Chapter Text
“Okay little buddy!” Her voice cut through the static of his mind, gloved hands finding their place infront of him.
He was sat at a table, legs kicking gently as he stared at Tangle. Wordless.
“How are you feeling? I’m willing to bet better than when I found you, huh?”
The boy blinked before smiling warmly. “Mhm! Thanksomuch for helpin me out.”
“Of course! Whisper should be done any minute now with the food.”
As if on cue, a tan colored wolf made her way out from the kitchen of the house, settling down a glass dish of baked Mac and cheese, “careful…it’s hot,” her namesake whisper came through, a quiet voice that if you weren’t listening super clearly you wouldn’t hear anything she said- much less understand it.
Unlike Tangle, who seemed to live constantly in her athletic gear, Whisper was wearing an oversized t-shirt, with her ponytail no longer up and her mask likely in the same place as her wisp gun? Cannon? It’s unclear and not like Whisper would tell anyone.
The boy stared at the food, face seeming to twist into something akin to disgust- but that wouldn’t quite explain it.
“Awww, c’mon buddy! Whisper’s cooking isn’t THAT bad!” The lemur chirped, making the boy a plate and sliding it to him.
“yes, it’s not. Sorry for the…suddenness but we should call Vector and Espio to come get you tomorrow, but tonight just focus on getting some food on your stomach, we have a guest bedroom you can use..”
“Well….if you insist…” Charmy looked almost awkward as he begun to eat, but all the same he smiled and nodded, watching as the other two also sat, beginning to eat with him.
“It’s really good!” He complimented, a smile forming on his lips.
“Told ya you’d like it!” Tangle teased, getting another helping.
“mhm..” Whisper chimed in.
“OH OH HEY! Maybe we can watch a movie tonight?”
“I think that sounds fun!” Charmy squealed with joy, wings flapping quick enough to lift him from his seat for a moment.
“Come on Whisper! PLEEEEEEAAASE?” Tangle inched closer and closer to Whisper’s face, eyes widening as her hands clasped in each other.
A chuckle escaped the wolf as she cupped Tangle’s face, kissing her forehead gently. “okay okay, but we need to wash up first,” the wolf explained, snorting as she pushed Tangle away playfully, “and stop looking at me like that!”
“AWWWW but then who WILL? If you ask me I’m filling a dying position,” Tangle looked away dramatically, a hand lifted to her forehead as he tail swished about excitedly behind her.
“you’re lucky we’re married,” Whisper shook her head gently before walking off into the kitchen.
“YOU KNOW YOU LOVE ME!” She called back, turning to Charmy, “I know Whisper keeps some of her old tshirts in the guest bedroom if you wanna change? No offense but that jacket has seen better days.”
Charmy looked from where Whisper left to up to Tangle, amber eyes blinking before looking down at the tattered jacket, it indeed had seen better days, it looked like Charmy ran around a bunch of thorn bushes.
“Plus…I think you do need a bath, kiddo.”
“Hey I don’t smell that bad do I?” His question was answered by Tangle’s deadpanned expression, “…I’ll…go take a bath..where’s the guest bedroom?”
“Immediately to your left at the top of the stairs.”
Charmy buzzed up the stairs, wings flapping quickly to carry him, humming some tune to himself; he turned to go into the guest bedroom, however as he turned to the door, hand on the knob…he stopped.
Something was staring at him.
He’s been feeling this for the better half of a month, but no one was there. ‘OKAY CHARMY! Be like Espio, brave! Yea! Espio won’t let some silly staring stop him!’ The bee thought to himself, going into the guest bedroom. After rifling through one of the drawers for a moment he pulled out an old tshirt. Some band Vector probably knows, but Charmy doesn’t. He’ll have to remember to ask him about it later!
When he..
…
He hasn’t seen them since the argument. He can’t even remember most of the time he was away from them just…remembered finding Tangle and bits and pieces.
Lots of hiding.
Will they still be mad? Should he stay away?
No,no..they have his collection of plushies. And his books.
Not to mention…they were still his dads and he loved them.
He misses them.
With a sigh Charmy flew out of the room and to the bathroom just across the hall.
He didn’t see the staring sensation now had a source, a shadowy figure stood at the end of the hall.
A shadowy figure that looked like a bug mobian, only…different somehow. Something just looked alittle too off to not be any race belonging to the insectoid section of Mobians.
Step…
Step…
….
