Just wanted to thank the few of you who supported this story. It means a lot and has motivated me to continue. I'm glad there are some fellow Shadailsko shipers out there. and I hope you enjoy.
As she slowly began to wake, Tails took a deep breath and stretched in the soft large bed. She had several pillows stacked around her, one between her legs, and a few had fallen on the ground due to her rolling around. Tails relaxed and laid on her back. Shadow's bed was way more comfortable than the sofa mattress and having so many pillows and so much space to sprawl out made it even better. Tails hummed contently as she curled up into the brown sheets and flipped over to her other side.
A page turned behind her. It took her a few seconds to remember Shadow was in the room with her. A small blush and a grin grew. She didn't mind that he was here. It was actually nice to have him close. Shadow turned another page and sat it down. The sound of a pen on paper followed. He was writing a note. It was then Tails also noticed some shuffling on the other side of the door.
Tails sighed. Rouge was still here. And she was planning on taking her shopping. She hoped that maybe if she stayed in bed Rouge would forget about the whole thing and let it go. It didn't take long for her hopes to be crushed.
The door swung open, and Rouge greeted them with an excited attitude. "Good morning! How are you two doing?"
"Good morning, Rouge," Tails sat up as Shadow acknowledged Rouge with a nod. "Sleep well?"
Rouge took a deep breath in, stretched her arms over her head, then let it out as she let them down. "I slept great! The sofa mattress isn't nearly as good as my bed, but it was great not having to wake up five in the morning for once. I folded my blankets and put the bed away, don't worry." Shadow gave a satisfied grunt then turned back to the papers he was reading. "What do you have there?"
Shadow looked back up at her. "It's classified."
Rouge sighed and placed her arms at her sides. "You're on leave and still working. Typical workaholic. I thought you said you had a commitment."
"I do," Shadow retorted as he put the next mage down, "And I'm waiting. In the meantime, I'm getting some work done."
Rouge rolled her eyes and turned to Tails. She grew a grin and made two L's then put them together in a camera fashion. "Look at you. Messy hair, tank top, and a king-sized bed. How can a man resist?" Rouge eyed Shadow, but he didn't react.
"Maybe if a man understands the importance of his work, he'd find resistance isn't that hard to render."
Tails looked away, embarrassed yet again by Rouge's relentless teasing and Shadow's density. Rouge tsked and shook her head. "All business, no play. Not like us girls, right? Tailsko?" Tails didn't reply. She simply curled her legs up and buried her face in the sheets. Rouge shrugged once again. "I trust that you at least got as good a night's sleep as I did."
Tails straightened out her legs and looked up. "Yeah… I've never slept on a bed like this before. It was very nice."
Rouge came around to the side so she could use the tall mirror to examine her outfit. Some casual formal wear that looked more for a Sunday afternoon. She paid more attention to the fur on her head. "That's a custom mattress. I spent good money on it for Shadow to enjoy, but he told me too late he never sleeps. At least someone got to appreciate it. Especially a cutie like you. Now I don't have to feel bad about those thirteen hundred dollars I wasted.
"I offered to reimburse you," Shadow stated as he collected the pile and put it together, straightening it out on the table.
Rouge giggled. "I'm only teasing, Shadow. I can care less if you don't use it, I knew one day you might need it. And I'd say caring for a cute, poor little fox being used as a lab rat would count. Speaking of…" She faced Tails and leaned in. "Ready to go shopping? Once you get dressed I'll take you to my car. If your anything like Tails, you'll love the ride."
No, she was rather certain she wouldn't care. And she was not ready whatsoever. "I… I don't really want to go."
"Aw, don't be like that. If you're scared, you have nothing to worry about. I'll keep an eye out for you. Trust me, I'm just as good as Shadow when it comes to getting down in a scuffle."
Shadow finished cleaning his spot in the room and went around to the other side of the bed, next to Tails. She watched him pull out the heavy case beneath it and unlock it just to put the papers inside. Tails hadn't said a word to Rouge and even she was watching the hedgehog get around. After closing this case, he looked back up at Tails and bobbed his head at Rouge. "Go with her, Mila. It'll be okay."
