The bush in front of him was twitching.

Silver sneaked closer, keeping his steps as quiet as possible and his breath even. His eyes wide with the thrill of the game he determined the best way for him to get the jump on the foliage without giving his noisy target the chance to escape, checking his position to make sure he wouldn't get caught. He was downwind, the sun was shining over his back instead of his eyes, and the grass was silent underneath his feet, giving him the perfect set-up for his ploy. There was something hiding in there, something that he was looking for...

"Ha!"

With a cry of triumph Silver jumped right into the bush, only to yelp as there was nothing underneath his hands but crumbling twigs and leaves, plus a very offended bird that chirped shrilly and flew out of the way before it got crushed underneath the hedgehog's hands. "Oh! Sorry," Silver apologised to it as he untangled himself, his feathery companion long gone already. "I thought you were my boyfriend, but I guess not."

Staggering out of the bush in full and falling backwards onto his behind he sighed, ears flicking. He and Espio had been playing hide and seek for over an hour now, at the hedgehog's request and after a lot of pestering, but wherever Silver went the chameleon managed to be not. He'd looked around the park they had gone to no less than three times now, or at least that was what it felt like, and yet there was no trace of the sneaky ninja. He should have realised Espio would never be so noisy when hiding away anyway, Silver chided himself. He knew the chameleon could turn invisible and had a whole slew of ninja tricks up his sleeve, he had learnt that quickly enough while getting to know the other, but even sending his powers around him and underneath benches and foliage to detect him yielded no results. He'd almost assume Espio had just up and left him, were it not for the fact that the other was much too devoted and kind-hearted to even think of such a prank. At least the area was serene enough to keep him at ease, grasses and branches swaying in the breeze and the slight shift of the sun in the sky the only indicator that time was passing.

"Where did you go, Espio..." Silver hummed as he got up in full. He wasn't in the small cluster of trees to the hedgehog's left, also not in the reeds at the edge of the pond he'd fallen into accidentally, nor could Silver see him hiding behind the hedgerows the time traveller had walked by so many times already. Would he really do something so mean and evil as switch spots while the psychic was searching? So far it was the only explanation Silver could think of, deciding immediately Espio would get scolded if that was indeed the case. He'd gone over every possible hiding place already, unless he was truly missing out on something... With the situation beginning to look more and more like the chameleon had flat-out disappeared instead of merely hiding himself away the hedgehog was honestly getting a tad worried now.

Contemplatively staring ahead with a deep frown on his face Silver jolted up as a very quiet laugh sounded behind him. Whirling around he thought he could make out a distortion in the air accompanied by a slight gust of wind, a single transparent leaf drifting down and landing on the path before it dissipated in full. Briskly stepping towards the movement with his hand flung in front of him Silver spread out his powers, knowing for sure that there was something there for him to detect in his mind. That leaf had been much too recognisable for it to be anything other than Espio's... but still there was nothing there.

Despite how confidently his walk had started the psychic slowly came to a halt when sending out his psychokinesis yielded no result, staring at the field and swaying trees in surprise. He'd seen the otherworldly happening correctly, he knew for sure... With a deep sigh he prepared his whine of displeasure, though the noise that came past his lips quickly turned into a loud yelp as something twitched against his side. Stumbling around from the surprise he launched his fist ahead in reflex, only to strike thin air. His other side fell victim to the gentle pinching immediately afterwards, and as his body instinctively turned around in reaction the squeaking hedgehog knocked himself off-balance and tumbled right down to the ground. "Ouch!"

That quiet laugh sounded behind him anew, and as Silver shook his head to get rid of the disorientation something tugged on his ear before the air shifted again and whatever was hiding behind his back began to move away. "Don't you dare!" the hedgehog cried out as he scrambled up, unleashing his psychokinesis before his assailant could make his escape. Quickly shrouding the area in front of him in his power he grinned in victory as he caught the invisible figure, whisking him up from the ground as he rushed over. That could be only one person, and Silver quickly pushed away his fond smile by mock anger. "You cheater!"

