The original chapter 16 was an author's note I deleted 2 months ago in preparation of uploading a replacement. Apparently that counted as 'updating' the story enough to bump it, so that's why it happened. It was NOT my fault for getting false hopes up again.
Okay, here's the REAL new chapter! Apologies again for the plug of my Knuckles review, but this one took quite a while because it was just that tricky (and the longest yet?) and I also had to make sure I finished both my Halloween and Christmas episode reviews (Silent Hill 4 and Parasite Eve respectively) in time. Also dropping one for Contra/Operation C this Friday.
I guess Valentine's Day is a fitting date to finally commit to releasing by, even though it's a little early, but hey it allows more time to get the word out: maybe take your date to Sonic 3 this Valentine's? Sonic 1 opened on VD, so I'm sure SOMEONE must have an anniversary to celebrate (if Paramount doesn't do this ad campaign, they totally should.) $500M is within reach for Sonic 3. Sonic 2 made another 40M (mostly international) from the same point, so if S3 can at least keep pace if not continue to outdo it, it will happen, but outside factors could always change so y'all should be ready to make a potential final push if it looks needed before it leaves theaters. I'm guessing that would be sometime late March, maybe early April (but probably gone by Easter like Wonka.)
Coincidentally, Sonic 3 featured Prodigy's Firestarter, which was the song I had originally planned to have on Tails' stereo in the previous chapter Night Flight- I ultimately felt Breathe's lines were just the right length instead.
Anyway, my atonement is a real doozy. I'm thinking this one should occur perhaps just a little earlier in the chronology but I will have to double-check all the references I made for continuity's sake.
I didn't know where exactly our characters were supposed to be going into this chapter (nor why, but that's not important...) so that they'd be spending nights away from their homes with other GUN agents. I'm thinking they're on a military base for some exercise (not necessarily a GUN base- one of the real-life branches. I'd imagine GUN bases are probably minimal in size, but that's just me thinking too hard about stuff.)
Don't worry, Shadow fans, he gets better later. He just lacks empathy. Empathy: the ability to sense other's emotions. He's not a jerk, he's just obliviously insensitive. I like to think Rouge is to him what Tails was to her. She's just got the harder job.
"Come on Tails, let your wild side out." He had always suspected that this conversation would come one day. Of course Rouge would be the one to tempt him, given her persona of... bad girl. A bad girl with a heart of gold, but still unquestionably a bad girl in image. He could only nervously shuffle in place. "Come on, Sonic and Amy aren't here. They don't have to know if you don't want them to."
"I'm not..." he instinctively began before mentally admitting that he DID actually hold concern for whether or not they might be... disapproving of the idea. He couldn't help but wonder if the hedgehogs had ever done it before... "That's NOT what I'm worried about. I'm more worried about... the issue of legality."
"You're totally old enough now." She's manipulating me, isn't she? It was a skill firmly ingrained in the bat from her earlier life, still there to dip into whenever she wanted something.
"Not by Earth standards..."
"You are in dog years. And I am in bat years. You're older than I was my first time."
That tidbit hardly surprised him though he didn't comment on it. Feeling his will to resist quickly crumbling, he meekly asked, "So you know that this will be okay?"
"Of course. We're GUN agents. We don't have to play by any country's rules. So come on, everyone else is doing it."
"We're using peer pressure now?"
"I'm not pressuring you here. Sheesh sweetie, I'm just assuring you. What are you so worried about? We're both responsible adults here." That's debatable... She gave him her face of pure sincerity. "Nothing bad is going to happen, promise. You'll be in safe hands with me. Besides, I don't want to be alone by myself tonight." Now she was using her pleading eyes on him. He wondered if they resembled his reputed puppy eyes. They were certainly working.
Grasping for straws now, he asked, "Is Shadow coming too?"
"I'll ask him, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't even know if I can find him. So what about you? Are you going to accompany me tonight?"
It was his last chance to back down. It went past. You only live once... "Yes."
She whooped. "Yes! Let's see if we can't find Grumpy somewhere along our way." As it happened, they came upon Shadow on the floor his room was located, standing in front of a giant window simply staring out at the night sky. Rouge gave him a look that said LET ME HANDLE THIS and stepped up next to the hedgehog. "Hey Shadow. Whatcha' doing here?"
The black hedgehog didn't even turn his head. "Nothing."
"Well, you're just standing there motionless, sure, but you're still doing something." When no response came, she continued. "Like, say, taking in the view?" No response. "Come on, you don't have to be embarrassed about it. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a beautiful view." Shadow made only a faint noise in response, somewhere between a sigh and a grumble. "Anyway... a bunch of us are going to head down to the bar tonight. Would you care to join us?"
"I'm not interested."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're not, but are you at least curious about trying new things?"
"No."
"Come on, don't be such a sourpuss. Even Tails is going." Should I be insulted?
"Then you already have company."
"I wouldn't mind having just a little bit more. Three wouldn't be a crowd." When that had no visible effect, the bat moved closer and threw an arm around the hedgehog in an affectionate hug. Shadow simply turned and stepped out of the embrace. Rouge let out a high-pitched cry of surprise that seemed to be mixed with a fair amount of dismay. Looking to her in concern, Tails saw some marks had been left across her bare shoulder by hedgehog quills- he knew that from experience. Upon moving closer for a better look, the marks appeared to be actually cuts. They didn't look serious, but Rouge's reaction certainly suggested that they had hurt.
Shadow meanwhile was walking away, seemingly oblivious to the consequences of the sudden movement. Surely her distraught cry should have gotten his attention. Hair standing up in agitation, he shouted, "Hey! Shadow, what the hell?"
That got his attention- or at least got him to stop in place. "What?"
"Rouge is hurt!"
"How so?" If Tails didn't know better (and he wasn't sure if he actually did) Shadow's expression suggested that he didn't believe them.
"From your quills. You DO know that they're sharp, right? Think about what you're doing!" He kept going in the absence of a response. "Don't you care?"
"I was just minding my own business. She was the one who choose to grab me. Her injury was because of her own thoughtlessness." The answer wasn't exactly mean-spirited nor defensive. In fact, it even contained a valid point. It was just simply... cold.
Perhaps there was some alignment of stars tonight, because he wasn't about to let it go. "I guess you're right... she really should have known better... You're practically a walking sign that says: PRICK ADVISORY!"
THAT provoked the biggest reaction yet. "What did you say?"
With no idea how to follow that up and conflicted between standing his ground or deescalating the situation, he found a middle ground and simply replied, "You heard me."
Shadow took a step forward. Tails was not ashamed to step backward in worry about how the hedgehog might utterly destroy him in a moment of fury. Rouge stepped between them with arms outstretched to physically keep them apart. "Hey! Stop it, both of you!" There was a tense moment. The hedgehog's glare held on the fox for a solid thirty seconds longer before shifting to the bat, studying her as if taking note of the injuries that had been unintentionally inflicted.