Tails sighed. "But you said we'd go to the workshop. It's important, isn't it?"
Shadow stood up straight. "I understand. But I have a commitment to keep with Silver and you need new cloths. I'll take you to your brother's workshop tomorrow and we'll see if we can find him then. Okay?" Shadow and Tails stared at each other eye to eye for a while.
Finally, Tails broke it by looking down at her covers and sighing. "Okay…"
"Terrific!" Rouge clapped excitedly, "Trust me, Honey, you're going to love this. I can already think of so many good stores I want to take you. I can't wait to try them all." Rouge smirked at Shadow. "You're going to be irresistible."
Shadow sighed as he walked past her. "I'm sure."
And I doubt it. Tails shuffled her way out of the bed and grabbed her pants and bra from off the floor. She hated wearing the bra. Not only was it weird to wear one it was kind of uncomfortable. She got used to it after a while, but when it crossed her mind it bothered her. Unfortunately, if she was going to live like this, she would have to get used to the female side of etiquette. And that included wearing a bra.
"We'll need to get you sexier underwear too. The tank top and boxer briefs only work so well. When you come back, it'll be a thong and lacy bra."
"Rouge," Shadow stopped himself from crossing the door and glared at her.
"Just a joke," She put her arms up defensively then leaned over to Tails, "Sort of." Tails blushed as Shadow continued to glare at Rouge. He gave her glimpse then left the room and shut the door. "Alright, get finished. We need to hustle if we want to be sure the right sizes are available. Come on."
Rouge stepped out to leave Tails alone to dress up. When she finished he looked into the mirror and gave herself a smile. "I don't see anything wrong with this style. I think I look fine." Of course, Tails' taste in outfits were more casual and considered the probability of getting dirty. That's just what she liked. She'd have to make that clear with Rouge. "Just add the toolbelt, some classic rock in the background and pair of goggles and it'll be like I'm my old self again." She examined her messy head. Was it just her or was some of her head fur getting longer? No, it definitely was. It stuck upwards like she got licked by a cow. She sighed and turned to face the door. "Well, I'd better get this over with."
Grabbing her jacket, Tails opened the door and closed it behind her. Rouge was in the bathroom do some last-minute checks of her appearance. Tails ran some water from the kitchenette sink and brushed it through the top of her hair to try and fix it.
"Tailsko, are you ready, honey?" Rouge asked.
"Almost," Replied Tails, "I'm trying to fix my fur."
Rouge came around the corner and smiled. "Stop…" Rouge had a growing smile as she stared at the frozen in place fox. "I've got it; let me." Rouge dragged her into her bathroom and hummed to herself as she used a spray bottle and her fingernails to fix Tails' fur. "There, now how about that? I think it suites you." Rouge let Tails examine herself in the mirror. The stray fur was still messy yet in an organized kind of way. It had reason to be there now. It wasn't combed down, like Tails attempted to try, it was just arching over casually. "Hey Shadow, what do you think?" Rouge presented the fox in front of him, and he stared at her. It made Tails blush a little more. "Pretty cute, right?"
Shadow gave Tails a pair of soft eyes. "It looks good. Enjoy your time out. You both have earned it."
"That we have," Rouge agreed, pushing Tails to the door, "See you soon. Have fun with Silver, Shadow."
"I intend to help him, Rouge, we're doing anything recreational," Shadow crossed his arms, "But I'll make the most of the opportunity if it makes you feel better."
Rouge snapped and pointed at him with both her hands as she winked, "If that's the best I can hope for, then make it happen."
Tails put her jacket on once she made it out of the door. Rouge closed it and immediately after, the same old lady from yesterday was opening her door and grabbing the newspaper off the floor. She eyed Tails while Rouge was checking her purse. Tails, feeling awkward just standing there, gave her a wave then looked away and started rubbing her arm. How does she always walk out when I'm leaving?
"Okay, let's kick it," Rouge smiled as she grasped her keys in her hand. "Morning, Rosita."
