Hope you enjoy!
I do not own Sonic or any of its properties. All rights go to their respective owners.
Tails looked down at the sleeping vixen, after their lengthy talk it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. Although it was late in the evening he wasn't tired, there was too much on his mind. Instead of turning in himself he decided to make a meal, Fiona was probably out for the night and his stomach was singing.
Choosing to make a simple salad he busied himself with the rather meager task. His thoughts drifted to their conversation and while it did seem that Fiona was better now he couldn't help but feel uneasy about the whole situation.
What if Scourge tries to find her? Where would he start looking and whom would he be willing to hurt to find her? It wasn't something that was a pressing issue, but it still made him worry. If he did come to their world Sonic and the gang would be more than happy to make his "visit" a living nightmare.
He finished the salad quickly and sat down at the table, Tails could see Fiona through the door, her breathing slow and steady. Thank heavens. After a story like that he wouldn't be surprised if she had problems sleeping. Four years, how did she manage for four years?
Now since he knew how and why she was here it helped answer some questions, only to leave a few more in its wake. How will Sonic and the others react to this? Where is she going to stay once she recovers? Is she staying at all?
He sighed, I think too much.
The tinkerer forced himself to be satisfied crossing those bridges once he got to them. Focusing on the task at hand he began to eat. It was a bit plain, but filled the void and allowed him to relax a bit. Never realized how antsy I could get when I'm hungry.
Snow was falling outside once more, not nearly as ferocious as the previous storm but still thick enough that it blocked out the evening sun. He set to work on making a fire and once it was lit sat back and basked in the glow.
Nothing quite like a fire to put your mind at ease.
Before long the wind and the crackling lulled him to sleep.
Fiona woke to the sound of a fire. Being so close to it made her hot and rather uncomfortable.
There was a note on the coffee table in front of her. There's hot water and towels in the bathroom if you want to take a shower, I'm just in the shop! Make yourself at home! I'll be cooking breakfast soon so don't worry about that.
Getting to her feet she set off for the bathroom, a little confused at first about where it was. The soreness from yesterday had almost completely vanished, just some mild throbbing here and there.
Once she found her destination she closed the door and stripped down. The clothes she wore wouldn't do in this kind of weather and were battered and torn, that meant shopping. I'll have to worry about that later, time to clean up!
The water was hot and welcoming. It washed away the grime that she endured, Moebius wasn't much known for cleanliness and hygiene. Fiona could feel that she had gotten slimmer as she washed were several brushes in the shower, most likely courtesy of Tails. Her hair was unkempt and tangled along with her fur.
After what seemed like an eternity she shut off the water and opened the curtain. Steam had flooded the room leaving everything misty. She quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around her midriff.
Rubbing the fog off the mirror she gazed at herself. I've looked better. It wasn't that she was horrifying, but knowing what she looked like before made her current status seem like a train wreck.
Tails had set out everything she needed to finish pampering herself; the only thing left was what she was going to wear.
A quiet knock came from the door, "Fiona?"
Glancing at the door she replied, "Yes?"
"I tried to find some clothes around the workshop and the house that would do for the time being, I don't really have much out here for ladies. I'm setting them outside the door, hope they'll do the trick until we can buy you some new ones."
She could hear him start to walk away, "Thanks, Tails." She called through the door.
He stopped, "No problem. Breakfast will be ready soon."
Once she was sure he was away she cracked open the door and nabbed the cloths he had. They were oversized, obviously, so she did the best that she could with what she had.
Stepping out in the hallway now, refreshed and reinvigorated, Fiona made her way to the kitchen. Tails had made a meal similar to yesterday, but with a few more fixings here and there. He had just finished setting the table when she stepped through the door.
He looked at her for a few brief moments, glancing away after a few seconds, an odd expression on his face.
"We'll get some proper clothes for you soon, hope it isn't weird having to wear mine."
For a second she couldn't believe it, but quickly realized. He's embarrassed?
Even after all these years he could still get hot under the collar from something like this? It made her smile; his reaction was adorable.
"Eh, they'll do for now." She sent a playful wink his way.
He looked away again, "Oh, good."
Breakfast wasn't awkward per say, but for Tails something seemed off. He couldn't believe that he had gotten so flustered from that.
Probably doesn't help that it's her of all people wearing my shirt and pants. He thought rather frustrated.
I got over her, why did I act like that? Probably because it was the thought of having his clothing on a woman's body. It made his face hot just thinking about it.
This is so childish, cut it out! He prayed that Fiona couldn't see the odd internal conflict he was having. The mechanic tried to keep his face as neutral as possible.
Focusing entirely on the food in front of him he forced himself to eat without thinking. Quit thinking and start eating!
He picked up the dishes and put them in the sink, even though he had some luxuries he hadn't wanted to haul a dishwasher out to the middle of nowhere, so they had to clean by hand. Fiona had insisted on help him wash them. Standing side by side they rinsed each piece one by one.
After being out here for so long it was great having someone with him. What enhanced the fact was that she didn't seem to mind and actually hummed a little tune while she washed.
This is nice. He said firmly in his mind.