He eventually spoke. "I'm sorry about that." While the flat delivery could have suggested insincerity, he'd never known Shadow to say something that wasn't truthful.
"I accept your apology," Rouge answered with an obvious edge. The hedgehog turned and walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, she spoke again. "Well, that's progress. I think you may have actually managed to make him feel guilty."
"I think that was more because of you. He definitely likes you more than me." He was unsure where exactly he stood in that list except that he probably ranked above Sonic and below Rouge and Omega.
"I hope you're right."
He looked to her. "Does it hurt?"
"A little." He suspected that she was downplaying it. "It's mostly emotional."
Giving the cuts a good look over, he concluded, "They don't look serious, but we should still get them treated."
"Can you do that?" When he gave her a confused look in answer, she clarified, "You've got a first-aid kit in your plane, right?"
He understood that he COULD, but not why she wanted him personally. "Um... yeah, I do, but we should just go to the medical station."
"And tell them what?" she suddenly snapped. "That I got these cuts hugging a hedgehog?"
"Oh." Yeah, he could understand how the explanation might be embarrassing. "I can do it."
"Then let's go."
They went to the hanger where the Tornado was parked. He grabbed the kit and pondered where to work while standing on the wing next to the cockpit. It clicked. "Well, I guess you could sit in the seat while I just sit here." She did so while he dug out the necessary treatment items and lathered up a cloth with disinfectant. Taking a deep breath, he started to dab at her bare shoulder. And kept his eyes on only the relevant areas at all times. However, searching for cuts eventually forced him to look down. Only one wound remained, but... He decided to offer the cloth to her. "I... uh... think maybe... you should handle the last one yourself."
She looked to him, then down to 'the last one', which was the longest, running from her shoulder down the front and dangerously into torso territory. She sighed. "You're a gentleman, Tails. I trust you." Her tone was serious, lacking any sense of suggestive teasing he would have expected from the situation.
The lack of teasing didn't make him any less uncomfortable about the precarious location of the wound. "But..." he began, unable to think of any polite excuse to refuse. "Do you want..." When he trailed off once more, Rouge made a frustrated grunt and reached for the cloth... but grabbed his hand instead, which she pulled down to the cut. He could only let out a surprised yelp and stand in shock as she personally moved his hand to do the job. As soon as she let go, he withdrew his hand, blushing hard.
After allowing for the prerequisite awkward moment, she simply said, "Thanks, Tails."
"You're welcome." The tension abated, he focused on returning the contents of the kit.
She stood up. "But I'm definitely gonna need some stronger medicine now." While he was wondering what precisely would be needed to address her pains, she clarified. "Let's get those drinks now."
"Oh... THAT kind of medicine... Sure..." Offering a hand, he assisted her in getting out of the plane. They were soon walking across the grounds of the base again. He found the route they were taking strange but simply kept following. As it turned out, Rouge had to make a pitstop in the women's locker room.
When Rouge emerged, he was surprised to see that she was now wearing her GUN-issue stealth suit. "Okay, let's go." She didn't call any attention to the change of clothes, so he didn't ask why. Perhaps because it covered up her injuries? Nearly her entire casual wardrobe left her shoulders bare. Part of the choice may have been for the look, but it was mostly to keep her wings free. In fact, the only clothing he knew of that provided full coverage was a coat, which she would only wear when it was cold and flying wasn't needed.
They walked once more across the base, this time to the civilian area. Their destination was clear at first sight. When he slowed slightly, Rouge casually put a hand on his back to keep him moving. They entered and paused once inside to survey the place. The bar was fairly full. Someone called out, "Hey, look what the bat dragged in! Are you old enough to be here, Tails?"
He bristled at the tease despite having voiced those very same concerns earlier. Rouge answered for him. "He is in dog years." She gave him another small push ahead before taking the lead. At least it was clear that Rouge had indeed been out drinking with GUN agents before. Following her to the actual bar, he was wondering how to get onto a stool (and bracing himself for someone to ask if they needed a booster seat) when the bat simply took flight and lowered herself upon one. Well, that works... He'd never tried taking a seat like that before, but she had done it so smoothly. Firing up his own flying appendages, he replicated the move as best he could. It was a bit more awkward for him, as his means of flight happened to be located right around where he sat. Having to cut flight a safe distance from the seat, his butt thus fell to the cushion from a higher drop. If she noticed the rougher landing, she didn't comment on it.
The bartender looked askance at the pair. Agent Marcus stepped alongside the counter, flashed his ID, and vouched, "GUN agents. They're cleared. I know how to make drinks for them." When the barkeep clearly still had reservations, he added, "I am their certified bartender and assume all responsibility for their drinks." The dubious barkeep simply threw up his hands and kowtowed to GUN having authority over non-human alcohol regulations. The agent turned to them. "So what are you guys having?"
"Well..." Rouge made a show of thinking, but with a sly smirk. "Perhaps we should start off with just a little bit to drink." She illustrated with a pair of fingers close together in the sign for 'a smidge'.
The drinks, along with the glasses containing them, placed on the counter in front of them were indeed quite small. However, he knew that the volume of a drink was not the most important factor... He gave her a look. "A shot? Really?" The only answer he got was an innocent shrug. "What even IS this?"
"Don't worry about it; just drink it." He gave her a dubious look. "We'll do it at the same time. If I can handle it, so can you." Was that an accurate statement or just a bluff? She raised her glass. The other GUN agents had gathered around- all eyes were on him. Now on the spot, he grabbed his own glass to rise to the challenge. "Cheers."
She promptly downed her shot. He did his a second later... and contorted his face while gripping the counter for dear life. IS IT SUPPOSED TO BURN THIS MUCH? WHY WOULD ANYONE WILLINGLY DRINK THIS? Cheers erupted around him. As he muffled a couple coughs, the bat ruffled his head. "You did well."
"I did?" he croaked out.
"Oh yes." As soon as her hand went away, a bigger human hand replaced it. It was followed by another, and another, and another... He just sat and waited for this routine to pass. The two animals exchanged glances, the bat amused and the fox scowling. She asked, "All right, has everyone gotten their pets in?"
"Everyone except me," he grumbled.
Someone joked, "Tails has to pet himself." A few snickers ensued.
He blushed at the questionable sound of the joke. Rouge leaned in. "Aw, you can pet ME back if you want." Several in the crowd went OOH.
He blushed again, even harder. That was DEFINITELY questionable. "Um, nah, I'm good."
Voices in the crowd spoke. There was, "Go for it!" and "Do it!" and "C'mon!" along with combinations thereof. This was peer pressure taken up to eleven. The bat's head remained lowered, but he could see her eyes look up in a dare. Slowly, he reached out to put his hand on her head, half-expecting to be stopped at any time. But his hand made it all the way to her head, where he simply ran the tips of his fingers through the fur to a crescendo of OOH's.
