Archive of Our Own ^beta

“...so that’s where all the pillows went,” 

Tangle raised her head out of the pile of pillows, seeing her girlfriend standing over her shoulder with a playful smile. The lemur gave a sheepish expression, batting her eyebrows at the wolf.

“Was cold, and you weren’t around…” she said, only to feel the wolf’s weight settle down on her as the sniper embraced her. Her arms wrapped around the lemur, claws digging into her fur a little as the wolf’s nuzzle landed on Tangle’s shoulder and nuzzled into it for warmth. Instinctively, her tail wrapped itself around the wolf, coiling around her like a snake.

“Much better…” Whisper said, softly, feeling the slow rise and fall of Tangle’s chest as they got comfortable.

“...Cozy…” the lemur murmured, letting out a little yawn as she squeezed her tight. With a happy little trill, she ran a paw down Whisper’s back as the other Mobian licked her cheek. The primate made another happy little sound, locked inside Whisper’s tight grip.

“...love you,” she said, and Tangle’s eyes softened as her ears perked up at her declaration. Her lips met the wolf’s nose, softly and then tenderly fell to her lips in a quick peck. Adjusting herself slightly, she let her girlfriend bury herself in her neck as they cuddled on the couch, lost to the world.

“Love you too, Poundcakes…”

-----

“Tan…”

Whisper let out a yelp of shock, rubbing her tired eyes in her half awake state as she wandered in a sleepy daze towards her kitchen. 

“...gle?” she finished, seeing the other Mobian at the stove, wearing an apron over her sleep clothes.

The apron, to the wolf’s delight, read ‘please kiss the cook’ and so she did. Separating, the wolf rubbed her eyes again as the situation settled in for her.

Tangle, her girlfriend, was in her kitchen, cooking breakfast.

“Yep, that’s me,” Tangle said, chipperly. “You can say it as many times as you want, you’re not going to wear it out anytime soon, Whisper…”

“...sorry,” she replied, in her soft barely audible voice. “It’s just… this is new to me.”

“Heh, yeah, it’s new to me too,” Tangle said, popping a strawberry in her mouth, right out of a bowl. Going back to preparing breakfast, the lemur wrapped her tail around her girlfriend from afar. “It’ll take some getting used to for me too.”

“You seem like a natural,” Whisper said. “Already settled in.”

“Mhmmm, yeah, well fake it till you make it right?” Tangle replied, with a laugh. “Figure if I pretend I know what I’m doing, it’ll just become second nature to me.”

“You’re doing fine…” Whisper said, her girlfriend’s Italian accent making her tail happily wag back and forth. 

Safe, she felt safe with Tangle in a way she hadn’t in years. Not since… Her shoulders tensed, and Tangle noticed the sudden movement and the way her breath came up short.

“Hey, shh, put him out of your mind,” Tangle said, setting the pan aside as she strode over, using her tail to draw the wolf closer to her. “It’s alright, he’s not going to hurt you ever again. He can try, but he’s not ever going to pull us apart.”

“He’s done it before…” the wolf said.

“Yeah, well I know him now, I know how his nasty little mind works. Fool me once, shame on him. Fool me twice and shame on me,” Tangle said, letting Whisper’s arms drift down around her waist, to squeeze and hold her tight. “It’s alright, don’t think about him, okay?”

“It’s hard…” she said. “To not to, sometimes.”

“Then don’t,” Tangle said, her head resting on her shoulder and falling into her fur. “Okay? Bella cara, I’m never letting you go. Promise.”

“...Promise…” Whisper said. “I know you won’t, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me in a while, since the war’s end. Since my world ended.”

“Then I’ll help build you a new world,” Tangle said. “Jewel told me about a process from Japan, called Kintsugi. It’s used to fill in cracked pottery with gold, instead of disguising the damage. That’s what I want to do. Make your imperfections, your hurts, beautiful. They’re a part of you, and they’re never going away but…”

“I know…” Whisper said. “Sometimes, I’m amazed you can love me, despite my…”

“Many flaws? Trust me, I’m not exactly i'immagine della perfezione myself either,” Tangle soothed, nuzzling her. “Nobody’s perfect, and that’s okay. You’re you, and that’s okay. It’s what makes you so close to my heart…”

“That Kintsugi process…” Whisper said, tilting her head questioningly. “Is this, is what you’re doing a part of the process?”

