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Espio served three portions of spiced rice - one sixth for Charmy, a third for himself, and the other half for Vector, which he covered with the pan lid before placing the pot in the sink to soak.
He had not yet mastered this recipe without the pan sticking, but it was one of Vector's favourites so he would keep trying on these scheduled evenings when he was… out… so he wouldn't see how much of a mess he made. He also placed the half a cooked chicken on the mounted plate, squished it back under the pan lid and went to eat.
Charmy was going through a phase where he would barely eat anything that wasn't sweet: that phase being his entire life. So Espio drizzled microwaved squeezy honey over his bowl and grimaced - another reason to make this when Vector was out: no argument about culinary authenticity where one half of the debate was 8 years old. They settled on the sofa and watched the next few episodes of an old Robot Feuds series, once again outraged at the spin-up controversy in the finale, and before they knew it they'd eaten it all, and it was time for Charmy to go to bed - Espio checked his texts.
"Is Vector on his way back?"
"Probably, I expect he has forgotten to message."
"Maybe he's out with a lady, and Vanilla will come round on their date and call him a Man-horse like that girl on Made in Chelsey?" Charmy babbled as they washed their plates up. Espio quietly put his plate in the fridge as they attacked the large pot with two scrubbing brushes.
"Don't use that word, it's almost a bad one. But yes, maybe, who knows."
They settled in front of the telly: there was none of the usual back and forth where each of them would suggest something they knew the others would hate play-fight over the remote, then settle on the same show about crime-fighters against alien delinquents.
"Hey! We get to watch what we want!"
"That's true. I'll watch whatever you want tonight, Charmy."
Charmy excitedly flicked through the channels, but stopped over their usual:
"Well, we can't watch NC-Inter Stellar without Vector."
"I am sure he would get over it if that's what you want."
"No, we can't. We'll have to record it."
So they set their video recorder up on the channel, then turned of the TV so they wouldn't be spoiled. Charmy's wings made an anxious humming sound as he scanned their collection of battered and incomplete board games.
"Maybe he's scoping out a new case and got into a fight with the alien commander," He considered as he pulled a load bearing jenga box out from their crowded bookshelf, causing all of the other boxes to clatter and rearrange.
"That would be exciting, let's hope he's not or we'd be missing it."
"That's true."
Sometime into their second subdued and distracted round, the landline phone rang. Espio dove over the table to reach it before Charmy, toppling the tower, but Charmy didn't even laugh at him - he hovered close to the speaker that Espio tried to cover from him.
"Chaotix Detective Agency: Espio speaking."
"Hi Espio, it's Jan from next door. Can one of you boys pop round to help me take my bins out?"
Charmy groaned, but went to put his high tops on, and was around at their elderly neighbours house before she'd hung up the phone. He had also finished taking her paper recycling and waste bags out before she hung up, because Espio still had the phone clamped between his shoulder and temple with his mobile in hand when Charmy kicked his shoes off. They pulled faces at each other.
"Yes, I did see that flier through the letterbox… No, I hadn't decided who I will vote for in the council election… well I would be happy to discuss that at length with you but it's Charmy's bath time… I know, we try our best…"
Charmy threw a dramatic and silent protest performance for Espio who watched him in faint amusement, before his face went stiff.
"No, he's out tonight… I'm sure he won't wake you, that was just the one occasion and it wasn't actually he who- yes of course I will tell him… and I will keep the lights low… That's kind of you, but I'm here with Charmy… Yes, I'll remember that, in an emergency we'll be sure to call… Have a good evening Jan."
He hung up and crossed his eyes for Charmy in annoyance.
"Maybe Vector's out finding a drunk seagull on the dock again."
"I hope not, he was not my favourite house guest." Espio sighed; "Bath time?"
"UGH! Why do I have to have a bath like every night?"
"Because if you don't Jan will complain we're polluting the neighbourhood."
"Her house smells of dust and cat though."
"She can't exactly wash the carpets at her age and with her back, Charmy. Are you offering to go and clean it for her, or will you go and get ready for a bath?"
