Allow me to begin by saying, if you hate Slippy, you're not going to like this story. If you're an avid Falco/Katt couple fan, you're not going to like this story. If you hate mush, you're not going to like this story. if you answered yes to any of those three statements, do us both a favor and DON'T READ IT!!!! I, for one, have always liked Slippy and it seems like 99% of the fics featuring him do nothing but beat on him....well, I say the toad wins one for a change ^_^ MWAH!
DISCLAIMER --- I do not claim any ownership to the characters Katt Monroe, Slippy Toad, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, or Fox McCloud. I acknowledge that they are fully licensed and owned by Nintendo. The author's opinions might differ from the readers' so rather than attacking the author for acting on her own inspiration, why don't you pointless bashers go knock up a willing hellhound? *ahem* sorry ^^;;
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STARSTRUCK
"That bird...." Katt Monroe growled, stalking down the corridor leading away from the bunkers. Tears stung her violet eyes as she balled her paws into fists. "That fucking ROOSTER!!" she cried, launching her fist at the smooth metal of the wall. It collided with a dull "thunk" making her wince and rub at her knuckles.
She didn't understand how Falco could possibly treat her the way he did...like she was nothing more than pondscum. She had offered him nothing but her understanding and affection since she had met him in training some odd eight years ago and what had he given back? A world of hurt, that's what. After he had joined Starfox, she had hardly ever seen him anymore and had communicated with him primarily by phone (though good luck trying to catch him in his bunk. Nine times out of ten, she was left in the lurch when she attempted to check in with him).
She would have died for him, and he still refused to let her be anything more than a loosely-related friend. It was maddening and now this had been the final straw. She had finally thought she had made some headway with him...some luck-of-the-draw thawing of his heart when he had suggested she come visit him for a few days while the Starfox team was on leave. She had put aside her plans, fueled up her ship, and taken the time to fly all the way out to where The Great Fox had been docked in orbit above Corneria City for what had possibly been the biggest outrage yet in her life.
Falco had been surprised to see her and then informed her that not only had he been drunk the last time he had spoken to her and didn't remember a damn thing about asking her to come see him, but that he resented her for "stalking" him for so long and wanted her to get the hell out of his life once and for all. They had fought for the better part of an hour before she had stormed out on him, not sure of where she was going. She couldn't leave just yet as her ship was in need of a refueling and oil change, but she was determined she would get as far away from Mr. Lombardi as she could within the confines of The Great Fox.
She felt empty. That was the best way to describe it. All of the time she had spent convincing herself that Falco was simply a hard-won prize and would be hers eventually was gone and it felt like she had awakened from a long and pleasant dream that always hung just beyond her reach. All those offers she had turned down in flight school for dates, the time she had refused Nicky Senda's, a beefy panda that had nearly half of the female cadets swooning over him, offer to take her to the pilots' ball just to show up in her best dress and have Falco ignore her all evening. How much of her life had she wasted on that sack of feathers? How many nights had she gone to bed dreaming and hoping for a life she'd never have when she could have (SHOULD have) moved on?
A tear wormed its way down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away as she rounded the bend and entered the wide main deck of The Great Fox. Buttons blinked in brilliant greens and yellows casting an eerie glow in the room as the equipment hummed quietly. Katt took little notice as she continued through, pausing to open a door barring her way and then disappearing behind it.
She found herself in the large dome of the Great Fox's belly where the ships not being flown or in for repair were stored. The air inside was stale and smelled of gasoline, but it didn't trouble her much as she made her way to where she had docked her Arwing, her footsteps echoing back at her off of the walls. She fully intended to hole herself up in the cockpit with the windshield lowered and scream until she was exhausted...it was either that or she could storm around Starfox's living quarters and systematically break everything she saw....but she supposed that wouldn't score her many points with the rest of the team.
Katt paused, hearing a faint clatter. She keened her ears to the air to listen for it again, wondering who or what was in the docking bay with her. "Alright you cruddy engine, what's the problem?" she heard a soprano voice inquire that unmistakably belonged to Slippy. A sigh escaped her lips as she paused in mid-stride, turning her head to seek him out. It seemed that she wouldn't even get the grace of crying alone. "God dammit!!" The words made her eyes snap wide and a smirk involuntarily rise to her lips before dying again. Dammit? She had never heard Slippy curse before. Whatever was giving him problems must be unsolvable. There was the loud clatter of something being thrown into a toolbox and then a moment of silence.
Katt peered around the tail of her ship, her eyes settling on the green mechanic's form from across the docking bay where he was kneeling beside one of the docked arwings. "Forget it..." he muttered to himself, rubbing at his temples as he sat back on his haunches and looked at the fighter jet. He paused a moment and then reached into his back pocket, unfolding a piece of paper and reading over it. Katt puzzled the scene before her a bit longer, her own problems momentarily forgotten. When he was finished, he refolded it and tucked it back into his pocket, heaving a long sigh.
If she was having a bad day, Katt decided, Slippy's must have been scores worse if he was not only upset, but angry as well being the resident "ray of sunshine" on Starfox's team. For a moment, she debated approaching him and asking him what the problem was. He reared back suddenly, hurling a screwdriver at the side of the arwing, leaving a slight dent. .....Or maybe not. In fact, she decided, leaving him alone might be a good idea as she turned and quietly crossed the docking bay back the way she had come.
"Well hello, Katt!" Peppy greeted her as she eased the door closed behind her. "What brings you in this neck of the woods?"
"Hi Peppy." she greeted the elder hare. He was getting on in his years, stray bits of silver beginning to work their way into his chocolate and white pelt, but he was still as alert as ever. She hoped her eyes weren't red from the small amount of crying she had done in her anger a few moments earlier. "I was just--"
"Don't tell me." he smiled, one ear lopped over to the side as he crossed his arms over his chest in mock-accusation. "You're here to see ol' feather-britches, aintcha?"
"I was..." she nodded. There was a loud resounding clatter from behind the door of the docking bay, making both she and Peppy wince. "Mind telling me what's eating Slippy?" she asked. The hare's pleasant expression slipped a notch.
"Well, to put it in a nutshell, he's having some relationship problems and he's taking his tartar out on the ships when he thinks nobody's lookin'..." Peppy sighed.
"Relationship troubles?" Katt inquired. "He has a girlfriend?"
"HAD." Peppy corrected. "He and Croakella met back in flight school. Been together for about two years till she got transferred and she sent him a letter last week breaking it off. She's been stationed over at Fortuna for the better part of the year and she and Slip've been keeping in touch through letters and phone calls. Apparently she met somebody else she likes better."
"Ouch." the feline winced. "I think I know her, though. Light green, voice like a tortured weasel, pink hair, thinks she's god's gift to aviation on the training courses?"
"Bingo." Peppy chuckled. "And yeah...totally blindsided him." the hare shrugged. "And if he wants to beat up ships to get it all out of his system, I don't really care. I don't think the rest of the team does either, as long as he fixes'em when he's done. We have a perfectly good punching bag in the rec room he could use but..." he dropped one eyelid in a wink "...to each his own, I suppose. But heck, you don't wanna hear about that. I think I saw Falco in his bunk earlier. You can probably catch him there."
"Thanks, I'll do that." she nodded non-committantly. She watched as the hare sauntered past her and into the hallway, leaving her alone again. Her thoughts turned to the mechanic in the other room and she felt a pang of remorse. It probably hurt a lot more to have a love and lose it than to just chase after one you could never have to begin with, she decided, though her episode with Falco had hurt like hell.
Feh, why should she even let him bother her? She didn't need Mr. High-And-Mighty Falco to be happy. Why, she could be happier with any man that came along next. Even...even....
She made herself stop, deciding that, no, not even THIS situation was desperate enough for her to saddle herself with Slippy. However, she felt she owed it to him to at least make an appearance his way...it was probably more than his teammates had done for him and if he appeared hostile, she would simply leave him be. Maybe they could talk, even...they could blow off steam about their respective deadbeat significant others and she could coerce him into feeling better. It was worth a shot, at least.
Making her decision, made her way back toward the hanger door...
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"Meet other people..." Slippy muttered to himself, fishing a small hammer out of his toolbox and wondering if he really trusted himself to fix the dent he had put in Fox's arwing with the current state of mind he was in. When he had first recieved the letter, he had gone through a spectrum of emotions. His first reaction had been shock, followed shortly by a mild depression that had left him bedridden for a day, and once that had lifted, he had spent most of his mental energy trying to convince himself that he was happy for Croakella and whoever her new love interest was. After awhile, though, it became apparent that he wasn't even fooling himself with these thoughts and for the past two days he had found himself feeling incredibly cheated and angry with her.
"*I* didn't 'meet other people' when *I* was away on duty." he grumbled. "I hold out for her since flight school and she can't even wait for eight months without chasing after some new guy?" He felt his teeth clench and tried to force himself to calm down. If Peppy or Falco, or black horror, FOX, caught him raging like this there was no telling what would happen. He didn't want to take a suspension from the team for mental leave on top of everything else so he had forced himself to keep smiling whenever in their company.