"Come on, Tails... You can do better than that..." she whispered in what was hopefully too low a voice to be heard by the humans. "Didn't you learn anything from when I do it?" Blushing anew once more (if he had ever stopped blushing), he retaliated by putting a finger to the base of an ear and scratching. Half of the bat's face glitched up. Pressing the comeuppance, he was rewarded with a small squeak escaping her lips before she grabbed the hand and ducked away. Now they both flushed red and turned away as the assembled crowd went into another chorus of OOH's.
He stared at the counter and glanced sideways to the bat, who stared with an outright glower. She mustered enough fire to turn back and shout, "Okay, show's over! Now let us drink in peace!" The agents seemed to oblige, walking back to wherever they had been prior- with the exception of Marcus, who remained behind the counter. "Give us a couple of my usuals next," she ordered.
"Which is what?" the fox asked.
"Don't worry, it's not nearly as strong," she answered without really answering the question.
"I'm sorry... about..." he began.
"Don't be," she cut him off, "I asked for it. And just so you know, if any other guy had done that, I'd slap him."
The joke managed to break the tension. "What about Knuckles?"
She considered. "Well... I'd let Knuckles do it... but I'd slap him afterwards."
"Uh, you're not waiting to slap me later, are you?"
"Don't worry, I'm not."
"Just checking." This time the drinks came in a standard glass. He took a sip. It was indeed much weaker but still made him wince. Can't say I really see the appeal to the taste... Nonetheless, he didn't want to be a wet blanket for company, so he kept at it one sip at a time.
Topaz slid onto the stool next to Rouge. "You brought Tails along tonight. Didn't twist his arm too hard, did you?"
"Geez, no!" the bat answered. "He's here on his own free will! Right?"
That last part directed at him, he fumbled his response. "Uh, yeah." It was technically true, though he had needed a fair amount of convincing.
Topaz gauged the answer. "I know, but she can be a bit pushy."
"No I don't! Tails is a big boy; we don't need you to be our chauffeur tonight."
"Um, I think the word you were looking for is chaperone," the fox piped up.
The bat turned to the fox. "Actually, the word I was looking for was SHUSH!" The sudden raised voice and head movement made him flinch slightly. She turned back to Topaz. "Go find your own date tonight!" The human agent considered, shrugged, and walked away. Rouge looked back to him. "Don't listen to her. She's just jealous."
"About what?" He remembered Rouge giving Topaz a hard time in her earlier days at GUN, but the two seemed to be on good terms now.
"Us. She doesn't want to have to share me with you."
He knew Rouge well enough to glean implications behind her delivery. His wonderings began making themselves audible. "Why? What's the deal with you two?"
She stared at him for a moment before smiling slyly. "Oh, THAT part caught your imagination?" He looked down in embarrassment even though she didn't seem offended. "Well, I'd consider it... since none of you guys are making a move on me."
Well, I'm going to be thinking about THAT for a while... Considering the size and weight differences between the average human and anthropoid, how would that even work? Is it even safe? When he looked back, she was just smirking at him. "What?" he asked somewhat defensively.
"Nothing. I didn't want to disturb you from whatever you were thinking about." He took a big sip of his drink. She giggled. "You're catching on." After a merciful silence, the conversation resumed with intermittent small talk about whatever was new with him (the answer being 'nothing really'.) The thread changed suddenly. "Come on, Tails. Speed it up. I'm ready for a refill."
His glass was only half-finished. "You don't need to wait for me."
"We have to order ours at the same time. You'll look like a lightweight if you don't keep up with me."
"Well, I'm sorry I can't pound these out like you can."
"Then allow me." She suddenly grabbed his glass and downed a substantial portion of the remaining liquid before putting it back down in front of him. "There, close enough. Now finish it." He looked at her in disbelief for a moment before doing as asked. She soon turned away and called out, "Marcus! We're ready for another round!"
"Isn't this a bit much to be drinking so fast?"
"We'll just take our time with these. Let's play a round of darts!"
The sudden change of discussion was jarring. "Darts?"
"Yeah. I can beat you at it now!"
A smirk formed on his muzzle. "You sound pretty confident."
"You bet! Let's go!" She hopped off the stool and started for the dartboard, with him following. Okay, doing good so far... I don't feel any physical or mental impairments... but maybe that comes later? An embarrassing fact soon became evident: neither of them was tall enough to reach the dartboard without jumping. "Hey! Could anybody help us with the darts?" Agent Conway answered the request, grabbing the darts and handing them out to each of them. The bat walked in front of the board and assumed a throwing stance. He couldn't remember if there was supposed to be a method for determining turns but figured 'ladies first' was good enough. Her first few throws seemed good but not especially great, though she seemed quite proud.
Now it was his turn. He assumed a throwing pose, his tails instinctively rising up and curling in an 'S' shape. It was rather strange throwing his set at a dartboard that was a couple feet higher than him but the darts landed in higher-scoring areas. Fortunately, their designated dart retriever also served as an unbiased scorekeeper. After a couple of turns he was pretty sure he had at least a decent lead on the bat. His tails rose up while sighting in for another round... and suddenly rose even higher by some strange suggestion. He turned to see Rouge with an arm extended, her finger poking the tip of a tail as it came back down and causing it to reverse course. She looked innocently at him. "What?"
"Could you not do that? It feels a little weird."
"But they're just so cute."
"Yeah, but I'm trying to concentrate here." She put up her hands in a placating manner. He turned back to the board and resumed his stance. His tails were undisturbed this time... until he began to pull his arm back to throw. He managed to follow through with the motion. The dart barely managed to hit the board. And it wasn't a double. "Hey!"
"Whatever. You're like, a hundred points ahead of her." Conway announced. "And I doubt she's gonna hit anything high."
On the next turn, he expected another one of Rouge's tricks even as he began to throw. But he was NOT ready for a hand to go through his fur nearly all the way down a tail. The dart skipped off the floor and stuck into the wall an inch above it. Rouge seemed very pleased until he was announced as the winner. "What?"
"He's hit the winning score. You haven't even gotten halfway there." Rouge sulked and carried her way over to a booth with seat cushions much easier for them to climb into. She climbed onto the left one, he took the right one. They made small talk. VERY small talk. In the end he was paying more attention to her voice than the words being spoken. It was as if something had changed in it, or maybe he had just simply started to notice? Normally he would have described her voice as 'sultry', but now it just sounded warm, as if she had been his friend ever since that fateful day. It felt like hanging out with Sonic... except it was also kind of like being with Amy... like some kind of combination of Sonic and Amy, though he couldn't put his finger on it.
Is this what having a girlfriend is like? He couldn't help but feel a yearning awaken within. I can only hope that if a girl ever comes around for me, she'd be just like her... She giggled in a cute girly way. He couldn't help but analyze how her voice sounded. It was silky and smooth, along with some other adjectives that began with 'S's as well. It was a fitting voice... "Rouge..." This utterance brought her full attention upon him. He had merely thought aloud but was now compelled to explain his thoughts. "That's French, right?"
"What?"
"Your name... Rouge... It's French, isn't it?"
She only looked more confused. "What's French?"
