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

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 Robyn, 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 Gun Deck, Present Day, 16:42]

In a small, enclosed deck, Robyn stepped around by the end of two large cannons. She tapped at them, briefly inspecting the pair and glancing out the window, looking at the cannons that were directed out to space.

"One shot could eviscerate an enemy," observed Robyn. "If this ship were faster, I wonder if it would be the one that was consistently used."

She quietly watched out from the deck, as the ship floated forward. Narrowing her eyes, Robyn checked the space between the canons.

"It would take a giant to stand on both of those."

Tracing her way back in, to the ends of the cannons inside, she inspected a manual dashboard and input triggers.

"Recognized," sounded a robotic recording from behind Robyn, as she glanced to the door. "Pilot Designation 01: Fox McCloud."

The door slid open as Fox walked in, stopping in the doorway. Robyn blinked at him, and stepped away from the cannons.

"My apologies." She looked from the cannon to Fox and sighed. "This was where I got held up with my observations, and I just got distracted."

"Observations?" Fox tilted his head and eyed Robyn. "Are you looking for something?"

"Not quite," explained the bird. "I just want to get to know the ship. In an emergency, if you needed someone to manually operate the mother ship's cannons…well, now I know that you actually can do that."

"Hopefully, we wouldn't need that, but…good idea," relented Fox.

"Are you more concerned with the hypothetical?" Robyn narrowed her eyes. "Or, rather, with my traversing the mother ship unattended?"

"Please call it the 'Great Fox,'" corrected Fox. "It sounds weird otherwise." He sighed. "As for your studies, I admit that I was a bit unnerved on walking in. But, it's good for you to familiarize yourself with the ship." He scratched behind his head. "Sorry. I'm not used to many newcomers to the team."

"Understood, and noted." Robyn folded her arms, letting her feathers brush lightly against one another. "Would it put you at ease if we started talking more? That way you're not so uncomfortable with my roaming."

"That obvious, huh?"

"Somewhat, based on your admission." She smirked, but then frowned. "It doesn't help that I can't offer much about myself."

"Retrograde amnesia, right?" Fox shook his head. "It's pretty awful, not remembering the past that well."

"Not at all," corrected Robyn. "I wish that I could go back to a time before Robin and I joined you guys. My mind goes blank whenever I try to think back."

"Frustrating, I can imagine," sympathized Fox. "But, when you think about it, you've almost been liberated."

"What?" Robyn raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"The past no longer tethers you." Fox smiled. "You don't have any apprehensions holding you back anymore. Any past traumas you had are gone."

"While that's true, it doesn't exactly make my burdens much easier," countered Robyn. "I still have nothing to fall back on, no prior experiences to give me aid when I may need them to."

"True, and that does make it challenging now." Fox scratched behind his neck. "You'll just have to proceed cautiously and learn from each experience anew."

"Hardly comforting." Robyn turned away from Fox, gazing back out of the deck's window. "Could you honestly picture not having answers when someone asks you for basic interests? Easy memories? The doctors at the hospital asked easy questions, such as my favorite color, or the names of my parents." She pivoted back to Fox, and winced. "I couldn't even imagine answers."

"I'm so sorry." Fox's shoulders dropped. "Are you completely without interests or hobbies, even new ones?"

"Well…no." She rubbed at her arm, glancing away from Fox. "Robin and I were able to play chess while we had free moments. For some reason, that came naturally for both of us." Robyn smiled. "We enjoyed our game right until we reached stalemate."

"Pretty impressive for two first-timers," complimented Fox.

"If it was our first time. We both doubt it."

"Right," concurred Fox. "Well, at least it was something that you two could enjoy." He rubbed beneath his chin and blinked at Robyn. "So…just how alike are you two?"

"If you're asking about our similarities, we're really close," revealed Robyn. "He and I both enjoy the same foods, even if we don't know what we like best. And he's seeks out knowledge like I do, constantly looking to learn more."

"That's good."

"Yes, and we clearly must have some type of relationship," assessed Robyn. She smiled a bit, but then frowned. "We just wish that we understood what that was. Robin could be my brother, my cousin, a friend, an enemy, or even a lover. I have no means of knowing that though." Robyn glanced at her jacket, eying the purple and gold designs across the black background. "We have the same uniform, and similar thoughts. Our tactics come up similarly, but our executions are different. Our species are different, as well as our names, similar as both may be." She sighed and folded her arms again. "I feel like I can immediately trust him, and I know he feels the same, but it's…strange."

"Isn't it better to have him by your side than nothing else?"

"Yes." Robyn shrugged. "I'm glad that I do have Robin, in spite of not really knowing him." She smiled to Fox. "It's like the relationship you share with your team, but with less history behind us."

"Oh, I suppose."

"Do you doubt our bonds over yours?"

"No." Fox shrugged. "You and Robin certainly are two sides of the same coin, as it would seem."

"Yes, that…describes us almost perfectly," agreed Robin. "Two sides of one coin…"

"Robyn?"

"Sorry." She scratched behind her head. "What else were you adding?"

