Author's Note: Hey guys! Jed here! I decided to work on something special for the occasion. Originally, I had planned to write a chaptered Christmas Special but scrapped it. Instead, I worked on this for the past few days! This is my first one-shot and I hope you'll enjoy it! I swear, I'm better off doing chapters than one shots. xD
Along the way of writing this, I also came up with an idea to write a one-shot for almost each special holiday. So here's the first of Jed's Star Fox Holiday Romance One-Shot collection! Hopefully this first one turns out great! And please leave a review if you like this! I'm eager to hear your feedback!
Enjoy!
A Krystmas to Remember
…O…O…O...O…O…
"It's that time of the year folks! The snow starts to fall. The lights are shining around houses and trees. The children play around building snowmen and wishing for their presents. That's right! It's Christmas Eve! It's not only a kids' favorite, if you got someone special, you could-"
"TV off," the vulpine voiced out in a commanding tone, instantly turning off the holographic television within the lounge.
He'd always dreaded this time of the year. Ever since he had gotten the news about- He shook his head, trying his best to not think of it. Instead, he looked down at the coffee table in front of him, sitting on the flat glass surface was a cup of warm chocolate. He smiled, as he recalled who made him that cup of beverage.
Just four months since she came aboard and only a month after she'd completed the flight course.
The person in his mind not only impressed him, she amazed him. Though he kept denying it, he knew he'd already had an attraction for her ever since they met on Sauria. He turned the cup around, the words on the curved surface slowly came to view. Knight in Shining Armor, he chuckled at the words imprinted on it but he pondered about it.
She bought me this…Why do I keep thinking there's a hidden message in this.
He shook his head muttering, "keep dreaming, McCloud. Keep going about in your fantasy." He sighed afterward, taking a sip of the chocolate and smiled.
It was actually quite nice despite it being a bit sweeter than usual. Taking a few more sips, he stood up from the couch and walked across the lounge to the kitchen at the back of the large room. Finishing the last of the tasty brown beverage, he turned on the tap of the sink, allowing the water to start running for a second before the last of the chocolate was finished.
He quickly washed the mug before setting it by the side of the counter. Licking his lips of the leftover stains, he walked his way out the lounge. Stopping just out in the hall, he glanced around and sighed sadly, feeling the near emptiness of the Great Fox.
Slippy had his parents to visit to. Peppy had his kids and other family members. Hell, even Falco decided to visit his parents this year.
But you're not the only one who's lonely.
He looked to the left, down the hall where each member's personal rooms were. Specifically, he was staring at the door where their newest member resides in. She had recently left him in the lounge to meditate. But he knew that was a lie. When she was leaving the rec room, the vulpine couldn't help but notice the redness in her eyes and the slight hint of sadness in her tone when she had said it.
If there was ever an occasion where she'd cry in front of him, he wouldn't have been able to stand it. It'd feel like sharp shrapnel stabbing into his heart if he was to see her in tears. During her time on the ship, she'd told him a lot about herself, more than he'd expect her to share since they've only known each other for half an year. She had lost everything, more than he did. He couldn't just sit around thinking he's the most miserable animal in the whole universe when someone else, especially someone he had loved lost even more than he did.
I can't let her be like this, I'm not gonna just stand there, I'm going to make this her best Christmas ever.
With a determined grunt, he nodded to himself before heading down the hallway only to stop mid-step. What could he do to make it the best? Should he ask her out? No, she'd probably refuse the offer, who'd want to go out with a mercenary like him anyway? He sighed, scratching his head as he continued to think of a way to cheer her up.
It's almost Christmas Eve too…
As if he messed up in a major science project in school, the vulpine smacked the side of his noggin a couple of times, cursing himself for not thinking about it.
A present! Of course! What took me so long to figure that out?!
He sighed, calming himself down before walking again. Stopping in front of the shut slide-door of her room, his ears twitched as he heard something behind it. Curious to what's happening on the other side, he walked closer and pressed his ear against the door. What the sounds were made him grit his teeth. He could hear her sobbing, speaking in her native language. He couldn't bear seeing or even hearing her cry. It only made the vulpine more desperate to get her something, anything at this point.
Without hesitation, he quickly continued walking down the hall until he reached his room. Instantly placing his paw on the door, it responded with a soft hiss and slid from his view, revealing the messy chamber he proudly calls 'Bedroom'. Clothing, papers and other miscellaneous stuff littered everywhere. The large bed in the middle was not made, half the bed sheets drooped to the side and covered a good full foot of the floor beside it. He'd have to clean up the room later.
Turning back to his current objective of the day, he scrambled through the room, finding a pair of warm trousers that could protect his legs from snow and a heat-sustaining under shirt along with a khaki jacket. It wasn't much but he didn't care. What mattered most to him at this very moment was the present he's supposed to get for her.
Throwing on the last of his attire, he jogged out of his room and headed straight for the hangar. Passing by her room, he paused for a moment and noticed that she had stopped crying. From there on, curiosity took place and he edged closer to her bedroom door, placing his paw on it and the same hiss and slide followed.