Before he could stop himself and let his anger simmer down a bit, he felt his hand delve into his back pocket again, retrieving the folded piece of paper, its corners ragged from being folded and refolded so often. It was as though something WANTED him to stay angry at Croakella...every time he felt he was starting to get a grip on his situation, he would bring out the damned letter and read it over again. He didn't even need to read it anymore, in fact. He had memorized it. Yet his eyes scanned over the words once again:
Dear Slippy,
I hope this letter finds you well and that you're doing ok. Falco still giving you a hard time? Ha. Okay, listen. I actually do have a reason for writing you. Sorry it can't be face-to-face but time doesn't allow for much else.
I gotta be frank with you, Slip, it gets hard to never see your significant other and tell everybody you have this nameless boyfriend whenever they ask. Its not you, so don't beat yourself up. You're a great guy! I still like you a lot and a part of me is always going to love you, but its gotten to the point where I just don't think its going to work out for us. I don't want you to think of this as me dumping you, really, but more like I'm setting you free. You've probably had to turn down a few dates since last time we saw each other. Being on Fox's crew puts ya in the limelight a lot and I'll bet you're just as much of a household name in Lylat as Fox is.
I hope we can still be friends, but I just think we should both meet other people. I've not had much of a chance to date, really. Basically, I got out of high school and we snapped each other up my freshman year of the Flight Academy. Maybe after we've both had a chance to broaden our horizons a bit, we could get back together and try this again. But for now, I'm not going to lie to you. There's a guy here I've had my eye on since I was transferred. He's a sweetheart and, in a lot of ways, he reminds me of you. He's asked me out a couple of times and I've turned him down, but I really feel like I owe him at least a chance. I know this is sudden and you probably hate me right about now, but all I ask is that you try and understand, okay?
Still your fan,
C.
Slippy re-folded the letter for what had to be the tenth time in the past hour and stuffed it back into his pocket, heaving a long and ragged sigh. He supposed he didn't HATE her, precisely. He could never flat-out hate anybody...but the fact couldn't be denied that he was extremely angry. In fact, he was glad she had done this to him through a letter and not in person....he didn't want her to remember him this way. When and if he ever got around to writing her something in reply, he hoped his head was on straight enough to be reasonable in what he wanted to tell her.
"Hey Slip." a female's voice stated. He snapped his head over his shoulder, nearly falling over backwards. He relaxed a little, seeing Katt Monroe approaching him. He didn't know her terribly well but had seen her in passing enough both in battle and around the team in Corneria City that he had more or less just passed her off as one of the lesser-known teammates like Fox's friend Bill Gray.
"Oh...hi, Katt." he said, forcing a smile. "What can I do ya for?"
"More than you've got, I'm afraid." the feline smirked. "What're you up to?"
"The usual." the frog replied, clearing his throat and moving his attention to the dented arwing. "Fixing up the ships and stuff....this one took a little wind damage." he fibbed, gesturing toward the slight dent in its sleek silver side. Katt cocked a brow knowingly as he knelt beside the craft and made himself look busy by detaching the fuel panel and unscrewing the access bolt to the oil tank, letting it drain. The process of changing the arwing's oil would only take a few minutes, but at least in that time he would look like he was in the docking bay with a purpose and keep her suspicion at a minimum.
"So I see." she stated. She stood for a bit and then knelt down beside him to be more on his level. Poor guy, she thought to himself. He looked more than just upset, he looked utterly haggard...like he hadn't slept more than three hours a night for several days. It made her feel like her problems with Falco were very miniscule in comparison. He kept his gaze trained on the rivelets of oil coursing into the metal grating beneath the arwing and into the drainage basin below the docking bay, making a mental note that he'd have to dilute and drain it on their next touchdown to Corneria. Once in awhile he flickered his eyes in Katt's direction, wondering why she was still there. Most people lost interest in what he did long before now.
Katt watched him a moment more and then smiled, leaning forward and gently rubbing her cheek against his left temple. Slippy blinked, looking up at her with wide eyes as though she had just hit him. The pink feline regarded him with half-lidded eyes and a serene expression. A moment that seemed to last hours hung between them before the toad cleared his throat and moved to reach for his toolbox to put the wrench away and retrieve a rag to wipe the oil from his hands.
"F-Falco's probably looking for y-y-you." he faltered, doing his best not to stutter. It had taken him nearly two years to get his stuttering problem licked through night classes and frequent visits to one of Corneria's most dedicated speech therapists but it still had a bad habit of coming back when he was especially thrown off-track.
"Falco doesn't care." she replied, retracting one of her claws and tracing it gently down the bridge of his nose. "And why should I?" she finished, giving the end of his snout a light poke. A blush had begun to climb in his cheeks, looking purple under his green skin and his hands trembled so severely that the oil cloth he had picked up slipped through his fingers.
"I...I...." he tried to get the words out, his throat closing to the size of a pinhole as he swallowed, closing his eyes and trying to get his head on straight.
"Geez...if he's THIS nervous around girls, no wonder he's had a hard time with relationships..." Katt thought to herself as she brushed her wispy white hair out of her eyes. Suddenly she snapped out of whatever trance she had been in and drew back. What the hell was she doing? Falco tossed her out on her tail, and now she was trying to seduce Slippy of all people? She knew people on the rebound were known for doing strange things, but this had to beat it all...glomping onto the poor guy after his girlfriend had walked out on him the week before. And what would either of them get out of it? She'd confuse and hurt Slippy even more than he was in a bad attempt to get back at Falco that probably wouldn't even work. No, she was a better person than that.
"Its okay, Slip. I'm sorry." she whispered, placing one of her hands on his shoulder. He relaxed a little under her touch, but still looked utterly unnerved as he cleared his throat again and straightened his cap on his head.
"It's---It's ok..." he assured her with a quick nod, and looking utterly relieved that her strange behavior had stopped.
"I heard about what happened with you and Croakella." she began tentatively, attempting to change the subject. The frog visibly winced and concentrated his full attention on the toolbox, rummaging through stray bolts and ratchets. "....Slippy?" Katt asked.
"I'm fine." he replied flatly, not looking at her and pulling away from her.
"No you're not." Katt insisted. "You've been dragging around for the past week. People're worried about you." she moved closer again and carefully put an arm around his shoulders, waiting to see if he'd shy away. He didn't, but he hitched a breath that sounded like he wasn't far off from tears.
"You---" he sniffled and ceased trying to pretend he was looking through the toolbox. "You didn't have to cuddle up to me, Katt. You could have just said that outright."
"Slippy, I didn't mean..." Katt began, dropping her arm from his shoulders.
"I bet Fox put you up to this..." the frog said sullenly. "And if it makes him happy, you can go ahead and tell him that no I'm NOT okay. In fact I'm miserable." he told her, looking over his shoulder. The feline felt a pang of remorse as she noted a tear coursing its way down his cheek from one of his blue eyes.
"Oh, Slippy..." she sighed sympathetically, wrapping her arms around him in a sudden and crushing hug. He protested only a minute before simply collapsing against her and letting go of the inner restraint he had been holding onto since he had first read Croakella's letter, letting himself cry, pouring out all of the mingled hate, hurt, and betrayal that had been buzzing within him for the past few days. Katt held him for a few moments, waiting until he had composed himself and sat up again, wiping at his eyes.
"Sorry..." he apologized. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. I just---I don't have very many ways to vent, ya know?" He didn't look her in the eyes, knowing if he did he'd likely start crying again.
"I know..." Katt nodded. And then "Fox didn't send me, Slip. I just wondered how you were."
"Well.....its been hard. I can tell you that." the frog said, offering a lopsided half-smile as he turned his attention back to his arwing, reaching into the panel to screw the bolt he had taken off of the oil tank back into place. "But I'll live."
"You'll find somebody else." Katt offered. "I mean, you're a great guy. You're level-headed, you're devoted to what you do, you're---"
"Short, ugly, got a voice that breaks windows, a screw-up..." the frog rattled off, giving a small grunt as he gave the bolt one last twist with his fingers before reaching for his wrench to finish the job.
"No." Katt insisted. "Slippy, how can you say that about yourself?" she asked, lightly slapping his ankle since the rest of him was beneath the arwing.
"I've been hearing it for years." he replied, not sounding entirely depressed about it. "And I know that I am."
"Some teammates..." the pink feline huffed. "They really tell you all that?"
"Falco mostly." Slippy replied, pulling out from beneath the arwing and tossing the wrench back into its box. "Its alright though. I'm not much good to the team as a pilot anyway. I like to think I'm good at mechanics if nothing else, though. I hate feeling completely useless."
"And boy do I know that feeling..." Katt muttered.
"Huh?" Slippy inquired. Katt opened her mouth to tell him to nevermind, but caught herself. As long as he was coming clean, she might as well do the same.
"Oh...just another incident with Price Charming In Feathers I can add to my vast wall of insecurities." she replied, slumping her back against the front wheel of Fox's arwing. "I'm done with him, I think..."
"Sorry to hear that." he told her.
"I'm not." the cat replied. He nodded.
"Wish I could say the same about mine." he sighed. "I mean, this was just so sudden. She gets relocated to the airbase on Fortuna, we keep in contact through letters and Email for a couple months and then she stops talking to me out of nowhere. Now all of a sudden she's got a new boyfriend and says she can't see me anymore..."
"It happens." Katt answered. "Its really low, but it happens."