Charmy scowled but stomped up to his room, but Espio knew he wasn't really annoyed. He snapped at the opportunity to try Vector's mobile, but of course it went straight to voicemail, so he left a message:
"Vector, presume you are still out. I'm going to put Charmy to bed in an hour, but I have some work to do, so… I'll be up. Call if you need- call if you need to, I'll have my phone on vibrate. Bye."
He cringed at himself but hung up before he could delete it as Charmy buzzed down the stairs.
"Espio?"
He was unusually quiet, holding his pyjamas and dressing gown. Espio hid his phone on instinct and scrambled for another possible Vector location.
"Yes?"
"Maybe we should go round and clean Jan's house. Cause she can't clean it, can she?"
Espio hummed, and stowed his phone in his house coat pocket as they headed to the bathroom.
"That's a nice thought. If she asks for any more help with the gutters, we'll offer then."
"Good idea. Don't want her to know her house is stinky."
"Quite so."
Charmy didn't need help in the bath, but if nobody sat in the room with him there was a non-zero chance he would forget to wash something, or get too excited pushing water around and create a tidal wave. Today, however, he sat deep in thought, idly moving around a boat that he was too old for really and barely popped a bubble.
"Are you alright, Charmy?"
"Yeah. All good."
Espio sat on the floor next to the door, scrolling on his phone that was running low on power. He needed to charge it, in case Vector called and he had to run out to get him. But he needed to keep it on him, too, so it was powering down slowly.
He clicked it closed and sighed. The quicker Charmy was in bed, the quicker he could get to worrying more actively instead of trying to act like he wasn't worried.
"Do you want me to wash your fur?"
The water splashed about in the tub, and Charmy shook his head fast.
"Nah, I got it. I'm done."
He wrapped himself in the hand towel that was his, and watched the water drain, boat beaching itself in the residual bubbles.
"What if Vector's found the drunk seagull, but they're out on his boat catching a whale?"
"Then Vector is probably leaning over the side of the boat hurling. He hated that fishing trip we took in the houseboat."
"True, a whale might run away from him."
"I would suggest it's more likely to swim away, but certainly."
Charmy rolled his eyes dramatically, and began brushing his teeth as Espio de-tangled his fur.
As he wriggled into his sheets, Charmy pulled out his old cassette player and headphones, digging a tape of his favourite audio book out from the bundle of blankets and duvets.
"Do you want me to sit with you for a bit?"
"Uhm… no. I got it." Charmy mumbled as he lay himself down, but he was staring at the ceiling without a hint of readiness to sleep.
"Alright, I'll be downstairs."
Espio put the nightlight on at the side of the door, and tired star stickers glowed in the low light. He moved slowly as he cleared a few scattered toys to the side of the room, and sure enough;
"Espio?"
He turned straight to the bookshelf, ready to be instructed, but no book request came.
"Will you tell me when Vector comes back?"
"I'll send him up, but he might wake you."
"I want him to. I don't… Can you come up if he calls you?"
Espio folded the curtain edges over each other to keep any light from the street from creeping in.
"I will come and tell you if I know anything substantial."
"Okay, thanks. Night."
Espio stretched his mouth out, and tried for a moment to think of anything else that might be of comfort.
"If you can't sleep, you can come down. You won't be in trouble. Good night."
Charmy nodded into his pillow as the door closed, and put one headphone in his ear to listen to the book, but it wasn't the right amount of interesting and relaxing for right now, so he took it out shortly after, and counted the stars on the ceiling. Vector had shown him on his phone what the constellations looked like, so he had tried to draw Orion's belt, the big dipper, and the bears on his ceiling, so he tried looking for any more shapes he could make in the stars, and eventually his eyes closed in fits and starts.
In his dream, he was back in their neighbours house, and he kept exploring all the rooms he had never been in which were strangely proportioned like they were a fun house. He had to find somewhere to put his blanket and pillow, but all the older lady's stuff was strange and kept tumbling out on him and the carpet was sticky. He kept saying to her that he didn't want to sleep here, he wanted to go home, but she just shook her head and told him that he couldn't go home on his own. He wanted to ask where Vector and Espio were, and he tried to force himself to, but somehow he wasn't able to make those words come out of his mouth, and she just kept shaking her head.
