Hey, hey, hey everybody! We're back with some wholesome Charmy Nonsense! This one is pretty short, I hope that's okay. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Anyway, enjoy! :D
Weak, why did he feel so weak? It was like he tried to lift a whole building yesterday, for some reason he was so sore. There was no strength for him to even shift his body to either side.
All of a sudden, he realized he didn't have any idea where he was, the painful throbbing of his head blocked any coherent thoughts from forming. Tiny teeth clenched as he grimaced from the aching radiating from his joints, sweat pooling all around him, uncontrollable shivering racked his body making the pain that much worse.
If only he had the strength to move, maybe he could get something to drink, something cold. Heck, maybe he could just jump right into the freezer. He was so hot, like he'd been dipped in coffee, it was suffocating. This sweltering heat coming from every pore beneath his fur, he'd never experienced something so uncomfortable. He had to admit, this scared him. It was so sudden, so unexpected, so powerful.
How could he fight this? How could he stop this? How could he run away from this? Where could he even go, he didn't know up from down. In fact, Charmy didn't even know he was in his bed, tangled in the sheets, gasping for air through a raspy, raw throat. He attempted to move a finger, at least. That should be doable, right? But as soon as he curled his pinkie, the spasm-like shivering started up again, worse than before.
Every nerve ignited into sparks of discomfort as his body contorted against his will, making him regret his wish for mobility. He wanted to cry, scream, shout; anything that would allow him some form of catharsis. But all he could manage were quiet whimpers and groans. A tear or two escaped from the corners of his eyes, but the warmth of the droplets only heated his face further.
But then... cold pressure weighed down on his forehead, like a graceful blessing from angels. The blessed coolness that was suddenly bestowed on him quieted the tremors waving through him. With its sudden appearance shocking him, somewhere in the depths of his soul, he finally found some sliver of strength. Though his limbs ached and groaned, he could move, just a bit. Thankfully, he only needed to move a minuscule amount, shifting himself to his side to free his delicate wings from the pressure of his weight.
The throbbing hadn't stopped yet, but at least he had some strength back, he clung to that fragment of power like a lifeline.
"There you go... That feels better, right?" a gentle voice soothed through the haze of pain and confusion. It cut through everything like a pinprick of light at the end of a long dark tunnel. The child finally had a direction to go in, something to reach for. He tried to say something, thank you perhaps, but all that came out was a ghastly croak followed by dry coughs that managed to seize his stomach, bringing the pain to a whole new level.
Soft gloves gently cradled him, carefully pulling him up. He felt a stiff coolness against his lips and a light sloshing of liquid coming from it. Charmy didn't need coherent thoughts to piece together that he needed that liquid to make him feel better, so he pried his mouth open as much as he could and the angel tipped the liquid into his mouth.
Clear, crisp water rushed past his raw tongue, flushing his system and chilling him as it went. It was like life itself was being restored to the small bee. Once more, a shard of strength surfaced and he used it to squeeze his eyelids open. Just so he can see who this angel is, where he was, what was going on, he just needed to see again.
It was a great strain, his eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. But eventually, he was able to power through the exhaustion and focus long enough to see someone. Despite his effort, his vision was hazy and unfocused. Everything appeared as colored blurs. So all he could see was a golden anthropomorphic blur looking down at him, it shined against the sunlight that pierced through a window.
"Good morning. Or afternoon, rather. Heh heh" the golden blur chuckled lightly, before reaching a hand to his forehead. While it wasn't as cool as whatever cold compress it gave him before, it was still chilled compared to Charmy's body temperature. It flipped its hand from palm to back before nodding his head.
"Fever's almost gone, that's good. I'm sure if we keep these frozen peas on you for another half hour, that'll break it" he said as he laid Charmy back down, returning the blessed frozen peas to his pounding forehead. The bag crunched a bit as it settled right below his antenna, bringing sweet relief every second it rested there.
A weight lifted from the creaking bed as the golden blur walked away for a moment. Charmy attempted to reach out for it, to keep it from leaving. What if he got worse after it left? What if he didn't get to say thank you to him? What if he never got to see him again? But all that came out were whimpers, quiet and pathetic even to himself.
He wasn't sure when, but he'd drifted to sleep. It was obvious because now he was waking up, thanks to a gentle hand rustling him a bit.
"Hey buddy, wake up for a sec" the familiar gentle voice called. Charmy's eyes shot open this time, his fever had to have broken considering a quarter of his strength was back. He still felt like he'd been run over by a semi-truck, but at least he felt confident that he could crawl if he needed to.
"Wuzzat? Whoisit? Ughhh..." he supposed his strength ended at crawling and opening his eyes.
"I know..." the golden blur responded, apparently it was fluent in flu. As his eyes focused, the blur sharpened into harder, clearer edges and shapes. Finally, a person emerged from the heavenly blur and it was no surprise who it was.