"I guess." Another pregnant pause between them. Katt felt a simple love for him...not the passionate longing she had felt for Falco, but something was there, just the same. Probably the same love she'd feel for a younger sibling if she had one, she guessed.
"You about done?" she asked. "I was going to head over to the mess hall and grab a soda if you want to come with."
"Sounds good!" he answered, sounding genuinely happy for the first time since she had started talking to him. Katt smiled warmly in return, waiting for him to close the toolbox and get up, following after her. She had to wonder just how long it had been since his company had actually been welcomed by someone as he scampered to her side and the two of them meandered out of the docking bay.
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CHAPTER TWO
"Get out!" Slippy grinned taking a swallow of his Lime Spritzi. "He actually had the nerve to tell you that??"
"Yup." Katt snickered, swirling the half-melted ice cubes and cola in her glass, making a merry tinking sound. "So I told him 'Pinfeathers, NOBODY talks about my tail that way!' and I knocked him flat on his ass and he cried, I tell ya." Slippy burst into braying laughter, unable to help himself. "So as you can see, Mr. Lombardi was QUITE the charmer."
"Seems so." Slippy grinned, giving a small sigh.
"You're looking better, Slip-shot." she smirked.
"I just... I really needed this. Thanks, Katt." he blushed
"Don't mention it." she smiled, reaching out and touching his cheek with the back of one hand. The gesture made him blush even deeper and refocus his eyes down at the tabletop. It wasn't the same horrified way he had acted earlier in the docking bay, she noted with some relief.
"Well, I should get back to work...Fox's going to wonder why his ship's not done." the frog stated, moving to get up. Katt reached out, catching his wrist.
"What's your hurry?" she inquired. He reached up, fumbling with the collar of his shirt a moment as his mind fished for an answer.
"I...ahh...."
"Slip, don't get me wrong, but you're really cute when you're nervous." she laughed, letting go of him. "Listen, I'm going to be in the rec room for awhile, I think. If you get done early, come look for me and I'll play you at a game of WarMonger or something."
"Yeah, okay." Slippy nodded hurriedly, turning and walking out of the dining area of The Great Fox. He wasn't used to so much attention and it made him feel strange. Why was Katt being so nice to him all of a sudden? Adrenaline still smacked through his veins, making his heart do double its normal work as he paused in mid-stride to lean against the wall and catch his breath. Sure, he had had a crush on Katt for a bit when she had first started paying her visits. He was pretty sure every member of the Starfox team had crushed on her for a little except for Falco, but let's be serious....girls like her were fleeting and could have any man they wanted and usually ended up marrying the one that treated them the worst. Why in the name of Lylat should he even entertain the notion of her thinking he was anything but a grease jockey?
Okay, so she talked to him for a few minutes...she felt sorry for him, he decided. Starfox had been cutting him a lot of slack the past few days due to his breakup and in a little while she would go back to ignoring him like everybody else did.
"If all she was doing was tolerating you, then what was that episode back by the arwing when she first came in?" his mind inquired.
"Just my imagination." he answered it curtly. "That's all, now shut up." That said, he continued on his way back to the docking bay.
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Katt sat by herself at the table, wondering if she should bring Slippy the rest of his soda that he left behind and decided against it. She had tormented him enough for one hour. Poor Slippy. His personality was a nice change of pace from the normal knuckleheads she had dated in the past, but his overzealousness usually was a bit off-putting. It was probably why his team had dismissed him as a pest, but what they sometimes failed to see was that he usually meant well.
And his girlfriend....well, that was another matter.
Perhaps she had changed by the time she and Slippy had started dating, but in the time the feline had been acqainted with Croakella, she had struck her as more or less of an uncommitted girl. It wouldn't have surprised her if Croakella had found someone the day after leaving Slip behind for Fortuna. Katt wouldn't dare tell Slippy this, of course, but it troubled her. He was so trusting and would have sooner been executed than say anything bad about her and she...well, lord only knew.
She stretched as she picked up her glass and tilted the rest of her cola into her mouth. Her thoughts idly turned back to Falco and she briefly wondered what he was up to....probably bragging to Fox that he had put her out of his life once and for all. Oddly enough, the thought didn't hurt her as much as she thought it would. Let him do whatever floated his boat....if it got out of hand, it would eventually get back to her and she would straighten him out one way or another.
Setting the empty glass on the table, Katt rose from where she was sitting and headed for the rec room, deciding she could use a game of Warmonger herself to get rid of her own frustration. She already had it planned out...she would create an atmosphere entirely unliveable with poisonous gas for air and then name her team of warriors "Lombardi" and simply sit back, watching them all squirm and die on the screen. Perfect, she grinned.
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Katt hadn't thought he would come, but he did after an hour and a half of entertaining herself with video games. As she sat in the darkened glow of the rec room, lounging on the couch as the blue shadows of the television screen danced across her face, she heard a door open and close behind her, followed by footsteps muffled by the carpet.
"He returns." she declared, without turning around as she kept her attention focused raptly on the screen as she made her player, a cheeky red squirrel, dodge an onslaught of hornets that were swooping toward him.
"Yup." Slippy's voice emanated from behind her. The couch jiggled slightly as he sat down beside her and she hit the pause button to greet him.
"How're you feeling?" she inquired.
"No better, no worse..." he shrugged. "You?"
"Falco can go blow himself for all I care." she said decisively. The frog cracked a smile but didn't laugh.
"You sure got over him fast..." he complimented. "What's your secret?"
"There's no secret." the feline replied, unpausing her game and continuing to play. "Just did a little soulsearching is all....figured out I didn't need him and his crap."
"My soulsearcher must be on the fritz then." Slippy shrugged. "No matter how much I want to forgive and forget, something just won't let me.
"You just feel unresolved." she answered simply. "You'd let go a lot easier if she was here to tell her how you felt to her face."
"Probably." he nodded. "You sure know a lot about this stuff." he added.
"I spent eight years getting my heart stomped on. I've heard it from just about every girl - friend I've ever had in different words." Katt explained, wincing as her player missed his footing on a roof's edge and toppled to his death. "Damn..." she cursed as the game played its somber "Game Over" music and she offered the controller to Slippy. "Try your luck, McGee?" she teased. He accepted it wordlessly and waited for the title screen to appear again.
"Never played this one." he remarked, pressing start and being brought to the first screen. Katt watched him struggle with the controls, trying not to laugh as he bumbled the squirrel straight off of the first cliff it came to.
"Good shot." she said with playful sarcasm.
"Thanks a lot." he sighed, tossing the controller aside. "Ya know, I miss when the only game we had for this thing was Egg Shooter. I was better than anybody at it."
"Is that the one Fox says he couldn't pry you away from with a crowbar and conveyor belt?" she asked.
"Probably." he snickered. "But ask him how many times I kicked his tail at it."
"You say as though he'd ever tell me." Katt replied, her pink tail flickering absently. There was silence for a moment.
"You know, I've got Croakella's number...do you think I should try calling her and see if we can get this straightened out more?" he asked.
"Probably not. At least not until you guys have both thought it over for awhile." she shrugged. "And who knows? You might find somebody else in the meantime."
"Not likely." Slippy sighed. "Finding Croakella was luck of the draw for somebody like me."
"Why do you say that?" she asked, looking at him. He met her eyes for a minute, his wide innocent blues meeting with her sultry violets, and then looked away again. A moment passed before he spoke.
"Girls just don't go for guys like me." he replied meekly. "They want people like Fox or Falco. You know, the REAL heroes....not some loser mechanic. And what've I got to offer a girl if she takes an interest in me anywa---" His words cut off abruptly as a pair of warm lips covered his mouth. He froze a moment, first trying to fathom what had just happened and then dumbfounded when he realized he was being kissed. His mind screamed at him to pull back...this wasn't right, this wasn't right at all! But despite that, he found that he was unable to move.
Katt didn't know what had possessed her to do it....she had been about to tell him to stop beating on himself again, and some other impulse had grabbed her instead. She just hadn't known it would quite resolve itself into this. She held the kiss with him a moment more and then drew back, not quite sure what to expect as far as a reaction went. Slippy sat, looking utterly dazed for a minute, and then a hand slowly went to his forehead.
"Wha--What----" he began, not knowing what he was trying to say.
"Maybe not all women are looking for the same thing." Katt said cryptically. "You look like you've never been kissed before, Slip." she added with a laugh as he continued to remain stone still and wide-eyed.
"I---I----well....never like that...." he managed. Calm down, Slippy, he cursed himself. He wondered for a minute if she could hear his heart pounding from where she sat beside him. HE certainly could...the blood was drumming in his head so hard that each beat made black shadows rise and fall in the corners of his vision.
"Not my fault you've been missing out." the feline smirked, petting his cheek. He fidgeted a little.
"W-Would it be too forward of me to ask what that was for?" he asked, beginning to compulsively wring his hands.
"The hell of it." she replied, her eyes smoky as she gently rubbed her head against his shoulder, a gentle purr rumbling in her throat. "Want another?"