The hallway light flooded her room, giving the carpet that cover the chamber's floors a lighter shade of violet. He looked up ahead, seeing the sleeping figure in the bed and walked up to it, trying his best not to make a sound as he inched closer until he reached the side of her bed.
He couldn't see her very well, but it didn't matter to him. Sleeping on the bed with her paws clenched onto the bed sheets was the sapphire vixen. He could see the tear stains around her eyes and he winced at it.
I'm going to make sure that she'd never cry again…I must.
He slowly reached a hand to her, gently caressing the side of her beautiful face and feeling her soft fur against the palm of his paw. A very risky move but the vixen did not stir from it. He brushed away a few strands of hair that had made their way covering her face and sighed.
"I'll get you something special, Krys." He softly whispered to her even though she was sound asleep. "I promise."
With that, he walked away from her bed and left the vixen's room, leaving her there to continue her sleep. Knowing well what he's going to get her, he quickened his pace down the hall, reaching the elevator and descended down to the hangar of the cruiser. He looked at the hangar and sighed. Two of the Arwing launching pads were empty; the last two were set side-to-side with each other.
He jogged his way towards the two fighters, jumped into the cockpit of the closest one and switched up the systems. The engines grumbled to life as he tapped a few keys and opened a com link to the bridge. Not long later, a robotic head popped up from the hologram projector beside the com panel.
"Rob, launch me, I'm heading down to the city for a while." The vulpine requested as he continued to tap keys on the panel. "Take care of Krystal for me if she wakes up."
"Affirmative," Rob answered with his monotone voice. "Launching in three...Two…One."
At the exact time the robotic assistant had counted down to one, the Arwing shot forward, piercing through the passive barrier of the hangar and out into the dark void of space. He quickly danced his one of his paw on the panel to stabilize the G-diffusers while using his other hand to steady out his craft with one of the control sticks.
Not long later, his fighter was flying steadily down towards Corneria. He stopped his fighter as the com started beeping, beckoning him to answer. He tapped a key and answered the call and soon enough a head of a Corgi appeared on the projector with a headset that was standard for a space control operator.
"This is Corneria City Space Port control, please identify yourself before proceeding." The canine said through the com link, her voice was a bit more cheerful than the others. Then again, it was Christmas.
"This is Captain Fox McCloud of Star Fox, requesting to land on the city's port." He replied, waiting for her to respond.
"Captain Fox McCloud?" Her holographic head gaped at him which he only nodded in response. "U-Um…Sorry sir, I…"
Though hidden by both her fur and the bad display of the holo-projector, the vulpine could tell she was blushing. He furrowed an eyebrow, not really certain what's going on. He shook his head and cleared his throat before she continued where she left off.
"Sorry sir, I-I didn't know it was you…" She said shyly, causing him to grow more confused.
"Exactly why are you acting like this?" He asked bluntly.
"Oh, um…" She stuttered, her eyes darting around wherever she was. "Well…You're the Fox McCloud right?"
"Yes, so?"
"Well, sir…You're actually quite famous."
He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I guess so…But-"
"Anyway, um…You're cleared!" She cut him off, giving him a sheepish smile before cutting the com link.
The vulpine allowed his craft to hover in space for another few seconds, dazed in confusion from what just happened. In truth, he haven't visited Corneria for a really long time, he'd thought that the Cornerian Military would take the credit for whatever mission the team had completed.
Apparently not.
He shrugged it off and started up the engines again. Tapping away on the controls, he re-adjusted the G-diffusers for atmospheric breaching. Finally satisfied, he slowly pushed the controls forward, bringing the fighter down at an angle. Soon enough, the nose of the Arwing started to glow as his craft penetrated the planet's atmosphere.
The vulpine sighed as the heat seeped through. Sometimes, he wished that the atmosphere worked like the weather below it. So he wouldn't need to feel the heat caused from breaching it. He looked down, watching as the clouds grew in size as he continued to descend onto the blue planet.
Soon enough, the nose of his fighter stopped glowing and the temperature inside the cockpit started to lower back to its original degrees. The sky itself was still black, but he couldn't tell if he was still in space theoretically or if it was the night sky. Looking around, he saw the bright Cornerian moon to his right and let out a feh. The last time he looked at what time it was, it was a quarter past midnight, and that was probably a few hours ago. He had to pick up the pace before she wakes up.
He descended through the clouds, the present for the vixen was the only thing in his mind right now. Only a minute later, the clouds parted and revealed the coastal city below and the space port on its own island to the right side of the city's coast.
Another beep sounded through the com as he continued to lower his altitude. He tapped the answer key and the same Corgi appeared on the projector with a worried look. From what it looked like, something was wrong.
"Yes?"
"So sorry, sir!" She blurted out, her voice was higher pitched from before. "I forgot to tell you which hangar you're supposed to be assigned at! I'm so so sorry!"