"Excuse me?" Slowly but surely Espio showed himself, his purple colour covered by Silver's teal and his gaze filled with amusement. The chameleon seemed to be entirely unperturbed by getting plucked off of the ground and levitating in the air at Silver's mercy, though perhaps that was because it was one of the psychic's favourite past-times to tease him. "As far as I am aware there are no rules about hide and seek that say you can't move around while hiding, you know," he cheekily chided.

Offendedly the hedgehog huffed at the other's smug smile, feeling his cheeks heat up at how affectionately Espio looked at him. "There absolutely are, you jerk. I was getting really worried about you, and instead of helping you tricked me!" Immediately afterwards he flew up also to give Espio a nuzzle, purring as the other wrapped his arms around him and pressed a kiss to his brow.

"The ninja lives to be cunning and unexpected," the simple answer to Silver's agitated objection was coyly whispered into his ear as the hedgehog rolled his eyes, snuggling closer to the chameleon as he slowly lowered the two of them to the clover-filled grass below in such a way he could sit in Espio's lap comfortably.

"The ninja should take into account his boyfriend more. Don't tell me you really just went from spot to spot after I searched them."

"Worse," Espio laughed, and it was the most annoying yet pleasant and coveted sound Silver's ears had ever picked up on. "I didn't even need to hide, I just walked after you while you stumbled into the pond and scared away the local wildlife in no less than five bushes. Those poor birds will have a trauma now, as will the frogs."

"You saw me end up in the pond and didn't even think to help me? And don't get all high and mighty about frogs, you don't even like frogs," Silver scolded him anew, giggling as Espio's fingers skittered over his abdomen and pushed away the mock-affronted frown on his face.

"I'd have jumped in immediately if you actually were in danger," Espio smiled warmly at him as he nuzzled Silver's forehead. "But you're correct about the frogs... I love you a lot more than I like those."

"Love you too," the hedgehog grinned back, relief setting in now that Espio was safely in his arms. "But I'm glad I found you... I really was getting worried, you know," he admitted, though his worries dissipated immediately as the chameleon chuckled and smoothed out his quills.

"I appreciate the gesture, though I assure you that there is no need," Espio stated affectionately with all the smugness of a chameleon who knew how to take care of himself and was more than willing to show off that tidbit of information to the rest of the world. "But if you do feel worried still, would you like to be the one who hides next, as opposed to me? I believe that's how the game is supposed to be played anyway."

Mulling over the offer Silver flicked his ears amusedly as an idea crossed his mind. "Hm... I think not," he cheekily retorted, flopping down back-first into Espio's lap in such a way the other could only get up through pushing him out. Both of them knew very well the chameleon could never muster such a heinous thing against him, and the psychic was beyond happy to make use of that knowledge. "You didn't follow the rules, after all. So now you gotta be punished first!" he elaborated at the other's entertained glance.

"Oh, dear." Amusedly Espio quirked his eyebrows, his tail curling over Silver's body. "And what kind of punishment did you have in mind for poor little old me, who only tried to humour his beloved?"

"One million cuddles and petsies," Silver immediately demanded, his own tail wagging as Espio's much longer one curled around his hand and clutched it close. "And not a single one less!"

The chameleon hummed in contemplation. "You mean in seconds or the collective amount of cuddles and petsies?"

"Yes."

The hedgehog giggled as Espio laughed out loud at his silly demand, the chameleon sending him a glance that was so filled to the brim with love and affection it made Silver just about melt on the spot. "Very well, then. But you're the one keeping count, not me."

His purrs only intensifying Silver snuggled closer to the other, who laid down slowly in the grass also while petting Silver's ears and grooming his quills. He probably would be unable to count either the seconds or amount of cuddles between him and Espio, though the hedgehog figured it wasn't that important anyway. Closing his eyes as he basked in the sun and the chameleon's presence he let his mind slowly drift, going over all the possibilities to make hide and seek just as lengthy for his boyfriend as the other had made it for him. He'd make sure to rest first now... and then it was time to have some fun.