"I...ahh...err....nnyyeehhh..." he fumbled. Not waiting for his answer, Katt smiled and leaned forward again...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Falco Lombardi leaned back against his pillows, flipping through an issue of "Play!" magazine. He had picked it up weeks ago, intrigued by the interview with the latest rock sensation sweeping Corneria City, Lost Souls Of Zoness. While Falco didn't have a particular favorite band, he liked to check in on the newest ones on the market now and then....for humor if nothing else. He had originally wondered if these guys were as screwed up as Charred Skull had been where they claimed to open up a jar of sacrificial worms before each concert.
Though Lost Souls Of Zoness were satisfyingly freakish, Falco found himself unable to enjoy the article as his thoughts kept returning to his earlier exchange with Katt. True, she annoyed the living snot out of him sometimes, but he couldn't shake the idea that maybe he had been a bit hard on her. Usually their fights met their highest point with a few insults thrown at one another and her storming off in the opposite direction. Today she had actually *shrieked* at him before leaving, and if he hadn't been mistaken she looked as though she was doing her damnnest not to cry.
Well, it was HER fault, he told himself firmly. She showed up out of nowhere and scared the living hell out of him and then started trying to feed him crap about how he had asked her to come visit...feh, not if HE could help it. He sighed, laying the magazine on his chest and rubbing his temples. He didn't understand why she wouldn't just let go and get on with her life. It wasn't that he hated her, but god, how many different ways did he need to tell her no? It always came back to that one cryptic line "We can still be friends." Well, friends didn't precisely follow other friends around and invade their private space, now did they?
Still, he didn't want her to go away angry...or to do anything stupid if he had really upset her as badly as she had reacted. Well, maybe he'd head out in a little to check on her and make sure she wasn't off playing with knives or something. To a certain degree, he supposed he felt responsible for her if she DID suddenly decide to go full goose bozo on everyone. All the guilt trips she had laid on him in the past about giving up dates with all sorts of guys to give her time up to him were finally taking their toll, he supposed.
"Alright, Katt, you win..." he grumbled, rolling out of bed and tossing the magazine over his shoulder as he stood and popped his back. "I hope you appreciate what I put up with sometimes..." he sighed, leaving his bunker. He already had a good idea where he might find her and made a B-line for the cargo bay. If he knew Katt like he thought he knew her, she'd be sitting near her arwing, fuming that ROB was taking so long to service it so she could leave. He'd take her aside and maybe have a drink with her....explain for the umpteenth time that he just was NOT interested in her and tell her they needed to put this game of cat and mouse to rest.
He passed through the main deck and opened the door leading to the docking bay. From where he stood, he could already see the evanescent purple and pink hues of The Cat's Paw, but didn't hear the telltale clatters or beeps of it being worked on. Never the less, he ventured out into the bay, approaching Katt's ship. His own footsteps echoed back at him off of the walls as he neared it, pausing when he noticed that, indeed, no one was tending to it. Weird.
Well, there were numerous other places she could be, he thought. Off bemoaning her life to Fox or Peppy in their respective bunks, hiding in one of the bathrooms and sulking, maybe she was in the mess hall drowning her sorrows in some ice cream or whatever it was girls did when they were depressed. Or, if she was anything like the rest of the crew, she might even be in the gym beating up on the punching bag to blow off some steam.
He decided to try the mess hall first. Upon arriving, however, he found it empty and dark. On one of the tables stood an opened can of soda and empty glass with ice cubes in it that had melted nearly completely. It was probably Peppy's doing, he decided. The old hare was getting on in years and now and then he forgot to do things...like put his dishes away, for instance. If not Peppy, then definately Slippy. The young mechanic got sidetracked very easily. "And he's probably got his head stuck in the toilet or something." Falco told himself, smirking at the thought.
He paused, eyeing the door leading into the rec room. Instead of steady darkness coming from the crack beneath, there were gray and blue lights flickering steadily. Clearly someone was watching TV with the lights out, he decided. Falco Lombardi had been expected, as he approached and nudged open the rec room door, to see one of his teammates snoozing on the couch or maybe playing one of the scarier video games with the darkness for ambiance, but there was nothing in the Lylat system that could have prepared him for what he saw.
At first, he had assumed that the rec room was empty and someone had simply left the television on. Not especially fond of Peppy's and Fox's lectures about "electricity/water/food/heat isn't free", the avian stepped forward to turn it off, passing by the couch as he did so. He looked...and then looked again, his brain trying to assure his eyes that he hadn't seen what he thought he had. The first thing he was aware of was Slippy...he was napping, it appeared, with his back propped against the arm of the couch in a sitting position. That would have been perfectly A-OK by Falco, if it hadn't been for the fact that in his lap, curled up and giving a contented rumbling purr in her throat as she also slept, was Katt.
"Just a mistake." Falco assured himself. Of course...that had to be it. People slumped over each other all the time when they fell asleep. Slippy and Katt had just been watching TV, maybe playing some video games...Slip had fallen asleep first and Katt had followed soon after, accidently falling into his lap when she had done so....and when they woke up, they'd probably both laugh and be a little redder. That was all.
Except.....
Usually when people accidentally fell asleep on one another, they didn't manage to cuddle up quite as neatly as these two were. He noted that not only were Katt's arms securely snugged around Slippy's waist, but that one of the frog's hands was resting on her shoulder. The avian felt a rush of dizzyness as he tried to put together this puzzle. The final piece clicked into place with horrible finality as he peered closer. Katt had always been fond of wearing pastel raspberry-scented lip gloss, he knew, (how could he NOT know? Every time he got within three feet of her, he could smell it) and around the frog's jaw were telltale traces of pink. And they smelled like raspberries. Had he honestly scared Katt away that badly that she had sought solace with Slippy, of all people?? It was suddenly getting hard to breathe in the rec room as he hurried back into the darkened mess hall, letting the door swing shut behind him with a bang, not caring if he woke them up.
Once outside, he seated himself at the nearest mess hall table, dropping his head into his hands, rubbing madly at his temples to keep what could only be a hellraiser of a migraine brewing at bay. "Oh damn..." he muttered. "Damndamndamndamndamndamn..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TWO WEEKS LATER....
"Letter for you, Froggen." Antonio DeLawrence, a curly-haired Portuguese Water Dog stated, tossing an envelope onto Croakella's desk as he made his mail rounds. The frog looked up from the book she had been reading, looking at the letter a moment. Who could have written her? Not her parents...she had just heard from them two days ago. Curiousity winning out over her interest in her book, she snapped it up, turning it over in her hands. There was no return address on it, but it had been postmarked on Corneria, giving her a pretty good idea of who had written her.
She set her jaw, making a silent vow to herself that she would not be swayed by any heartbreaking stories he could favor her with. The fact of the matter was, she had been happily dating a fellow cadet, an albatross by the name of John Talley...and she and Johnny were good for one another. She supposed a large part of her still cared about Slippy, but it could never compare to how Johnny made her feel. Obtaining a firm mindset, she tore open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and began to read.
Hi Croakella,
I know its been a long time since you wrote me last and part of it was immaturity on my part. I've done a lot of "soulsearching" as a very good friend of mine puts it, and calmed down since I first read your letter. I can't lie to you, I was pretty angry. I didn't want to end up telling you things I'd regret later, so I kept quiet. Better to not open your mouth than to insert a foot, eh? I'm not sure what you've done since last we talked. I imagine you gave the guy you mentioned in your last letter a chance and I hope that if you did, you guys are happy. As for me, well, the toad lives on.
Know how you said I'd find somebody else? At the time I thought that was the biggest crock I had ever heard in my life. Funny how sometimes those crocks turn out to be seeded with truth here and there. But I didn't write you to regale you with love stories, of course! I just wanted to let you know I'm not ignoring you or putting bullets in my head or anything (as much as I'm sure some people are still hoping. Falco namely, but again that's a result of my current relations). But if I know you like I think I know you, you'd personally turn me inside out if I didn't tell you who this lady was so I'll spare you the suspense.
Katt Monroe. There, I said it. Kind of makes sense that Falco is out for my head (talk about the dog in the manger...). Every time he catches me alone, there's a threat of SOME sort. The way he talks, you'd think she and I were pounding each other every chance we got! But you know me better than that, C. What was it you always used to say? "No band on the hand, no nookie for cookie", right? Grab that and apply it to this situation. Actually I'm not even sure this is going to last long enough to talk about that sort of thing, but as long as we're coming clean, I can tell you that I'm honestly enjoying it. I can't speak for Katt, but she seems a lot happier lately. I hope I had something to do with it. If not, then she probably is just getting a kick out of watching Falco squirm.
Anyway, I'll let you go. No doubt you have more important things to worry about than ex's hounding you. Ha ha.
Well wishes,
Slippy
Croakella read through the letter three times, trying to decide if it was to be taken seriously or not. On the one hand, she wanted to be happy for Slippy but on the other, she was wary. Katt Monroe? That was a bit hard to swallow. She wondered briefly if the entire letter was intended to be incredibly sarcastic and it had gone over her head. At any rate, at least it hadn't been the raging screamfest she had worried might come of their breakup.
"C'mon, Croakella!' Johnny called from the doorway, giving the wall a light knock to get her attention. She turned, smiling at the bird as she laid Slippy's letter down on her bed and hurried toward him. They embraced, sharing a quick kiss. "Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yup." she grinned. "Let's try not to get to this movie five minutes into it like last time." she teased as they walked out together.
