TCT MOBIUS UNIVERSE - PART NINE

"CHANGES"

WRITTEN BY: KRIS RICE

MINERAL MUSEUM. SPIRAL HILL VILLAGE.

" W-Wait…? You two what?!" Tangle the Lemur mutters, a shocked look on her face.

Kris and Whisper stand there, holding each other's hands. There are small smiles on their faces, their cheeks blushing. "Y-Yeah," Kris says, "We started dating."

" It happened during the fight with Mimic," Whisper explains, "I told Kris to stay back, but he ignored me. He took a stab from Mimic to protect me, and threw him over a cliff. And before he passed out, he confessed his feelings for me."

Tangle and Jewel smile. "I'm glad," Tangle says, before she puts on a smug expression, "So,... have you two done the deed yet?"

The couple are shocked by this, their faces entirely red. Jewel smacks the back of Tangle's head, screaming, "TANGLE! That's totally uncalled for!"

" S-Sorry," the lemur replies, rubbing the back of her head.

" Anyway, we're both so proud of you two. We could tell you two had something special, and were meant for each other," Jewel says.

" So, now that we're here, what do you girls want to do?" Kris asks.

" Why don't we go to the shopping center?" Tangle suggests.

" I did hear that the new Arachne Hog movie was out," Kris adds, "Why don't we go get some lunch there, and go to the theater at the center afterward and see the movie?"

" That sounds good to me! Jewel?"

" I don't mind," Jewel responds.

The three then look at Whisper, who mutters, "Guess it's final then…"

A NEARBY SHOPPING CENTER. A FEW HOURS LATER.

Kris and the girls were having a fun time at the shopping center. They ate some lunch, saw the new movie, and now, they were walking around. "So, what should we do next?" Kris asks.

Tangle thinks for a second, then has a devious smile on her face. "Oh…! I know just the thing…!" she says.

" I don't like that look on your face," Whisper says, and Tangle responds, "Oh, I was just gonna suggest we go shopping for some cute outfits."

Kris is drinking from the soda he got at the movie theater. "And,... we can make Kris watch us come out in them…"

Kris then gulps down, getting some drink in the wrong pipe. He begins coughing wildly, his face red. Whisper pats his back, asking, "Are you okay, Kris?!"

" I-I'm fine…"

Jewel looks at Tangle, saying, "You said that to make him freak out, didn't you?"

Tangle just chuckles, and the beetle face palms in response to this. "I… uh… I don't mind it," Kris says.

The three girls look at him, amazed by his answer. He defensively puts his hands up, saying, "It… It's just-!"

" You wanna see Whisper dress up, don't you?" Tangle asks.

Kris doesn't answer however, and Tangle walks ahead of them. "It's settled then! Follow me!" she says, "I know a good shop to visit here!"

BERNIE'S CLOTHING STORE. MINUTES LATER.

Kris and the girls enter the clothing store, looking around. "Hey there, Tangle, Jewel. Who are these two new friends of yours?" a kind ferret asks.

" Hey, Bernie. These are our friends, Kris and Whisper. They were here a few days ago, and just came back to see Jewel and I again. We just saw a movie, and I suggested we come here," Tangle explains.

" Well then, you four have a good time here," the ferret says, "If you need help with anything, I'll be right here."

The four nod in confirmation, and walk around a bit. Kris pulls out his phone for a sec, and begins to text his mom.

Kris: Hey, uh mom, can I ask you something?

Mom: Sure honey. What is it?

Kris: When did Dad and you start getting serious, if I may ask?

Mom: Oh! Well, that was a long while ago. But uh… it was five months or so after we started dating. Why?

Kris: Well,... I… began dating Whisper… and I justed want to make sure how fast to move things…

" Hey, Kris! Get off your phone! We've got something for you to see!" a voice calls out to him.

Kris looks up to his phone, where he then sees Tangle against Whisper, using her tail and hands to hold a pair of lingerie in front of the wolf, who is red with embarrassment. "T-Tangle…"

Kris' face is bright red. "You think Whisper would be hot in this?" Tangle asks.

Kris just stands there, stuttering to himself, his face and palms sweaty. "W-Well,... I… I… uh…"

Kris then runs up, trying to put as much distance between him and the girls as he can. Making his way to a different part of the store, he pants from exhaustion. "How does Sonic do that all the time? His endurance must be amazing!" he thinks.