"French is..." he mentally faltered. "You know... from France."
It took a moment for it to click. "Is that... that country, right?"
"Yeah." The possible ramifications flowed through his head. "Do you have ancestors from there?"
"What are you talking about? We all came from another planet."
"Yeah, but we have some shared language. Isn't it weird that your name is from another Earthly language?"
He got a blank stare back. "Not really?"
He begged to differ. "Well, I guess it's vaguely possible that maybe English could be a universal lingua franca, but TWO Earthly languages? Our worlds must have had much more contact and shared history with each other than our records would suggest." His mind kept running. "Come to think of it, lingua franca itself is a French word..." Could there be a deeper meaning to that? The possible ramifications came flowing through his mind...
"Tails, what the hell are you even talking about now?"
With his attention only just barely brought back to the current plane of existence, he simply replied, "Everything."
"Well, stop doing it, okay?"
"Why? Don't you want to know-"
"No! Oh my god, are you drunk?" Am I? "You're such a lightweight!"
"What? No I'm not!" He wasn't sure which charge he was denying.
"You so are! And you're an even bigger dork now!"
"I'm NOT a dork!"
Somebody walked up and leaned over the table between them, interrupting them. It was Topaz. "Hey, you two behave yourselves." He went sheepish. The human looked to him. "Sorry about her. She gets like this when she has too much to drink."
"No I don't!" the bat denied. "Tails is the one who is drunk!"
"Well, you're not far behind him."
"I'm not drunk!" the fox and bat said in unison. He paused but she continued. "I've drank way more than Tails has tonight!" He had to think about whether or not that claim actually helped her argument.
Topaz apparently figured it out faster. "Yeah, I can tell. Just keep it down, okay?"
Rouge answered first. "Fine. Now go find your own date!"
"I've got one."
"Great. Then shoo." He gave the human an apologetic look on behalf of the bat. Hopefully the attitude was just the alcohol talking. The agent left them alone again to resume drinking in an awkward silence. "I need to use the bathroom," she suddenly announced even while sliding out of the booth and walking to a small adjoining area where a pair of doors led to the bathrooms. It was visible from the booth, so he watched as she attempted to open the door for a few seconds before simply standing back in defeat.
When she didn't move for over a minute, he slid out as well and walked over. "Hey Rouge, I think you gotta PULL the door to open it," he helpfully offered.
She waved dismissively. "Nah, there's someone's in there."
While he wasn't sure, he doubted the bathrooms here were single occupancy. Looking the door over; the hinges were located on their side. "Yeah, you gotta pull it."
"No," she said firmly. "It's LOCKED. Someone's in there." Despite feeling like he was correct, the point was allowed to drop. They just alternated between looking at the door and each other. At least one minute elapsed before she grabbed the handle and pulled the door open easily this time, then simply walked inside without giving so much as an acknowledgement; it was as if the idea had just independently come to her.
He laughed- hard. And long. So hard and so long that it actually started to hurt so bad that he bent over, grabbing onto a randomly placed stool to keep upright. Attempting to stand fully upright again, he stumbled back against a wall and slid down into a sitting position. Tears began to form in his eyes and the laughs turned into sobs- happy sobs, for it was unlikely that any further progress would be made in comedy. Decades of The Three Stooges had been completely surpassed by five minutes of Rouge the bat. Someone walked past into one of the bathrooms, thankfully seeming to not notice the small fox hunched against the wall. Despite his state, he maintained enough self-awareness to not want anyone to see him sitting on the floor crying by the door to the girl's bathroom.
After the laughing fit had nearly passed, he was composed enough to get back up and return to the table. Halfway through the walk he realized that he was wobbling. Nonetheless he made it back safely and went back to sipping his drink while waiting. Time stretched. Topaz walked over once again. "Hey Tails... Rouge threw up in the bathroom."
"Oh," he answered uncertainly, "thanks for telling me?" A moment later he realized that the correct answer should be one of concern. That's why she's been in there so long... "Is she okay?"
"Yeah. It's not the first time this has happened. But you two should call it a night. Come on."
He unquestioningly followed the agent until she reached for the bathroom door. "Wait! I can't go in there!"
"I'll keep watch if anyone else female shows up. See if you can talk some sense into her."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see." With that, she opened the door and started pushing him inside. "I'm sending Tails in."
There was no time to process shock at being forced into the forbidden room as Rouge was standing in front of him at the line of sinks. She looked back. "What? Don't- Tails!?" He put his hands up defensively to say THIS WASN'T MY IDEA! She turned away and raised an arm as if to protect herself.
What had gotten into her? Concern took over and made him approach. "What's wrong?" She didn't look at him, so he looked to the mirror to catch the reflection of her distraught face and the problem: the makeup around the mouth had been wiped out, presumably from washing after vomiting. The lipstick had been reapplied but was quite crooked.
She turned even further away. "Tails! Get away!"
"Come on, Rouge... It's just makeup..."
"It's a complete mess! I look terrible!"
"Come on, we're in a dark and dirty dive-" After a moment of appreciating the alliteration, he finished with, "-and everyone here is drunk. Nobody's gonna notice if your makeup is a little off."
"They won't?" There was a hopefulness in the voice.
"Yeah."
She checked the mirror to see for herself. "Tails, my lipstick is so obviously messed up!"
"Yeah, that much is," he had to admit. "But you're in no state to put it on straight."
"I can't go out with it looking like this!"
"Well..." He considered how to resolve this problem. "Maybe I can put it on for you?" The suggestion immediately began feeling stupid.
She stared at him in contemplation for what seemed like a minute. "Could you?"
Wait, she was actually open to the idea? There was no going back now. "I can try." Reaching out his hand, he took the lipstick and reached up to her face, standing on tiptoes to do so. Putting a hand on her shoulder to steady himself, she put her hands on his waist in return. He hadn't even managed to bring the lipstick to her mouth before losing balance and stumbling backwards slightly. "Uh... this would be a lot easier if you were sitting down..." he sheepishly admitted. The bat looked around and pulled him into a nearby stall, where she dropped the toilet seat and sat on it. "Oh... okay... this works..."
This arrangement was only arguably better, as now he instead had to bend over to work on her face. "Sit down," she suggested.
He looked around. "Where?"
She answered by pulling him down onto the toilet seat as well... or more specifically, her lap. Her arms went up his back for support. Knowing it was useless to protest, he simply resumed work. Personal discomfort aside, this position was definitely better than the others for carefully applying the makeup to her lips. Becoming confident with his work, he removed the hand from her shoulder and used it to hold her chin steady at just the right upwards tilt while he finished the job. "There," he announced, "you're just as pretty as you were before."
Her eyes seemed to shine a little brighter, but her ears remained flat as she softly asked, "You really think so?" It was hard to believe that this was the same bat that had been so confident (arrogant, even) about appearances all these years.
"Of course. They say that beauty is never tarnished." She didn't respond, merely staring back at him with eyes wide, seemingly out of it... But distracted wasn't quite the right word for it; on the contrary, she seemed to be totally rapt with attention, as if hanging onto his every word. It was actually making him unable to think clearly either...