"Not that you did much watching of the movie anyway." Johnny quipped, giving her a light poke. They both laughed, arms draped around one another as they walked.
"Good luck, Slip." she thought in passing as she and Johnny disappeared around a corner together.
THE END
DISCLAIMER --- I do not claim any ownership to the characters Katt Monroe, Slippy Toad, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, or Fox McCloud. I acknowledge that they are fully licensed and owned by Nintendo. The author's opinions might differ from the readers' so rather than attacking the author for acting on her own inspiration, why don't you pointless bashers go knock up a willing hellhound? *ahem* sorry ^^;;
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STARSTRUCK
"That bird...." Katt Monroe growled, stalking down the corridor leading away from the bunkers. Tears stung her violet eyes as she balled her paws into fists. "That fucking ROOSTER!!" she cried, launching her fist at the smooth metal of the wall. It collided with a dull "thunk" making her wince and rub at her knuckles.
She didn't understand how Falco could possibly treat her the way he did...like she was nothing more than pondscum. She had offered him nothing but her understanding and affection since she had met him in training some odd eight years ago and what had he given back? A world of hurt, that's what. After he had joined Starfox, she had hardly ever seen him anymore and had communicated with him primarily by phone (though good luck trying to catch him in his bunk. Nine times out of ten, she was left in the lurch when she attempted to check in with him).
She would have died for him, and he still refused to let her be anything more than a loosely-related friend. It was maddening and now this had been the final straw. She had finally thought she had made some headway with him...some luck-of-the-draw thawing of his heart when he had suggested she come visit him for a few days while the Starfox team was on leave. She had put aside her plans, fueled up her ship, and taken the time to fly all the way out to where The Great Fox had been docked in orbit above Corneria City for what had possibly been the biggest outrage yet in her life.
Falco had been surprised to see her and then informed her that not only had he been drunk the last time he had spoken to her and didn't remember a damn thing about asking her to come see him, but that he resented her for "stalking" him for so long and wanted her to get the hell out of his life once and for all. They had fought for the better part of an hour before she had stormed out on him, not sure of where she was going. She couldn't leave just yet as her ship was in need of a refueling and oil change, but she was determined she would get as far away from Mr. Lombardi as she could within the confines of The Great Fox.
She felt empty. That was the best way to describe it. All of the time she had spent convincing herself that Falco was simply a hard-won prize and would be hers eventually was gone and it felt like she had awakened from a long and pleasant dream that always hung just beyond her reach. All those offers she had turned down in flight school for dates, the time she had refused Nicky Senda's, a beefy panda that had nearly half of the female cadets swooning over him, offer to take her to the pilots' ball just to show up in her best dress and have Falco ignore her all evening. How much of her life had she wasted on that sack of feathers? How many nights had she gone to bed dreaming and hoping for a life she'd never have when she could have (SHOULD have) moved on?
A tear wormed its way down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away as she rounded the bend and entered the wide main deck of The Great Fox. Buttons blinked in brilliant greens and yellows casting an eerie glow in the room as the equipment hummed quietly. Katt took little notice as she continued through, pausing to open a door barring her way and then disappearing behind it.
She found herself in the large dome of the Great Fox's belly where the ships not being flown or in for repair were stored. The air inside was stale and smelled of gasoline, but it didn't trouble her much as she made her way to where she had docked her Arwing, her footsteps echoing back at her off of the walls. She fully intended to hole herself up in the cockpit with the windshield lowered and scream until she was exhausted...it was either that or she could storm around Starfox's living quarters and systematically break everything she saw....but she supposed that wouldn't score her many points with the rest of the team.
Katt paused, hearing a faint clatter. She keened her ears to the air to listen for it again, wondering who or what was in the docking bay with her. "Alright you cruddy engine, what's the problem?" she heard a soprano voice inquire that unmistakably belonged to Slippy. A sigh escaped her lips as she paused in mid-stride, turning her head to seek him out. It seemed that she wouldn't even get the grace of crying alone. "God dammit!!" The words made her eyes snap wide and a smirk involuntarily rise to her lips before dying again. Dammit? She had never heard Slippy curse before. Whatever was giving him problems must be unsolvable. There was the loud clatter of something being thrown into a toolbox and then a moment of silence.
Katt peered around the tail of her ship, her eyes settling on the green mechanic's form from across the docking bay where he was kneeling beside one of the docked arwings. "Forget it..." he muttered to himself, rubbing at his temples as he sat back on his haunches and looked at the fighter jet. He paused a moment and then reached into his back pocket, unfolding a piece of paper and reading over it. Katt puzzled the scene before her a bit longer, her own problems momentarily forgotten. When he was finished, he refolded it and tucked it back into his pocket, heaving a long sigh.
If she was having a bad day, Katt decided, Slippy's must have been scores worse if he was not only upset, but angry as well being the resident "ray of sunshine" on Starfox's team. For a moment, she debated approaching him and asking him what the problem was. He reared back suddenly, hurling a screwdriver at the side of the arwing, leaving a slight dent. .....Or maybe not. In fact, she decided, leaving him alone might be a good idea as she turned and quietly crossed the docking bay back the way she had come.
"Well hello, Katt!" Peppy greeted her as she eased the door closed behind her. "What brings you in this neck of the woods?"
"Hi Peppy." she greeted the elder hare. He was getting on in his years, stray bits of silver beginning to work their way into his chocolate and white pelt, but he was still as alert as ever. She hoped her eyes weren't red from the small amount of crying she had done in her anger a few moments earlier. "I was just--"
"Don't tell me." he smiled, one ear lopped over to the side as he crossed his arms over his chest in mock-accusation. "You're here to see ol' feather-britches, aintcha?"
"I was..." she nodded. There was a loud resounding clatter from behind the door of the docking bay, making both she and Peppy wince. "Mind telling me what's eating Slippy?" she asked. The hare's pleasant expression slipped a notch.
"Well, to put it in a nutshell, he's having some relationship problems and he's taking his tartar out on the ships when he thinks nobody's lookin'..." Peppy sighed.
"Relationship troubles?" Katt inquired. "He has a girlfriend?"
"HAD." Peppy corrected. "He and Croakella met back in flight school. Been together for about two years till she got transferred and she sent him a letter last week breaking it off. She's been stationed over at Fortuna for the better part of the year and she and Slip've been keeping in touch through letters and phone calls. Apparently she met somebody else she likes better."
"Ouch." the feline winced. "I think I know her, though. Light green, voice like a tortured weasel, pink hair, thinks she's god's gift to aviation on the training courses?"
"Bingo." Peppy chuckled. "And yeah...totally blindsided him." the hare shrugged. "And if he wants to beat up ships to get it all out of his system, I don't really care. I don't think the rest of the team does either, as long as he fixes'em when he's done. We have a perfectly good punching bag in the rec room he could use but..." he dropped one eyelid in a wink "...to each his own, I suppose. But heck, you don't wanna hear about that. I think I saw Falco in his bunk earlier. You can probably catch him there."
"Thanks, I'll do that." she nodded non-committantly. She watched as the hare sauntered past her and into the hallway, leaving her alone again. Her thoughts turned to the mechanic in the other room and she felt a pang of remorse. It probably hurt a lot more to have a love and lose it than to just chase after one you could never have to begin with, she decided, though her episode with Falco had hurt like hell.
Feh, why should she even let him bother her? She didn't need Mr. High-And-Mighty Falco to be happy. Why, she could be happier with any man that came along next. Even...even....
She made herself stop, deciding that, no, not even THIS situation was desperate enough for her to saddle herself with Slippy. However, she felt she owed it to him to at least make an appearance his way...it was probably more than his teammates had done for him and if he appeared hostile, she would simply leave him be. Maybe they could talk, even...they could blow off steam about their respective deadbeat significant others and she could coerce him into feeling better. It was worth a shot, at least.
Making her decision, made her way back toward the hanger door...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Meet other people..." Slippy muttered to himself, fishing a small hammer out of his toolbox and wondering if he really trusted himself to fix the dent he had put in Fox's arwing with the current state of mind he was in. When he had first recieved the letter, he had gone through a spectrum of emotions. His first reaction had been shock, followed shortly by a mild depression that had left him bedridden for a day, and once that had lifted, he had spent most of his mental energy trying to convince himself that he was happy for Croakella and whoever her new love interest was. After awhile, though, it became apparent that he wasn't even fooling himself with these thoughts and for the past two days he had found himself feeling incredibly cheated and angry with her.
"*I* didn't 'meet other people' when *I* was away on duty." he grumbled. "I hold out for her since flight school and she can't even wait for eight months without chasing after some new guy?" He felt his teeth clench and tried to force himself to calm down. If Peppy or Falco, or black horror, FOX, caught him raging like this there was no telling what would happen. He didn't want to take a suspension from the team for mental leave on top of everything else so he had forced himself to keep smiling whenever in their company.
Before he could stop himself and let his anger simmer down a bit, he felt his hand delve into his back pocket again, retrieving the folded piece of paper, its corners ragged from being folded and refolded so often. It was as though something WANTED him to stay angry at Croakella...every time he felt he was starting to get a grip on his situation, he would bring out the damned letter and read it over again. He didn't even need to read it anymore, in fact. He had memorized it. Yet his eyes scanned over the words once again:
Dear Slippy,
I hope this letter finds you well and that you're doing ok. Falco still giving you a hard time? Ha. Okay, listen. I actually do have a reason for writing you. Sorry it can't be face-to-face but time doesn't allow for much else.