Kris looks around to see where he's at, and it's then, he sees a dress in front of him. It's a beautiful and fluffy pink dress, with light blue lace trim on it. "It matches my body perfectly. Color wise, that is…"

Examining the dress, Kris thinks about it. "I wonder what it'd be like to try it on," he thinks.

He reaches for the dress, feeling the fabric. It's soft to the touch, and he smiles. "There you are, Kris! We- What are you doing?" Jewel says.

The girls have caught up to Kris, and his cheeks become red. He backs up from the dress, saying, "N-Nothing!"

Tangle has a big smirk on her face. "Hey, I have an idea," she says, "Why don't we have Kris try on a dress?!"

" Wh-What?!" Kris mutters.

Jewel looks at Tangle, annoyed. "Really, Tangle? Can't you see Kris is uncomfortable?" she asks.

" I just thought one would like nice on him," Tangle explains, "Considering his androgynous appearance…"

Kris blushes at this. "N-Nice…?" she mutters.

" Do you really think so?" she then asks aloud to Tangle.

" Yeah," she responds.

Everyone stands there for a second, and Kris looks down at his feet. "What do I do?" he thinks to himself, "I'm a man! Always have, always will be! S-Surely,... I can't… no… shouldn't wear a dress…!"

Kris then mutters, "I-I'll do it…!"

This shocks the three girls. "R-Really?!" Tangle asks.

Kris nods "yes" in confirmation, and Whisper says, "You don't have to it you don't want to…"

" N-No, I'm okay with it," the lynx responds, "I saw that lingerie in front of you, might as well let you see me in a similar situation."

" I didn't wear it though," Whisper thinks to herself.

MINUTES LATER.

The girls wait outside a fitting room, where they hear noises and fumbling about. "Are you done yet, Kris?" Tangle asks, looking impatient.

" A-Almost…!" Kris mutters, "J-Just… tightening… the lace around the side… There!"

" O-Okay…" he mutters, "Are you three ready…?"

" Yes," the three respond.

A few seconds pass, but then, Kris walks out, clad in the dress he was looking at a minute ago. The girls are amazed at how much the dress fits him, and how… beautiful… he looks. He looks like a girl in it, and his face is bright red. "Oh man,... they're staring…," he thinks to himself.

" K-Kris…," Jewel mutters.

Tangle then mutters, " You look…"

" Beautiful," Whisper says, surprisingly, her voice being the loudest of the three.

Kris looks at Whisper, and asks, "R-Really?! You mean it?"

The three are caught back at his reaction. He seemed to be excited to hear that, especially from his girlfriend. "Y-Yeah," Whisper responds, "It suits you."

Kris smiles at this response. He twirls around for a second, the dress flowing as he does so. He looks so happy, and calm. "Wow, he… looks happy," Whisper thinks to herself, "With how much his androgynous appearance has caused him suffering, he seems to enjoy it right now…"

" Why don't you buy it?" Tangle asks.

Kris blushes at this. "W-What? I-I can't!" he responds, "I-It's not right…! I… I should change back!"

He runs back inside the dressing room. "And he's back to normal…," Tangle mutters.

Within a few minutes, Kris is dressed in his normal attire. "There! That's done," he says, "Let's go, shall we?!"

He is awfully nervous, and hands the dress to Bernie. "Nice meeting you. Gotta go. Bye," he says quickly, before running out the store.

" K-Kris! Wait!" Jewel calls out, but he's already gone.

The three stand there, confused. "What's up with him?" Tangle asks.

The Spiral Hill girls look at Whisper, who asks, "Why are you asking me? I'm as confused as you two are…"

" Well, you're his girlfriend," Tangle says, "Surely, you know something we don't."

NOT FAR FROM BERNIE'S CLOTHING STORE.

Kris stops his escape, and stands against a nearby wall. He's panting wildly from the run, and looks to see if the girls are nearby. They aren't, and he breathes a sigh of relief. "I… I needed to get away from them for a sec," he thinks to himself, "That feeling…! What was that?! I felt so… happy… when I put on that dress and they complimented me. And when Tangle said I should buy it…"

Kris puts his hands to his face, and sighs in embarrassment. "Never again," he mutters.