"Calm down, don't worry about it." He assured her, smiling and causing the young canine to blush.
"U-um…The hangar you're assigned to is private, S-14."
"Alright, thanks." With that, he gave her a nod before closing the link again.
He steadied his craft as it went down closer to the port, more and more details were beginning to be revealed and it surprised the vulpine. The space port itself looked jam-packed as it was. The air fields were covered with various flight crafts of all shapes and sizes. Some were able to reach space, some were simple aircrafts. He was probably lucky that the private hangars were reserved for more important people and such.
Stopping his descent only a few meters away from the ground and just enough to hover over most of the grounded crafts below, the vulpine began searching for his assigned hangar. At first it seemed like a normal landing, but soon a random holler caught his attention. He looked to his left to see an excited group of animals looking up at him.
Their calls were muffled but he was certain they were calling his name. He didn't really know what to do about this. Hovering through the spaceport he glanced down and decided to do something that he'd regret later; He waved at them. Soon, his unique fighter had attracted more of the people below. From what he remembered, only Star Fox had been using Arwings.
"This'll be troublesome…" He muttered as he continued to find his assigned private hangar.
He glanced down behind him to see a large crowd of animals following him like a leader on a flying chariot leading an army. Was he that famous? As much as he wished that the crowd would stop following, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself from all the attention he's getting. He gave his forehead a pat and sighed
"No, focus…You're not Falco, you can't let your ego get the best of you." He scolded himself, trying his best to ignore the ever growing crowd that tailed behind him as he continued to hover across the air fields.
Soon, he found it. The place in mind was lined along a row of small hangars big enough for a shuttle to fit in. As he approached the lane, the securities below started to form a wall to keep the crowd from entering this area of the space port. He sighed in relief as he landed inside the hangar he was assigned to. Just by the entrance to the building was the ship caretaker, an ursine from the looks of it.
He killed the engines as soon as the fighter's landing gear touched ground, opening the cockpit and jumped onto the wing. The cold air struck him, causing the vulpine to tug on his jacket collar closer to his neck as he got off the craft. Now he was able to get a better look at the figure that would be taking care of his ship. He wasn't a bear. In fact, he was a pug in a bunch of winter wears. Now that he thought of it, the canine looked a lot like a ball of clothing with arms and legs.
"G'morning, sir." The bulldog tipped his hat as a greeting.
Morning?
"Uh…Morning, what time is it?"
The pug brought his arm up, pulling back the sleeve to reveal an old fashioned watch on his wrist before answering, "it's currently five, sir."
Good god, it's that late already….Or early? Hell, I have to get that present and fast!
"Alright, take care of the Arwing for me. I'll be back roughly an hour or so." He quickly paced his way towards the exit at the back of the hangar.
I should've worn more clothes…
As he exited the hangar, a harsh chill blew past him, causing him to shiver. Now he knew the full scale of how cold this winter was. He looked up at the dark sky only to see it covered by clouds. He let out a frustrated growl and quickly trudged his way through the thick layer of snow from the previous snowfall. As he moved through the airfield, he looked around cautiously, trying his best not to get anyone's attention as he neared the closest terminal.
Unfortunately due to his attire, he couldn't mask very well. The white line of fur on top of his head was still exposed while the jacket's collar could only cover half of his face. This wasn't turning too good for him. Up ahead was a bunch of animals going about their own business within the air field. But from his previous encounter, these people would probably tackle him with autographs and such.
Luckily as he continued to walk, he noticed a hat sliding across the ground in front of him. Wasting no time, he chased it, grabbing it by the brim and studied it.
Well, I guess I still have some luck with me.
He patted the snow off of it and plopped it on his head, his left paw holding down the top of the hat from letting it blown off by the wind and his right hand tugged on his collar to hide his identity. Taking in a deep breath, he carried on walking. Amazingly, the trick worked as he strolled by groups of animals without them noticing who he was.
Sure there were a few curious glances but that's all the vulpine ever received. He was content with that and hoped it would last just a bit longer as he approached the set of double doors that lead into the terminal.
…O…O…O…O…O…
"Mm…" She moaned as she stirred from her sleep.
Rolling to the left side of the bed, the vixen found herself unable to go back to her dreams. She frowned as the realization sank in, at least when she dreamt, she could be with her family. But something caught her attention, or some smell. It was a scent, a really familiar scent that she seemed to grow to love. It belonged to him.
She breathed it in and then sighed. Since his scent was here, that just meant he must've entered her room without her permission. But that didn't bother her. What bothered her was the probability of him seeing the evidence of her crying.
He must've known…
She sat up, rubbing her eyes before allowing her vision to adjust to the darkness of her room. She glanced to her left, seeing the red numbers highlighted on the far wall to see the time; Six o'clock. It was morning. She yawned, crawling her way to the edge of the bed before her foot touched the soft carpeted floor. Sitting on the side for a moment with much thoughts swirling, she couldn't help but allowing her mind to rest upon the vulpine again and again.