“It was meant for pottery, not people so well, I’m kinda figuring it out as I go,” Tangle admitted with a laugh and another sheepish smile. Whisper couldn’t help herself, returning the laughter in kind. “You’ll have to bear with me, m’kay?”

“...I think you’re doing fine so far…”

Tangle smiled softly, leaning in to kiss her again. Whisper was about to close the gap, before she sniffed the air.

“Ah, your…”

“Ah, right,” Tangle said, hearing the pan steam and crackle behind her. “Gotta be careful, nobody wants a burnt breakfast.”

“Am I being distracting?” Whisper said, in what she hoped sounded flirty.

“Terribly,” Tangle said, with an adoring smile and rubbed her nose against Whisper’s own. “Not that I mean I mind, of course.”

Whisper nodded, looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing in the world. Of course, to the wolf’s eyes, that’s absolutely what she was.

She didn’t know what her old commander would have thought of the lemur, but she liked to imagine he’d approve of her. This was all new, something she’d have to figure out on the way. She hadn’t been in a relationship, at least one this close to her heart, before. She’d had crushes, but they didn’t burn as intensely as the flames in her heart did around Tangle.

Her paw drifted down to gently grasp Tangle’s own, lacing her fingers with the lemur’s own. Tangle had said everything was going to be alright, and Whisper was beginning to believe her.

-----

“Muuuuuurrrrgh,” Tangle muttered, collapsing onto the couch, practically melting onto it.

“I know,” Whisper said, rubbing her back with a paw. “Lanolin is a taskmaster, reminds me of… well, okay, she’s worse. But, she’s got a lot to do. We all do.”

Tangle groaned, rolling onto her back, tongue lolling out her mouth, before saying: “...my whole body aches, feel like my everything is sore. I didn’t think anyone so tough existed, got pounded into the mat.”

“And she said she was going easy on us,” Whisper snorted, Tangle’s head shooting up in alarm.

“She did?”

“You missed it?”

“Couldn’t focus on everything she was saying, I was just trying to survive her, thanks,” Tangle said, her voice something of a mutter. “I feel sorry for anyone who gets in the way of her and the objective.”

“Meaning, you feel sorry for Eggman’s badniks?”

“...so, okay maybe I don’t feel sorry for them. Just, well, sorry for anyone else,” Tangle said. “She hits like a freight train, maybe even harder. Certainly faster. I was on the mat before I even knew what happened!”

“Too distracted by me?” Whisper said, with a snort. “Careful, that’s dangerous. Keep your focus, dear.”

“Kinda hard, when I’ve got you as my partner,” Tangle murmured, the sounds of Station Square outside their window. “You’re naturally attention grabbing, cucciolotta. Just so you know.”

“I’ve clearly failed at stealth then,” Whisper said. “You’re not supposed to know I’m there, until it’s too late.”

“Yeah yeah, you’re a badass,” Tangle said and the two kissed, holding one another close as Whisper’s tail wagged and Tangle’s own formed a heart shape.

“Oh, uh… wowzers.”

Whisper’s lips turned upwards. “Did you seriously just say wowzers?”

“Yeah, I did!” Tangle said, somewhat proudly. “Because that kiss, mmmhm like uh that was like… just wowzers.”

Oh, she loved this woman Like the way her heart skipped a beat whenever the lemur flashed her one of her usual bright smiles. Her touch made her heart skip a beat, a gentle hand caressing her as it softly stroked her fur. There was no mistaking the feeling of how loved Whisper felt whenever the lemur was at her side. The wolf, despite all of the pain and tragedy that was her life, had fully accepted her into her heart.

An unspoken promise passed between the two whenever they looked at one another. To never hurt, or betray the other. Whatever they did, whoever they faced, they’d be right by one another’s side hand in hand. 

“You want me to wow you again?” Whisper said, her hot breath ripping across Tangle’s fur before the wolf gently nipped her shoulder and then her neck. Tangle let out a sigh of content as her partner, in love and in life, made sure she felt attended to. Worshiped, even as the wolf gently caressed her, running a paw through her fur.

“You do every day,” Tangle said, not caring in the least at how sappy that sounded and Whisper snorted at her words. She was a lemur in love, with a terminal case of it. “Just… I don’t even know how to describe you sometimes, except as like… just wow.”

