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“And you’re sure this is a good idea?” Lanolin asked in a hushed tone.
“Of course!” Was Tangle’s immediate response. She always had good ideas.
… Wait, she should say that.
“She always has good ideas,” Whisper said instead, with a smile that said she knew everything.
“Hey.”
That got a small smile out of the exhausted Lanolin, but only for a moment before she looked worried again.
“Still… we should be careful. These are important for the races coming up.”
“I know! But still-”
“We’re right here, you know.”
Tangle froze and looked behind them to see a less-than-amused Surge and Kit. With a nervous laugh the lemur admitted,
“Oh yeah… sorry!”
“We weren’t talking about you,” Whisper growled.
“Why the hell were you whispering then?” Surge snapped back before pausing and rolling her eyes. “Nevermind. Just- why the hell did you wake us up so early! We hardly had time to get food!”
“We’re trying to avoid the rain!” Tangle offered. “And, well…”
She waited until they arrived at the workshop, where the Extreme Gear rested. Then, she grinned and gestured to the bikes. “We’re going for a ride!”
Surge sniffed, hardly changing expression as she crossed her arms.
“Why?”
“Well… we gotta test ‘em out, y’know?! Get used to them!”
“Pass.” The tenrec scratched at her ear. “Don’t you all need to stay in base in case something happens?”
“Amy and the others are here,” Lanolin sighed. “So, by that logic-”
“We’re free too!” Tangle laughed. “You don’t have to come with, but I figured you’d be angrier if we didn’t invite you.”
“You coulda just asked,” Surge huffed before looking towards Kit. There was a moment of silence as the fennec stared at his bike before realizing she was looking at him.
He looked up at her and she quickly turned away. “Yeah, sure. We’ll go.”
“Yes!”
“One question though,” she said, thumbing a finger to the bikes. “What about you, Stripes? You don’t have an actual bike.”
Whisper smiled.
The sky was a pretty light gray as they left the Restoration, the clouds blocking out the sunrise. There’s a hint of water in the air and Tangle briefly wondered if Kit could use rain at all.
Briefly, she was kinda distracted by the fact she was SO close to Whisper.
She felt the wolf’s tail wag as Tangle lightly squeezed her waist and nuzzled her back.
The moment couldn’t even be ruined as Surge gagged nearby before veering off the road. “Gross! Get a room!”
Kit could only try to imitate Surge’s steering, so he stuck to the dirt path cutting through the open fields they had decided to try speeding down.
Surprisingly, Surge got the hang of her gear quickly. She was leagues ahead of everyone else, at least in Tangle’s opinion.
Faster and more confident, she blazed a path for them as the sky grew darker.
“Not good,” Whisper was barely audible over the gear. “Pull over.”
“Ha! And let you win? Not a chance!” Surge barked back.
“... Not a race.”
Surge didn’t even seem to hear her, laughing and flying off again. The wolf sighed and glanced back at Tangle, who gave her a smile. Neither them nor Lanolin could stop her from leaving them behind, but it wasn’t like the lemur expected Surge to stay the whole time anyway.
Strangely, after they stopped underneath a grove of trees, the tenrec spun around them before stopping with a grin and Kit by her side.
“You tired already? Come on! These babies have plenty of gas!”
“No,” Lanolin sighed and rubbed her head. “We’re just waiting for the rain to pass.”
“Some of us don’t like getting wet!” Tangle added with a pat to Whisper’s shoulder.
“... Your tail.”
“Okay, pretty much all three of us.”
The tenrec shared a look with Kit before she chuckled.
“Now that’s something interest-”
She was cut off by the harsh crack of thunder and the wind kicking up. The fennec beside her yelped and glanced at the other three. Tangle felt bad for the kid and glared at Surge to urge her to get underneath the trees. At least, for his sake.
But Surge didn’t notice, too busy looking up at the sky, even as the rain began to fall.
Tangle couldn’t even catch her expression.
Then, just as the rain increased and the lemur was about to call out for her, a flash.
Lightning dancing across the sky, among the clouds.