He's the closest friend I have right now…No he's more than a friend…He's…
The vixen shook her head, she couldn't seriously been falling in love with him that fast. But once she thought about them coupling together, her lips curled up into a smile. To think of it, she really didn't mind falling for him so fast. No, she's all for it.
Speaking of Fox…
Her ears twitched as she closed her eyes once again, her mind scanned the surround area only to come up with nothing. She frowned in confusion of not picking up any thought patterns in the living quarters of the ship.
Maybe he's at the Bridge or the hangar.
She shrugged, deciding that she'd take a shower first. Finally pushing herself off the bed and onto her feet, she walked towards her personal bathroom. Stripping out of her clothes, she stepped into the shower and adjusted the water temperature. The warm droplets that trickled down her body was soothing, it helped her relax herself and kept her from thinking of the past.
But again, her thoughts drifted back to the vulpine. But this time, she pictured herself being held within his arms, imagining the feel of his fur brushed against her muzzle as she buried her head into his chest. His strong arms protecting her from all harms and evils. His strong youthful voice. The feel of their lips pressed against each other, the taste…
She sighed, looking up at the plain white tiled ceiling above. "If only…"
...O…O…O…O…O…
Standing in the middle of the crowded terminal, the vulpine looked up at the signs to see which way was the exit. It had been so long since he'd been here. The port had changed a lot over the eight years. Finding that the nearby signs didn't help much, he chose another random direction and continued searching for a way out of the place.
As he walked, he glanced to his right seeing a clock hanging from one of the reception counters. It was already half past six, he'd already wasted valuable time just going through the space port. He growled before looking the other way and noticed another bunch of signs. One of them lead to the exit, it was right behind him.
"Great…" He muttered, doing an about-turn and half jogged his way in that direction.
Pushing past the ever-moving crowd of the port, he finally reached the exit, leaving the building and embraced the chilly outdoors once again. Snow had started to fall gently but it wouldn't be long until the wind kicks up and turn it into a snowstorm. Scanning the drop-by lane, he noticed a line of hover-taxis standing by for customers who needed a ride into the city, which was what he need.
Quickly, he made a bee-line to the most fore front cab and got in, closing the door shut before taking off his hat and sighing in relief.
"Can I help you-" The cab driver's eyes grew wider as he looked at the rear-view mirror at him. "F-Fox McCloud?"
"Uh…Yeah." Was all he could simply answer.
"My god, it is you! I get to drive the Hero of Lylat across town!"
"I guess you could say that but please, keep it down a bit." He gestured to lower the volume of their voices. "I don't want to attract another giant crowd."
"I thought you'd enjoy such company." The driver joked, letting out a small chuckle.
"No, I don't really."
"Alright then, where do you want to go?"
"Well if you don't mind, I'd like to enter the city first before deciding where in the city I want to drop off by." He looked out the window, watching the activities all around the terminal's entrance and frowned. "Besides, I only came down here to buy something."
"Ah, alright then." The cab driver turned to face him, revealing his feline features. "Name's Carl, at your service!"
"Pleasure to meet you, Carl." He briefly nodded, looking out again and accidentally made eye contact with a female vixen which seemed to be in her late teens. "Uh…Let's get out of here."
"Right!" The cat started up the engines, hearing a humming resonating from under their feet. "Corneria City, here we come."
With that, the hover-taxi sped away from the port and started crossing the long bridge which connected the space port island to the city itself. The vulpine slumped back on his seat, his arms tired from trying to cover up his most known features. He let out a long drawn-out sigh as he eased a bit as if he had been holding his breath for hours.
"What gotcha so worn out?" The feline driver asked, seeing the tired look in the celebrity's eyes.
"It's nothing, I guess it's because I didn't sleep for the whole night."
"Why couldn't ya sleep?"
He shook his head, not wanting to tell the cat what's troubling him. Instead he looked out the window to see the first hints of sunlight over the horizon. It was quite a magnificent sight to behold but he felt something missing, turning to look at the empty seat beside him. He didn't know why but for once, he imagined the blue vixen sitting there, her hand held in his and smiling at him as they enjoyed the view.
"McCloud, sir?" The feline's voice snapped him from his trance.
"Huh?"
"Never mind, I shouldn't be diving into someone else's business." Carl waved, deciding to switch the topic. "This is your first time in almost a decade to be back in the city, right?"
"Yeah, eight years to be exact." He looked out to see Solar rising again, this time half the star was above the horizon.
"Man, the city changed a lot during that time."
"I can tell." He shrugged, facing back to the front. "Trying to find my way out of the space port was enough proof of that."
The two shared a small laugh at that, crossing the last of the long bridge and entered the down-town district of Corneria City. The first things that greeted them were the tall glass-covered skyscrapers that towered over the coast, followed by the ever hateful traffic jams of rush hour in the morning. The cab driver grumbled at the unpleasant sight of a red light a few cars ahead.