I gotta be frank with you, Slip, it gets hard to never see your significant other and tell everybody you have this nameless boyfriend whenever they ask. Its not you, so don't beat yourself up. You're a great guy! I still like you a lot and a part of me is always going to love you, but its gotten to the point where I just don't think its going to work out for us. I don't want you to think of this as me dumping you, really, but more like I'm setting you free. You've probably had to turn down a few dates since last time we saw each other. Being on Fox's crew puts ya in the limelight a lot and I'll bet you're just as much of a household name in Lylat as Fox is.
I hope we can still be friends, but I just think we should both meet other people. I've not had much of a chance to date, really. Basically, I got out of high school and we snapped each other up my freshman year of the Flight Academy. Maybe after we've both had a chance to broaden our horizons a bit, we could get back together and try this again. But for now, I'm not going to lie to you. There's a guy here I've had my eye on since I was transferred. He's a sweetheart and, in a lot of ways, he reminds me of you. He's asked me out a couple of times and I've turned him down, but I really feel like I owe him at least a chance. I know this is sudden and you probably hate me right about now, but all I ask is that you try and understand, okay?
Still your fan,
C.
Slippy re-folded the letter for what had to be the tenth time in the past hour and stuffed it back into his pocket, heaving a long and ragged sigh. He supposed he didn't HATE her, precisely. He could never flat-out hate anybody...but the fact couldn't be denied that he was extremely angry. In fact, he was glad she had done this to him through a letter and not in person....he didn't want her to remember him this way. When and if he ever got around to writing her something in reply, he hoped his head was on straight enough to be reasonable in what he wanted to tell her.
"Hey Slip." a female's voice stated. He snapped his head over his shoulder, nearly falling over backwards. He relaxed a little, seeing Katt Monroe approaching him. He didn't know her terribly well but had seen her in passing enough both in battle and around the team in Corneria City that he had more or less just passed her off as one of the lesser-known teammates like Fox's friend Bill Gray.
"Oh...hi, Katt." he said, forcing a smile. "What can I do ya for?"
"More than you've got, I'm afraid." the feline smirked. "What're you up to?"
"The usual." the frog replied, clearing his throat and moving his attention to the dented arwing. "Fixing up the ships and stuff....this one took a little wind damage." he fibbed, gesturing toward the slight dent in its sleek silver side. Katt cocked a brow knowingly as he knelt beside the craft and made himself look busy by detaching the fuel panel and unscrewing the access bolt to the oil tank, letting it drain. The process of changing the arwing's oil would only take a few minutes, but at least in that time he would look like he was in the docking bay with a purpose and keep her suspicion at a minimum.
"So I see." she stated. She stood for a bit and then knelt down beside him to be more on his level. Poor guy, she thought to himself. He looked more than just upset, he looked utterly haggard...like he hadn't slept more than three hours a night for several days. It made her feel like her problems with Falco were very miniscule in comparison. He kept his gaze trained on the rivelets of oil coursing into the metal grating beneath the arwing and into the drainage basin below the docking bay, making a mental note that he'd have to dilute and drain it on their next touchdown to Corneria. Once in awhile he flickered his eyes in Katt's direction, wondering why she was still there. Most people lost interest in what he did long before now.
Katt watched him a moment more and then smiled, leaning forward and gently rubbing her cheek against his left temple. Slippy blinked, looking up at her with wide eyes as though she had just hit him. The pink feline regarded him with half-lidded eyes and a serene expression. A moment that seemed to last hours hung between them before the toad cleared his throat and moved to reach for his toolbox to put the wrench away and retrieve a rag to wipe the oil from his hands.
"F-Falco's probably looking for y-y-you." he faltered, doing his best not to stutter. It had taken him nearly two years to get his stuttering problem licked through night classes and frequent visits to one of Corneria's most dedicated speech therapists but it still had a bad habit of coming back when he was especially thrown off-track.
"Falco doesn't care." she replied, retracting one of her claws and tracing it gently down the bridge of his nose. "And why should I?" she finished, giving the end of his snout a light poke. A blush had begun to climb in his cheeks, looking purple under his green skin and his hands trembled so severely that the oil cloth he had picked up slipped through his fingers.
"I...I...." he tried to get the words out, his throat closing to the size of a pinhole as he swallowed, closing his eyes and trying to get his head on straight.
"Geez...if he's THIS nervous around girls, no wonder he's had a hard time with relationships..." Katt thought to herself as she brushed her wispy white hair out of her eyes. Suddenly she snapped out of whatever trance she had been in and drew back. What the hell was she doing? Falco tossed her out on her tail, and now she was trying to seduce Slippy of all people? She knew people on the rebound were known for doing strange things, but this had to beat it all...glomping onto the poor guy after his girlfriend had walked out on him the week before. And what would either of them get out of it? She'd confuse and hurt Slippy even more than he was in a bad attempt to get back at Falco that probably wouldn't even work. No, she was a better person than that.
"Its okay, Slip. I'm sorry." she whispered, placing one of her hands on his shoulder. He relaxed a little under her touch, but still looked utterly unnerved as he cleared his throat again and straightened his cap on his head.
"It's---It's ok..." he assured her with a quick nod, and looking utterly relieved that her strange behavior had stopped.
"I heard about what happened with you and Croakella." she began tentatively, attempting to change the subject. The frog visibly winced and concentrated his full attention on the toolbox, rummaging through stray bolts and ratchets. "....Slippy?" Katt asked.
"I'm fine." he replied flatly, not looking at her and pulling away from her.
"No you're not." Katt insisted. "You've been dragging around for the past week. People're worried about you." she moved closer again and carefully put an arm around his shoulders, waiting to see if he'd shy away. He didn't, but he hitched a breath that sounded like he wasn't far off from tears.
"You---" he sniffled and ceased trying to pretend he was looking through the toolbox. "You didn't have to cuddle up to me, Katt. You could have just said that outright."
"Slippy, I didn't mean..." Katt began, dropping her arm from his shoulders.
"I bet Fox put you up to this..." the frog said sullenly. "And if it makes him happy, you can go ahead and tell him that no I'm NOT okay. In fact I'm miserable." he told her, looking over his shoulder. The feline felt a pang of remorse as she noted a tear coursing its way down his cheek from one of his blue eyes.
"Oh, Slippy..." she sighed sympathetically, wrapping her arms around him in a sudden and crushing hug. He protested only a minute before simply collapsing against her and letting go of the inner restraint he had been holding onto since he had first read Croakella's letter, letting himself cry, pouring out all of the mingled hate, hurt, and betrayal that had been buzzing within him for the past few days. Katt held him for a few moments, waiting until he had composed himself and sat up again, wiping at his eyes.
"Sorry..." he apologized. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. I just---I don't have very many ways to vent, ya know?" He didn't look her in the eyes, knowing if he did he'd likely start crying again.
"I know..." Katt nodded. And then "Fox didn't send me, Slip. I just wondered how you were."
"Well.....its been hard. I can tell you that." the frog said, offering a lopsided half-smile as he turned his attention back to his arwing, reaching into the panel to screw the bolt he had taken off of the oil tank back into place. "But I'll live."
"You'll find somebody else." Katt offered. "I mean, you're a great guy. You're level-headed, you're devoted to what you do, you're---"
"Short, ugly, got a voice that breaks windows, a screw-up..." the frog rattled off, giving a small grunt as he gave the bolt one last twist with his fingers before reaching for his wrench to finish the job.
"No." Katt insisted. "Slippy, how can you say that about yourself?" she asked, lightly slapping his ankle since the rest of him was beneath the arwing.
"I've been hearing it for years." he replied, not sounding entirely depressed about it. "And I know that I am."
"Some teammates..." the pink feline huffed. "They really tell you all that?"
"Falco mostly." Slippy replied, pulling out from beneath the arwing and tossing the wrench back into its box. "Its alright though. I'm not much good to the team as a pilot anyway. I like to think I'm good at mechanics if nothing else, though. I hate feeling completely useless."
"And boy do I know that feeling..." Katt muttered.
"Huh?" Slippy inquired. Katt opened her mouth to tell him to nevermind, but caught herself. As long as he was coming clean, she might as well do the same.
"Oh...just another incident with Price Charming In Feathers I can add to my vast wall of insecurities." she replied, slumping her back against the front wheel of Fox's arwing. "I'm done with him, I think..."
"Sorry to hear that." he told her.
"I'm not." the cat replied. He nodded.
"Wish I could say the same about mine." he sighed. "I mean, this was just so sudden. She gets relocated to the airbase on Fortuna, we keep in contact through letters and Email for a couple months and then she stops talking to me out of nowhere. Now all of a sudden she's got a new boyfriend and says she can't see me anymore..."
"It happens." Katt answered. "Its really low, but it happens."
"I guess." Another pregnant pause between them. Katt felt a simple love for him...not the passionate longing she had felt for Falco, but something was there, just the same. Probably the same love she'd feel for a younger sibling if she had one, she guessed.
