Next Morning
"Hehehe-" Charmy was up to no good this morning. He knew Espio would be up early to meditate so he had to be fast. He went over to the sleeping hedgehog and cackled. This was mini-payback for last night.
He shook the can of shaving cream. Why they had it he wasn't sure but it would do. He heard footsteps and he ducked behind Silver's chair. He peeked out and saw Espio looking in his general direction. Go awaaay, he mentally whined.
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Good. They were still asleep. Espio had to make sure Tails and Silver were sleeping. Granted, he had this opportunity at night, but he wasn't sure if either of them needed to use the facilities at night. Before continuing, however, he sensed something. As if another being was watching him...He snuck back into his room briefly.
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Charmy watched as Espio went back towards his room. He looked down at the shaving cream can in his hand and pouted. Surely he could think of something better for a prank. He flew over to Vector's desk and his eyes lit up. The young bee grinned mischievously. He grabbed the item and returned to Silver's side.
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Tails shuffled in the bag, sliding the blanket off as his tails unraveled. His eyes hesitated to open. He was too comfortable to move now. Why would he disturb this serene position and wake up? His eyelids rested again.
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Charmy slowly raised up from the floor with scissors in hand. He looked at the white, pillowy chest fur on the sleeping hedgehog and cut off a small piece. He looked over at his face and didn't notice him stir.
Nice. He started to trim his fur in random places. Fur grows back he kept telling himself with confidence. He lowered the scissors for one last snip and he suddenly moved in his sleep. Charmy panicked.
Snip! Charmy nearly fainted. A large tuft detached from the hedgehog and he flew away quickly dropping the scissors in the process.
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Alright, now he had to investigate. Espio quietly stepped into the room and noticed the pair of scissors on the floor. That's odd...He looked over to Tails who was slouched back on the bag but still asleep. He guided his attention to Silver who was also-what?
Espio closed his eyes, then opened them, stepping a little closer. His face turned white as he processed this. Fur...everywhere. Clumps were missing from his chest and the floor was lightly coated with white hair. No. He looked at the scissors in his hand and quickly hid them in Vector's desk drawer. No, no, no.
It was Charmy. It had to be him. He knew Vector and Tails were sleeping, and they certainly wouldn't do this. Silver obviously wouldn't do this to himself, either. He screamed internally.
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Charmy jumped back into bed and his mind raced with possible scenarios of how the fur could have been cut off of him. No, none of that work, he sighed and pulled the blanket over his head. It wasn't his fault Silver moved it was an accident to cut off that much.
Silver slept peacefully his breathing was soft and quiet. He nudged his head into the cushion of the chair. He was completely unaware of his glorious fur being hacked off.
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He gingerly pushed off any loose hairs clipped from his chest. Off his body, off the couch, and onto the floor. He grabbed the broom and picker-upper from their storage room and started sweeping up the hair until it became a huge, ivory ball. The clump was discarded in the wastebin by Vector's desk.
Did this really just happen? He takes a quick glance back at Silver and his mangled fur. Espio readjusted Silver's green blanket to temporarily conceal the disaster. Why, Charmy? Why?
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The bee peered out his door cautiously and saw Espio pulling the blanket up onto Silver's chest. Before Charmy could close the door again he made brief eye contact with the chameleon and felt his heart pound faster.
Silver grasped the blanket and attempted to move on to his side, but it caused his boot to slip off the chair abruptly. "Hmm?" He slowly started to wake up but his vision was still unclear.
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Espio turned invisible on the spot. He knew Silver would believe it was Charmy, but he really did not want to deal with this situation so early. He hadn't even meditated yet.
He stepped back, hoping the hedgehog didn't fully awaken. He did, however, caught sight of Charmy. Even if he pretended to sleep, he was going to get an answer one way or another.
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Silver was still in a drowsy state as he stretched his stiff limbs. He pulled the chair closer with the toe of his boot and set his feet back up onto the seat. He glanced over to Tails who was still curled up in the luggage sound asleep. Silver blinked a couple of times before finally sitting up in his chair. The blanket fell off his chest and on his lap.
He felt his face get hot as he ran his fingers through what was left of it. He knew who was responsible for this. Silver clenched his fist in anger and whispered, "Fuck."
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He took another step away. Espio knew what this hedgehog was capable of. With a sneaky sprint, he sped into Charmy's room and pushed the door in quietly.
There he was, of course, pretending to be asleep. He huffed, "Why?"
No answer.
"You know he's helping us with this investigation."
Another pause.
"I know you're listening..."
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Charmy flinched as he heard Espio come into his room and spouted out words. He hesitantly sat up and looked towards him, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders as if it was a cloak of invisibility. Charmy wished he had one of those cloaks right about now.
"I only meant to cut off a little! He moved in his sleep and that's why it looks so bad." He spoke in a whispered tone and a guilty expression displayed on the boy's face.
"It was supposed to be a small prank." He finished with his voice nearly breaking.
Silver had stood up and walked into the restroom, careful as to not wake Tails. He locked the door behind him and turned on the light.
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"A prank?" He understood the hair would grow back and caught onto the fact that this was the effect of yesterday's tantrum, but this, this behaviour was not acceptable. At least Espio knew Silver wouldn't destroy the detective agency. Maybe.
"We barely know him. What if he decides to destroy all the bee colonies on the planet? Then, when every drop of honey in this world is gone, he approaches you and says, 'It was just a prank.'" He paused to consider the outcome. "On second thought, it isn't so bad. You could definitely bring back the honey supply by yourself. A few billion flowers, your own hive, an entire lifetime...that sounds fair, doesn't it?"
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Charmy felt a slight chill from Espio's words that honestly scared him. "Silver's not like that though, right?" He pulled the blanket over his head. "I'll apologize, Espio. I swear!" Silver was not going to be happy, but he needed to own up to his mistake. Charmy approached the door and gave Espio a look of worry as he passed him. "Is he awake now?" He let the blanket fall to the floor.
Silver rolled his eyes as he brushed the soft fur out with a comb. He switched the light off and unlocked the door, he walked out quietly and lit the room with a dim cyan aura. After some searching, Silver found what he was looking for, a red plaid scarf.
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Espio nudged the door open for the both of them to see a cyan light die out and the hedgehog standing with a new accessory around his neck.
"You're in luck." He lead Charmy out of the room.
"He is."