Looking towards her girlfriend, Whisper tossed an equally adoring smile right back at her. If there was any proof that angels existed, well it was probably in her girlfriend. Guardian Angel of Mobius, Whisper the Wolf. Sharpshooter, friend, partner, girlfriend. Yet another title to add to her collection.

“Keep complimenting me like that and well,” Whisper said with a small smirk, fangs sticking out of her upper lip. “I can’t be held responsible for what I might do next.”

“Hey, I’m not exactly objecting here or anything,” Tangle said, as she undid her girlfriend’s cloak and pulled her closer. Her hands gently roamed her girlfriend’s body, and she leaned in to boop the wolf on the nose. The two snuggled before Tangle said: “Noooope, definitely not objecting at all.”

Whisper finally broke away and strode towards her bedroom with that smile never leaving her face. After she’d thought her life was over, except for the need for revenge, Tangle had stepped in at exactly the right moment.

She’d never been… especially great with her emotions, understanding them even. Even before him, but she didn’t need to be perfect with them. Just knowing Tangle loved her as she was, well that was enough to send her into a tailspin. 

It felt like the missing part of her, she’d found it again. Her heart, made whole after so much loss and pain had made her close it off. Tangle had been stubborn enough to smash through every barricade, every wall she’d put up around it and…

The wolf couldn’t stop herself, letting a happy little sound slip past her lips, her tail wagging again. As she changed into more casual clothes, she sank back into the bed, falling backwards as her wisps floated above her head. Reaching forwards, she pulled Blue into her hand as the creature chittered in its own language at her.

“I know, Blue,” she said. “You were right, I needed to give it a second chance. She’s not the old team, nobody is. The Cutters are gone, nothing’s going to bring them back. Mimic’s still out there, and I know I’ll see him again. Probably sooner than I think. But…”

Green nudged her, and gestured back towards the living room and chittered.

“Whiiiiispppper, I’m cold and I need to cuddle!” Tangle’s voice called from through the doorway. 

“...she’s just looking for an excuse,” Whisper said. “She’s not cold, it’s not that chilly outside.”

*Chitters*

“Of course I’m not going to leave her waiting,” Whisper said, pulling on sweat pants over her bare legs. “She needs my help, and as a member of the Restoration and as a Cutter, I’m not going to leave her in distress…”

She looked at her mask, resting on her bedside table. Once, it hid her from the whole world. No longer.

She was going to face the future, with her own eyes.

-----

“How are you two settling in, again?” Jewel said, looking up from the papers piled neatly across her desk. “I’ve got to admit, I was… surprised when you accepted Tangle’s offer to move in with you.”

“Surprised how?” Whisper asked, blinking. Jewel was, well, admittedly she only knew her through her girlfriend and not all that well beyond that. Granted, Tangle had plenty to say about the beetle, calling her the bestest best friend she could have.

Opposites attracted, apparently, given Jewel seemed to be more, ah reserved compared to the excitable lemur. To the point she wasn’t sure how they’d even become friends to begin with. Small town, as Tangle had explained. In Spiral Hill, everyone knew everyone else, meaning it was impossible to avoid becoming friends with your neighbors to some extent.

Though Whisper suspected the actual reason was the same reason why she was dating Tangle. The lemur didn’t seem to take the word ‘no’ for an answer, and had worn down Jewel’s walls in pretty much the same way she had hers.

The only difference was, Jewel and Tangle had only stayed best friends and their relationship hadn’t progressed any further beyond that. So here she was, forced to socialize with her girlfriend’s friend and grin and bear it. Yes, how terrible. She’d have to show her appreciation to Tangle later.

“You’re a very, ah, how do I put it? You’re a very guarded member of the Restoration,” Jewel said, one hand holding a pen, etching her signature onto a piece of paper. The other pushed the sheet to the side, drawing another requisition form from the pile. “I just assumed you liked your privacy.”

“I do.”

“Mhmmm, but?”

“But,” Whisper admitted, pulling up a chair. “I got lonely, and Tangle offered to help around the apartment”

“You’ve got your wisps, you’re not lonely and they’re able to help you handle chores,” Jewel said. “Meaning, you had a different reason.”

“I’ve spent so long wallowing in my own issues that I’ve become…” Whisper sucked in a breath, letting it out a few seconds later, her chest rising and falling as she gripped the arm of the chair to steady herself. “Distant to the people I swore to protect when I joined up with the Diamond Cutters.”