Tails quickly walked past the old lady while Rouge took the lead to the elevators. Well at least she uses the elevators. I have a feeling using the stairs with Shadow all the time would get old real fast. The elevator chimed and opened. Both girls stepped in silently. As it descended, Tails let the silence linger for a while. She never anticipated she'd ever spend time with Rouge. Back in her old life, she wouldn't even bother trying. She didn't wouldn't but she didn't have a say this time. It felt odd. But right now, she wasn't Tails the sidekick to Sonic the Hedgehog and mechanical genius. She was Tailsko, the twin sister who didn't exist until now. Ugh, Tailsko… how creatively bankrupt does that sound? If I didn't nearly slip up; I'd have chosen something a little more original.
The elevator stopped and Tails followed Rouge to her car. The car beeped as it unlocked, and both entered. It was a nice car. Easy to distinguish from the rest with its hot pink chromic paint and leather interior. Rouge sighed as she settled into the driver's side. "Okay, ready?"
"Yeah."
Rouge put the keys in, and her car roared to life. She put on a pair of sunglasses befitting the rather sunny day then back up and drove down the ramps to leave the parking garage. When she got onto more open road Tails could feel how the car handled. It was nice actually. Tails worked out all the bells and whistles of the motor vehicle in her head. She thought about all the vehicles she'd made back in the workshop. It inspired her to design a brand new one in her head. Then again, she did have to consider what she would do for Shadow's bike since she promised to tune it up. But what could she do? Make it go faster? Make it more gas efficient? Those were simple upgrades but not all that meaningful or noticeable. She wanted to do something that made a statement. Something Shadow could notice and remember her for. That didn't leave a lot of options. Tails sighed. "What should I do?"
"What was that?"
"Huh?" Tails erected and faced Rouge.
Rouge slowed down to stop at a light. "You said something. You sound confused. Penny for your thoughts?"
Tails realized she must have heard her. "Oh! Oh. I was just… thinking about something."
Rouge scoffed. "Obviously. Conflicted?"
Tails shook her head. "No… just stuck."
"Mmm," Rouge hummed in understanding. The light turned green and they were on their way again. "What's got you stuck, cutie, maybe I can help. I may seem like a merciless flirt, but I don't lack for wisdom. So, talk to me, I'm all ears."
Tails debated whether to be honest or not. She didn't want to feed Rouge's ulterior motive but at the same time she needed to get some of these feeling off her chest. Then again, if she talked about it, it would probably only give her hope for something that couldn't happen. That and Rouge would just enable her feelings making the locked box of telling everyone the truth about who she is gain yet another lock. But she really wanted to talk about it. She needed to. There was just something in her stomach that wanted it out!
Tails took a quiet deep breath. Here it goes. "I just have a little issue on my mind. Shadow's been… kind to me. Ever since he saved me from… that lab… I feel indebted to him. I want to do something for him. Well, specifically, for his bike. I offered to tune it up but… anyone could do that. Gas efficiency and speed improvement are so impersonal. I need to do something more. Something he'll notice and… be happy about. He really liked that bike."
Rouge laughed making Tails feel as though she might have said something ridiculous. Or maybe the whole thing just sounded ridiculous and was better in her head. But then rouge spoke. "Is that all? Really? Bunny trail here: I didn't realize you were a mechanic too. Did you and Tails learn together?"
Tails ducked her head between her shoulders. "You… could say that. We used to take things apart and put them back together all the time. Drove our parents crazy when we took the TVs apart. It was too complex for us to understand so they'd have to buy a new one… But eventually, we kind of… drifted apart."
"Hmm." Rouge nodded. "I see… so now the big question." By Rouges growing smile Tails could anticipate what she was about to ask. "What do you feel when you're with Shadow?"
Tails sighed. She needed to stop this. The more she talked about it the more she wanted it. She had to convince rouge that there was no point. "Whatever I feel, it doesn't matter. It can't happen."
"Who says? Him? You? Why? What's stopping you?" Rouge challenged.
"It's… complicated," Tails said, starting to get frustrated. "I don't want to talk about it."
Rouge hummed and eyed her; her smile having lost some of its volume. "Personal?"