And Tangle saw something in Surge’s eyes.
A spark of something.
Without a word, she revved up the Extreme Gear and drove further into the storm, following the lightning.
Kit called after her before giving chase, leaving Whisper and Lanolin to follow.
“Hang tight,” the wolf whispered to her. Tangle nodded and wrapped her arms around her.
Funnily enough, it wasn’t hard to catch up to Surge. She wasn’t going as fast as she normally did. She definitely slowed down after the initial burst.
No, she was just chasing the storm. Chasing something.
As they rolled over the green hills, rain pelting them and thunder crashing, Tangle heard it.
Surge was laughing.
It wasn’t anything like Tangle had heard from her before. Usually, her laugh carried some sort of roughness. Bittersweet and sharp.
But this.
This was pure joy from the tenrec. A joy she had never shown.
Whisper managed to catch up and pull up beside her, looking as surprised as the lemur.
Surge looked… happy. Genuinely happy.
Her face free from the usual anger or dark amusement she carried.
No, Surge laughed and cheered and looked alive.
Looked free .
It ended once she realized Whisper and Tangle were watching her in awe. Her face gained a heavy blush before she growled and sped up with her usual scowl. But there was no denying it.
Tangle grinned.
“Told you it was a good idea.”
“Did you see that, kid?” Surge grinned as she hung up her jacket on the hook they stuck into the wall. “Wild, right?”
“Mhm,” Kit mumbled as he followed after her, being sure to lock their door behind him.
“I never really thought about it, but it’s cool as shit.” She laughed and opened the fridge. “I wonder if I can make noises like that…”
“The thunder?”
“What else would I be talking about?” With a huff, she grabbed a soda and kicked the fridge closed as she stood. “Not Squinty, that’s for sure.”
“Hm.”
She narrowed her eyes at him before taking a sip and jabbing a finger at him.
“... You. What’s your deal?”
“Hm?”
“Don’t ‘hm’ me. I can tell when my partner’s off.” She took another gulp before slamming the can down on the counter. “So, spill it.”
“I just…” Kit frowned, fidgeting with the straps to his hydropack. “... You looked different.”
Surge raised an eyebrow, looking extremely confused, so he continued, “You liked the storm?”
“Yeah, so?” She narrowed her eyes and growled, “Got a problem with that?”
“No! I-I just…” He winced and looked down at the ground. “You looked different.”
There was silence for a moment before she clicked her tongue and walked over.
“... Hey.” The air sparked as he didn’t reply. “Hey!”
He took a breath before looking back up.
Surge sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Look, we’re still blowing this place up. We’re still going to make them pay. Nothing will change that. It’s us versus them, got it?!”
“Y… yes, ma’am.”
She nodded and patted his head before grabbing her drink and walking to her bed. Then, she flopped down, frown on her face, and closed her eyes.
His insides twisted, his own frown growing.
Carefully, he treaded over to their beds and stood nearby.
Surge’s face twisted before she sighed.
“Stop starin’.”
“Sorry.”
“Stop apologizing.”
“Sorry…”
“... Fucking…” She groaned and rubbed her eyes. “... I’m not going anywhere, kid.”
“I know.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I know.”
“Then what do you want?!”
“I don’t know!” He shouted, tears filling his eyes. “I don’t know.”
“... … Shit, kid.” Surge sighed heavily and sat up. “... Come here.”
“M-ma’am?”
“Come. Here.”
Sniffling, Kit climbed up onto the bed. He glanced up at Surge, unsure, before she nodded and he leaned against her.
She didn’t hug him, she never did. He squeezed his eyes shut and relished that.
“... Are you… scared of storms?”
“N-no…?” He blinked, thinking of the electricity running through her veins. “No.”
“... Then…” Surge paused. “... Wanna go cause problems with me?”
“... Can we get fries for lunch?”
“Fuck, why not, kid.”
Whisper caught them.
“Why?”
“Bored,” Surge replied for the both of them with her hands in her pockets.
“... Hm.”
