Hello, and welcome, to the relationship support for Fox and Robin!

Now, this is meant to be a tie-in for my Star Fox fanfic, Nexus of Lylat, but if you're just looking to read about two of your favorite characters without the extra nonsense going on, you're welcome to read this without it as well. Since I've only got this chapter up and it'll be like that for a little while, it should be fine for now. No promises for the future, though.

Anyway, this short story will help develop Fox's relationship with Robin, as the two get some one-on-one time with each other. It is meant to be separate from the other stories that share this title and the tie-in, but you're welcome to read all of them, if you like. Things will be platonic for now, but I am shipper trash, so I can offer you no promises that it will remain that way.

So, read on and enjoy!

...

[Great Fox Armory, Present Day, 16:42]

In a room lined with weapon supplies, Robin stepped along, inspecting each shelf and drawer little by little. He checked over a blaster, taking one out and inspecting it.

"Hmm."

Opening it, he glanced inside where the ammunition would be stored. Opening a drawer, he gazed at the different colored vials inside of it, each labeled with a different type of ammo and function.

"Standard, Stunner, Incendiary…Gelid?" The bird tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "That seems redundant."

"Recognized," sounded a robotic recording from behind Robin, as he turned to the door. "Pilot Designation 01: Fox McCloud."

The door slid open as Fox walked in, stopping in the doorway. Robin blinked at him, looked down at his blaster, and then shrugged.

"Sorry." He put the weapon down and closed the drawer. "Not the best sight to walk in on, I realized…in hindsight."

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Fox tilted his head and eyed Robin.

"Oh, no, I'm just trying to familiarize myself with what you have," the bird explained. "I don't want you to try having me go grab us weapons in an emergency, and then I fumble around for too long without knowing what to get."

"Well, I suppose that is good initiative," admitted Fox.

"Kind of, but I won't feel comfortable until I know this ship better," decided Robin. Watching Fox's eyes slightly narrow, he added, "It's all for the same reasons, really. I want to be able to help. If it's bothering you, though, I'll stop."

"…No, I guess that is a good idea overall," determined Fox, relaxing his shoulders. "I've worked with most of the same teammates for years, so it's sometimes tricky for me to adjust to newcomers."

"Completely understandable," agreed Robin. "Are you busy at the moment? If not, why don't we try talking a bit? Get to know one another better, so we can both be at ease more often around each other."

"At ease, huh?" Fox smirked. "Is the tension that thick in here?"

"It can be." Robin smirked, but then frowned. "But that's my fault, mostly. I just wish that I could remember my life before your team found Robyn and I."

"Retrograde amnesia can be a burden," concurred Fox. "It could be worse though. Anterograde amnesia would mean that you'd have trouble retaining new memories."

"That would be awful too," realized Robin. "Can you imagine if I woke up here, every day, asking who everyone was and what was happening?"

"Imagine, yes. Want? No."

"Really?"

"Of course not." Fox smiled. "We'd never get to really know one another past a day, and that might be worse than starting you on a clean slate now."

"When you look at it like that, I suppose it's not so bad." Robin smiled. "Thank you, Fox."

"You're welcome." Fox leaned against a shelf with inactive grenades lined up. "So, um, is there anything that you can remember, about yourself? Besides the name?"

"Nothing in particular, no." Robin winced as he clutched his head. "Whenever I try to think of even basic interests and thoughts, such as a favorite color or food, it just settles in as a blur." He deeply sighed. "I feel like an unattended canvas."

"Come on, I don't think it's that bad."

"How? You did already provide a worse scenario, but what's good about this?"

"A clean slate might seem a little daunting at first," clarified Fox. "But just think, you can decide on whatever you'd like now, with no prior experiences holding you back." He shrugged. "If you want to try anything new, there's not much to stop you."

"Perhaps not, but I might never learn about what I've lost." Robin sighed. "I know that I shouldn't get hung up over the past, especially when nothing's there when I look back, but…I just can't help myself."

"It's understandable."

"Still, I do appreciate your input." Robin forced a smile. "But honestly, is there anything about your past that you'd want to forget or have wiped clean?"

"…Yes." Fox's voice lowered and he frowned. "There's…a lot that I'd like to forget, or change, if it were possible."