Topaz's voice cut in, now back in the bathroom. "Are you two- hey, where are you?"
He nearly fell while jumping onto his feet and out of the stall. "We're here! I was just helping with her makeup!"
"Well, are you done yet?"
He turned back to the bat, who still looked less than confident. "Yeah, she's good to go!' he announced while grabbing a hand to pull her up. She didn't offer any resistance to being led around.
"Okay." The human opened the door and looked out. "The coast is clear."
Getting the meaning, he guided Rouge out of the bathroom before letting go before anyone else saw them. They crossed the main bar area together until the bat veered off towards the booth they had been seated at. "Uh, Rouge, I was thinking that it was getting a little late..." he meekly began.
"No," she protested. "Stay a little longer. I don't want to go yet." She was already climbing between the cushion and table while he was formulating a case for leaving. The bat had only managed to sit halfway on the cushion and immediately fell back out of the booth and onto the floor with a loud yelp. He could only watch dumbly as she attempted to lift herself off the floor before simply rolling onto her back at his feet. "Hey Tails... I fell down..."
"I know."
She raised an arm. "Help me up."
He grabbed the extended limb to pull her up but only had managed a couple inches before losing balance and stumbling forward, tripping over the bat and careening into a tangle of stools before hitting the floor himself. Someone yelled, "Another man down!"
The next voice he recognized as Topaz's. "Geez, Marcus! What did you serve them tonight?"
"I mixed them the way I always do. They just drank a little too much."
"Why didn't you stop them? They're only like, fifty pounds!"
"I don't weigh THAT much!" Rouge objected.
He tried to stand back up but was only able to work himself into a sitting position before taking a rest. Someone else said, "It looks like time to put the kids to bed."
Topaz said, "You carry Tails. I'll take Rouge."
"That won't be necessary..." he tried to say before being lifted up and over the shoulder of an agent. He didn't know who was carrying him and certainly couldn't recognize them from the back. The bat likewise complained but to no avail as they were both quickly taken away. Lacking her usual dignity, Rouge's voice sounded a lot younger than usual, making the whole scene look like an argument between a parent and child. She was only beginning to quiet down by the time they were outside and heading back to the dorms, though she continued to squirm. Without warning, she suddenly spread her wings and flapped them. The bat was in no state to properly operate her wings for flight, but the action caused Topaz to lose balance and topple over. The fall wasn't serious; the human didn't even drop the bat, though she released her grip to get back up.
Now Tails squirmed. "Hey, let me down! I'll help Rouge, you help Topaz!" The agent seemed to agree, setting him down and letting go. He ran to the bat who was now in a sitting position. Offering a hand, he asked, "Hey, you okay?" She grabbed the hand to help herself up. She either lost balance or simply threw herself forward, wrapping her arms and wings around him in what seemed like a protective manner... or possessive. He did his best to hold her up.
"You, uh, got her there, Tails?" Topaz asked, having returned to her feet as well.
"Yeah, I got her..." he answered sarcastically, barely able to see over the bat's wings.
"Well, Tails isn't AS wasted as much as she is."
"I'm not wasted!" he denied.
Ignoring that part, the human agent asked, "Think you'll be able to find your way back to the room?"
"Yeah."
"Good. I'll check to see if you guys make it on your own. We should fall back." The last part was directed to the other agent.
"Roger that."
The humans walked away to leave them standing alone. When the winged cocoon still remained after another minute, he started to push his way out of it. "C'mon Rouge, let's go."
"Where are we going?"
Was she THAT out of it to neither remember what was said a minute ago nor where they were? "To your room."
"Oh? And what are we gonna do there?" she asked in a sly tone.
He couldn't think of a phrasing that wouldn't be ripe for a joke. "I think you should go to bed."
"Oh Tails... I'm not tired yet... but I'll go to bed if you want to..." Of course she's going to make this as uncomfortable as possible...
He didn't even try to counter that, instead just moving around so that they could walk roughly side-by-side... albeit very lopsidedly, as the bat leaned heavily on the fox. The going was slow and followed a zig-zag pattern. Is she actually this drunk or is she just taking advantage of me for support? They had managed to make it into the dormitory when his right foot collided with her left, sending them stumbling into the wall. It was awkward to walk when Rouge was angled towards him. He pondered if there was a better way to go about this. Before thinking it through, he moved directly in front of her, moving her arms around so that they were draped over his shoulders and down his front. Ignoring the fact that her head was now alongside his own, he said, "Okay, just hold on to me tight."
"Ooh, you gonna carry me?"
"Not quite," he quickly said before she made any moves. "I just think I can support you better this way while we walk." She made a vocalization of what sounded like approval while shoving her face into the side of his neck. They started walking again. Their feet bumped occasionally but caused no catastrophic effects. The bat seemed to only be doing the bare minimum to walk but he didn't really mind anymore. She was certainly in a good mood, giggling to herself, and he could only listen for so long before joining in.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked.
"I don't know. You started laughing first," he retorted.
"I did?"
"Yeah, you did."
"Well... you're just such a silly boy."
Unsure quite how to take that, he couldn't help but bristle slightly even though she was clearly joking around. "Well, you're a really silly girl."
"I just love your cute little tails." A shock ran through his body when she grabbed both of said appendages in a single hand. It was at this point that he realized that they must have been happily fluttering up between her legs. How long had they been doing that? Before he could think of how to apologize, she pulled the limbs up until they were taut around the contours of her lower body... He nearly fainted. Her head moved to speak directly into his ear. "Now I've got three tails." Unable to formulate any coherent thoughts, he stood frozen in place. "Come on, wag them for me." While they had also frozen up in shock, they soon began to wag on their own accord, perhaps in response to the positive attention they were currently receiving. "They're so cute and soft... I wish I could have even one of your tails."
He could only ask, "Why? You don't like yours?"
"Mine is the complete opposite of yours."
"I like your tail," he offered.
"You do? What do you like about it?"
What DID he specifically like about her tail? How could he possibly even think of anything less than her whole tail? Maybe the way that it wagged... Despite her outgoing behavior, Rouge was also surprisingly prone to being somewhat... withdrawn at times, perhaps owing to her past experiences. But her tail could never conceal her true emotions. No matter how much sarcasm, disapproval, or indifference she projected, her tail would always betray. Then again, she was being less and less guarded around him over time, and even her tail seemed to wag more often and openly... Far too embarrassed to say all that out loud, he instead opted for, "I don't know... I just think you've got a nice tail... I think it's cute."
"Cute?!" she gasped out. He was briefly worried that she might react even more negatively to that word while drunk until she said, "Well, okay, I agree THAT part of me is cute." She let go of his tails and returned to hugging him like before. A merciful silence allowed him to recompose himself until the next question. "Hey, you remember last Halloween?"
"Yeah. Which part specifically?" he asked back, having no idea what exactly was supposed to be remembered.