Tails didn't know how long she was staying but it didn't matter to him right now. In that moment he felt the happiest he had been in a long while.
Since the rest of the Freedom Fighters were busy so often he was alone the majority of the time. They couldn't put aside their tasks to visit very often; Sonic would try, but would get wrapped up in something else. It got lonely in the city and his projects couldn't always make him forget this. He never bothered trying to get a girlfriend since he often busied himself with other things.
It didn't take long for the two to finish and it was only midday.
They walked into the living room, "So, do you want to head out today or tomorrow?"
Fiona turned around, her eyes wide. "What?"
He shrugged, "You know, get you some clothes and other ladylike necessities. Stuff like that."
The vixen eased a bit at this, "Oh, tomorrow would be fine."
She seemed a little jittery. What was that about? He smiled, "Okay then, we'll head out tomorrow morning. It would take the better half of the day to reach New Mobotropolis, so we'll stop by somewhere closer."
Fiona was looking out the window. "That sounds fine to me."
"Sweet, so, I'm going out to my shop for a bit, I have some stuff I want to work on. Feel free to relax here, but you are more than welcome to come with if you want." He walked over to the door and began to tie his boots; working on something would help ease his mind from the thoughts that were polluting it.
It didn't take but a few seconds for her to plop down right beside him and begin putting on some footwear, there were traces of a smile on her face.
The snow wasn't all that deep, most of it had blown away with the wind, but it still reached their ankles as they walked to the shop.
The red fox stopped, "That's your workshop?" Her eyes were wide in surprise. A more appropriate name would be a hangar.
"Sort of. A good half of it is a place for the Tornado. I fixed up the other half so that it was like a home away from home." He pulled out a key and unlocked the door.
His breath billowed out of him as he walked in. "It's a bit cold right now, that's cause I shut off the heaters when I'm not in here. It'll warm up in no time." After he flipped a switch hot air began blowing out of the vents.
Lights flooded the room, the Tornado sat in the center bright and glossy as ever. There were many different items and machine work littering the floor and tables around the plane, but Tails walked past those.
There was a door to another room in the hangar, this presumably being his workshop.
She gasped, "Wow."
There were various woodcarvings, machines, and tools organized neatly around the room. Everything was in its place unlike the organized chaos in the hangar. Some of the pieces were large but each seemed handcrafted save the few power tools that were in the room.
The golden fox had a meticulous eye for detail, each wood piece was ripe with emotion. But most of the pieces had seemed unfinished.
"Are any of these complete?" She asked in curiosity.
He nodded, "Sure, I just don't keep them in here, I have another place for the finished ones. Most of the stuff I make is out of rather expensive materials and I wouldn't want it stolen if someone, somehow, got out here."
It seemed logical enough, he's always been so involved with his work. Fiona couldn't help but smile.
"So…" Her tail twirled back and forth. "Could I see the finished ones?" It made her excited thinking about what else he had made.
Tails looked at her, his face puzzled, it quickly cleared and was replaced with eagerness. "Absolutely! Right this way."
He walked over to a large bulkhead, it looked very similar to a safe. He keyed in a code and twisted the knob on the door. It was easily two inches thick and seemed to be made out of steel.
"How on earth did you get this all the way out here?"
He scratched at his cheek; "Well Nicole helped me drop it here. I actually had to build the shop around the safe. Some people had stolen some of my other works when I kept them in New Mobotropolis. It was kind of hard to operate an airlift on my own so she assisted with aligning the drop."
Fiona looked at him bug-eyed. "Sounds pretty complicated."
"I wanted to make sure everything would be safe." His face had grown a little red. "Are you wanting to go inside?"
She blushed, guess I was getting a little of topic. "Oh, yes."
He gestured her graciously towards the door, as if they were going to a ball.
"What a gentleman." She said haughtily.
When she walked through what she had seen before became nothing but child's play. All of his work ranged in sizes but each was had its own unique character and atmosphere. The boy she once knew had become an artist and she was astounded.
There wasn't a speck of dirt or dust on anything in the safe, the air smelled clean.
She ogled everything, it had been a long time since she was around anything that could be consider beautiful. Moebius wasn't known for its great works of art. Fiona felt like a kid in a candy store.
It took all the willpower he had at his disposal to not laugh out loud. Tails didn't think that Fiona would be so fascinated by such as this so to see her with so much wonder made him feel happy and light.
She riddled him with questions about each and every carving, putting more thought into some of them than he ever could.
Fiona had a keen eye and vibrant mind when it came to art, something he didn't seem to recall she possessed before she… departed. You really need to stop that.
When it seemed like she had seen enough she found another one. He didn't have much of a mind to sell these, each was a part of him in its own way and he probably would charge too much when it came down to it. Guess it's a good thing this isn't my livelihood.
The safe could easily be called a vault due to its size and most of the space was filled with his creations. He would have to get rid of something soon, it almost broke his heart thinking about it.
"I didn't know you were so creative Tails, this is amazing!" Her eyes were sparkling.
He chuckled, "I only picked it up over the past few years. I don't think I'm all that great."