"Really? Why?" Robin blinked and tilted his head when Fox narrowed his eyes once more. "Sorry, it's just…from what I've heard about you, even just in the short amount of time and in passing, people sing you praises quite often. You're heralded as a hero and an idol. Even I remembered your name, while I still can't recall basic details about myself." Robin frowned. "It's just…I wouldn't imagine someone like you could be burdened by the past."

"Then you really don't know me too well yet," darkly murmured Fox.

"Uh…s-sorry."

"No, I apologize." Fox sighed and shook his head. "I'm getting moody on you when you don't even understand." He gazed into Robin's dark eyes and let his shoulders drop. "The reason that I even started this team was to avenge my father, who originally created this team."

"Wow, really? But…what happened?"

"He died." Fox lowered his head. "An evil ape named Andross murdered him after trying to take over all of Lylat."

"Oh, I…I had no idea." Robin deflated and sank in place. "Fox, I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry." Fox forced himself to straighten up and refocused on Robin. "It happened years ago, and you couldn't have known."

"All the same, it's awful to hear," murmured Robin. "At least your mother is still around, though, right?"

"Um…no." Robin's beak dropped open as Fox's ears lowered. "She died even earlier than my father, and I hardly had the time to know her."

"Fox, I'm really sorry," jumped in Robin. "That was so inconsiderate of me, I'm sorry to have even brought that up."

"It's ok." Fox forced a smile. "You were only looking for the bright side of the story. And that bright side is that I did stop Andross, and formed a strong team in the process." Pausing, Fox blinked and shrugged. "Oh, and kind of became a renowned hero around Lylat. That counts too."

"Ha, I would hope so!"

"Well, I would be lying if I didn't admit to liking a little attention now and again."

For a moment, Fox beamed at Robin's chuckles, relaxing once again. However, as Robin stopped, Fox sighed and stiffened again.

"Bad memories flooding back in?" Fox jumped a bit at Robin's interruption. "You seemed a little lost in thought again."

"Am I? Sorry about that."

"No, it's my fault really."

"Not at all." Fox smiled again. "I'm actually enjoying this, really. Talking with you puts me at ease more than I was expecting."

"Are you sure?" Robin sighed. "I feel like it's having the opposite effect."

"If it were, I'd probably wouldn't be able to smile much at all," revealed Fox. "Just speaking with you is…therapeutic, I suppose."

"Is it? Well, that's good." Robin chuckled. "If I'm a failure on the field, at least I can have some use as a counselor of sorts."

Both pilots laughed for a bit. Robin stumbled forward, to which Fox quickly swept in and helped him rebalance himself.

"Thank you." Robin sheepishly chuckled. "That was embarrassing."

"Nah, it's just what happens if you're laughing a little too much." He smiled and patted Robin's shoulder. "That doesn't happen often, does it? The stumbling, that is. Laughing is good."

"Ah, no, not quite." Robin tapped his head for a moment. "The doctors mentioned that I might have some side effects like dizzy spells from medicines, but…I would have thought those had subsided by now."

"Ah, speaking of."

"Uh-oh."

"Exactly what drove you and Robyn to fly off after us?" Fox folded his arms. "Neither of you really know us all that well, so I wouldn't imagine either of you would spring to action over helping out."

"We didn't really talk it over much," divulged Robin. "Instinct just kind of kicked in and we both set off to help you guys."

"Instinct, huh?" Fox rubbed his chin as his ears twitched.

"Yeah. Before, back in the city, helping you out clicked with both of us." Robin tapped his wings together, and then shrugged. "We imagined it was just this odd drive to battle, like it's encoded into us or something, but…I'm coming to the conclusion that we want to work alongside you specifically."

"Me?" Fox pointed to himself as Robin nodded. "Um…as an individual, or my whole team?"

"Uh…I guess I didn't think that through entirely." Robin scratched behind his head. "Both, I think."

"Huh. Ok then." Fox scratched the side of his head. "Do you know why?"

"Well, I can't really speak for Robyn, since she might have a different train of thought," determined Robin. "But, maybe she feels the same. Either way, I think you're pretty nice and worth helping. After all, if the public holds you in such high esteem, you must be doing something right."

"Laying it on thick, aren't you?" Fox's cheeks flushed as he shifted around, his hand slipping on the nearby shelf.

"Ha, sorry." Robin smiled and shrugged. "I don't mean to blow it out of proportion; I just think that you're someone good to work for."