"Sonic was Shadow that year."
He chuckled again. "Yeah. That was a good one." He was pretty sure that Shadow had never claimed to be the lone hedgehog of the apocalypse, but Sonic's delivery of the line was SOLID.
"I've been trying to convince Shadow into going as Sonic this year." Yeah... He could pull off the look, but I doubt he could act like Sonic... "I offered him a deal: if he goes as Sonic, I'll go as YOU."
"That's... uh... that would be... interesting... But how are you going to look like me?"
"Maybe you could make me a fox costume?"
"I could try," he politely answered, though he secretly hoped this was just a drunken joke.
"I'll bet you'd like to see me as a fox."
Honestly, he couldn't even imagine her as a fox, though he had no doubts she'd look great no matter the species. "I think you're foxy enough already," he quipped.
She cocked her head. "Tails... did you just flirt with me?"
I did, didn't I? With a sly smile, he simply said, "I think you're just imagining things."
"Oh, I am... And I have a really WILD imagination."
"I... noticed..." A long silence suggested that the conversation had fizzled out, possibly even already completely forgotten by the bat. "C'mon, let's keep going." There was an unintelligible answer that probably meant OKAY. They managed to walk the rest of the way to the room without incident. "You'll have to unlock the door," he prodded the dormant bat who was still hugging him tightly. With one hand, she dug through her purse and rooted out the key. Once it was found, she reached for the lock, her full weight shifting to push him against the door while she attempted to unlock it in her inebriated state. It took at least a full minute to perform the deed.
Upon the door opening, the support it had been providing was lost and he stumbled full tilt forward into the room. By some miracle involving Rouge's weight as a counterbalance keeping him upright, he regained control by the time they were in the main room. Having shot far past the light switch, the room was illuminated only by the moonlight coming in through the glass balcony doors, though it was ample illumination for canine night vision to work with. He walked themselves over to the bed, where he turned around and set her down in a sitting position on the edge of it. She surprisingly let go of him and fell onto her back wearing an expression that could only be described as 'dreamy'. It was fitting for someone who looked like something out of a dream. They both just stared at each other for a few moments. Then she raised one of her legs and waved the foot invitingly. "Get my boots, sweetie?"
It was a perfectly normal request under most circumstances, but something about this particular one made his fur stand up slightly. Still, he saw no real reason not to oblige. She couldn't do the deed herself easily in her state, and she certainly shouldn't wear them in bed. "Okay." With her retracting the leg as he pulled, the boot was easily removed. She immediately put the leg down and raised the other. With no idea where to put the boot, he simply dropped it and pulled the other off as well.
No sooner had the second boot landed alongside its partner that Rouge turned over onto her stomach. Lifting herself off the bed with an arching form, she looked back over her shoulder and asked, "Help me with my suit, too?"
He blinked about twenty times before asking, "Uh... what?"
"I need some help getting out of my suit." Her tail wagged even more quickly.
"Really?"
"Of course. I don't sleep in my clothes, Tails."
He had to restrain himself from asking what she DID sleep in. This was dangerous territory now. Removing her boots were one thing, but her suit would be pushing some boundaries. Was she actually asking him to fully remove her suit, or was he just... misconstruing her request? He shook his head. The alcohol had definitely compromised both of their faculties. He was fluent enough in Rouge's body language to surmise that hers was responding inappropriately to the circumstances... as was his, to be honest. He knew that he should just say no. But... maybe he could just simply unzip the suit so she could finish the job in a way that didn't cross any lines of decency or compromise her modesty... She DID need help in her condition... Racking his brain for a way out of this moral dilemma, he seized upon an important detail. "Uh... your zipper isn't in the back."
"What?" The wind had momentarily gone out of her sails in her confusion. "It's not?"
"No, it's in the front of your suit."
"Oh." After a moment, Rouge pushed off the bed to fully stand up. Wobblily, she stumbled back into him (intentionally?) and he instinctively put his hands on her waist to provide steadiness. Her hands dropped on top of his and gripped them tightly while holding them to herself. "Now unzip me."
He didn't dare to try moving his trapped hands. Once again searching for an excuse, he lamely came up with, "I... uh... can't see where it is like this..."
"I'll help you find it..." Her hands started moving- and his along with them- up the front of her suit. He shut his eyes as their hands went over smooth but quite pronounced curves before they finally came to rest on the protruding suit's zippers. Rouge exhaled deeply. His eyes shot open in a horrified realization. Those are NOT zippers... His attempts to say any words were all failures. Their right hands moved over slightly to what was the actual zipper. He grabbed ahold of it before their hands wandered anywhere else. After a few seconds of pondering what to do, Rouge's hand pulled his down along with the zipper, agonizingly slow... He suddenly wondered what the minimum age for a heart attack was. She let go of his hand to reach behind his head and pull it over her shoulder. Now alongside each other, she rubbed their cheeks in a catlike manner.
His mouth was barely able to utter a single word. "Rouge..."
She replied, "Tails..." It was just as weak and took all of her breath to say it. They were quickly losing themselves. In panic, he tried to step away, but with the hold, only succeeded in turning the both of them sideways. Rouge let go to turn herself around and drape her arms over his shoulders and down his back. He stepped backwards to move away and tripped over the bed. He instinctively grabbed her as they both fell onto the mattress.
For a moment they could only lie still and breath heavily. His hands had wrapped around where the back of her suit was missing to accommodate her wings. His hands idly slid across her alluringly smooth skin to the base of her wings, which stretched out in response to the touch, much like his tails would. Rouge pulled herself further up until her nose came to rest on his. He snapped back to reality and turned his head, causing hers to likewise turn, as it was not being otherwise supported. She once more rubbed cheeks, the rest of her body following the movement... "Uh... Rouge... You're getting a little..."
When he failed to finish the thought, she suggested, "Affectionate?"
"Yeah... let's go with that... You're being... uh... EXTREMELY affectionate right now..."
"That's because you're so soft and fluffy... You're like a giant teddy bear... You're a teddy fox... I could just curl up with you all night..." He was at a complete loss of words to respond to that. "Tails... When a girl is being affectionate, you're supposed to reciprocate."
"Uh... I'm not sure what would be appropriate within the boundaries of our current relationship..."
"Try pushing your luck, Tails. I like you."
"And Knuckles," he reminded her. "And Shadow," he less-confidently added.
"I like ALL of you. I'm just waiting to see who makes the first move." Evidently she had run out of patience tonight. As if in answer to that thought, she said, "Do I have to make the first move?" She raised her head and slid a hand under his snout to turn it upwards so that they were face to face again, though not quite touching... yet. Her heavy breaths wafted over his nose, the scent snapping him out of the trance.
Turning his head away again, he exclaimed, "Whoa! Pukey breath!" There was a sharp stinging pain as a hand slapped him across the cheek, eliciting a yelp.
"Don't be so mean, Tails!" He froze up once more, this time due to the sight of her suddenly VERY angry face.
"I'm sorry!" he apologized.