Fiona's mouth fell open, "Are you kidding me? You're probably one of the most expressive artists on the planet! You should show these to people!"
"Well, I'll have to sometime soon, I'm running out of room in here." He stated rather sheepishly.
A thought popped into his head.
"Um, do you see anything that you like?" He thought it seemed innocent enough.
Her eyes grew wide, "You're serious?"
He shrugged, "I mean, yeah. I'm going to have to send them off to be sold soon, so I don't see why you couldn't pick something out."
Tails looked down sheepishly, "Think of it as a welcome home present if it helps."
In a flash she was on him, gripping him a bear hug so tight it threatened to crack his ribs. The oxygen in his lungs exploded out. This surely was a side of Fiona that he never thought he would see.
She quickly started strolling around the room once more, looking at some of the smaller wood and metal pieces. Something began to bother him though, like he forgot something important.
Her eyes locked on a shining object in the back of the room, she made a beeline towards it. It was hidden behind a large wooden carving and his stomach flipped.
Uh oh. I thought I had moved that.
Fiona couldn't believe that he would let her just take something, some of these works would be worth a fortune to the right buyer and he let her have free pick of the pile.
Her eyes went from item to item, preferring something smaller that she could keep on her person. Which one, which one…
Something bright caught her attention. It was in the corner of the room, nearly out of sight. Making her way over to it she scooped it up.
It was a necklace, small, but no less beautiful. It seemed to be made out of starlight, the metal shined so clearly she could see her reflection. She could see Tails face turn a little, she wasn't sure if he saw her looking.
Fiona opened the pendant, needing to see what was inside. There was a picture inside, one that she remembered very well. It was cut down to size to fit in the locket, but she recognized it immediately.
It was a photo of the Freedom Fighters long ago, with her smiling beside him. He was grinning like a goofball, standing as tall as he could but still falling short compared to his friends and allies. Tails seemed so happy.
She flipped the pendant over and over in her hand, the weight seeming to become heavier with each flip. It was in the shape of a heart.
"That's one of my older ones. Probably one of the first ever put in here." His voice had cracked ever so slightly.
Tails plucked it out of her hand and eyed it skeptically, secretly trying to cover up the fact that he knew what it was. "I used white gold in the pendant and made the chains out of a combination of platinum and titanium. It took me a while to find gemstones that could be embedded into the pendant itself. Turns out rubies were the best option. Probably one of the more expensive things I've made."
He placed it back down in her hand; her eyes were glued to the floor. "Fiona?"
Why?
"What?"
She looked up suddenly. I said that out loud?
Tails eyes were filled with concern.
Fiona could feel her throat start to tighten, "Why would you make something like this?"
He looked down, "Its what started all of this really. I wasn't really sure what to feel after you left so I had to work on something, crafting is what I resorted to."
Her eyes were beginning to sting, "After what I did to you?"
He was quiet for a minute, "Fiona, I forgave you for what happened, I moved on from then."
Then why do I feel this way? "Why would you keep something like this? Why would you make it?"
It felt like she was stuck in a loop.
"Because, it was a happy memory."
She looked up to see that he was smiling.
"I would never throw something like that away, its how I tried to remember you. I didn't want to recall what had happened, in its own way it was weakness, but nonetheless." He glanced down once more at the locket.
"After so long I'm surprised I forgot about it."
Her fingers clamped around it, "What are you feeling? What are you thinking, Tails?"
His eyes became clouded, "I'm not really sure what to say. So much has happened in a very short span of time. Truth be told… I had never thought you were coming back."
He continued, "There were so many moving parts at the time that when I think back on when we were fighting Robotnik everything seems like a blur. I think part of me tried to deny everything that happened. It took a long while for me to just be content. Even then I still had troubles."
Fiona could feel her voice shaking, "Do you hate me, Tails?" It wouldn't surprise me a bit if you do.
The mechanic fell silent once more, his eyes now becoming dark. He looked away for an instant and it made her heart fall. I knew it.
Of course he does, no matter how much he tries to convince himself. The tears finally fell down on the pendant. Why am I even here still? There isn't a person alive that would ever want me around. I burned those bridges long ago.
"No." A comforting hand snapped her thoughts in two.
She looked up; his eyes had cleared and were filled with forgiveness. "I don't think I could ever hate you, Fiona. I knew, no matter what, that there was good in you still. Even when everyone else told me otherwise I kept telling myself that there was something in there that held the vixen that I remembered."
Fiona felt her heart skip, "Really?"
"I can't believe I somehow didn't recognize you sooner. I hope that didn't seem rude. My mind is a complete mess lately. Maybe I was trying to protect myself or perhaps I was being childish." He looked conflicted.
She could feel his breath hitch as she wrapped her arms around him, "I'm sorry, Tails. I'm sorry for everything that I did to you all those years ago." Her voice was sincere. It only took this long to say.
He put his arms around her. "I forgive you, Fiona."
Pulling away she grinned, "So, how about a restart?"
He chuckled, gazing into her eyes, "Yeah, restart."
A/N:
Thanks for reading!
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Hope you have a good day!
~ Trainkrazy ~