“You’ve started wearing your mask less,” Jewel noted. “You’re almost approachable now. I’ve actually seen you with some of the other members at the galley.  It’s almost like you’re a full time member of the Restoration now.”

“Maybe I am,” Whisper admitted, softly, realizing the possibility had only just now occurred to her. Her lips gently changed into a half-smile. “Maybe that’s what it is.”

“Do you think you’d be open to joining me and Tangle for our monthly dinner tomorrow night?” Jewel asked and Whisper’s eyes briefly fluttered open in shock. The beetle started stuttering, stammering out an apology, saying: “S-Sorry, was that too forward? Am I rushing you?”

“No, it’s fine, it’s just… I didn’t expect it,” Whisper said. “Monthly, huh? Should I be worried that I’ve got competition for Tangle’s affections?”

Jewel actually laughed, and Whisper couldn’t help herself, joining her. 

“You really are coming out of your shell, look at you. You’re actually telling jokes,” Jewel said, before looking at a picture on her desk, a selfie of her and their mutual lemur. “...she really is a positive influence, isn’t she?”

“...yeah…” Whisper said, pulling a similar photo out of her cloak. She kept it close to her heart, near the photo of her previous team. “...she really is…”

Smithy, he wouldn’t have wanted this for her. To keep herself stuck in the past, in mourning for a life that she couldn’t even live anymore. Her team was gone, she couldn’t bring them back and even when Mimic was in the ground she’d still be left with nothing but memories.

His time would come, he was still in her sights but she couldn’t live day to day with him living rent free in her head. That was fighting a losing battle, and it would only ever end with his victory. That’s what he wanted, for her to be so wrapped up in her need for revenge that she pushed everyone else aside.

Become like him, cold and alone.

The thought terrified her.

“...Whisper?” Jewel asked, pulling her out of her head. 

“Mhmmm?”

“Sorry, you…” Jewel blushed. “You looked distracted. Something on your mind?”

“...was lost in my own head for a minute,” Whisper said. “Apologies.”

“I won’t pretend to understand what baggage you’re carrying around, we’ve all got some,” Jewel said. “But, we’re here to help carry the load, it doesn’t need to be so heavy when you’ve got friends to help you out.”

Friends. She barely knew Jewel, but what she knew about her was enough. Tangle drew people close to her, pulled them to her side with her natural charisma. Her friends were Whisper’s friends.

It was almost like she had a team again. No, forget the almost. She did have a team again. They didn’t wear the uniform of her old squad and none of them were hired mercenaries. Not all of them even carried a weapon. But… They were fighters, refusing to cede their home to Eggman’s tyranny.

He wanted them to live in fear, to roll over to his reign while he stripped the land bare and turned it into an industrial wasteland. The forests picked clean, the fields replaced by desert, and the oceans dried up, the planet choked in the thick heavy smog of factory smoke. That’s what Eggman’s vision of the planet was, flesh replaced with the uniform steel of mass produced robotic legions.

Families torn apart, made to serve him, endlessly toiling away. Whisper held back a growl. Not if she had anything to say about it.

The Restoration would make sure the nightmare never became reality.

“Thank you…” she said, realizing Jewel was hugging her. The beetle, latched tightly onto her, barely came up to her neck but felt just right in her arms. It wasn’t a Tangle Hug but it was just what she needed. 

“Sorry, you… I thought you looked like you needed one,” Jewel said, pulling away, her wings buzzing nervously as she adjusted her suit. “It wasn’t really proper, I’m your commander. Not your-”

“You are my friend,” Whisper shook her head. “Even if it’s not really proper for you to be seen as anything besides my boss, I don’t mind.”

“I just saw you looking so sad, I just did what Tangle would have done,” Jewel said. “I’m not used to physical affection, giving it I mean. I’m usually on the other end of it, thanks to…”

“Mhmmm, I’m in the same boat, metaphorically, not literally but yes,” Whisper said. “I don’t really know how to initiate things like that, unless it’s Tangle. I don’t trust other people, not easily.”

“But you trust me?”

“If I didn’t, you’d be on the floor, in pain,” Whisper said, without hesitation and Jewel flinched. “Apologies, it’s… I’ve built up plenty of reasons to be paranoid. Settling into civilian life is a… challenge.”