Tails sighed loudly. "Why do you care!?" The sudden shouting caught Rouge by surprise. "I can't okay! I just can't! It doesn't matter what I want; it doesn't matter what's keeping us from trying, I just can't!" Tails took a deep breath. The car ride was silent for a while. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to yell like that."
Rouge smiled again. "It's alright. I understand. But if you could humor me, before we drop it completely, if nothing was stopping you and Shadow, would you try?"
Tails let the question stay n the air for moment. As Rouge turned to park the car at the shopping mall Tails asked herself the question and debated what her answer should be or even if she should be honest. But as the car parked she was done fighting herself about it. She had been stressed the last couple of days and she just wanted to say something she really meant. "If nothing was stopping us…?" Tails leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Yes… I'd like that."
Rouge understood. She undid her seatbelt and breathed in. "Well, why don't we get you something nice to wear? You never know, maybe your circumstances will change. Wouldn't hurt to be prepared, right?"
Tails blushed but sighed in that exasperation then mumbled, "I guess not."
Rouge hummed excitedly as she looked at their options. "So much free time and plenty of places to visit. Where to start?" Rouge locked the car once Tails closed her door. "What's your style? What do you like?"
Tails scratched her head. "I… don't really care what I look like. I work with mechanical parts a lot so I just wear something I can get dirty in."
"Well, that's not the goal this time, sweetheart," Rouge said as she began walking towards a store. "Today, we're getting something you can wear to show off what you got. It's summertime so no better time for some summer wear."
Rouge pulled Tails into a casual looking shop. There were images of human and mobian men and women posing, lounging, and walking down sidewalks or boardwalks. Rouge picked a random direction and began sifting through hangers. "Hmm, where to begin. Cardigans? Ew, no. Ooh!" Rouge picked out a small shirt then sing-songed, "Belly shirts! We'll take this one and…"
Tails blushed. "Rouge, I'm not wearing that! It's too revealing! What if someone sees me!"
Rouge laughed. "That's the point, honey! When you enter the room you want boys to turn their heads and see it all. It's not worth wearing if it doesn't test a man's loyalty…. Let's take this too. You pull off tank tops pretty well. And I'm willing to bet it'll look better in a leotard." At least that was more modest. Tails could live with that. But then they found themselves in the legwear. "Ooh, these shorts would go great with this top!"
Tails pulled at her ears and covered her eyes. "Those are… really short."
Rouge giggled. "Yes they are. Perfect for the summer. Come on, you need some proper underwear if you're going to wear these."
After some dragging around and cloths collecting Tails found herself staring at a mirror with her in a pair of short jean shorts and a bra. She huffed turning a bright shade of red. "This bra is so uncomfortable…" She put the belly shirt on and groaned. "I look ridiculous. I can't go out like this…"
Rouge knocked on the door, startling Tails. "Talkso? Are you finished?"
Tails tensed and stared at herself. "Rouge, I'm not coming out like this, I can't!"
Rouge rolled her eyes. "Open the door and let me in then, let's see it!" Tails sighed through pursed cheeks and rolled her eyes then reluctantly opened the door. Rouge stepped in and gasped. "Oh my… You look absolutely adorable! Come out here, let's use the bigger mirrors!"
"Wait! No no no no no no!" Tails pulled against her, but Rouge's stronger build overpowered her and had her in front of three large mirrors. Oh gosh… this is embarrassing! Tails stared at herself in the mirror. If she saw any other girl like this she'd think they looked great. But that's because any other girl could pull this look off! There was no way she could!
"You look great! See?" Rouge pointed. Rouge hummed and then stared at the reflection for a while. "Hmm, it is missing something though…" Rouge looked around and saw the footwear. "Oh, how could I have been so stupid. Of course! Wait here." Despite Tails' wanting to do anything but she listened. Rouge returned with some flipflops. "Here you go. Slip these on."
Tails obeyed and looked down at herself. In all honesty, she had to admit it. She looked nice. She hated that it was her, but otherwise, it wasn't half bad. Tails turned and faced Rouge. "Can I change now?"
"Absolutely!" Rouge smiled, "Next outfit then we can go somewhere else."
Fine, Tails thought, the sooner we go to the next place, the sooner I can get out of here. I just want to shrivel up in Shadow's room right now.