"I was being serious. I really like you, Tails. Would it kill you to say that you like me back?"
"I really like you too!" he pleaded.
"Or that you think I'm beautiful?"
"You ARE beautiful!"
"So why did you say I have pukey breath?"
"Well..." he faltered. Was honesty the best policy? It was his default policy. Feeling he had to answer, he fearfully replied, "...because you DID throw up, like a half-hour ago?"
Her face abruptly went from angry to confused. "I did?"
"Yeah."
"Does my breath smell really bad?"
"Uh... kinda, yeah." He steeled himself for another slap. Or worse.
"Oh... I'm sorry about that."
"It's... um... okay?" What WAS the correct polite response to that? At any rate, it worked out, because Rouge got off him and crawled over to the nightstand to grab her purse. Rummaging through it, she came up with a tin of breath mints. Of course she carries those around... And it's the one thing she DOES remember even when drunk...
She turned back to face him. He tried to keep his eyes from drifting down to her open suit. He sensed more than saw her extend the mints in offering. As a fan of mints (and also to avoid turning down EVERYTHING she offered tonight) he accepted by putting out a hand. However, she ignored the hand and leaned in dangerously close. "Open wide." She placed the mint directly onto his tongue, prompting him to close the mouth that he didn't even realize was open. The view of Rouge at this angle just simply had a jaw-dropping effect. He looked away and ate the mint. She didn't pull back from her leaning position. In fact, she even got closer. "How's my breath now?" Here she comes again... He scootched backwards but she grabbed a leg, which she wrapped herself around and started pulling the shoe off it by furiously working it back and forth. Either she couldn't recall how to undo the laces or was just impatient.
"Rouge, what are you doing?"
"You're still wearing your shoes in bed!" He was too stunned to tell the seemingly mad bat to stop. As soon as the first shoe came free, she did the same to the other. Then she rose back up... Predator/prey instincts kicked in and he deked sideways as she pounced, tackling him facedown and grabbing his namesakes. "Oh no you don't! I've got your tails, Tails! You can't escape!" she said playfully.
With the way they were angled, her own wagging tail was close. "Oh yeah?" He reached out and grabbed it in thoughtless retaliation. "Well, I've got yours!" The declaration was premature- the short and thin tail easily slipped right out of his grasp. He tried to recapture the appendage only for it to pull away at the merest touch of a single finger. He tried again and again while her tail zipped around as if teasing, his fingers only managing to brush the evasive limb. The fleeting contact had enough of a tickling effect to make Rouge giggle and squirm. She eventually released his tails and tried to writhe away, having surrendered the fight.
He didn't let up just yet, only stopping when she rolled onto her back and trapped his arm between her legs... They just stared at each other for a moment, her eyes quite possibly wider than his own. Wait... What are we doing? He pulled free and fell back. Rouge went on the attack now, lunging and grabbing his shoulders. Whether or not it was intended, her weight easily pushed him down... Unfortunately, his head went past the bed and struck the wall. "OW!"
"Oh! Tails!" she said in a horrified voice. "I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?"
"A little," he diplomatically replied through gritted teeth.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"
"I know you di-" he lost his train of thought as she moved to sit alongside, lifting him into a sitting position and pulling his head tightly against her chest. Her wings once again folded around him, this time clearly in a protective manner.
"I'm so sorry, baby." Why is she calling me baby?
"Rouge... It's okay..." This situation was familiar somehow, yet different. Reversed in terms of position and who was injured but not who was the distraught one. From the range of moods seen within the last hour, Rouge seemed to be quite emotionally volatile when drunk. He just sat still and let her comfort him.
A strange knocking noise disturbed the peace. It was not unlike how one would- oh wait, the knocking WAS on the door. The door creaked open as the voice of Topaz called out. "Rouge? You okay in there, girl?"
In a panic he tried to break free of the embrace, but the bat continued to hold firm. "Rouge!" he said too loudly.
Topaz called out again. "Tails? Are you in here too?"
Knowing it was pointless now, he answered. "Yeah... I, uh, had a lot of trouble getting Rouge into bed..."
"No you didn't!" Rouge suddenly interjected. "I've been getting YOU into bed!" His blanched at the absolute WORST phrasing she had chosen to use.
There was a long beat. "Well... I just came by to make sure you made it back safely. You guys left the key in the door. I'll just drop it on the floor inside and leave you alone." There was a faint thud as the key hit the carpeted floor and then the door shut. Phew, she left...
They remained where they were. Rouge resumed running her hands through his fur, though it now felt more for enjoyment than comfort. "Uh, Rouge? Got any aspirin?"
"In the bathroom." Her wings unfolded, but she still held him tightly while scootching across the bed to the edge. As they rose up to their feet, he pried himself out of her grasp and physically held her back.
"I can go by myself. You can stay here." When she just stared at him, he put his hands on her shoulders to give a subtle push down. Taking the hint, she sat. "Just lie down." With another suggesting push, she fell onto her side and rolled onto her back. Her legs still crookedly hung off the bed, so he lifted them onto the mattress. Once the bat was fully on the bed, he could only stare at her for a moment. For all the... aggressiveness earlier, she was being quite compliant now. "Just... wait here... until I get back..."
"Okay," she replied dreamily. Somehow managing to turn away, he stumbled to the bathroom. After helping himself to the aspirin in the medicine cabinet, he hung over the sink while thinking about what to do. Maybe Rouge was drunk enough to simply fall asleep if he waited. Several minutes passed. "Are you done in there, Tails?"
"Uh... just about..."
"Well, hurry back to bed." Defeated, he wobbled to the door and flipped off the light. However, backing up to pull the door open was too complex a task for his current state and he ended up tripping into the bathtub, getting another head injury, though mercifully only glancing, for the night. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped his tails around his head and laid himself flat. At least I already took an aspirin... "What happened?"
Teeth still clenched, he somehow managed to answer. "I fell."
"You okay, baby?"
"Yeah," he lied.
"Well, hurry on back."
"As soon as I recover," he lied again, settling onto his side to wait out the pain and hopefully Rouge as well this time. Lying in total darkness, he lost all track of time. So far it seemed to be working. While he had no idea if Rouge was still awake, she had at least stopped rushing him. He simply remained where he was and didn't risk it.
His eyes flew open with some alarm and more than a little confusion upon hearing someone walking very close by. The hard floor and blank white walls surrounding him did not put him at ease. What happened? Where am I? Who brought me here? Am I safe? He looked up as someone passed by... Rouge? She looked totally out of it as well, paying no mind to his presence. His alarm faded at the sight of a friendly face, but he still had no answers to at least two key questions and only had more questions to ask now. Looking around the room, he recognized the general design of a bathroom. But whose bathroom? There was the sound of a water faucet turning on.