“I understand, I’ve never led anything like the Restoration before. I used to be a museum director before this,” Jewel admitted. “We’re all forced to adapt, become people we’re not. I’ve got the big chair now, I’m going to have to make decisions that will put lives on the line. It’s not like…”

“Before,” Whisper nodded. “I wasn’t a soldier either, I didn’t even know how to fire a gun before all this happened. I’ve become…”

“A valued member of the Restoration and, more importantly, you make Tangle happy,” Jewel said. “Spiral Hill, she always felt it was too small for her, she wanted to go places, meet people.”

Jewel squeezed her hand, and smiled.

“Because of you, she has.”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m dragging her down, into my messes.”

“No. No you’re not,” Jewel shook her head. “You’re pulling her up, into someone wonderful. And, like me, finding wonderful relationships in the process. Be they simple friendships, or otherwise.”

Whisper moved her paw up to her muzzle, to often kissed lips and smiled toothly. Jewel was right, she didn’t know who she’d be without that lemur in her life.

“So, tomorrow then?”

Jewel nodded, and clapped her hands. “Wonderful. Tomorrow it is.”

-----

“Mhmmmgh…” Tangle said, her tail wrapped around Whisper as the two lay in the sun, on a couch with rays of sun falling over them. “Mhmmm, you’re so comfy, Poundcakes…”

Whisper’s paw moved down to squeeze Tangle’s hand, the biscotti wolf’s paw almost completely enclosed around the smaller hand. Tangle was pressed up to her, from behind, her head buried in her hair which fell down her back after being pulled out of its usual ponytail.

“You know we’re going to have to get up and move eventually, right?” Whisper said. “We can’t stay like this forever.”

“I know, but I can dream, right?” Tangle said, her breath on the back of her neck tickling her fur and whispering: “...sarebbe un sogno così meraviglioso…”

“You’re surprisingly lazy for someone who’s got so much energy,” Whisper whispered. “Guess all of that energy has to go somewhere.”

“Where would I even go?” Tangle asked. “There’s nothing I want to do right now besides spend time with the best girlfriend I’ve ever had.”

“I thought I was the only girlfriend you’ve ever had.”

“Exactly, therefore by default you're the best,” Tangle said, smugly before her tone softened. “So, Jewel said we’re go for dinner with her tomorrow. Grazie for accepting the invite.”

“I’m not intruding?” Whisper asked. “This felt like a thing between friends.”

“And I want my friend to spend more time with my girlfriend,” Tangle said. “She’s probably going to be my maiden of honor one day.”

“Don’t maidens of honor wear dresses? I thought Jewel only wore suits.”

“Eh, gender roles are more like guidelines, amIrite?” Tangle said before chuckling. “You don’t even seem that surprised that I’m already figuring out who my maid of honor is for…”

“Our wedding?” Whisper said. “You’re the type to dive in completely into anything you do, even if it’s a new relationship. Wolves mate for life, you’re stuck with me anyway.”

“Are you going to put a collar on me then?” Tangle asked, and Whisper could just see her waggling her eyebrows.

“Mhmmm, do you want one?” she replied, surprising even herself. “I might need a leash too, so I don’t lose you.”

“...Like you’re ever going to lose me,” Tangle said. “But I like where this is going, so keep going m’kay?”

“Mhmmm, maybe I should leave the rest up to your imagination,” Whisper said. “Let your mind wander, fill in the blanks for yourself.”

“Oh, careful, you’re going to break my brain if you let me do that, hehe,” Tangle said with a giggle. “I might just totally bluescreen. Then you’ll have to reboot me!”

“Oh, do a full restart?” Whisper replied. “Well, I know your power button is your nose, so…”

Whisper untangled herself and flipped over, her paws gently squeezing Tangle’s cheeks as she leaned in for a kiss. One of her paws moved upwards, gently booping the lemur on the nose and Tangle gave another giggle.

Whisper buried her head into Tangle’s fur, licking her neck, running it across her fur. Tangle gave a happy purr, gently nibbling on one of her ears, nipping at it with her teeth. 

Life went on, despite how much it’d changed for her since Eggman took over the world and failed to keep it. Despite everything, despite the long shadow his empire cast over the world since it’d been driven back… Whisper was, for the moment, completely at peace.

Everything was going to be alright, she knew in her heart. For now, life went on.

Life with her girlfriend, the time gently passing in her arms.

No secrets, no masks between them.

Only the love in their eyes.

fin