Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kitsunami Was Acting Strange

Over the last few days, the little blue fox had been trembling with every step he took, like an unstable jelly.

Normally, his body temperature stayed well-regulated thanks to all the time he spent with  his HydroPack, damp air near water. That refreshing humidity always kept him comfortable—but lately, it didn’t seem to help at all. Quite the opposite, actually. His skin seemed to burn, radiating heat that could almost be felt without touching him.

The little fox also didn’t seem excited anymore when it was time to share the meager food they had left. He kept insisting that Surge should eat it instead—that she was the strong one, the one who needed her energy back.

Kitsunami wasn’t the kind to sit still forever. Sure, he was calm—surprisingly calm for someone so young—but he’d never gone more than ten meters away from Surge. That’s when the green-haired teenager started to notice how distant he’d become. He no longer followed her everywhere. Instead, he preferred to curl up in the bunk bed they shared inside Dr. Starline’s old laboratory.

He looked so miserable that he’d even fallen asleep wearing his HydroPack without realizing it.

To Surge, this was weird—really weird. She’d never seen her partner in such bad shape before. Still, she brushed it off. They were both built to recover from injuries quickly. Whatever was going on, it would pass eventually. Besides, she wasn’t created to be anyone’s babysitter.

Until it stopped getting better.

“HEY! DRIPPY!” Surge’s voice echoed through the cold, metallic room, her boots clanging as she stormed in, slamming one hand against the wall while holding a small supply box in the other. “There’s almost nothing left! We’re gonna have to go out and restock sooner or later!”

She dropped the box gently on the floor—luckily, it didn’t break.

Her brow furrowed when Kit didn’t answer. A low growl escaped her throat.

“HEY! Drippy? KITSUNAMI! You know I hate it when you ignore me!” she shouted, storming toward the lower bunk where the little fox had been holed up for days. “What the hell’s wrong with you?! STOP IGNORING ME!”

Tiny sparks of electricity flickered off her skin.

From his bed, Kitsunami trembled but didn’t answer.

“...Drippy?” she mumbled, her voice softening. Her friend looked worse than ever—exhausted, drained. “Hey, kid... come on, wake up.”

Surge knelt beside him and gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

The small fox only let out a weak, pained gasp, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Damn it,” Surge muttered. She had no idea what was happening—or what she was supposed to do. She’d never seen him like this before.

For a moment, she thought maybe he’d know what to do—after all, Kitsunami was the smarter one of the two. But right now... he wasn’t in any shape to speak, let alone think clearly.

Surge stood frozen, frustration twisting her face. Her fists clenched tight as she growled under her breath. She had no clue what to do—and Kit wasn’t exactly in a position to tell her.

But there was no way she was just going to leave the only person she cared about like this.

If she didn’t know what to do... then she’d have to find someone who did.

Even if that meant swallowing her pride.

But who?

It’s not like people in the city liked them—or that anyone would help them without a trap involved.

Until a name crossed her mind.

And damn, she hated the idea.

Sonic. And, of course, that idiot Tails (Kitsunami’s words, not hers).

As much as she despised it, Sonic had tried to help her before. And not too long ago, both he and Tails had even helped Kitsunami. If they’d really wanted to hurt him, that would’ve been their chance.

...Or maybe they were the reason he was broken now.

That single thought was enough to make her snarl, punching the wall hard enough to leave a small scorch mark of electricity.

“That miserable hedgehog,” she growled under her breath.

Her glare softened slightly when she looked back at the limp blue fox. He looked awful.

With surprising gentleness, Surge scooped him into her arms. The little fox whimpered faintly, too weak to protest.

And with nothing else left to lose, Surge left the cold, dark lab behind—heading to the only place she could think of.

At that point, she didn’t care if someone found them.

---

Sonic leaned back on the couch with a smug grin, biting into a chili dog. Beside him, Tails was focused on a pile of repair notes Jewel had sent over—blueprints, checklists, resistance tech upgrades.

Then—BANG, BANG, BANG!

Both of them jumped as someone pounded on the door, the noise so loud it sounded like it might break off its hinges.

“Uh... you expecting someone?” Tails asked, glancing up from his papers.

“Nope. And I doubt any of our friends would knock like that,” Sonic replied, setting his chili dog on the table and getting to his feet. “Stay here—I’ll be right back.” He shot Tails a cocky wink before heading to the door.