Charmy pulled his bomber jacket off, then his helmet, looking at both of the items. Finally he pulled his shoes and socks off.
…
After a moment the boy flew into the bath, using the least expensive looking products to clean himself.
Creaaaaak…
“Hm?” The sound escaped Charmy’s throat before he could finish thinking, looking to the door.
It was still closed, wasn’t even creaky as far as Charmy remembered, so what-
Before he could process what was happening Charmy was under the water of the tub, the shampoo and body wash stinging his eyes as the bee thrashed, water in his nose. A shadowy figure was stood over him, all charmy could do was focus on one thing- get free.
Fingers dug into his chest aa he clawed at the figure’s hands. He gasped for air, water being the only thing that met him.
Just as his vision was beginning to go dark at the edges…the pressure released and immediately shot up from the water, coughing and spitting as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes stung like hell as did the new cuts on his chest, just above his collarbone. As he was shaking, assessing the watery mess that was now the bathroom a knock came from the door.
“Little Buddy? You okay in there?” Tangle.
…
“Charmy?”
“I’m- I’m fine…I uh…I slipped.” That was the most convincing lie Charmy could make quickly, but it wasn’t very good. Charmy was never a good liar. “Bathrooms a mess, though. Water everywhere.”
“Do you need me to get you extra towels to clean it up?”
“Yes please,” Charmy hated sounding like this- voice hoarse from nearly drowning but also not being super bright and happy like he should be.
After a few more minutes of regaining his senses, Charmy climbed out of the tub and grabbed the towel that was already in here and beginning to dry himself off- finally changing into the T-shirt he grabbed, making a mental note to do gloves, socks, and shoes later. Another knock came from the door.
“You’re okay to come in- I’m dressed now!” He forced himself to seem happy again.
Whisper opened the door this time instead of Tangle- though she was close behind the other, arms full of towels.
“are you hurt?” The wolf questioned, approaching before Charmy could even produce an answer, kneeling infront of the boy, checking him over best she can.
“I’m fine- my eyes and nose just burn from the water is all,” Charmy looked away from the wolf with a psssh sound escaping his lips, even if he did tell them about the shadowy figure that tried to drown him, would they believe him?
After a moment Charmy made his way to the tub, beginning to drain the, now cold, water.
“if you’re sure,” Whisper spoke up, standing up and handing Charmy a towel.
“Do you need our help with cleaning up little Buddy?”
“I don’t wanna be a bother, I’ll be okay!” Charmy nodded, already beginning to set the towel Whisper gave him down on the ground and reaching for a new one.
Tangle and Whisper shared a glance, but ultimately nodded in unison with Tangle setting the towel stack down on the toilet seat. “Well, we’ll be downstairs whenever you’re ready for movie night!”
With a gentle nod Charmy went back to cleaning,
It was nighttime when Whisper woke up to the sound of rustling, feeling Tangle just next to her. Oh gaia, was Charmy awake? He seemed pretty tired after the movie so…
With a soft shift the wolf sat up in bed looking to the clock on her nightstand. 2:43 A M stared back, almost taunting her inability to sleep- curse her being such a light sleeper.
Rustle.
There it was again. Hm, she should go check it out.
Looking to her mask she quickly snatched it, placing it on her face and making her way out slowly. If this was Charmy like she was thinking there’d be no problem.
But if it was a burglar trying to hurt her and her wife, she doesn’t want them to be able to recognize her face.
Whisper was quiet as she moved through the house like a ghost, looking around curiously- only the light of her mask leading her way.
Rustle rustle…thud.
Thats a new sound, it made the wolf stop in place, ears shooting up as she listened carefully.
Crunching, ripping, followed by a wet THWACK all in tandem with each other.
What was going on? Quietly she turned back to the room to get her wisp cannon when she stopped, staring.
She couldn’t say anything for what she was seeing, no words could do the horror Justice- and yet all the same she won’t be able to. She was so focused on what was infront of her…
She didn’t look up.
- - - - - - -
“I’m telling you Vex, this isn’t like Tangle in the slightest, Whisper maybe but TANGLE?” A familiar blue hedgehog paced around the Chaotix detective agency office, leaving a mark from the repetitive movement.
The whole agency was a mess, lacking its usual loud environment due to Charmy’s absence, evidence on where the bee could have gone littered the walls snd evidence for paid cases scattered Vector’s desk.