The door opened and he rolled over immediately, happy to trade this unpleasant sleeping with the broad shoulders he saw in the doorway:
"Vector?" he mumbled groggily;
"Sh, don't say it so loud, or all the ladies will be banging on the front door!"
Vector crept in to lean next to his low bed, and a crick in Charmy's neck he didn't know was there eased. He recounted how hectic his evening had gotten, with a robbery and a car chase that ended in a crash and a fire. Far more relaxing than the audio book about school children going on an adventure across the dales, Charmy started to doze despite pretending he wasn't, and he vaguely remembered Vector taking the player away to set on the bookshelf on his way out.
"Jan's house." Charmy murmured in his sleep.
"What's that, bug?"
"Jan's house… don't want to live there."
"Well that's good, since you live here."
Charmy grunted, then snored.
When Vector returned from Charmy's room, rice and chicken were microwave hot on the desk, as well as a large glass of lemonade and a hot water bottle in a towel.
"You're a lifesaver." He yawned, and slotted into the cosy spot made for him, muscle-pack straight on his shoulders and food shovelled ungracefully.
Espio couldn't sit still, even now. Vector glanced around and surveyed the fruits of his stressing: the room had been tidied and cleaned, videos organised, papers stacked, and a set of calming herbal tea brew sat unpoured with no sign of residual heat.
"Had a good evening?"
"Uneventful. How did it go?"
Vector blinked slowly, his head feeling heavier as he chewed.
"This is so good, thank you. Better than I make it."
"All the better for being reheated I'm sure. What's the situation this month?"
Vector pulled back from his dinner, and held a hand over his eyes.
"This month? Not great. But could be worse."
"If we'd have paid down some of that Hampton Bank loan, maybe-"
"No, wouldn't have put a dent in it. Fortis would have whacked us with another thirty percent either way, and then we wouldn't have been able to afford the car repairs."
"Thirty? Can that be right?"
"I tried, but you can't wriggle much with your tail in a trap."
"Well we know it. So, did you take anything?"
"Got some… prospects. A courier gig if we don't ask what's in the bag. A driver for a friend of a friend of the trader's. Oh and defence on a shipping route, just great. Least it's not a little wobbly boat."
"… are we really going to transport contraband?"
"No, I don't think so. We'll take everything else first anyway."
Espio nodded grimly.
"And the rest of the evening?"
"… I felt lucky..."
Espio grimaced.
"Straight from the loan brokers and onto the poker tables, in your infinite wisdom. Were you lucky, then?"
"He's got no faith; and I was, in a sense. I heard a rumour that someone had been cheating at the Circus Casino. Easy to play against when you know who's who, exposed him at the top table and got a compensation pay out.
Slight hiccough on my way to the bank when his friends found me and tried to settle their cash deficit. Not like they were any trouble, but I could have done without the hassle."
Espio leaned on the table and nodded grimly.
"Well done. I wish you'd have called."
"By the time the dust was settled, I was close enough to home it wasn't worth it."
"It would have been at least ten minutes."
"I guess. I was hoping you'd gone to sleep."
Espio's withering glance could have spoiled milk, but Vector laughed:
"But hey, if you wanna wait up for me with your rollers in and dinner ready, I'm not complaining."
"I wish you'd let me come with you to deal with these vicious extortionists. I could help. We could expose their exploitation for everyone to see if you'd just-"
"And there's why you don't come with. It's all got it's time, we'll get our karma back when we're ready. But for now, if we kick up a fuss we're the ones who won't have a house."
"Doing the right thing should come ahead of our property."
"Sure. But someday when Charmy's a bit bigger, we can shake off the leeches. Let it go, tonight, Espio - I'm tired."
Espio couldn't look at him, but took his empty plate from under his nose, and placed a doughnut in a box with an ultra-reduced sticker over the bar code.
"Someday, then." he muttered; "glad you're home."