He opened it casually—then froze.

Standing there was Surge, glaring daggers at him like he was the worst person in the world.

And in her arms... an unconscious Kitsunami.

Sonic hadn’t seen either of them in weeks.

Surge’s scowl deepened. She shifted Kitsunami slightly, pulling him away from her chest and thrusting him forward.

“Fix him,” she growled. “Now.”

Sonic just stood there, blinking, his brain trying to catch up with whatever the hell was happening.

“Uh... Tails?!” he called over his shoulder. “I think I could use a little help here!”

This was going to be either really bad... or really, really bad.

Chapter Text

When Tails stepped out of Sonic’s house as well, he froze the moment he saw Surge and Kitsunami.

And even more so when he got a closer look at the fennec’s condition. He had to stare carefully just to make sure Kit was actually still alive.

“You two did this to him,” he growled. It sounded far more like an accusation than a question.

Sonic and Tails exchanged a baffled look.

“Surge, I know you hate us and all, but accusing us of—” Sonic paused, glancing at Kitsunami with genuine confusion, “—whatever this is… that’s pretty unfair and honestly ridiculous.”

Surge shot them both a death glare.

“Sonic,” Tails nudged the blue hedgehog sharply. “What he means is: we didn’t do anything to Kitsunami. Though… he really does look terrible.”

“Why should I believe a word you say?” Surge huffed, holding Kit tighter against her chest.

“C’mon! Why would we do something like that?” Sonic snapped back, earning another growl from Surge. “We help people. We don’t try to kill them!”

Surge went silent. Sonic had a point… but it was still suspicious that Kit started acting weird so soon after spending time with the two idiots standing in front of her.

Tails took a careful step forward, immediately causing Surge to step back.

“Look, Surge,” Tails began, his voice annoyingly calm and gentle—so gentle it made Surge want to hurl herself into traffic—“I know you don’t trust either of us. But if you let me examine Kitsunami, maybe we can help him. He looks seriously sick.”

Again, Surge said nothing. She looked at Sonic and Tails with deep distrust… but when her eyes dropped to Kit, her expression softened.

Right. She had come here for this—to make them fix Kit. But now that she was face-to-face with them, doubt was creeping in. Still… she didn’t exactly have many options.

And if they tried anything stupid, she could always fry them both.

“Fine. But if either of you tries something against us—you’re dead.” Her voice dropped, dark and sharp.

Neither of them flinched at her threat.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Surge,” Sonic muttered, walking back into the house with Tails. Surge followed, carrying the unconscious Kit close behind.

She followed them into the living room, where she gently set Kitsunami down on the couch and sat at his side.

“Wait here,” Tails said from the doorway, Sonic beside him. “I’m going to grab a first-aid kit.”

They disappeared into the bathroom. Tails opened a cabinet and pulled out the kit.

“Are you sure about this?” Sonic asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway. He glanced back toward their unexpected guests.

“No…” Tails admitted as he closed the cabinet. “But we can’t just leave them like this. I know they’ve done bad things, but… if we help them, maybe we can convince them to change.”

“And what if they’re planning something? Showing up like this out of nowhere—” Sonic turned fully toward him. “The kid still has that weird water-controlling backpack.”

“Well… either Kitsunami is an incredible actor, or they really do need our help.”

“You know I trust you and your instincts, little bro. I guess everyone deserves a second chance.” Sonic sighed and followed Tails back to the living room.

Surge stared at them with suspicion as they returned. Kitsunami had curled up again on the couch, resting his head on Surge’s lap while she gently stroked his fur.

“Sorry for the wait,” Tails said, sitting on the floor beside the couch. He placed the first-aid kit next to him.

“Whatever. I already knew you two were slowpokes,” Surge snorted, rolling her eyes. Sonic had to bite his tongue to avoid responding.

“Right, well…” Tails scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Do you mind standing up? I need to—”

“No.” Surge cut him off instantly.

“Hey!” Sonic scolded. “We’re trying to help you and the little guy! Stop acting like the boss and move!”

“Don’t worry, Surge,” Tails interjected quickly. “We’re not going to hurt him. I just need to take his temperature and check how bad it is.”

Surge grumbled, but reluctantly moved aside. Kit whimpered as she shifted him.

“No funny business,” she warned again, leaning against the back of the couch. Tails sighed, pulling a thermometer from the kit.