He glanced at the clock of the cab, wondering how much time had been used. Fifteen minutes had passed since the last time he'd looked at the time. He could only wonder if the vixen had woken up already or was she still sleeping. Finally, he felt the slight movement of the cab, indicating that the light turned green.
"Sorry 'bout that," the cat adjusted his cabby hat as he continued to drive deeper into the city. "So, you got a place in mind yet?"
Nope, not like I know what to get for her anyway.
He simply looked out to the street, watching the shops pass them by as they continued to drive through. Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind. Though it seemed farfetched, the thought of jewelry crossed his mind. And as if by coincidence, he spotted a jewelry shop up ahead. It looked extremely high class even from the distance they were at as the decorations were more than elegant. But that didn't matter, he immediately patted Carl on the shoulder.
"Mind stopping by that shop over there?" The vulpine pointed at the store in question, causing the cat to furrow a brow with a small smirk.
"The Fortune Jewels? High class jewelry, not able to sleep, now I get it!" He turned to look at the fox. "You're gonna propose?"
"What?! N-No, of course not!" He blurted, he could feel his cheeks burn in embarrassment. "It's just a present…"
The cat only gave him a sly look in response but ultimately gave up. "Ah, whatever."
Waving it off, the cab driver parked the vehicle in front of the shop, looking around to see if there were any police patrolling that might catch them and give them a parking ticket. He gestured the vulpine to hurry it up and come back after getting the 'present'.
Without hesitation, he nodded and sprang out the cab, entering the store as soon as possible to avoid anyone seeing him. As he got in, he was greeted by the warmth of room temperature followed by a few awkward stares. He glanced around, noticing that he was the first customer of the day. There were three figures all dressed in the same attire and sorting out their jeweled products but stopped at the vulpine's sudden entrance.
He cleared his throat and walked over to the closest shop staff; a finely dress-uniformed spaniel who gave him a weary glance. "Uh…I would like to see if I could get a present for someone special."
"O-Oh, excuse us, we um…" She stuttered, giving half a laugh as she did so. "Thought you were going to rob us from the way you came in and…" Her eyes looked him over.
Now he noticed it, the way he always tugged on his collar and how his other seemed to always conceal itself inside the jacket as if he was hiding something like a weapon. He smacked himself on the fore head and sighed, voicing out his apology gruffly before looking back up to see the spaniel smiling a bit.
"You're that Fox McCloud, aren't you?" She asked curiously which he nodded in response. "My goodness, the legendary hero of Lylat browsing our wares!"
"Well uh…"
"Please, don't worry. We won't go around bragging about it." She smiled. "Now, what type of jewelry would you want for her?"
He looked up thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the displayed bundle of all types of shiny accessories. Finally coming to a decision, he looked back down with a determined look.
…O…O…O…O…O…
Her bedroom door hissed and slid open before she stepped out, dressed in a warm cozy tan sweater and grey sweats. The vixen didn't bother dressing up too much on the ship, it was their home after all. Padding her way down the hall, her eyes searched around looking for the vulpine. It worried her, she couldn't sense his thought patterns and she couldn't even feel his presence anywhere. The only indication he was around was his scent.
Following the vulpine's scent, it led her into the lounge, her ears twitching around as her eyes scanned the area before frowning. He wasn't there. The last time she saw him, he was laying down on the couch and watching the holo-TV. She sighed in disappointment.
Where'd you go Fox?
But the sudden growl from her stomach caught her attention. She hummed thoughtfully as she rubbed her empty belly, wondering what she should eat for breakfast. Walking over to the kitchen counter, she noticed the mug she'd bought him sitting on the surface and smiled at the thought of how he reacted when she made him some hot chocolate last night and the conversation they had.
...
"Here you go!" She had said in a cheerful tone, causing him to jerk from lying down on the sofa. She'd giggled and handed him the cup of recently made hot coco.
"T-thanks." He accepted the mug and took a sip before setting it down on the coffee table in front of him. "Well, the ship's emptied."
"Not quite." She sat next to him as the vulpine continued to flip through the channels. "We're still here, so it's not that empty."
"I guess so."
Silence filled in between them, her mind desperately urging her to break the silence. But what should they talk about? She shifted uncomfortably as her thoughts swirled with questions and some unwanted answers. She looked over to him, seeing him stare at the holo-TV with tired eyes. It didn't really look like the Fox she knew for the past four months, always energetic, determined and sometimes cheerful. Now, he looked depressed of something as if he'd...
"What's wrong?" She asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice.
"Huh? Oh, nothing..." He merely stammered, sitting back up in a straighter position.
"Don't you have anyone to visit?"
His ears drooped a bit after she'd said it. Soon enough, he turned to face her with a weak smile. "Nope."
Sudden realization hit her, causing her to bit her lower lips and mentally scold herself.
Great, now you know the reason. Happy yet?
"I'm sorry to hear that..." She managed to say, glancing down at the floor.
"Don't worry, you didn't know." He assured her, looking up at the ceiling. "I've gotten over it a long time ago."