The tenrec nudged Kit beside her and smiled once the wolf turned to the chaos around them. The power had flickered, water spouts had broken, and several people were crying out indignantly.
Whisper took a deep breath. “... Don’t do that again.”
“Why? Gonna throw me out?”
“... No. You’ll have to pay for it.”
“Uh, newsflash: no money.”
The wolf kept her eyes on her until Surge looked away.
“... Come with me.”
The tenrec growled but followed along, bringing Kit with her as Whisper led them back to the city.
Immediately, Surge felt the eyes upon her and her fingers itched.
Gritting her teeth, she turned to the wolf.
“Can we hurry up?!”
Whisper just raised an eyebrow before continuing.
Turns out, she just wanted to go shopping.
Leading them to a store, she grabbed a basket near the doors and made her way inside, leaving the two to follow.
“Un-fucking-believable.” Surge groaned as she watched the wolf look through the aisles. “Trying to find a present for your girlfriend?”
“One: not my girlfriend. Two: not a present.”
“... What do you mean she’s not your girlfriend?!” Her mouth dropped, agape. “How the fuck?!”
Whisper ignored her, instead going down an aisle of electronics. Surge and Kit just watched her until she grabbed two things off the shelf. She then looked at them both.
“... Earbuds or headphones?”
“What?”
“Earbuds. Headphones. They go in your ear-”
“I know what they are!” Surge snapped. “Why the fuck you asking?!”
At no response, she groaned and shook her head. “... Fuckin’, earbuds? I guess?”
Kit blinked as Whisper turned to him and he fidgeted.
“Um…”
“Spill it, Drippy.” Surge huffed. “Sooner we can leave.”
“... Headphones…”
Whisper nodded before heading further down the aisle and grabbing two more things.
Surge rapidly tapped her foot as the wolf went down another aisle and grabbed a bigger box.
“... Are you ever going to tell us why we’re here?!”
The wolf’s face scrunched up as she frowned, only for her wisps to pop up around the corner, carrying a few smaller boxes. Immediately, the tension dropped in her face and she smiled at them, nodding as they put them inside.
“... You’ll see.”
“Ugh! Whatever!”
Surge zipped past the cashiers and headed outside with a scowl. Her hatred for the wolf started to rise every second.
“She used to be fun,” she grumbled as she kicked a can out into the street. Kit watched, his eyes widening and tail wagging as he saw the can get hit by a car.
The automatic doors opening immediately got their attention. Whisper stepped out, fishing through the bags before handing them the boxes from the first aisle.
CD players, a couple CDs, and.
“... Earbuds. Headphones.”
“... What’s this supposed to do?” Surge grumbled. “Placate us?”
Whisper said nothing as she pulled out the biggest box.
“This… I’ll help you with.”
“What is it?” Kit asked, immediately glaring at her.
“... Video games.”
Surge blinked.
“... Wait, what?”
“This is the newest console.”
“Wait, wait, wait, time the fuck out!” The tenrec shouted, crossing her hands. “Why the fuck you giving us this? You don’t even know if we’ll like this shit!”
“Neither do you,” she said, cutting right through her. “I’m giving you options.”
“Why buy it for us?! You hate me!”
Whisper raised an eyebrow.
“... I’m not giving you mine. If it makes you feel better, I don’t trust you with it.”
Surge growled, not wanting to admit it did.
“I’m not helping you. I’m helping the people you hurt.”
Surge snorted.
“Yeah, so it is to placate us.”
She snatched it out of the wolf’s hands and started running back to the Resistance, Kit right behind her. “Thanks for the shit, Squinty!”
Hours later, Kit was hooked on the TV, masterfully controlling the character on the screen.
“Shit, kid.” Surge laughed as she sat down on her bed. “Didn’t take you for a gamer.”
He didn’t respond, killing the next enemy ruthlessly then moving on.
The tenrec rolled her eyes before laying down.
Not before her eyes caught the CD player.
“... Fuck it. Why not?”
She grabbed the earbuds, the CD player, and turned it on.