"You about done?" she asked. "I was going to head over to the mess hall and grab a soda if you want to come with."
"Sounds good!" he answered, sounding genuinely happy for the first time since she had started talking to him. Katt smiled warmly in return, waiting for him to close the toolbox and get up, following after her. She had to wonder just how long it had been since his company had actually been welcomed by someone as he scampered to her side and the two of them meandered out of the docking bay.
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CHAPTER TWO
"Get out!" Slippy grinned taking a swallow of his Lime Spritzi. "He actually had the nerve to tell you that??"
"Yup." Katt snickered, swirling the half-melted ice cubes and cola in her glass, making a merry tinking sound. "So I told him 'Pinfeathers, NOBODY talks about my tail that way!' and I knocked him flat on his ass and he cried, I tell ya." Slippy burst into braying laughter, unable to help himself. "So as you can see, Mr. Lombardi was QUITE the charmer."
"Seems so." Slippy grinned, giving a small sigh.
"You're looking better, Slip-shot." she smirked.
"I just... I really needed this. Thanks, Katt." he blushed
"Don't mention it." she smiled, reaching out and touching his cheek with the back of one hand. The gesture made him blush even deeper and refocus his eyes down at the tabletop. It wasn't the same horrified way he had acted earlier in the docking bay, she noted with some relief.
"Well, I should get back to work...Fox's going to wonder why his ship's not done." the frog stated, moving to get up. Katt reached out, catching his wrist.
"What's your hurry?" she inquired. He reached up, fumbling with the collar of his shirt a moment as his mind fished for an answer.
"I...ahh...."
"Slip, don't get me wrong, but you're really cute when you're nervous." she laughed, letting go of him. "Listen, I'm going to be in the rec room for awhile, I think. If you get done early, come look for me and I'll play you at a game of WarMonger or something."
"Yeah, okay." Slippy nodded hurriedly, turning and walking out of the dining area of The Great Fox. He wasn't used to so much attention and it made him feel strange. Why was Katt being so nice to him all of a sudden? Adrenaline still smacked through his veins, making his heart do double its normal work as he paused in mid-stride to lean against the wall and catch his breath. Sure, he had had a crush on Katt for a bit when she had first started paying her visits. He was pretty sure every member of the Starfox team had crushed on her for a little except for Falco, but let's be serious....girls like her were fleeting and could have any man they wanted and usually ended up marrying the one that treated them the worst. Why in the name of Lylat should he even entertain the notion of her thinking he was anything but a grease jockey?
Okay, so she talked to him for a few minutes...she felt sorry for him, he decided. Starfox had been cutting him a lot of slack the past few days due to his breakup and in a little while she would go back to ignoring him like everybody else did.
"If all she was doing was tolerating you, then what was that episode back by the arwing when she first came in?" his mind inquired.
"Just my imagination." he answered it curtly. "That's all, now shut up." That said, he continued on his way back to the docking bay.
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Katt sat by herself at the table, wondering if she should bring Slippy the rest of his soda that he left behind and decided against it. She had tormented him enough for one hour. Poor Slippy. His personality was a nice change of pace from the normal knuckleheads she had dated in the past, but his overzealousness usually was a bit off-putting. It was probably why his team had dismissed him as a pest, but what they sometimes failed to see was that he usually meant well.
And his girlfriend....well, that was another matter.
Perhaps she had changed by the time she and Slippy had started dating, but in the time the feline had been acqainted with Croakella, she had struck her as more or less of an uncommitted girl. It wouldn't have surprised her if Croakella had found someone the day after leaving Slip behind for Fortuna. Katt wouldn't dare tell Slippy this, of course, but it troubled her. He was so trusting and would have sooner been executed than say anything bad about her and she...well, lord only knew.
She stretched as she picked up her glass and tilted the rest of her cola into her mouth. Her thoughts idly turned back to Falco and she briefly wondered what he was up to....probably bragging to Fox that he had put her out of his life once and for all. Oddly enough, the thought didn't hurt her as much as she thought it would. Let him do whatever floated his boat....if it got out of hand, it would eventually get back to her and she would straighten him out one way or another.
Setting the empty glass on the table, Katt rose from where she was sitting and headed for the rec room, deciding she could use a game of Warmonger herself to get rid of her own frustration. She already had it planned out...she would create an atmosphere entirely unliveable with poisonous gas for air and then name her team of warriors "Lombardi" and simply sit back, watching them all squirm and die on the screen. Perfect, she grinned.
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Katt hadn't thought he would come, but he did after an hour and a half of entertaining herself with video games. As she sat in the darkened glow of the rec room, lounging on the couch as the blue shadows of the television screen danced across her face, she heard a door open and close behind her, followed by footsteps muffled by the carpet.
"He returns." she declared, without turning around as she kept her attention focused raptly on the screen as she made her player, a cheeky red squirrel, dodge an onslaught of hornets that were swooping toward him.
"Yup." Slippy's voice emanated from behind her. The couch jiggled slightly as he sat down beside her and she hit the pause button to greet him.
"How're you feeling?" she inquired.
"No better, no worse..." he shrugged. "You?"
"Falco can go blow himself for all I care." she said decisively. The frog cracked a smile but didn't laugh.
"You sure got over him fast..." he complimented. "What's your secret?"
"There's no secret." the feline replied, unpausing her game and continuing to play. "Just did a little soulsearching is all....figured out I didn't need him and his crap."
"My soulsearcher must be on the fritz then." Slippy shrugged. "No matter how much I want to forgive and forget, something just won't let me.
"You just feel unresolved." she answered simply. "You'd let go a lot easier if she was here to tell her how you felt to her face."
"Probably." he nodded. "You sure know a lot about this stuff." he added.
"I spent eight years getting my heart stomped on. I've heard it from just about every girl - friend I've ever had in different words." Katt explained, wincing as her player missed his footing on a roof's edge and toppled to his death. "Damn..." she cursed as the game played its somber "Game Over" music and she offered the controller to Slippy. "Try your luck, McGee?" she teased. He accepted it wordlessly and waited for the title screen to appear again.
"Never played this one." he remarked, pressing start and being brought to the first screen. Katt watched him struggle with the controls, trying not to laugh as he bumbled the squirrel straight off of the first cliff it came to.
"Good shot." she said with playful sarcasm.
"Thanks a lot." he sighed, tossing the controller aside. "Ya know, I miss when the only game we had for this thing was Egg Shooter. I was better than anybody at it."
"Is that the one Fox says he couldn't pry you away from with a crowbar and conveyor belt?" she asked.
"Probably." he snickered. "But ask him how many times I kicked his tail at it."
"You say as though he'd ever tell me." Katt replied, her pink tail flickering absently. There was silence for a moment.
"You know, I've got Croakella's number...do you think I should try calling her and see if we can get this straightened out more?" he asked.
"Probably not. At least not until you guys have both thought it over for awhile." she shrugged. "And who knows? You might find somebody else in the meantime."
"Not likely." Slippy sighed. "Finding Croakella was luck of the draw for somebody like me."
"Why do you say that?" she asked, looking at him. He met her eyes for a minute, his wide innocent blues meeting with her sultry violets, and then looked away again. A moment passed before he spoke.
"Girls just don't go for guys like me." he replied meekly. "They want people like Fox or Falco. You know, the REAL heroes....not some loser mechanic. And what've I got to offer a girl if she takes an interest in me anywa---" His words cut off abruptly as a pair of warm lips covered his mouth. He froze a moment, first trying to fathom what had just happened and then dumbfounded when he realized he was being kissed. His mind screamed at him to pull back...this wasn't right, this wasn't right at all! But despite that, he found that he was unable to move.
Katt didn't know what had possessed her to do it....she had been about to tell him to stop beating on himself again, and some other impulse had grabbed her instead. She just hadn't known it would quite resolve itself into this. She held the kiss with him a moment more and then drew back, not quite sure what to expect as far as a reaction went. Slippy sat, looking utterly dazed for a minute, and then a hand slowly went to his forehead.
"Wha--What----" he began, not knowing what he was trying to say.
"Maybe not all women are looking for the same thing." Katt said cryptically. "You look like you've never been kissed before, Slip." she added with a laugh as he continued to remain stone still and wide-eyed.
"I---I----well....never like that...." he managed. Calm down, Slippy, he cursed himself. He wondered for a minute if she could hear his heart pounding from where she sat beside him. HE certainly could...the blood was drumming in his head so hard that each beat made black shadows rise and fall in the corners of his vision.
"Not my fault you've been missing out." the feline smirked, petting his cheek. He fidgeted a little.
"W-Would it be too forward of me to ask what that was for?" he asked, beginning to compulsively wring his hands.
"The hell of it." she replied, her eyes smoky as she gently rubbed her head against his shoulder, a gentle purr rumbling in her throat. "Want another?"
"I...ahh...err....nnyyeehhh..." he fumbled. Not waiting for his answer, Katt smiled and leaned forward again...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Falco Lombardi leaned back against his pillows, flipping through an issue of "Play!" magazine. He had picked it up weeks ago, intrigued by the interview with the latest rock sensation sweeping Corneria City, Lost Souls Of Zoness. While Falco didn't have a particular favorite band, he liked to check in on the newest ones on the market now and then....for humor if nothing else. He had originally wondered if these guys were as screwed up as Charred Skull had been where they claimed to open up a jar of sacrificial worms before each concert.
