Part 1 because Tumblr couldn't handle how long this fic is.
Dr. Starline was suspicious of his team.
Well — colleagues. He wouldn’t call them a team just yet; there were still many things the ragtag group of villains must work on before they could be considered a fully functional team.
Back to the issue at hand, the platypus was growing wary. For the past month or so, not one person dared to speak a word to him. They were always a mile away from him, at best, and not even the loud and obnoxious Rough and Tumble came to annoy him. Starline found it odd that everyone has decided to keep their distance — it was good for the work, yes, but why now of all times? The doctor couldn’t figure out the reason and it was driving him mad.
Perhaps a stakeout would wield results? Starline was good at being stealthy, yes, but not as good as Mimic. That octopus could sneak up on anyone, and if he were to find Starline stalking the team, things may get a little out of hand. But then again, Mimic was also avoiding him, so there really wasn’t any risk, was there? Oh, who was he kidding; Starline still had to calculate all of the other factors and variables before starting this observation.
…
Honestly, though? Starline just wanted answers.
And that’s how the platypus doctor found himself squished between the pipes and the roof, his maroon eyes glued to the hallway below. He swore he would get to the bottom of this — but he sure had hoped he changed into something less pristine.
“Hello, Doctor. Fancy seeing you here.”
Starline whipped his head around to spot Mimic, disguised as a child mobian, sitting on the pipe beside him and wrapping what seemed to be red ribbon around the mental tube. Just as he was about to question the octopus, Mimic did a double take, his black eyes wide with shock. He leapt off the pipe, changing into the streamlined form of Sonic the Hedgehog and racing down the hall, calling out to the rest of the Deadly 4 to lock the warehouse.
Starline grumbled, climbing out from behind the pipes. Activating the flight powers in his Tricore, he landed on the floor with ease and grace before chasing Mimic down with the speed powers.
Mimic flew into the warehouse and the door slammed behind him.
Starline stood at the door, brushing his perm away from his face and knocking on the door.
“I know you’re in there,” he announced, “open up.”
Zavok’s broad shoulders just barely squeezed out from the slim opening in the door. He groaned, mumbling something under his breath before addressing the doctor.
“Starline, why so hasty?” He asked. The Zeti crossed his arms. “This behaviour is unlike you.”
“Would you like to explain to me why you and the rest of the group have been avoiding me for weeks?” Starline glared through his orange-tinted glasses, pushing himself onto his tip-toes in an attempt to match Zavok’s height. “And what are you doing in there? There’s delicate projects in the warehouse.”
“We’ve been, um–” Zavok stuttered. He never stuttered. “We’ve been…reorganising the warehouse. Between you and me, I believe the team has been on one too many raids, as of late, and there’s been too much loot. We’ve taken the liberties of rearranging the warehouse, so you can focus on your work. Leave the rest to us.”
Starline raised his eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. Zavok gulped quietly as a single bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. He cleared his throat.
“Well then, if you could please leave us to our work?”
Starline sneered as he turned and walked away, glancing back at the warehouse every few steps to check for any other clues. Zavok simply stood in front of the door, obstructing Starline’s view to the inside. The doctor eventually gave in and left the warehouse, returning to his laboratory.
Not enough clues, not enough details, but only more suspicion.
What was the group hiding from him?
Happy 4 Year Anniversary to Sonic IDW Bad Guys : Issue 1, A Few Bad Men!!!
I can't believe these 5 characters have taken over my brain for 4 years. I know I struggle to talk about them, but they mean so much to me. Long live the Deadly Four 🔪⭐️🔥🦨🦨
Any more skunk bro headcannons or just random thoughts about how they interact with the other bad guys in general
Rough will climb onto his teammates. He likes to feel tall. Most of them can tolerate it except Mimic, who will literally throw Rough across the room.
Tumble definitely looks up to or has some sort of connection with Zavok.
The trio of Rough, Tumble & Mimic are the three you do NOT want to leave unsupervised. They will start a fire.
Mimic used to trick Rough & Tumble by shapshifting into Starline and then telling them fake facts (basically lying to their faces for the LOLs). The Skunk Bros fell for it for a long time until Starline had to sort it out once things started going too far.
I feel like with time, Starline would insist on brushing Rough's tail. It's an absolute matted and tangled mess that acts has a hammerspace to most random objects. Starline usually just gives Rough a little fidget toy, and that keeps him in one spot long enough.
Tumble still has nightmares about how he lost his tail, and Rough always comforts him afterward. Being twins, the two have relied on each other their whole lives. Tumble especially became dependent on Rough after losing the tail.