"Here, eat this" Ray instructed as he helped the sniffling Charmy sit up. He placed a small grinding bowl in the arthropod's hands, its contents a mysterious green flaky substance. Normally, Charmy would bemoan having to eat whatever strange concoction that Ray cooked up from his weird plants, but he knew he was in no position to complain right now. The squirrel was far too smart for Charmy to keep up with, if he wants him to eat this junk, he'd eat it.
So with an uncomfortable gulp, Charmy shoveled the contents of the bowl into his mouth. Instant bitterness constricted against his tongue causing him to gag between raspy breaths. Ray reached behind him and brought a cup to Charmy's mouth.
"I know, I know. Sorry, flavor isn't a luxury we can afford right now" he soothed, tilting the drink against Charmy's pursed lips. Citrus delight rinsed the bitterness down his throat and cleansed his palate of the putrid, earthy taste. After several gulps, a rough gasp shot out of the boy's chest, some strength leaving him.
The mammal rubbed soothing circles against Charmy's back as the boy took deep breaths and tried to gather his thoughts.
"What's... wrong... with me..?" he croaked, his throat aching with each word.
"Stomach flu. Nasty thing. But we're managing just fine" Ray responded, setting the cup on a nearby table.
"Where's... everybody?" Charmy asked, looking around for a sign of the other Chaotix members. He attempted to listen out for them, but his ears were filled with a fuzzy pressure. No doubt from all the times he'd blown his nose.
"On a job. They should be back soon" Ray said, a calm tone constant in his voice. He brought another cup to Charmy's lips, containing water this time. Charmy took a long, grateful sip.
"Why... are... you..." he tried to ask after swallowing, but the lump in his scratchy throat blocked anything else from getting out.
"I couldn't leave you all alone, Charmy" A warm smile spread across the squirrel's face, his eyes filled with tenderness. "Besides, there's some herbs I've been dabbling with that I've been meaning to test out against the flu. So this is a win-win as far as I'm concerned"
"Am I gonna be okay?" Charmy's worried eyes peeked up at Ray, tears prickling at the edges of his vision.
"Are you kidding me? You're a tough kid, this is gonna be nothing in a few days" the botanist gave a reassuring pat on the boy's head, ruffling the short fur on top. Charmy lurched forward, a gruff coughing fit constricting his diaphragm. His eyes snapped shut as he begged for the pain to end. The final cough sounded wet and sticky, the young bee felt a hot, slimy substance loitering on his tongue. Ray quickly placed a garbage pail on Charmy's lap.
"Here. Make sure you spit out what you cough up, alright?" Without hesitation, Charmy spat out whatever disgusting mess was in his mouth. He stared into the garbage bag at the phlegm that used to be in his lungs and gagged, pushing the garbage pail as far as his weak arms would allow.
Soft scratches on the floorboards caught his attention, he saw the doting squirrel scoot the small table closer to the bedside. Charmy hadn't noticed before, but the table, in addition to the two cups of water and juice, also had a bowl on it. Steam wafted off it, drifting the savory scent of broth and vegetables through his blocked sinuses. A warmth enveloped all around him as Ray carefully brought the porcelain bowl to his small lap.
"I got some soup for you too. Can you eat it yourself?"
Charmy took a moment to attempt the task. Shakily, he dipped the spoon down, gathered a generous amount of ingredients, raised it to his mouth, and sipped. Hot broth sent waves of heat throughout his system, cleansing as it circulated through his body. Vegetables and noodles so soft his tongue was all he needed to mash them into swallowable pieces, familiar and foreign flavors blended together in a superb delicious comfort that eased his pain, his raw throat coated with relief at the heat traveling down. Finally, he found his voice again.
"Yeah... yeah I think so" he whispered out of fear that the pain would return.
"Alright. I'll leave you to it-"
"Ray"
"Yeah?" the squirrel stopped in his tracks and turned back to his younger companion. Charmy fiddled with the off-white sheets draped over his humble bed.
"Will... will you stay with me?" he asked, his voice a little louder than before. Ray stood frozen for a moment before he chuckled a little.
"You really are sick, ha ha" he replied.
"Please, Ray" Charmy's face twisted in desperation, his eyes pleading for the squirrel to take him seriously. Ray read the look on his face easily now, yet he still found it odd. He took a step closer to Charmy's bed, sitting on the edge, poised to jump back to his feet at any moment.
"Uh, well... I'm not exactly the most riveting conversationalist." He said, avoiding eye contact as he put a hand on his arm. "I don't want you to be bored... just sitting here with a nerd like me..." the hand was rubbing his golden fur now, uncomfortable and rugged motions.