"Maybe," laughed Fox. After that, though, his ears lowered and he shook his head. "Some days, I'm not quite so sure."

"What do you mean?" Robin tilted his head. "Your team seems to have a very durable rapport with you."

"Somewhat," murmured Fox. "I mean, don't get me wrong; my teammates have done a lot to help me out of the years, and I appreciate everything that they've done." Fox sighed. "But, I don't really know if I've given that back to them. It seems like we have a strong relationship, but a lot of days, I question myself on that, and wonder if I could do anything to strengthen my ties with my teammates." He shrugged. "After all, they're a lot more than just coworkers."

"Of course, and I'm sure they value you beyond your role as a leader," chimed in Robin. "The bonds that you've developed with them, for however long you've worked together, are stronger than that of normal working relationships." Robin tapped his wing against his beak and nodded. "Even if you don't feel that you've given back to them as much, I'm sure they understand and, more importantly, still see beyond enough reason to continue to follow you."

"That's…hard to argue with," relented Fox. "I should still work on improving our collective supports, but…you do have a good point."

"You'll find that my assessments will be pretty spot on," revealed Robin. "I'll do my best to look into whatever I can." He paused and blinked at Fox. "With your permission, and within reason, of course."

"One step at a time, but I think it will be fine," determined Fox. "I'm not sure how well the rest of the team feels about you two yet."

"Understood. And they do have right to be suspicious." Robin scratched behind his head. "Not that I'm ungrateful for it, but you seem…maybe too relaxed around me. Or, us, Robyn and I." Fox tilted his head as Robin shrugged. "Sorry. I guess I'm just hoping that you exercise more caution around, well, strangers."

"And here I thought we were becoming friends."

"Of course, and now we are," agreed Robin. "But, before that, you hardly knew much about either of us. And now, you're just accepting Robyn and I onto the team." Robin sighed. "Is that…really wise?"

"To be honest with you, I'm not the biggest source of wisdom," admitted Fox. "Peppy and Slippy are the bigger thinkers around here. I tend to follow more of what I learn based on experiences."

"Yet what did you learn about me? Us?"

"Which us are you referring to?"

"Robyn and I." Robin blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Wait, huh?"

"Well, about the two of you, I learned that you have some odd degree of knowledge of combat tactics and a bit on me," explored Fox. "You're both a bit on the impulsive side, but my team can be like that as well. Furthermore, you're both amnesiacs, and neither raised any major red flags for General Pepper, as far as I know." He shrugged and nodded. "By now, I definitely would have heard something, if proven otherwise. But, I have been, in that the two of you immediately returned to helping my team, joining the fray against enemies at the soonest opportunity that you two could find." Fox smiled. "Honestly, I think that's enough to give a good vibe and a fair sense of judgment on you two."

"Well…ok, sure." Robin nodded. "We're not the best examples, I suppose. But, you should be more careful going forward, with others that you might encounter."

"Are you expecting us to meet a lot of new folks?"

"Possibly, or discover new things about familiar faces."

"That would be a welcomed change."

"Fox—"

"Don't be so quick to defenses, Robin," soothed Fox. "We're not exactly giving you complete free reign among the team, at least not this early on. And I'm hoping that you two still practice when possible." He smiled. "But, I think that things are ok with both you and Robyn around the team. And the more I learn from others, the better we'll grow to be."

"Still, I…just don't know."

"It's ok, and I do appreciate that you'll be one of the more cautious types on board," admitted Fox. "You could make for a great defensive force, just for us."

"Ha, maybe." Robin chuckled. "Perhaps I am being a little too overprotective."

"As long as you can manage it, I don't see much of a problem with some security," decided Fox. He glanced around the room and nodded. "Maybe we should go over things in here, and help you familiarize yourself with weaponry."

"Oh, we could wait to do that with Robyn," insisted Robin. "She should be around for that lesson, too."

"Of course." He blinked and furrowed his brow. "Actually, did they perform any blood tests on the two of you? What exactly is your relationship with each other?"

"Results were inconclusive, and they're retesting everything about us again," revealed Robin. "I was wondering what we were to one another as well, and I'm pretty sure she's got the same thoughts on her mind."

"You two don't even remember each other, huh?"

"No, but it's strange."

"How so?"