He sat up enough to see out of the tub. Rouge was the only other occupant of the room, standing at the sink washing her face. Does she know that I'm here? Should I say something? And why AM I here? A collection of memories immediately came rushing back: going to a bar, drinking alcohol, playing darts, helping Rouge get to bed... But he couldn't recall the key link to this current location. He watched Rouge in the mirror's reflection... until they made eye contact. She spun around and gasped loudly. He immediately lowered his eyes upon noticing that her suit was still unzipped from last night. It was clear why she normally didn't wear it to bed: her skin looked to be soaked in sweat from sleeping in it for several hours. Oh... He lowered his eyes further from where they were now. "Tails?! What are you doing here?!"
It was the question he wasn't ready to answer. "Uh... I'm not sure..." He blushed while fumbling for answers as to why he was there, let alone what happened. "Is this... your bathroom?
"Isn't it?" She seemed to be about as confused as he was.
Looking around, he spied the source of the most pleasant scents of the room: feminine soaps and shampoos. Well, it's definitely not MY bathroom... "I'm pretty sure it is."
"So then what are you doing in here?"
"In your bathtub or just bathroom in general?" he asked despite having no answer for either.
"Both!"
He flinched at the volume of that word, though she didn't exactly sound angry (and he knew what that sounded like.) "Uh... I helped you get back to the room last night... Then I fell into the tub..." That was all he really wanted to tell her.
"And you've been there the whole night?"
"Yeah... I must have dozed off."
The silence built for a good minute. "Tails, what happened last night?"
"You don't remember?" he cautiously asked, looking back up. That could either be a good thing or a bad thing.
She visibly racked her brain. "No."
"You don't remember, like, ANYTHING at all?"
"No... Nothing beyond us drinking... I guess we had too much?"
"Evidently."
"Do YOU remember what happened?"
He felt himself turn even redder. "Yeah."
"So what happened?"
He looked downward again. Should I have lied? "I told you."
Glancing back up, he saw that she was skeptical. "Tails... did anything else happen?"
"No!" he denied way too quickly and loudly.
"Are you sure?"
"No! I mean yes! Nothing happened!"
"Look at me, Tails." He couldn't. She fell to her knees and leaned onto the tub to get nearly face-to-face. Their sheer proximity compelled him to look up. Thankfully, the view of anything below her shoulders was blocked. Her eyes were wide open in what looked to be shock. "Tails... what did we do last night?"
His jaw dropped. "No! Nothing happened!" He shook his head for extra emphasis.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" he said desperately. "You're still wearing your clothes!" She looked down as if needing to confirm that was true. But the fact that her suit was open and covered with yellow strands of fur that blatantly stood out from the dark material seemed to give her pause. "I mean, you just-" He cut himself off.
She looked back up. "I just what?"
Knowing it was too late to retract, he winced. "You just... got a little... frisky last night."
She simultaneously blushed and looked relieved. "Oh... That's all that happened?"
Everything that happened in the room flashed in his mind. "Yeah... That's all... Don't worry... We didn't do anything we'd regret later..."
She turned and fell into a sitting position against the tub with her hands to her head. "I don't think I'd regret anything..." she mumbled softly.
Drunk Tails is philosophical.
Also just randomly throwing a Rouge/Topaz tease out there. Who knows with her?
I have my reservations about the Shadow scene but I always planned to have Shadow do SOMETHING that compelled Tails to intercede on Rouge's behalf... and insult him for good measure.
Hoo boy, this was a fun one to write. It originally topped out with the drunken cuddling and the teddy bear innuendo, but I kept making it more and more risqué. I always had an idea of Rouge suggestively grabbing Tails' namesakes, though I considered an alternative where she had him backed to a wall and did it from the FRONT. But I couldn't figure out how to fit it in and think I like the from-behind version better. Coincidentally, AO3 has just announced their 'underage' warning change, which MIGHT be relevant to all the UST popping up now, so I'll just officially state now that they're frigging ANIMAL ALIEN LIFEFORMS who function as independent adults and I'm not specifying ages anyway so we need not concern ourselves with that.
I really don't know where exactly this one should go... or if it even makes sense narratively, but I really like this idea for obvious reasons. I kept it for later because the escalating UST makes it logically a later entry (in context for both the story itself and writing- you don't want to do something you can't one-up later...) but I was always banking on being able to weasel out of this escalating their relationship to a slippery slope of things-leading-to-another on account of the fact that Rouge was utterly WASTED and doesn't remember anything... except maybe the haziest of memories that she thinks was just a wild dream... which could be how her attraction to Tails triggered while sober... An interesting idea; almost like a paradox, no? I do feel like maybe I put too much in one chapter (the first aid and lipstick scenes are a bit similar in idea.) I had a variety of alternate ideas for why these two finally ended up hitting a bar together: strictly because of the incident with Shadow (self-medication); more practice for dating; Tails' birthday (not necessarily his 21st though...) or maybe even a Rouge birthday. I couldn't really see anything special to do with the latter options though.
See? I told you (well, anyone who reads my comment replies) Rouge's tail would be important to the plot later. Again, it's hard to say how long it should be because it varies across media. It's quite long in X (everybody's tails are long in X really) but much shorter in Prime. After some close study, I think it's up to the artist. Thus I personally put it on the short side, like say long enough to just about entirely fit in Tails' hand (though probably just slightly longer) when he grabs it. Personally, I don't like how everyone has such long tails in Sonic X; they must get caught in things all the time. And if you're wondering, yes the tail-tickling is supposed to bring to mind something ELSE.
Also, I coincidentally made a chapter where it's a key point that Rouge's suit is low to accommodate her wings when controversy hits about her suit being changed for Shadow Generations. Though I'm inclined to think it's just a graphical oopsie where they didn't line up her suit properly, seeing how her shoulders are still clearly uncovered, so how can the suit be higher in the back? I'm not even sure if her model was changed in the Sonic Generations part. On that note, removing Knuckles' question on if Classic Sonic had gained weight was stupid. It wasn't even fat-shaming, unless it's wrong for Sonic to lament that he isn't more fit. Man, people are really oversensitive now. I at least don't mind taking out crazy Amy antics- nobody liked that even back when.
Shadow Generations also actually cleared up exactly what went down on the Ark (I completely forgot that Gerald also studied the Gizoid, though I'm ignoring Battle) and made Abraham Tower canon (or his name anyway, which I'm pretty sure was strictly an Archie invention like Westwood.) I'm not sure how to reconcile his presence with Walters, since they're essentially the same person (they're both Commanders, right?) without actually being the same person. I would just say they are in fact two different ranks (maybe Towers is just 'commander' of the GUN base in question while Walters is the overall commander.) However, I never planned for Towers to actually appear in this story anyway since Walters serves that role.
Another example of 'writing what you know': portions of this chapter were borrowed from my own 21st birthday... can you guess which parts they are?
"You're welcome," might be Tails' version of, "As you wish." Kinda.
And in case you're wondering, I never seriously thought I'd actually have that Christmas party bet chapter ready by Christmas. There's still a couple more chapters to go, and y'all know I'm not really a fast writer.
Yes, I indeed said I could one-up the risqué material in this chapter...