She returned to the dressing room and began to strip down and don the net outfit. It was the leotard Rouge mentioned and another pair of jean shorts. They were the same kind just a dark blue instead of a lighter grey. Lastly, she put on a button up shirt. What she hated about this one was the peaking of her fur at her hips. The cardigan didn't cover it enough, so she had this draft there. at least Rouge provided the button up shirt to cover it all. That wasn't so bad. Tails stepped out and immediately, she panicked, wanting to close the door, but Rouge called attention to her.
"Oh, here she is!" Rouge pulled her out and placed her in front of her. There in front of her, was Amy, Cream, and Blaze. "Girls, meet Tailsko. Tails's twin sister. Be gentle, she's shy."
"Wow! You look almost like him!" Amy exclaimed as she leaned forward to examine her closer. "I'm Amy. Amy Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
She held out her hand which Tails reluctantly took. "H-hello Amy. Tails mentioned you." No no no! Don't make it worse!
"Tails told you about us!" Cream asked. "He never mentioned you."
Tails had to think fast. If she screwed this up and didn't come up with some kind of good reason she was gone, she'd have a deep grave to lay in. "I'm… not surprised. We don't talk anymore."
"Huh?" Amy tilted her head. "But you said he told you about us."
Taisko mentally face palmed. Yup, you screwed up. Fix this! Fast! "Th…that was a long time ago…" Amy and the other girls seemed to have made their own explanation, which saved Tails some energy. "I don't want to talk about it…"
Amy and Cream appeared sad. "I see… Sorry for asking. It's just… we haven't seen Tails in a while. He's just gone missing."
"Missing?" Tails asked curiously. This was a good chance to see how long she was gone and what happened while she was away. "How long?"
Cream shook her head. "Not long. Maybe a week." Cheese chirped affirmatively as if they validated Cream.
"I've been trying to get ahold of him. I need his help with something," Amy sighed. "I'm worried about him."
Tails looked down. She had no idea. It was hard to watch the friends she knew be so torn about her supposed absence, but she couldn't tell them the truth now. How would she even explain it? They would never believe it. "I miss him… I wanted to surprise him yesterday… but he wasn't there. I haven't talked to my brother in years… I don't think he would have cared anyway." The last sentence was a brain filler. She didn't mean it, didn't even know what she was saying. She just tried covering her tracts.
Blaze, who had been quiet till now, approached tails and unbuttoned her shirt. "Wear it like this. It looks better." She gave Tails a smile and placed her arms behind her back while Tails took a good look at her outfit and smiled. This was less revealing, yet it played show don't tell enough that Rouge would be satisfied.
"Absolutely adorable," Rouge smiled.
"Yeah!" Amy agreed, "You look even cuter than Cream!"
Cream giggled but she and Blaze seemed to agree as well. Tails was flattered actually. This shopping thing wasn't so bad. It was unnerving to have all the girls around, but knowing that they were completely blinded by her lie and the truth being too farfetched for them to guess she started convincing herself to relax. Being the center of attention wasn't something she was used to, but… it was kind of fun.
"Well, since you girls are here, would you like to join us for a little shopping? Help me pick a few outfits for Tailsko perhaps?"
"Sure," Amy agreed excitedly, "It's been so long since we've hung out! Let's do it!"
"Alright," Rouge giggled, "Tailsko, honey, go ahead and change back and we'll buy you those real fast. We have a lot more places to go."
Tails nodded with a bashful smile then returned to the dressing room. She looked at herself one last time and posed. "Yeah… I do look good." She started thinking about her life in the past few days. To be honest, none of them were actually bad. Sure, then again, she did get changed into a female, but life wasn't so bad after it. All thanks to Shadow and his hospitality to begin with… Tails started to strip down and blush at the thought of how Shadow might react to her knew fashion sense all thanks to Rouge. "If this doesn't work out, and I can't go back… I can at least make this new life worth living." That sounded good to her. And who knows, maybe Shadow would come to accept that too. Tails put her old outfit on and took the new cloths she had in her arm. "Maybe Rouge is right. Maybe the circumstances can change."