She lifted her head up to see his emerald eyes staring up and attempting to hide the sadness. She shouldn't have asked but now that she thought of it, dreaded memories began to surface from the depths of her mind. Her vision became a bit watery but she quickly lifted a paw up and rubbed her eyes while he wasn't looking.
"What about you?" He finally asked, causing her to freeze what she was doing.
Looking back down on the floor, she allowed the bangs of her hair fall as to cover her face before answering. "No..." She could sense his thoughts, they were pretty much guilt-riddled from asking her.
"Stupid me...I should've known! Damn it she told me about it before! Why'd I have to ask that?!"
Not bothering to let him apologize, she turned to face him and gave a weak shaky smile. "It's alright though...Like you, I've gotten over it as well.
She knew that was a lie but she didn't want the vulpine to get involved. But to her surprise, he changed the topic before she could think of one.
"So...Now you're an official member of Star Fox." He'd said, giving her a smile. She actually managed a small giggle at that.
"Fox, you've said that like a month ago."
"Did I?"
She merely nodded, mentally thanking him for switching the topic. Though the thoughts of her past were still there, he'd blurred it out a bit and allowed her to change her focus to something else. She could focus on him. Strangely, the vixen had grown to love his company more than usual and she'd guess there's more than comfort in those feelings. She couldn't deny the feel of longing for him, her attraction towards him. It was obvious to her but she'd made sure that he didn't know of them.
Suddenly, she was cut from her train of thoughts as the holo-TV started to play a festive song that fitted the time of the year and she recognized it all too well. As it continued to play, memories resurfaced and flooded her mind. She didn't know how long could she keep her emotions bottled up and she definitely didn't want to find out. She stood up from the couch, causing him to look up at her with a confused gaze which she managed to pull a fake smile in response. She didn't want to have the vulpine see her in tears.
"Where are you going?" He asked in curiosity but she could make out the slightest hint of concern.
"I'm just going to meditate back at my room." She lied again before heading for the exit of the lounge, stopping at the doorway. "Good night, Fox."
"G'night Krys, Merry Christmas."
She froze at his words, those two words that she'd not heard in years. Turning back, she allowed another weak smile spread across her muzzle. "Merry Christmas to you too Fox."
...
She sighed as she left the lounge, making her way to the Bridge. If Fox wasn't in the lounge or any living quarters of the ship, he must be in the control deck. Stopping at the doorway leading into the Great Fox's Bridge, she placed her paw over a scanner by the side. It's laser scanned through her hand before a satisfied buzz was sounded from the system. She stepped into the room, only to be greeted by Rob as he continued to maintain and check the ship's system.
"Hello Krystal." The robot greeted her with his monotone voice.
"Hey..." She glanced around. "Where'd Fox go, Rob?"
"He went down to Corneria for personal reasons."
"Oh..." She murmured, her gaze lowering to the floor and sighed in disappointment.
Since he's down there on his own errands, what should I do?
She hummed deep in thought as she thought of something to do. Looking back up, half her conscience drifted off with her thoughts while the other admired the blue planet that the ship orbited around of. Her eyes glinted thoughtfully as an idea came up.
Maybe I should get him a gift.
It felt like a great idea. Unfortunately, she didn't know what he liked. But from all the time they had spent during those past four months, she could somewhat figure out what his preferences were. A smile made its way across her face as she continued to plan. Turning around, she walked out the Bridge and strolled through the empty hallway still thinking of what she should get for him.
Finally reaching the hangar, the vixen jumped into her Arwing and tapped on the systems of the ship. She fired up the engine last, hearing the humming coming from behind her. Double checking her systems, she tapped a key and opened up a com link to the bridge.
"I'm going down to Corneria, Rob." She said as she continued to check over her fighter's system. Finally satisfied with the systems, she continued. "Launch me please."
"Launching...Three...Two...One..."
Her Arwing shot out from the hangar, entering the blackness of space. She tilted her controls and banked her fighter towards Corneria and slowly made her way to the planet, stopping at the lowest orbit before tapping on the com. A Corgi's head popped up from the holographic projector, smiling as she spoke through.
"Hello, this is Corneria City Spaceport Control." The Corgi welcomed. "How may I help you?"
"This is Krystal, recruit of Star Fox, requesting to land."
"Identifications please."
She sighed in frustration, switching her link back to the Great Fox. "Rob, I need you to send the Spaceport Control my mercenary ID and team certificate."
"Sending..." The robot responded.
She sighed and laid back on her seat, thinking once again on what she should get him. Even with all the knowledge she'd learned about him, she couldn't put a finger on what she should buy as a gift for him. But soon, the com beeped, causing her to snap from her train of thoughts and tapped the answer key. Instantly, the Corgi's head popped up again, her smile was smaller and her voice seemed less friendly as she spoke.
"Identifications confirmed. Please proceed to reserved hangar S-14." With that, she rudely cut off the com link, causing the vixen to furrow an eyebrow in confusion.
Why did she act like that?
