Chapter Text
“You mean that monster is our witness?” Shawn tilted his head as he studied the ‘monster’. The eyes shifted downwards and the ears dropped.
“I'm-I’m not a monster.”
Gus and him looked at each other before they untangled, and Shawn cleared his throat, “Of course we know that.” Ignoring Gus’s ‘Shawn!’, he continued, “Nope. I suspect that you are scared. Perhaps you saw something that was frightening.” The blue creature looked up at him with even wider eyes, and took a small step back.
“Wha-Wha- How do you know?”
“You see, little monster man.” Shawn raised a brow, “I'm a psychic.” Gus rolled his eyes, but Shawn was not going to pass up on the chance to be the first human ‘psychic’ this monster would meet. But when the creature took a couple of steps back and its spiny things rose slightly. Shawn got the impression that he just scared it. Which is silly because he's the one that should be scared. He was just a human and here was this… 3 foot tall, blue fluffy creature. Okay, wow. He and Gus were wusses.
“Please don't hurt me. I didn't- I didn't do anything. I couldn't have.”
“We’re not here to hurt you. Why would you think that?”
“You just said you were a psycho!”
Shawn breathed through his nose. “Not a psycho, a psychic. Though I do understand the confusion. Many people have said that I look like Christan Bale.”
Gus shook his head, “Mhh. I’m pretty sure they don’t.”
Shawn didn’t turn to face Gus, “I’m pretty sure they do.”
“Well I know they don’t.”
Shawn clapped his hands together which caused the creature's ears to twitch, “Anyways. I’m not a psycho. Though, Gus might be.” He pointed at his friend, and took a step back.
“I’m not a psy-”
Gus was interrupted by a gasp from Sonic and the blue alien also took a step back.
Gus turned to face Shawn, “I’m not a-” He shook his head before Gus turned to face the creature, “Hey little monster dude. I’m not a psycho. My friend was just being unfunny, like usual.”
“I’ve heard it both ways.”
“What?” Gus’s face scrunched up as he shook his head, “That doesn’t even make sense!”
“You don't make sense.”
“Stop acting so childish Shawn! We might be this little monster dude’s first human contact and we need to present a good look.”
“Uhm, I think your ‘good look’ is ruined by the account that you screamed like a little girl.”
Gus pointed at him,“You screamed too Shawn.”
He turned to face Gus.“But did I really?”
“Yes. Shawn, you really did.”
He waved his hand and then remembering their little furry witnesses, he turned back towards it. “Yes, I sensed that you saw something. And you … being the little helpless monster that you are. Was unable to stop it, and I sense that you are upset, scared, perhaps a little bit… hungry.” He held a finger up, “that hunger could actually be coming from me. I haven't eaten in like, 2 hours.”
“Shawn, you had a granola bar like 10 minutes ago.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“What the… Yes it does.”
“Come on Gus, it’s only like 200 calories.” Shawn fake laughed and pointed at Gus with his thumb while addressing the monster, “This guy, am I right?” He raised his brow slightly when he got a shrug from the blue creature.
“Enough of this Shawn.” Gus turned towards the creature, “ So you did see it then? A mur-” A slight gag from Gus Shawn rolling his eyes, “- A murder?”
“I-I it was terrible. I didn’t do anything, and- and she was begging. But the man- but- but the man kil-kill-” It’s breathing picked up in both pace and strength, while t’s ears folded down.”
“Shh, little monster man.” Shawn squatted down, but didn’t get any closer. He didn’t want this to turn out to be a venus fly trap, where instead of the sweet nectar attracting flies, it’s a fluffy little monster attracting unsuspecting humans. “It’s not your fault.” It’’s head snapped up to look at him with those large eyes, “I mean, if the murderer spotted you, then he probably would have just shot you too. And like, probably stuff you and hang you on a wall.” That had Gus scrunch his face into a ‘wth’ look, and a big sniff from the monster, “You don’t want to be hung up on a wall, do you?”
“N-No.” It shook its head as if to emphasize its point.
‘Okay then. However, I do need you to come to the police station with us so we can get a statement.”
“Uhmm. Shawn.”
“Yes, Gus?”
“Don’t you see the problem with that?”
“What problem, if this mons- ohh.” He looked at the creature from head to toe. “Now that you mention, I can see how that would be a problem.”
