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"Take a chomp out of crime!" Roared Gruff McScruff.
Grumley jumped at the sudden voice. He began to look around confused, before landing on his childhood hero. The large blood hound stood in a few paces away from him, dressed in his typical space detective gear. He held a cigar in one hand, smoking under a spot light that didn't seem to have a source. Dark grey smoke circled around and above McScruff.
"Mr. McScruff is that you?" Grumley called out, voice quivering slightly.
"Yes it's me, now are you ready to take a chomp out of crime boy?" McScruff grunted out.
"Yes, I am Mr.McScruff, sir!" Grumley saluted at his hero.
"You are a good boy Grumley." Mr. McScruff praised, extending a paw out. "You deserve a real detective badge."
Grumley's tail began to wag hard as he started to step closer to his hero. Unable to believe his ears. His hero was going to give him a real detective's badge!
"Do you mean it Mr. McScruff?!" Grumley excitedly asked, moving through the dark street.
"I do mean it, now present your decoder ring." McScruff commended, his cigar smoke getting thicker around him.
Grumley couldn't contain the wag of his curled tail, practically running towards the blood hound. The smoke now trailed towards Grumley as if guiding him. He kept running, but felt no closer to McScruff, instead the smoke seemed to be clouding his way. The smoke acting as a thick fog. Choking him as he tried to find the scent of the blood hound detective.
"Take a chomp out of crime." McScruff called again, in a different direction this time.
Grumley tried to follow the voice, but the smoke seemed to cloud his senses. He couldn't get away from it. It didn't seem to matter how far Grumley ran, McScruff seemed to call from a different direction each time. Determined, he continued to run towards the ever changing voice of Gruff McScruff, trying to escape the cigar smoke. Just as he felt like he was making progress, he slipped. Grumley was falling, but he didn't land on solid ground.
"Splash!"
Went the water as Grumley's senses were replaced with the overwhelming smell of chlorine and the burning sensation of choking on chemical filled water. He tried to scream, but it just filled his throat with more of the water. Grumley struggled to swim to the surface, kicking as hard as his legs could. His eyes strained against the water, watching the light fade as he sunk further into the water. Suddenly he felt two string hands grasp his coat and yank him hard. Thus freeing him from the suffocating water. The feeling of relief was short lived as he looked into the distorted face of Gruff McScruff. The blood hound now twitching as half of his body was now green lines of code and binary. Grumley struggled, still unable to scream.
"Take a chomp out of crime." The distorted voice of McScruff called out, before opening his mouth unnaturally wide. His mouth lined with hundreds of sharp teeth.
"Don't eat me Mr. McScruff!" Grumley yelled, shooting up into a sitting position.
His breathing heavy and uneven as Grumley tried to suck in air, a whine came with every exhale. Blinking away tears as his eyes adjusted to the room. He was in his shared bedroom of their shitty basement apartment he shared with his group. Booker was the first one to stir, having been shuffled in Grumley's sudden movements.
"Grum-Grumley?" Booker muttered, rubbing at his eyes as he slowly rose.
Upon hearing Grumley's disproportionate breathing, the raccoon became more alert, immediately rubbing his hand against Grumley's back.
"What happened, darling?" Booker gently probed.
The pug hesitated for a moment, then pulled Booker into a hug, clinging desperately. He buried his head into the familiar warmth of Booker's shoulder. By this point Bitsy and Jean-Claude had woken up. A silent conversation took place between the three of them, as this was not the first time one of them had awoken distressed. Jean-Claude quickly moving to make tea in the kitchen while Bitsy woke Hazel and Peggy. Bitsy then joined Booker in petting Grumley and whispering soft reassurances. Peggy quickly programing some of Grumley's favourite songs to play from the nearby speakers. Hazel digging out some of her bedtime snacks from their place in the dresser drawer. Bumble didn't even try to steal any, having been the seventh wheel long enough to understand why it was appropriate to demand food. It didn't take long before Jean-Claude to come back with seven perfectly made cups of tea, each in their assigned mugs. Now with the cuddle pile completed, Grumley seemed calmer, but his body was still tense, all locked up and clinging to Booker.
"You're safe now darling. Look, see we're all here." Booker reassured, trying to loosen the white knuckled grip around his night shirt.
When Grumley let out a whine of protest, Bitsy took over. "Grumley, you should tell us what happened. We just want to help you." She whispered, voice firm, but tone gentle.
Finally, Grumley pulled his head out of Booker's shoulder. Giving the group his sad puppy dog eyes, still gleaming with unshed tears. Jean-Claude quietly tucked Grumley's #1 detective mug into his hands, giving the pug something warm and stable to hold.
Grumley gulped down a few sips of tea before answering. "Mr.McScruff… " Was all he managed to say before he shuddered and buried his head into Bitsy's shoulder.
The other five looked between each other, seemingly putting the pieces together. It was the closest call they have had in a while. Especially with the group being separated, something that rarely happened anymore. The element of Grumley's childhood hero being an evil code thing in disguise that wanted to end them was a new one though. The group should have anticipated that something like nightmares would happen.
"Oh Grumley!" Hazel cried, throwing her arms around the pug. (The mug just narrowly plucked from the pug's hands). "You're safe now!"
The other four echoed Hazel's words, pairing them with pets and compliments.
"Yeah, we wouldn't let anything happen to you big guy." Peggy added, tablet put to the side.
"Thanks guys." Grumley mumbled, face no longer buried in Bitsy's neck. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Y-you'd be okay Grum-Grumley. You-you're a very good boy and an even bet-better detective." Jean-Claude piped up.
"Exactly, we're the ones who would be lost without you." Booker added with a kiss the Grumley's snout.
The pug smiled, happily returning the kiss with a lick. He then turns to lick the other four's mouthed. All of them used to Grumley's affection, plant a kiss on Grumley's snout.
"Do you think you'll be able to get to sleep Champ?" Booker questions, laying back down on the bed.
"Yeah I think so." The pug nodded, snuggling up between Hazel and Booker. Grumley was fast asleep within secs of getting comfortable.
Now satisfied, the rest of the group snuggled in and soon fall back to sleep.