’t able to catch up with him fully until they had reached the end of the hall. He tried to catch his breath, “Vector, wait!”
Vector had stopped in front of the elevator. He looked down at Espio.
Espio was clearly distraught. “…Vector, what are we supposed to do? That woman… We couldn’t return that baby to it’s home!”
Vector was silent. He looked down at the baby in his arms. Though they had gotten upset from all of the yelling, their sobs were somewhat quieting down from the comfort of being held close.
“….We have to do what we always do, Espio.” Vector turned again to look at his friend, “…We survive and help this kid.”
“….” Espio’s stare was blank for a few moments. “Do you mean…. We’re going to try and care for them ourselves?”
Vector nodded, “We can’t just abandon someone in need.”
“….But Vector….” Espio’s eyes darted to the floor. He began fiddling with his gloves, his voice soft and breaking, “…We can barely afford to feed ourselves… How are we supposed to care for a baby?”
“….” Espio had a point. Their situation was in no way equipped for taking care of someone so young and fragile. If they were to give this child the care it really needed, something would have to change. “…We’ll find work. If we can find a steady enough job, we could afford a home and food for this little guy.”
Espio sighed, “…That sounds like what we do already… But no place wants to give you stable employment. And I’ve never been able to contribute and work either. I’m only ever a burden. I feel so useless…” Espio looked up at Vector again. There were tears in the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill over. Vector had never seen the kid crying before, “…I’m never any help to you at all…”
Vector’s heart dropped, “…Hey, don’t say that…” He turned and moved to kneel down to be on the kid’s level. “…You aren’t a bother, you’re real useful ta have around, Espio.” He encouraged.
Espio sniffed. His head drooped, wet eyes avoidant once more. It didn’t look like he really believed anything Vector was saying.
“I mean it. …Look at today, for example.” At this point, the baby had mostly calmed down, so Vector gently moved to hold the baby out in front of Espio. “…If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve picked up on those clues that led us to where this baby’s home was supposed ta be.”
Espio paused, staring at the bee in consideration.
Vector gave him a small smile, “…I wasn’t joking when I said you could be a detective with impressive observation like that!” He chuckled a little to himself, “…And with how you can turn invisible, you would be perfect for spyin’ and pickin’ up top secret intel.”
“…You really think so?” Espio asked.
“Sure thing! Pair your cool skills with my expert deductions and strength, we’d make the perfect detective team!” It was a silly thing to imagine, the two of them becoming serious gumshoes and solving crimes.
“…Maybe that could be the job for us, then.” Espio suggested.
“….” Vector considered the thought for a moment. When he’d started joking about it, it wasn’t like it was something he thought would actually happen. ….But why couldn’t they make it a job? They had a small investigation of their own today, didn’t they? So it was possible that they could actually excel at it. Did this part of town even have any detective agencies? “…You might be onto something, Espio! …Maybe that will be the thing ta make us rich!”
The baby, who was now reaching out towards Espio, giggled a bit loudly at that moment.
“See? The baby seems to think so too!” Vector laughed.
Espio was now smiling. He stood tall now, having seemed to have gained some confidence through their talk, “…If that’s the path you’d like to take, I would be honored to assist you.”
It was strange. Nothing that day had gone in their favor. From their empty stomachs waiting out the pouring rain, to them finding an abandoned child and the terrible confrontation, Vector supposed that they all should have been dejected and heartbroken. But there was real hope in his heart that somehow, things would work out for the better. With these smiling faces surrounding him, it was easier to forget about any of the self doubts that had crept in his brain.
Things would turn out okay.