Gus shook his head before he turned his attention to the monster, “Say… uhmm- dude? Did the killer or woman say anything? Like a name, or did you notice anything that could identify him.”
“I don’t… He was evil looking.” The creature sat up before it used its hands to cover its face. “I don’t know. Maybe I could have…”
“We already discussed this. There was nothing you could do, but now there is something you can do. If you can remember any details, anything. Me and Ghee Buttersnaps can find him and put the killer to justice.” Instead of correcting him, Gus nodded along.
A small sniffle from the creature, “O-Okay, I’ll try.” Sonic thought long and hard about the event he witnessed, though his ‘long’ was only a couple of seconds. “O-Okay, he had uhmm- he was wearing black, he was super tall, almost as tall as the woman. He-”
“Wait a second. Are you saying that he wasn’t taller than the woman? “
“Yeah, but he was still super tall.” Odd, the victim wasn’t even that tall. He and Gus exchanged glances.
“Okay, well, anything else?”
“Oh!” The creature covered its mouth after it yelled, “Sorry, I just remembered that he had a scar on his face. I think that’s why I said he was evil looking.” Shawn tilted his head ever so slightly, as he thought about what he was just told. Short, had a scar. He… knows he has seen something like that before. And then it clicks. A couple of years ago before he started this whole psychic detective stuff, there was a story on the news. A murder that went unsolved, the only thing they got was a sketch, from a witness, who was later to be found dead in an alley overdosed on meth. So the department let go of the sketch as it wasn’t reliable. Yes, he remembers the details now. The case was never solved.
“Oh my God, Gus.”
“What? What is it?!” His friend must have seen his ‘psychic’ face.
“I think I have a lead now.”
The little blue creature spoke up, “You know who did it!?”
He held his hands up, “It’s just a lead, but, to be entirely fair. I am like a super genius so that basically guarantees the case will be solved.”
Gus rolled his eyes, “Come on Shawn. Let’s go follow this lead.”
“Right on Guster.” The duo made their way out of the cave and took a couple of steps before pausing, in sync. “Are we forgetting something?”
“Something small and blue?”
“Yeah, that’s it.” The detective duo made their way back into the cave and picked up one of the quills laying on the ground.
“Good idea Gus. But I feel like something else is missing…” Let’s see. He had the blue thing, he had the information, he had Gus.
“I’m confused. Why are you two even here?” A slight crack in the voice. That’s it, the little monster man. He and Gus turned at the same time and bumped into each other. “Watch it.”
“No. You watch it.” That developed into a ‘childish’ conversation and small cat fight. Which of course, he would have won, but he didn’t want to hurt Gus’s feelings.
“Okay. My apologies.” He put a hand on Gus’s shoulder.
Gus nodded pointedly, “That’s for sure.” Gus then turned his attention to the creature, who seemed to be judging them, but surely not. “Say, what even are you? Like a government experiment?”
“A result of a chemical spill?” Gus pointed at him.
“That’s a good one.”
“Thanks.” He thought so too. It could explain the… well everything. The blue fir, the large eyes, the spikey things, the triangular ears. It was like a little cat person.
“I’m not some- some-” It’s face scrunched up rather cutely and its head shook back and forth, “- some government experiment, or some. Chemical thingy. I’m a hedgehog.”
Shawn faked a laugh and smacked Gus’s shoulder, “Yeah right. ‘Hedgehog’, like that’s a real thing.”
“Actually Shawn, hedgehogs are real things in the animal kingdom. In fact-”
“Wait… So there are just lots of things like that walking around? How come I never noticed.” And the quiet part, were they available as a pet. Cause come on.
“I am a hedgehog!” The creature squeaked out, but was ignored.
“No Shawn. Hedgehogs don’t normally look like that. They are small mammals. Like a squirrel. And an interesting fact is that they are insectivores.”
“I’m confused, are hedgehogs mammals or bugs.”
“I'm not a bug!” Once again the voice was ignored.
“What? No. Shawn, insectivorous means that they eat bugs. Not that they are actually an insect.” That would make sense given that the thing besides them was not a spider. But it still is gross. Shawn turned towards the creature.
“Eww. You eat bugs?” Not that there was anything wrong with it… but still.