Deciding not to bother with such things, she proceeded to check her G-diffusers before breaching the planet's atmosphere. As she descended, she half-hoped that he wouldn't bump into her. She wanted this to be a surprise for him and seeing him would be the last thing that would help with her plans. But then, she realized something that she didn't think of back on the Great Fox.
What if he feels guilty that I gave him a present and he didn't? I don't mind if I didn't get anything...But he'd treat it like it's a big deal...
She bit her lips at the thought of that. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. But now that she's out here, she couldn't go back again and wait for him to come back. No, she's not going to do that, she's going to give him a present and that's her final decision. The rumbling of the atmosphere faded away and allowed more gentler sounds of the wind to replace it. Soon, her Arwing entered the clouds and continued to approach the city below.
...O...O...O...O...O...
"Mind hurrying it up a bit?" He asked Carl as they continued to drive through the streets of the city.
"I'm trying, buddy." The feline answered as they stopped again under a red light. "But the traffic's not gonna listen, ya know?"
"I get it." He sighed, rubbing the top of his head. "I'm just a bit...Worried."
"Worried about what? Being late?"
He nodded in response and eased back on his seat, glancing down to his side where a box wrapped finely with a bow of blue ribbon on top. He'd paid a lot for it, a total of two thousand credits and he hoped she'd like it. It wouldn't matter if she didn't, he'd go back to that store and buy a different one just for her. All he wanted was to see a genuine smile and the look of happiness on this special occasion, nothing else mattered to him right now.
"Why should ya worry so much?" The cat asked, looking over his shoulder at the wrapped up gift beside the vulpine. "I'm betting a full hundred that she'd like that."
"You think?"
"Hell, how much did you pay for it?"
"Three grands." He replied, looking back at the cat with a half-smile. "You really think she'd like it?"
He could only see the cat's wide-eyed expression and his hung jaw. He couldn't help but smirk at the feline's expression but he knew all too well that paying three thousand for a gift wasn't much, especially if it's for someone special. He'd actually pay more if necessary. The manager of the Jewelry store he was talking to had the price lowered just for him which he gladly accepted and had the gift wrapped up before bursting out the shop and hit the road once again. Finally, the feline answered and continued driving through the street.
"Holy smokes, you seriously got a fortune."
"No, not really." He said with an honest tone. "We're actually quite poor."
"Poor? You called that poor?!" The cat extended an arm and pointed at the gift. "I'll tell ya I've known and been poor and THAT is not poor."
He shrugged in defeat. "I guess..."
Soon, they made it out of the skyscraper forest, revealing the blue expanse of the ocean and the spaceport island in the distance. The bridge was only a few blocks to their left and it wouldn't be long before he's back on the ship with the present for the vixen he adored. It seemed that there wasn't going to be a snowstorm after all as he noticed how clear the sky was was already halfway from reaching the top of the sky, its radiance turned the sky to a lighter shade of blue which reminded him of her.
"Almost there." He let out under his breath as they turned a corner.
They managed to get out of the city and cross the half mile long bridge, the hover taxi quickly picking up speed as it continued on the empty pathway. The vulpine looked up at the sky, catching a small twinkle within the blue. Squinting his eyes, he focused on that spark in the sky and gasped in surprise. It was an Arwing and it disappeared behind the spaceport's walls, causing the vulpine to lean forward and pat Carl a bit.
"She's at the port! Hurry!"
"Alright alright!"
The hover taxi accelerated at top speed, dodging past slower vehicles along the way. For a moment, the vulpine marveled at how fast the taxi could go. Finally after a few long minutes of crossing the bridge, the cab driver parked right in front of the entrance and turned around to face the vulpine. To the feline's surprise, the vulpine shoved a hand at him, releasing a five-hundred credit bill in front of Carl before exiting the vehicle with the gift in the crook of his arm.
"Thanks Carl!"
"N-No problem?" He stuttered, his eyes glued to the five-hundred credit bill sitting in the middle of the cab.
Not even a second later, the vulpine burst through the entrance and caused everyone to look at his direction. He ignored it, dashing across the terminal in an orange blur. It didn't take long before everyone recognized him and the whole place started to trail behind him. Dodging crowds and making sure the box was still in his grasp, he looked for the way he came from.
"Fox McCloud!"
"It's him! It's the hero who saved us all!"
"Fox McCloud! Can I have your autograph?!"
He didn't pay attention to the ever growing crowd chasing after him, focusing on finding a way back to the hangars. Soon, he spotted a set of familiar double-doors up ahead and he pushed to his limits. Sprinting the last couple of meters, he abruptly stopped as the doors were opened and out came a slender blue vixen, nearly bumping into him. She stopped, their bodies only inches away from each other. Her head was drooped downwards, looking at the ground but once she halted, her head slowly looked up and revealed her beautiful turquoise eyes.
She's here...
...O...O...O...O...O...
Silence filled the air as everyone gathered around. The security blocked off the pursuing fans as everyone paid their attention at the two foxes standing in front of the doors. They stared at each other for a good two seconds before the vulpine in front of her spoke first.