"Robyn is someone that I immediately can trust, and I can tell she feels the same as me," unveiled Robin. He brushed his wings, and studied his dark jacket, tracing down to the purple and gold decorations on it. "She and I…we're different, in personality and certain approaches with thoughts and tactics, but we're also very similar. Practically the same name, similar species, both amnesiacs, and that's just the beginning of it."

"What else?"

"Robyn shares my craving for knowledge and learning," explored Robin. "She and I talked quite a bit back at the hospital, and we discovered that we both love chess, reading, writing, and exploring. We share similar appetites, and that's truly baffling." Robin shook his head. "It's as if we're of one mind, but at the same time, we can take different paths from one another, and make different decisions based on that."

"Huh." Fox tilted his head again. "So…you two are essentially two sides of the same coin, right?"

"That's…almost the perfect way to put it, yes," declared Robin. "Two sides, one coin…"

"Robin?"

"Sorry, I became a little fixated on that." Robin scratched behind his head. "It was pretty much the best way to describe us, and our relationship, I suppose."

"That's good. Something, at least." Fox folded his arms. "So, neither of you has a way to tell who you were to one another?"

"None." Robin deflated a bit. "I wouldn't know if she were my sister, cousin, friend, enemy, rival, or lover." He picked at a few red feathers sticking out from his collar, pushing them down to his chest. "It's possible that we may never have even met before, and just share so many odd similarities."

"That can't be a coincidence." Fox shook his head. "Something about the two of you really links you together."

"We both agree with that, which is why we're determined to stick together," disclosed Robin. "She and I must share some relation. And there's a chance that we can discover it while we're together."

"That does sound like the optimal plan," commended Fox.

"Yes." Robin sighed and stared into Fox's eyes. "Now…what about us?"

"Hm? Oh, you mean, you and I?"

"Correct, yes." Robin cleared his throat and looked away from Fox. "It's just…well, you and I have talked about establishing bonds, and I feel like we're discovering what we'll mean to one another going forward."

"Geez, you make it sound so serious," teased Fox, and caused Robin to blush.

"S-sorry. I just…wanted to know what you'll expect, going forward."

"Well, I'm still getting to know each of you," determined Fox. "So, rather than decide on that now, we'll just keep going forward with our missions, and we'll see how you develop." He shrugged. "Just stay flexible and open to whatever you can take on."

"That does make sense," agreed Robin. "But, are you sure that your team doesn't need any specific skill set? Any positions you need Robyn or I to fill in?"

"Well, our work tends to be balanced among each of us," described Fox. "Each of us has unique abilities that we put into play. Peppy has years of experience. Slippy is a mechanical genius. Falco's an ace at flying. Krystal has psychic abilities. And…well, I'm just the leader."

"So, you have a balance of your abilities, as well as inspiring charisma."

"Oh, I…guess that is one way to look at it." Fox scratched lightly behind his ear. "You sure pick up on things quick."

"That's the goal." Robin tapped his wings together. "That, and getting to know you better. You guys, that is. For both Robyn and I." He blinked and shook his head. "Um. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'm usually the worst at first impressions."

"Guess I'll have to give you a run for your money."

"Ha, you can try!"

"Or maybe we can both work on doing better."

"True." Fox nodded and glanced around. "Well, if you need anything at all, just ask me. I'll do my best to make myself available to you."

"Of course, and you can expect the same from me," promised Robin. "I'm looking forward to becoming better friends."

"Yeah, strengthen bonds, right?"

"…I can't tell if that's intended to mock my earlier word choice."

"A little, but a little to use it for myself too." Fox smiled and turned back out of the armory door. "All done in here, or looking for something else?"

"Just another minute, but I won't stay much longer. I'm looking to familiarize myself with more places on here, learn more. If that's ok?" Fox hesitated a moment before nodding. "Great! Thank you." Robin waved as Fox walked out. "Take care, Fox!"

The door shut as Fox waved back, and Robin let his arm drop. He hesitated and eyed around the room for a moment, lost in thoughts.

...

And there is the first part to the Robinox relationship development! Robin may not remember much, but he'll have a lot to learn quickly! Can Fox help him out, as they prepare for the coming missions? Time will tell!

That's all for now. Feedback would be super great though, so if you've got time, please message or review with comments, questions, or criticism. Thank you for reading!