“No! I don’t eat bugs.” The thing, seemed to be getting frustrated, and Shawn didn't quite know why. The monster pointed to Gus, oddly enough, a white glove was at the end of the furry arm, “And I'm not a bug!”
“I didn't even call you a bug?! He did.” His friend ratted him out. Great. The creature looked at him.turned towards him.
“I’m not a bug! Bugs are like… this big.” The gloved pointer and thumb were like a inch apart, “And I’m way bigger. Plus, I'm obviously a hedgehog.”
“I don’t think so. Hedgehogs are small, and aren’t blue, and don’t talk.” Good job Gus. He didn’t know what a hedgehog was. But his friend did, and as long as Gus told the creature that it wasn't one. Then Gus would incur the wrath of it, and get eaten first, making enough time for him to escape.
The thing seemed to be at a loss of words, “Well- Well- I am hedgehog, and I don’t know what kind of hedgehog you’re thinking of, but I clearly am one.” It was getting a little worked up, at least going off on human standards. The raised voice, the slightly puffed out fur, though humans don’t really have fur. So it’s more comparable to an agitated cat, and that’s an easy reference because Shawn has seen lots of cats.
“So you aren’t a cat?” He was just kidding,apparently, the ‘hedgehog’ didn’t see it that way.
“No! I am a hedgehog. A hedge-hog. Not some cat, and definitely not a bug! Though, I guess I am from space so it’s a little bit understandable that you don’t know what I am.”
He blowed air through his nose, “ ‘From space’ yeah right, get a load of this.” He tapped Gus’s shoulder who laughed with him.
“Yeah, sorry little hedgehog dude, But aliens aren’t real. And Shawn and I would know cause we’ve had some close encounters but it just turned out to be humans.” Yeah, they did. A couple of seconds passed and both of their heads turned back to the hedgehog. “Shawn.” Gus’s voice was low, sharp, like just the tip of a box cutter blade poking through, “ I think that’s an alien.”
He waved a hand,”Pssh… Uhmm. Mr hedgehog, alien, dude? Just stay there. Gus, detective meeting.” He got a blink in response, before Gus and him huddled up at the far side of the cave, which admittedly, was only a couple of feet back. “Dude. I think that’s alien too!” His voice was also a whisper.
“You know what this means?”
“No, not really.”
Gus rolled his eyes, “News, books, tv shows , think about. We’ll be the first humans to come into contact with an extraterrestrial. I could quit my pharmaceutical job. I could buy a mansion. I could be famous.” All that did sound pretty good. He glanced over to the alien, and he noticed how the air was slightly turned towards him. The deceiver, it has been listening to them list of ways they could exploit it for. Disgusting.
“You’re not listening, are you?”
“Uhmm… no?” Before he could question it further, the alien broke, “Okay, I was. I’m sorry for lying.”
Gus shook his head, “Well that was really mature of you. For owning up to it. We accept your apology, little alien dude.”
He needed to ask Gus how much money was he talking about, “Yeah, but go ahead and cover your ears so you don’t listen in.”
“O-Okay. I’m sorry.” The triangular ears folded down slightly without any assistance before two gloved hands pushed them down. Alright, now they could get back to talking about ways they could exploit the alien.
“That sounds pretty good Gus… alright, now go grab it and we can head off.”
“What? I’m not grabbing that thing. Who knows what kind of alien diseases it could have. You go pick it up.”
“No way dude, I don’t wanna be bit. Or eaten.”
“Really? That’s the only two things you’re worried about?”
“So what? You go pick it up.” Gus unfortunately didn’t see it his way. But they did argue for a little bit longer, before they decided on a way to get the alien to come with them. He turned to face the alien, and signaled for it to take its hands off its ears.
“All right. We could really use your help on this case. How about you come with me and Gus here. And we’ll find the murderer and bring him to justice.” Shawn nodded along with his words, which had an uplifting and encouraging tone. Truth be told, they actually could use its help on the case, but also for a fat check. So he’s only half-lying, but when a little pressure on his chest told him that he didn’t actually think that, he ignored it.
“I-I don’t know. I’m just a hedgehog, I don’t know how I could help.” Its ears folded down slightly, spiky things drooped a little.
“Of course you can help. Come one, you got this. I believe in you.” The weight on his chest became a little heavier as it seemed to perk up at that. Ears rising.
“O-Okay. I’ll help you.”