This is a story based off a sequel for a fanfic I've written called "Short Circuit."
You can read that story right here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/83.....pters/19044199
Illustration by:  ventkazemaru

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How the mighty have fallen. Fox had fought it all; attack carriers, bio-weapons, planet destroyers, giant floating brains from parallel dimensions… And there he was, laying down on a couch, defeated by a little flu and a flimsy flock of stairs. His arm had to lay perfectly still even under the effect of the painkillers, otherwise, it would just open another can of agony Fox was tired of dealing with. Another series of coughs ensued as the news broadcast continued to report on the blizzard, his heart sinking lower as he hears the weatherman explain it was predicted to last from one to two days.

Fox began to theorize that he was somehow captured by Andross and put inside one of his experiments, as there was no other way to describe how many contrived events were piling up just to make his life a complete misery. Either that, or some of the gods above seemed to hate his guts. His throat hurt, his body felt like it was burning up, his freaking arm was broken… how did all of this happen within the mere span of one day?

There was only one explanation for this: Wolf. He didn't care anymore if his father told him Wolf meant no harm, Fox convinced himself entirely either Wolf was causing all of this on purpose, or he was cursed with Karma with Fox on the receiving end by proxy. The devil himself showed up not too long after, bringing along with him a mug with… something… and a bowl full of scrambled eggs.

From below, laying down in the couch, Fox could notice Wolf was kind of smiling as he walked towards him. The bastard probably liked seeing him like this: weak, beaten, vulnerable… He had to wonder why didn't Wolf just go for the kill already if he was enjoying it so damn much. As the lupine approached, Fox coughed and sneezed 'accidentally' in front of him, but it seemed like Wolf hadn't been affected much.

"How you feel, pup?" Wolf asked as he crouched down beside the vulpine, bringing himself down to look at his eye level. Fox let the air blow from his nostrils as he formed an angry frown, as if he even needed to say anything. "Awful."

"See? I told you not to sleep in the goddamn fireplace, but did you listen?" Wolf asked as he put the bowl down and held the mug with both hands. "Now tell me, how on Corneria did you fall the stairs all by yourself? What the hell happened up there?"

"I had a nightmare and I saw your ugly face in it…" Fox commented bluntly without moving a single muscle.

Wolf shook his head and sighed, he then answered: "I wonder what I'd tell your father if something bad happened to you. 'Sorry James, had to let your pup die because he thought my bed had cooties.'"

"Go fuck yourself, Wolf. I was not going to sleep in the same bed you've spent two months jacking off on, you frea-" Before he could finish his insult, Wolf growled and grabbed the back of his head, shoving the large-sized cup of painkilling medicine into the vulpine's muzzle.

Fox reacted by kicking and trying to fight back, which turned out to be a bad idea. Reflexively, he moved his right arm to push wolf away; and once it connected, the fracture gave in and attacked Fox with the biggest jolt of pain he had ever felt in his life. Fox tried to scream, but was unable to and choked thanks to the medicine running down his throat. He fell down to the floor, holding his arm for dear life in a feeble attempt to stop the overwhelming pain.

"Shit!" The other man screamed as the mug had escaped from his grasp and fell tumbling to the ground, rolling away from view. Wolf was quick to wrap his arms around the downed Fox and tried to lift him off the floor. "Are you alri-"

"NO!" Fox's voice came thundering as he tried to kick Wolf away. Afraid another accident was going to happen, Wolf let Fox go. After that, the vulpine started to stand up by himself with some difficulty, as his nostrils fumed in fury. "Uh… pup…?" Wolf asked raising his hands and backing away slowly, he then tried again. "…Are you… alright?"

"No! I'm not alright, you piece of shit! I'VE HAD IT!" Fox spat at Wolf, kicking the bowl he left on the ground away. "I don't give a damn about what my father says anymore, because you're the biggest – fucking – asshole I've ever met." Whether it was the pain, his wounds, or Wolf himself, he knew he had reached his limit. "And by the way, you can kiss my team goodbye, 'cuz I'm LEAVING!"