"I could get you some puzzles or toys to-"
"I don't care about that stuff" Charmy interrupted, feeling the effects of his spoonful of soup wearing off as he finished. He prepared to take another sip as Ray slid his eyes toward Charmy once more.
"You-you don't?"
"Uh-uh" he shook his head, after swallowing another spoonful of soup.
"But... you hate being bored. And..." Ray instinctively tried to keep the words down. It still hurt to admit, even after all of this time. "I'm boring and lame" he scoffed, dejected.
Charmy nearly choked on his next spoonful of soup, causing Ray to leap to his side and pat his back firmly. "You're not boring. You're Ray" the arthropod said between coughs.
"Gee, thanks" Ray brought the trash pail back to Charmy's face. The bee cleared his throat and spat into the trash, leaning on it so he could sit up more easily.
"I'm boring and lame, cuz I'm sick and junk" he whispered, his voice weak and pitiful. The sound of it pricked Ray's already tender heart.
"Oh, no no no! You- you're not! I think you're really cool and exciting!"
"But you don't wanna be with me right now..."
"No I..." a deep sigh left his mouth before he continued. "I like spending time with you, Charmy. Really, I do" Ray placed a hand on Charmy's smaller shoulder, his blue eyes looking right into Charmy's orange.
"It's just... I have some other things I need to get done today. Things you would actually find boring" he smirked self consciously.
"Can ya do 'em here?" Charmy asked hopefully.
"I... I suppose I could, yes. If- if you're sure you-"
"You can get your science-y stuff"
"Oh-Oh-okay! I'll be right back!" Ray bolted out of the room, carefully avoiding the table with Charmy's drinks and within seconds he was back, dozens of plastic boxed in his arms and one gripped in his massive tail.
"Alright, this is everything" he looked around the junky room for a moment. "I'll just, uh..." he searched for a spot as he walked around the piles of miscellaneous items always cluttered in the young arthropod's room. Finally, he decided to make a spot for himself by sweeping some junk away with his curled tail.
"I'll put this over here" he placed his boxes carefully in the open space before categorizing them based on genus, temperature sensitivity, and various other factors he needed to account for in order to further his study. As he got situated he looked back at Charmy, to make sure he was okay, and that's when he noticed the toddler had hugged his knees to his chest.
"It's scary, being sick by myself" he said, his eyes focused on some distant point on his wall. Ray's mouth opened for several moments, he couldn't blink, he couldn't speak, he couldn't move. He'd never heard Charmy admit to being afraid of anything, he didn't even know Charmy could feel fear!
The shocked squirrel looked back down at his various plant specimens and his lab equipment, feeling powerless against Charmy's plight. After all, fear was an old friend of Ray's. There wasn't a day where he wasn't scared of something, he supposed it was just in his nature. Fear was something he was accustomed to feeling, it was like hunger, tiredness, pain. It was just something he was going to feel, whether he liked it or not.
But Charmy? Ray couldn't ever recall him being scared of anything. Not even when everyone around him, even Vector and Mighty, were scared. Charmy was immune to it, he embraced the unknown and the insane. He stared down the impossible and insurmountable and he didn't blink. Ray assumed it was because he wasn't old enough to know he needed to fear the things that the others did. But part of him figured... that was just Charmy. It was his power, his strength, the thing that made him such a valuable member of the team.
The thing that made Ray look up to him. It was embarrassing to admit, an 11 year old admiring a 6 year old, but Ray found Charmy's fearlessness inspiring. It was almost shameful that he was always running behind Mighty when something scary happened, but Charmy would run in front of everyone. It was insane... yet so commendable.
And this was the boy that was scared of being ill by himself? Ray could barely grasp the concept. His pastel yellow fur stood on end as he felt the familiar sense of shame weigh on his shoulders. But he didn't let it settle down on him. Not today. He looked back at Charmy, tears stinging the arthropod's eyes, and dug deep within himself. If he was in Charmy's position, what would Mighty do to make him feel better? And that's when the words surfaced.
"I'm not going anywhere" he said as strongly as he could, his eyes looking right at Charmy. The bee looked in Ray's direction for a split second before shifting his attention to his soup, slowly taking another spoonful.
"Even if I fall asleep?" he breathed, impossibly quiet.
"I'll be here, I promise" the squirrel responded without hesitation.
Neither of the boys said anything after that, they both allowed the statement to hang in the air. It comforted Charmy and strengthened Ray, even in the comfortable silence that rested in the room. The only sounds that could be heard was the careful rummaging of Ray's tools, the occasional cough and sneeze from Charmy, and the faint creaking of the wooden house.
This may or may not be based on the real life experience I had a few months ago. Being sick absolutely sucks. Also, I hope this helps people understand Ray's character a little more. We'll have more chapters dedicated to him in the future, so stay tuned for that. See ya next time! X3 (Oh and Happy Holidays ;))