He placed a hand on Kit’s forehead, brushing aside some fur—only to flinch at how hot he was, even with the lightest touch.

“This is bad. He’s burning up…” Tails murmured, which only made Surge more anxious.

“Should I call Amy? Maybe she can help?” Sonic suggested.

“Who’s that?” Surge growled, immediately suspicious. “Is she gonna ambush us or something?”

Tails slipped the thermometer into Kit’s mouth while Sonic answered, “No! She’s a friend. She’s nice and super helpful—she could lend a hand.”

Surge raised a brow. “So… your girlfriend?”

She snickered. Sonic instantly turned red; Tails stifled a laugh, focusing on Kit.

“No! She’s just a friend!” Sonic blurted out.

“Yeah, well, I don’t trust her either,” Surge muttered, crossing her arms.

Tails removed the thermometer—and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Sonic leaned closer. “What’s it say?”

“111.2°F… that’s not good, right?”

“Nope,” Tails said quickly, putting it away and pulling out a clean cloth. “Sonic, can you bring some cold water?”

“Uh, sure. But is it even safe to give water to someone who can control water?”

“I don’t know, but we don’t have time to worry about that right now!” Tails said, adjusting Kit among the pillows and unstrapping his Hydro Pack. Surge growled but didn’t stop him—not yet.

“Got it,” Sonic said before running off to the kitchen.

Surge watched everything, feeling confused—and furious. Why weren’t they explaining anything?! She should be the first to know what was going on!

She grabbed Tails by the shoulder and shook him.

“What the hell is happening, fox?” she snarled. Tiny sparks flickered from her hands—she was trying to stay calm, but these two idiots made it nearly impossible.

“N-Nothing, Surge! Kit just has a high fever!” Tails yelped, slowly retreating.

“Fever? Is that even possible?” she snapped.

“Apparently…” Tails fidgeted nervously. “But we’ve got it under control.”

Sonic came back with a bottle of cold water. Tails soaked the cloth and placed it on Kit’s forehead.

“Should we grab some medicine?” Sonic asked, sitting beside him.

“Yeah, but I don’t think we have any,” Tails muttered, adjusting the cloth. “Darn it…”

Surge perked up at the word medicine. You got that in pharmacies, right? She could handle that. And she definitely wasn’t trusting any weird pills those two might try to give her little brother.

“I’ll handle it,” Surge said, marching toward the door.

“WHAT? NO! Surge, you can’t just go out there—you’re a criminal! You’ll cause chaos in the city—!” Tails cried, but Surge was already gone, sprinting full speed away as Sonic and Tails stood frozen in place.

“…That’s gonna be a problem tomorrow,” Sonic sighed.

Chapter Text

The sun was already up when a loud thud caught everyone’s attention inside Sonic’s house.

“I’m baaaack!” Surge sang as she dropped a bag stuffed full of medicine onto the floor.

“Uh… Surge?” Tails’ timid voice floated over as he and Sonic walked toward her. “You didn’t need to bring this much.”

“Pssh. I didn’t know which ones we needed,” she huffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

“How did you even get the money to pay for all this?” Sonic crouched down to inspect the pile.

“Pay?” Surge echoed, incredulous.

“Oh please—tell me you didn’t rob a pharmacy,” Tails pleaded. But Surge’s guilty expression said everything.

“See? Told you this was gonna be a huge problem,” Sonic whispered in Tails’ ear.

Tails ignored him and gently approached Surge. “Why don’t you go rest? You look exhausted. If you sleep a little, you’ll feel better.”

“I’m not tired. And I’m not leaving you two alone with Kit,” she growled. Sonic couldn’t help rolling his eyes, baffled.

‘If you don’t want to leave us alone with the kid, why did you run off to rob a whole pharmacy?’ Sonic thought.

“Come on, Surge. You won’t be any help to Kitsunami if you don’t at least try to sleep,” Tails insisted. “You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“…Fine. But if you try anything—”

“You’ll kill us, yeah, we got it,” Sonic cut her off quickly, earning himself another elbow.

“Please, the room at the end of the hall, to the right,” Tails pointed.

With one last death glare, Surge left the room.

“…I think your plan to ‘make them see the light’ is going terribly,” Sonic sighed.