"K-Krystal. I..Uh.."
Her eyes looked down at the box he'd been holding onto, seeing it wrapped up with an elegant blue ribbon bow. She let out a small gasp at the realization of why the vulpine had came down to the city for. She couldn't believe it.
Is that...For me?
She looked up again and saw the ever growing blush across his face and smiled. "Hi Fox."
She could see him trying to process his next move in his mind, the look in his eyes were enough evidence on what was going to happen next. He removed the gift from the crook of his arms and held it with both paws, extending it just a bit to her. She glanced at the gift and looked back up again, she couldn't stop her eyes from getting watery. And that's when he'd said those words again.
"Merry Christmas, Krys."
She reached for the gift, looking down at it. The rippling water in her eyes blurred her vision a bit as she untied the ribbon, allowing it to gently fall halfway as one of her paws caught it. She didn't know what to expect from him. Slowly but surely, she opened the box and let out a louder gasp at the present he gave her. Resting in the velvet cushioning inside the box was a golden necklace with a large sapphire shaped in a star outlined with small diamonds. She gently lifted it up and admired the sparkle it gave when she held it.
Looking back at the vulpine, she allowed him to take a good second to look at her reaction before lounging at him, her arms wrapping around his neck and her sudden embrace nearly knocking him down backwards. Now she couldn't hold it any longer and allowed tears to flow freely from her eyes as she sobbed in joy.
"Thank you Fox! Oh thank you!"
"Hey, anything for you." He cooed, his arms finally making their way around her.
She slowly pulled away, their eyes slowly locked to each other once again. She could feel the ever growing smile on her face, she'd never felt so emotionally good on this occasion for many years. And it made her realize something that she hadn't before. Looking deep into his emerald orbs, she could feel her heart flutter, a feeling of safety and an even stronger longing for him.
"Did you like it?" He asked her in his most softest voice she'd heard.
She looked down at the necklace in her paw, admiring its beauty before looking back up at him. "I love it, Fox...Thank you."
For another moment, the two of them stood there in silence, staring deeply into each other's eyes. But even at this moment, they'd finally realized the gathered crowd around them. They both glanced through the sea of people surrounding them and noticed the eager looks in their eyes. Some of them even pointed above them and caused the two to look up and realized why they were all acting like that. Hanging just a few feet above the two was a small patch of red berries outlined with lush green leaves; A mistletoe.
The two shared a small chuckle and lowered their gazes back on each other, seeing the desire between them. But she was the first to make the move, leaning in and pressed her lips against his and causing his fur to stand on end. While her mouth was firmly pressed onto his, she couldn't help but to take that moment to breathe in his scent as well. She loved it, every single second of it and she wouldn't dare leave from that spot.
Soon, she felt him returning the favor, his grip around her tightened and pulled her closer. She did the same, both of them allowed themselves to go wild over the kiss, opening up their mouths and let their tongues invade into each other, tasting their new mate. Everyone cheered at the scene, a scene that would stay in their minds and hearts for a really long time. After a long while, they broke apart and looked each other in the eyes lovingly.
"I have a confession to make." She murmured gently, waiting for a response from him before continuing. "Fox..." She started, seeing the tension between them beginning to rise. "...I...I love you."
Again she continued where they left off, not letting him answer back. But she noticed that he didn't mind at all. Giving in to the moment, the two of them continued to share the kiss, savoring it the best they could. Their grips on each other tightened and their kiss deepened. It could've been merely seconds, minutes or even hours but they didn't care. All their attention was focused on the one in front of them, the one they were kissing. But finally, their lungs won the struggle, causing them to break apart for air.
He leaned forward, resting his muzzle over her head, pulling her closer until she was against his chest. Her ear twitched as his breath tickled the sensitive fur, causing her to smile. Then he started to talk, his voice almost a whisper.
"I love you too, Krys. I've fell in love with you ever since I first laid eyes upon you."
They eased back to lock gazes, seeing the love and longing in them. But they were distracted by the large crowd gathered around them. She gave him a slight squeeze, bringing his attention back to her. Her tail swished to the side, brushing at his arms in the process as he looked back at her.
"Let's continue this on the ship." She suggested with a soft loving yet seductive tone.
He merely nodded, allowing the vixen to pull him behind the double doors and back to their Arwings. As they walked, she couldn't help but smile happily and her whole self swirling in anticipation. A single thought stuck in both their minds.
This will be a Christmas to remember.
...O...O...O...O...O...
Author's Note: And there you have it! My first one-shot! I'm not sure but I guess you can consider this as a Christmas present for you readers out there! This thing is 8,788 words! Wow that's a lot...For me anyway. xD
Again, I hope you enjoyed this. Leave your feedback, critique maybe and anything else! I really REALLY appreciate it, especially since I worn myself while writing this. I've put a lot of effort.
With that, Merry Christmas! Next shot; New Year's Eve!