“It’s been 3 days, Vex I’ve tried calling her, then I’ve tried Whisper, neither are picking up! Something has to be wrong.”
The crocodile was watching Sonic pace, Espio just next next to him. “I hear ya, I hear ya. Aight, aight. I get the worry, we can get into my car and head over to spiral hill to check on ‘er- and he’s gone.” Vector watched as Sonic sped off, leaving only a blue blur behind him. With a sigh Vector moved to grab the car keys, looking over his shoulder after. “How are you holding up?”
Espio was silent for a beat before just simply sighing, sharp Amber eyes looking away. “I…what if we don’t find him again?”
“We will.”
“It’s been a MONTH Vector, no one’s ever even seen him and all our leads have run dry. It’s like he just….” That last word hung in the air like a secret. Neither wanted to admit it, admit the possibility of Charmy being gone for good just like that. Over a stupid argument about wings and pizza.
“Es,” the crocodile began, but no words seemed to come to him, no words he could bring together that would make this feel okay, “We’ll find him.”
“In what state?” The chameleon asked bluntly before forcing past the crocodilian detective.
- - - - - -
A brilliant streak of blue finally stopped infront of Tangle and Whisper’s house, making his way to the front step and pounding on the door. Shit- locked.
The hedgehog was quiet for a moment, thinking to himself on what to do- after a moment the hedgehog sighed to himself. “I’ll pay you guys back later for the door,” one kick, two, on the third kick the door shot open and immediately what met him was a horrible smell- it was this thick metallic and rotten odor with earthiness to it if you focus on it.
Slowly, carefully, the hedgehog made his way through the house, hand covering his mouth even if breathing felt like its own chore, the air was hot and heavy, like honey would be a better comparison to oxygen.
Downstairs was remarkably clean, like whatever happened was completely localized on the second floor, looking up to the stairs Sonic slowly begun to ascend, unaware of the shadowy figure watching him from the corner.
Fungus is visibly growing from it.
There were only a few doors up here- Sonic looked around, the smell was unbearable up here, with dark stains that covered the walls, they didn’t look like liquid- too intricate for that- they were these thin lines that ran down the walls, difficult to identify in the light. After a pause, the blue hedgehog turned to his left and opened the door just next to the starts. .
Nothing, just an old band tshirt laid on the bed, blood covering ita fabric.
He shouldn't potentially contaminate a crime scene like that.
His eyes moved to the door at the end of the hall, he remembered from the few times he’d crash at the two’s house that was their room.
Slowly he approached opening the door, “Tangs? Whisp-“
He stopped dead in his tracks, emerald green eyes staring wide at the scene before him.
Oh god- where did Tangle start and Whisper end?
They were clung the the ceiling, bodies slammed together with chunks taken from the mass of the two, multiple, all varying in size. Maggots festered in their flesh carving out what could be considered where their eye sockets were.
The hedgehog was frozen in place staring- he didn’t know how long he was stood there- all he knew was he was feeling Vector’s hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see a hardened expression on the crocodile’s face.
No words were exchanged.
No words needed to be exchanged, none of them would do the disrespect these two went through in death justice.
Wordlessly Sonic walked away, letting Vector conduct his investigation- he’ll need to call Gun he needs somewhere private.
Call him crazy for choosing the bathroom, but part of him didnt want to step out of the two’s home, have to accept they were gone. It was his way of grounding.
However, opening the door to the bathroom left anything but grounding.
A small form was doubled over the toilet hand covering his mouth as if to catch something, turning the light to the bathroom on Sonic’s eyes widened somehow more than it already was.
Charmy looked up to Sonic, tears streaking his cheeks and blood staining his bomber jacket and chin, he looked awful with bruises that covered every inch of his body and a visible shakiness too him, one pupil looked like you could serve dinner on it while the other looked just how it should, he tried to smile but immediately returned to the toilet, a horrid retching sound escaped the boy as what seemed like coffee grounds mixed with something yellow and beige spilled into the toilet- there were these horrible wet sounds that sounded like you were trying to get air through a straw filled with slime. He gave a lopsided smile.
“My…nsides…eel like grav…”
Charmy could finished the sentence as he eyes rolled back and he fell to the side quickly caught by Sonic who immediately put an ear to the boy’s mouth, face going from concern to horror.
He doesn’t remember yelling for an ambulance- the only thing he remembers was sprinting out the door to the nearest hospital with Charmy, a blue tinge appearing on the bee’s lips.