“I know. She literally just came back from robbing a pharmacy,” Tails groaned, rubbing his forehead. “We can’t let people know she’s here. They’ll panic after everything that’s happened.”

“Don’t worry, little bro. I’ll handle it tomorrow,” Sonic said, ruffling Tails’ hair teasingly.

.

.

.

It was all your fault.

If it weren’t for you, Kitsunami would be fine.

Surge desperately tried to shut the voice out—that voice, the one she knew too well. She shoved a pillow over her ears. That stupid, smug scientist—Starline—echoed through her skull, his pretentiously smooth voice dripping arrogance. She hated it. Hated him.

I created you so you’d support each other. And now you need Sonic to fix what you broke. Pathetic. YOU are pathetic. And to think I once called you my greatest creation.

If you hadn’t betrayed me, none of this would be happening.

I loved you. I made you.

And this is how you repay me? Ungrateful brats.

Whatever happens to you now is your responsibility.

Your fault.

Only your fault.

It was your fault.

Surge jolted awake, gasping for air, heart pounding. She realized she had tears in her eyes—tiny ones, but they were there. Her chest heaved so fast it hurt to breathe.

Slowly, she wiped the half-formed tears away with her gloved hand.

Who says they aren’t hurting him right now?

Surge shot up from the bed, still shaky, using the wall for support as she stumbled toward the living room. She just needed to see Kit—make sure the little blue fox was okay.

But then she saw him.

Dr. Starline. Standing over Kit. Touching his forehead. Smiling that shallow, arrogant smile.

Surge froze completely. For a moment, she felt nothing.

Then she realized Starline was hurting Kit.

Again.

And she would NOT let that happen.

She lunged.

Both of them crashed to the floor with a heavy thud. Surge pinned him down with one hand on his chest while raising the other to punch him square in the face.

Starline’s smug expression vanished instantly—replaced by pure terror. And Surge felt a dark, satisfying thrill.

But just as she was about to land the punch she had dreamt of throwing a thousand times, someone yanked her backward—hard.

“Surge, what the hell are you doing?!” Sonic’s angry voice filled the room as he pulled her away.

“Stay out of this, hedgehog! This is between me and him!” she snarled, struggling. Sonic only tightened his grip. “That stupid Starline has to pay for what he did!”

“What are you even talking about?” Sonic barked, incredulous, backing away.

Surge pushed herself up, ready to point at Starline—

But he wasn’t there.

Only Tails remained, gasping for breath and rubbing his neck where Surge had knocked him over.

Surge stumbled back, face draining of color.

“No no no no…” she whispered, so quietly the air barely caught it. This couldn’t be happening. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be… right? She didn’t have those hallucinations anymore.

…Right?

Sonic helped Tails up, both of them staring at Surge as she spiraled into a panic attack.

“I think you need to call Amy,” Tails said shakily, standing upright again.

“Yeah… I’ll message her. I’m not trusting Surge alone with you again,” Sonic muttered, grabbing his phone to call the pink hedgehog.

Tails approached Surge cautiously, trying to calm her.

“Hey… hey, it’s okay. Deep breaths,” he whispered soothingly.

But Surge only grew worse.

“Shut up, fox!” She backed away sharply, panic twisting her voice. “Don’t— don’t come near me!”

Sonic returned. “Amy says she’s coming right away,” he told Tails.

Surge’s panic spiked.

“Is this a trap?! Are you planning to hand Kit and me over?!” she snarled, fists crackling with electricity. “I’ll beat both of you to a pulp—”

“No!” Sonic snapped, patience thinning, though he forced himself to stay calm. “Look, I know you’re scared, but you HAVE to trust us!”

Surge opened her mouth to respond—but the doorbell rang.

“That must be Ames,” Sonic said with a relieved grin.

“Isn’t that… really fast? You just called her,” Tails pointed out, stepping closer to Surge again—only for her to flinch away.

“When I told her everything, she sounded worried. You know how she is,” Sonic shrugged before hurrying to the door. His cheerful expression faltered instantly.

“Espio? Charmy? What are you guys doing here? Where’s Vector?”

“We’re investigating a pharmacy robbery,” Espio said calmly. “And considering you live here, we thought you might know something.”

Charmy buzzed excitedly atop Espio’s head. “Vector stayed behind to file boring reports and check the place again!”

"Oh… this is definitely gonna cause a problem," Sonic thought grimly.