Though Lost Souls Of Zoness were satisfyingly freakish, Falco found himself unable to enjoy the article as his thoughts kept returning to his earlier exchange with Katt. True, she annoyed the living snot out of him sometimes, but he couldn't shake the idea that maybe he had been a bit hard on her. Usually their fights met their highest point with a few insults thrown at one another and her storming off in the opposite direction. Today she had actually *shrieked* at him before leaving, and if he hadn't been mistaken she looked as though she was doing her damnnest not to cry.
Well, it was HER fault, he told himself firmly. She showed up out of nowhere and scared the living hell out of him and then started trying to feed him crap about how he had asked her to come visit...feh, not if HE could help it. He sighed, laying the magazine on his chest and rubbing his temples. He didn't understand why she wouldn't just let go and get on with her life. It wasn't that he hated her, but god, how many different ways did he need to tell her no? It always came back to that one cryptic line "We can still be friends." Well, friends didn't precisely follow other friends around and invade their private space, now did they?
Still, he didn't want her to go away angry...or to do anything stupid if he had really upset her as badly as she had reacted. Well, maybe he'd head out in a little to check on her and make sure she wasn't off playing with knives or something. To a certain degree, he supposed he felt responsible for her if she DID suddenly decide to go full goose bozo on everyone. All the guilt trips she had laid on him in the past about giving up dates with all sorts of guys to give her time up to him were finally taking their toll, he supposed.
"Alright, Katt, you win..." he grumbled, rolling out of bed and tossing the magazine over his shoulder as he stood and popped his back. "I hope you appreciate what I put up with sometimes..." he sighed, leaving his bunker. He already had a good idea where he might find her and made a B-line for the cargo bay. If he knew Katt like he thought he knew her, she'd be sitting near her arwing, fuming that ROB was taking so long to service it so she could leave. He'd take her aside and maybe have a drink with her....explain for the umpteenth time that he just was NOT interested in her and tell her they needed to put this game of cat and mouse to rest.
He passed through the main deck and opened the door leading to the docking bay. From where he stood, he could already see the evanescent purple and pink hues of The Cat's Paw, but didn't hear the telltale clatters or beeps of it being worked on. Never the less, he ventured out into the bay, approaching Katt's ship. His own footsteps echoed back at him off of the walls as he neared it, pausing when he noticed that, indeed, no one was tending to it. Weird.
Well, there were numerous other places she could be, he thought. Off bemoaning her life to Fox or Peppy in their respective bunks, hiding in one of the bathrooms and sulking, maybe she was in the mess hall drowning her sorrows in some ice cream or whatever it was girls did when they were depressed. Or, if she was anything like the rest of the crew, she might even be in the gym beating up on the punching bag to blow off some steam.
He decided to try the mess hall first. Upon arriving, however, he found it empty and dark. On one of the tables stood an opened can of soda and empty glass with ice cubes in it that had melted nearly completely. It was probably Peppy's doing, he decided. The old hare was getting on in years and now and then he forgot to do things...like put his dishes away, for instance. If not Peppy, then definately Slippy. The young mechanic got sidetracked very easily. "And he's probably got his head stuck in the toilet or something." Falco told himself, smirking at the thought.
He paused, eyeing the door leading into the rec room. Instead of steady darkness coming from the crack beneath, there were gray and blue lights flickering steadily. Clearly someone was watching TV with the lights out, he decided. Falco Lombardi had been expected, as he approached and nudged open the rec room door, to see one of his teammates snoozing on the couch or maybe playing one of the scarier video games with the darkness for ambiance, but there was nothing in the Lylat system that could have prepared him for what he saw.
At first, he had assumed that the rec room was empty and someone had simply left the television on. Not especially fond of Peppy's and Fox's lectures about "electricity/water/food/heat isn't free", the avian stepped forward to turn it off, passing by the couch as he did so. He looked...and then looked again, his brain trying to assure his eyes that he hadn't seen what he thought he had. The first thing he was aware of was Slippy...he was napping, it appeared, with his back propped against the arm of the couch in a sitting position. That would have been perfectly A-OK by Falco, if it hadn't been for the fact that in his lap, curled up and giving a contented rumbling purr in her throat as she also slept, was Katt.
"Just a mistake." Falco assured himself. Of course...that had to be it. People slumped over each other all the time when they fell asleep. Slippy and Katt had just been watching TV, maybe playing some video games...Slip had fallen asleep first and Katt had followed soon after, accidently falling into his lap when she had done so....and when they woke up, they'd probably both laugh and be a little redder. That was all.
Except.....
Usually when people accidentally fell asleep on one another, they didn't manage to cuddle up quite as neatly as these two were. He noted that not only were Katt's arms securely snugged around Slippy's waist, but that one of the frog's hands was resting on her shoulder. The avian felt a rush of dizzyness as he tried to put together this puzzle. The final piece clicked into place with horrible finality as he peered closer. Katt had always been fond of wearing pastel raspberry-scented lip gloss, he knew, (how could he NOT know? Every time he got within three feet of her, he could smell it) and around the frog's jaw were telltale traces of pink. And they smelled like raspberries. Had he honestly scared Katt away that badly that she had sought solace with Slippy, of all people?? It was suddenly getting hard to breathe in the rec room as he hurried back into the darkened mess hall, letting the door swing shut behind him with a bang, not caring if he woke them up.
Once outside, he seated himself at the nearest mess hall table, dropping his head into his hands, rubbing madly at his temples to keep what could only be a hellraiser of a migraine brewing at bay. "Oh damn..." he muttered. "Damndamndamndamndamndamn..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TWO WEEKS LATER....
"Letter for you, Froggen." Antonio DeLawrence, a curly-haired Portuguese Water Dog stated, tossing an envelope onto Croakella's desk as he made his mail rounds. The frog looked up from the book she had been reading, looking at the letter a moment. Who could have written her? Not her parents...she had just heard from them two days ago. Curiousity winning out over her interest in her book, she snapped it up, turning it over in her hands. There was no return address on it, but it had been postmarked on Corneria, giving her a pretty good idea of who had written her.
She set her jaw, making a silent vow to herself that she would not be swayed by any heartbreaking stories he could favor her with. The fact of the matter was, she had been happily dating a fellow cadet, an albatross by the name of John Talley...and she and Johnny were good for one another. She supposed a large part of her still cared about Slippy, but it could never compare to how Johnny made her feel. Obtaining a firm mindset, she tore open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and began to read.
Hi Croakella,
I know its been a long time since you wrote me last and part of it was immaturity on my part. I've done a lot of "soulsearching" as a very good friend of mine puts it, and calmed down since I first read your letter. I can't lie to you, I was pretty angry. I didn't want to end up telling you things I'd regret later, so I kept quiet. Better to not open your mouth than to insert a foot, eh? I'm not sure what you've done since last we talked. I imagine you gave the guy you mentioned in your last letter a chance and I hope that if you did, you guys are happy. As for me, well, the toad lives on.
Know how you said I'd find somebody else? At the time I thought that was the biggest crock I had ever heard in my life. Funny how sometimes those crocks turn out to be seeded with truth here and there. But I didn't write you to regale you with love stories, of course! I just wanted to let you know I'm not ignoring you or putting bullets in my head or anything (as much as I'm sure some people are still hoping. Falco namely, but again that's a result of my current relations). But if I know you like I think I know you, you'd personally turn me inside out if I didn't tell you who this lady was so I'll spare you the suspense.
Katt Monroe. There, I said it. Kind of makes sense that Falco is out for my head (talk about the dog in the manger...). Every time he catches me alone, there's a threat of SOME sort. The way he talks, you'd think she and I were pounding each other every chance we got! But you know me better than that, C. What was it you always used to say? "No band on the hand, no nookie for cookie", right? Grab that and apply it to this situation. Actually I'm not even sure this is going to last long enough to talk about that sort of thing, but as long as we're coming clean, I can tell you that I'm honestly enjoying it. I can't speak for Katt, but she seems a lot happier lately. I hope I had something to do with it. If not, then she probably is just getting a kick out of watching Falco squirm.
Anyway, I'll let you go. No doubt you have more important things to worry about than ex's hounding you. Ha ha.
Well wishes,
Slippy
Croakella read through the letter three times, trying to decide if it was to be taken seriously or not. On the one hand, she wanted to be happy for Slippy but on the other, she was wary. Katt Monroe? That was a bit hard to swallow. She wondered briefly if the entire letter was intended to be incredibly sarcastic and it had gone over her head. At any rate, at least it hadn't been the raging screamfest she had worried might come of their breakup.
"C'mon, Croakella!' Johnny called from the doorway, giving the wall a light knock to get her attention. She turned, smiling at the bird as she laid Slippy's letter down on her bed and hurried toward him. They embraced, sharing a quick kiss. "Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yup." she grinned. "Let's try not to get to this movie five minutes into it like last time." she teased as they walked out together.
"Not that you did much watching of the movie anyway." Johnny quipped, giving her a light poke. They both laughed, arms draped around one another as they walked.
"Good luck, Slip." she thought in passing as she and Johnny disappeared around a corner together.
THE END