" Well well, look what we have here, boys," a threatening voice mutters, "A sissy…"

Kris looks up, and before him are three random Mobians: a weasel, a chicken, and a lizard. He backs up, only to be against the wall. "E-Excuse me…," Kris mutters, "Is there something I can help you with?"

" Yeah," the weasel says, "We saw you and those girls in the clothing store. And we wanted to know… Why the fuck are those hotties hanging out with a sissy like you?!"

"Wh-Wha?"

"A little bitch like you shouldn't be hanging around with girls like those. You're nothing like them," the weasel continues, "They're smoking hot, and you… You're just a fucking fag…"

Kris starts to sweat nervously from this comment. He never had to deal with homophobic comments before since coming out as pan. He did receive some stares or sneers, but that was it. But, to hear that word… That one hateful word… It made him clench his chest. "I-I'm just friends with two of them… The wolf is my girlfriend though…," Kris responds, "I just… needed to get away for a sec. And I only agreed to try that dress on for them."

" That's a lie!" the lizard yells, pushing Kris against the wall.

He holds Kris against it, and the lynx struggles to break free. "Damn it," he thinks to himself, "This is just like in high school…"

Kris thinks back to then, when he was constantly bullied by Skale and his cohorts. "I'm just the same wimp I was then," he thinks.

" Hey!" a familiar voice calls out.

Kris and the three assholes look behind them, and there is Whisper, walking in their direction. Tangle and Jewel are right behind her. "Get your filthy hands off my boyfriend!" the wolf snarls, her eyes open.

" S-She's serious…!" Kris thinks to himself.

He was honestly embarrassed. And happy. Whisper was sticking up for him. "I need to reward her later…"

The chicken puts on a cocky face. "Hey there, girls! We were just talking to your friend here," he says, walking up to Whisper.

However, she reaches for her weapon, strapped to her back. She shows it to them, letting them see it. "Let. Him. Go," she growls, "Or,... I'll shoot your dicks off…"

The weasel says, "Let him go, Skatt…"

The lizard does so, and Kris coughs for air. The three start to walk away. "Have a good day, ladies…" the weasel snickers.

The three leave the area, and Tangle mutters, "What a bunch of pricks!"

Whisper hugs Kris, saying, "Are you okay, Kris?"

The lynx's face is bright red now. "Y-Yeah! I'm fine, Whisper!" he says.

She lets go of him, and he pats himself off. "L-Let's go for now," he says, and he heads for the exit.

The girls look at each other. They shrug, and follow after him, with Whisper right by his side.

MINERAL MUSEUM. HOURS LATER.

Kris is laying down on a guest bed in an extra room of the museum. He's scrolling through social media on his phone. He thinks back to the earlier incident, and he sighs. "How am I gonna work with Whisper, and be by her side, if I'm such a weak wimp?" he thinks to himself.

Knock! Knock!

Kris sits up, turning his phone to sleep mode. " Y-Yes?"

" Kris, it's me. Can I come in?"

" S-Sure…"

The door opens, and in walks Whisper. She shuts the door. She walks over to the bed, sitting right beside Kris. "Are you okay?" she asks, "You haven't said much since earlier…"

" I'm fine, Whisper. I promise. I just… needed some time to think to myself," Kris responds.

" You know I'm here if you need to talk, right?"

" I know," he responds, "It's just… anytime I told anyone besides my family,... I was ignored…"

" Why was that?! Didn't they care about what those bullies would put you through?"

" I don't know. Their parents were all popular people around town. And me? I was just… Kris. The androgynous autistic kid with pink fur and blue hair."

Whisper gasps from this. "He's… autistic? He never told me that," she thinks.

" Wh-Why didn't you tell me?" she asks.

" Why would I? Anytime people found out, I was called a retard…," he explains, "It hurts so much to remember all that… I was called a retarded sissy for most of high school…"

Whisper grabs Kris' hands. "You know I wouldn't, right?" she asks.

He nods "yes", saying, "Yeah, I know. You're too sweet to say that hateful word…"

The two of them hug, and Whisper gives him a peck on the cheek. "You want me to cuddle with you?" she asks.

He nods in confirmation, and so, they lay down on the bed, and soon fall asleep, cradling each other.

CHANGES - END.