"You can't just leave, pup. There's a blizzard out there. You're gonna kill yoursel-"

"No! Staying here another minute is gonna kill myself!" In the heat of the moment, Fox started to bear an ominous laugh as Wolf watched confused. "You like seeing me like this, don't you? You like watching me go crazy while you keep breaking me more and more, huh? Just like in the Lylat Wars. You never changed, Wolf. You just found a new way to do it, admit it!"

"For the hundredth time, I'm sorry about all the shit I've pulled on you and your father!"

"No, Wolf. You're not sorry, you'll never be sorry about any goddamn thing. And you know how I know? Because you're a wretch with no family. You're a freak who never cared about any goddamn person in Lylat, but your own freaking self!" As he was done with his rant, Fox started to move towards the front door, bumping his left shoulder into Wolf along the way. "And when I get back to Pepper, I'll do everything I can so that bounty comes straight back to your head."

Shortly after, Fox was disturbed by a hand on his shoulder, stopping him on his tracks. Wolf then forced him to spin him around as he glared through the vulpine's eyes into his soul. "You're not leaving, pup!"

He was ready to do everything he could to stop Fox from doing anything that'd hurt himself, but as he approached him, he was met with the vulpine's knee, a straight blow to his stomach. Wolf bent down and held his belly together, only to receive another blow to his crotch. He came crashing to the ground as Fox turned around and ran for the front door.

It wouldn't budge with the amount of snow blocking it from outside, and Fox knew that. He took a large breath in and swallowed hard, gripping his right arm tight and started to sprint faster. As he got a few feet away from the door, he took a leap and jumped through. Glass shattered all over his body, cutting through his fur and drawing blood that stained the pure white snow. He instantly felt the wind blow against him, trying to knock him away as it froze him to death.

Fox could care less about it, he kept running away without bothering with the cold or the sheer strength of the wind, not looking back once. There wasn't a moment where snow wouldn't fall and taint his fur, his feet were being pulled by the huge white mass on the ground that tried to bury him underneath, and Fox felt the whole time that just one small leap forward would send him flying back to where he started.

It didn't take long until he was forced to close his eyes; not that it mattered, as he couldn't see anything past the thick white fog that engulfed the forest. His ears, once the most accurate sense he could bear, were overloaded by the sound of the trees being blown away by the strong gust of the wind. However, it captured a faint sound that echoed through the wind.

"Foooooooooooooox!"

Wolf's voice called to him. Fox didn't know which direction it came from, he just kept running faster and faster away from Wolf, hoping he'd reach somewhere safe. Each step he took made breathing harder and harder, until it got to the point where Fox could not open his muzzle without coughing. He began to feel nauseous, slowly coming into a halt. Regardless, Fox kept pushing forward, he needed to. Either the storm killed him or Wolf would, and he didn't want to give his enemy that pleasure.

Suddenly, he felt his head splitting apart; then, he felt his body flying backwards until his back hit the snow. It took him a moment to realize, he had hit a tree in his way. He didn't even feel his broken arm anymore, in fact, he couldn't feel anything but pain anymore. His entire body was screaming, unmoving, slowly being consumed by the snow.

In an instant, Fox couldn't breathe anymore. He felt life escaping him, his memories flashing back and forth before him. He saw an image of himself, piloting his ship against a lone Wolfen in Venom. Wolf was shooting his Arwing out of the sky. Fox started to fall, falling eternally into an empty void of darkness. Wolf's gigantic figure showed up in front of him, grinning widely as his hand reached out for his Arwing.

As he grabbed the ship, his body disappeared; leaving only an empty void of black filling for Fox's vision. The vulpine felt himself being pulled up while Wolf's voice echoed in his mind. "Fox? C'mon Fox, answer me!" He tried to open his muzzle again, only for another series of coughs to escape and for him to see his own white breath glowing in the dark. His body continued to be pulled up by an invisible force, and soon enough, he felt himself moving.

"Don't worry, pup. I'll save you!"

Those were the last words he heard. After that, the world was reduced to darkness and silence.