"It's just…well, my team and I don't have that kind of bond, really," admitted Fox. "I like to think that I know them well, but I…should get to know them even better." He sighed and shook his head. "They've done a lot for me over the years, but I haven't done enough to repay them, really. They're more than just my coworkers; they're like…well, we're close."

"A family."

"That…probably is the best way to describe it."

"They most certainly value you, Fox," determined Robyn. "Your bonds with your team are strong, if my outsider perspective is anything to go by." She rubbed a wing against her beak. "It's only a little amount of time that I've been here, but they seem to have a lot of love for you. That much already seems apparent."

"Really?"

"If you were to ask me, I'd think so." Robyn giggled. "Though, maybe that's because I think they're keeping a sharp eye on Robin and I, especially when we're near you."

"Ah, well…that much is likely." Fox chuckled. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be. They have every right, and I think it's great that they care so much."

"Actually, that brings up our next topic."

"Huh?"

"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."

"Hm, that is fair to question." Robyn nodded. "Neither of us really planned on anything, at least for helping you guys. Talking with Robin, I learned that he and I both felt something…right with assisting your team earlier, in the city."

"Before with the thugs, right."

"Yeah, and we just have something in us that…makes us want to fight alongside you."

"Me?" Fox pointed to himself while Robyn nodded. "As an individual, or my whole team?"

"Both, I think." Robyn tapped her wings together. "Now that you bring it up, I'm still not entirely sure why." She paused and tapped her head. "Robin might not think the same way, but with how high your esteem is around the army, you must be someone important." Robyn beamed to Fox. "Plus, you're patient and caring. Right now, you could have exploded on me for being in this gun deck, but instead, we're chatting."

"Ha, maybe I'm being too soft," teased Fox.

"Perhaps," chuckled Robyn. "But that could be a good thing." She smirked. "Either way, I'll thank you for it!"

Both pilots laughed for a bit. Robyn stumbled forward, to which Fox quickly swept in and helped her rebalance herself.

"Thank you." Robyn sheepishly giggled. "Guess I was laughing a little too much."

"Does that happen often?" Fox chuckled. "Well, laughter is good, of course. The stumbling, though, that isn't."

"Not from what little I know." Robyn held her head for a bit. "The doctors warned us about possible side effects from the medicine, and dizziness was included, but…well, I thought that would have worn off already."

"Hmm…strange." Fox kept his hands on her shoulders for a moment. "Are you sure that you're ok?"

"Yes, I should be." Robyn slowly let her hands fall from her head, and Fox let his own fall away next. "It's already passing."

"Well, that's good, at least."

"Hopefully that's the last of it," murmured Robyn. "Imagine that we were in front of someone important when that happened." She sighed and shook her head, but then forced a half-hearted smile. "It would be very unladylike, to put it mildly."

"Pretty sure there will be more important matters for us to address than manners," countered Fox.

"Of course, but still." Robyn's shoulders dropped. "Can you imagine it though?" She puffed out her chest and deepened her voice. "'Have you met the new member of Star Fox? Ah, yes, she was beauty, grace, and suddenly, flat on her face.'"

Fox laughed as Robyn rolled her eyes, chuckling as well. They shared it for a moment, but slowly stopped, and Robyn sighed again.

"We've had to recover from worse," soothed Fox.

"While I could imagine that, it's still very…humiliating, the very possibility."

"In the moment, yeah, I could give you that—"

"And I don't even want to think of something like that happening in a dire situation," she realized. "If I were in the middle of battle, and suddenly just…lost my head, for even a moment, who would suffer for that? Would it just be me? Could I drag down the team? What about innocent bystanders—?"

"Robyn, relax," intervened Fox. "We're not engaged in combat. That just happened now. You'll be ok."

"But you can't promise me that, can you?"

"No, but that's what my team does: adapts," alleviated Fox. "If the situation were dire, if you were in trouble, we would find countermeasures to help, to keep you and others safe." He smiled to her. "My team does our best with not only relying on skill, but we do have our moments of miracles."

"…Right, yes." Robyn nodded. "You've been in a great war or a few before, if I've heard correctly?"

"Unfortunately enough," confirmed Fox. "The biggest was probably the Lylat Wars, where my team took on an evil ape named Andross." Fox sighed and shook his head. "We took him on not long after he murdered my father, and then declared war on Corneria and all of Lylat."

"Gracious, your father?" Robyn frowned. "I'm so sorry to hear about that."

"Thank you. It was…a long time ago, now."

"That doesn't make it any easier, though, does it?"

"…No."

"Sorry." Robyn lowered her head, but picked it back up. "Obviously, though, you avenged him, right? Clearly, you, Corneria, and the Lylat System still stand."

"Oh, yeah, we triumphed that day." Fox smiled. "I couldn't have done it without my father."

"Wait, he helped?" Robyn raised an eyebrow. Just as Fox opened his mouth to explain, she tapped her head. "Of course. He's the one that started training you to begin with. And everything he gave you, up until that final moment…of course he helped you."

"That's…ah, well, yes," settled Fox.

"James would be so proud of you, I'm sure," comforted Robyn. She blinked at Fox's baffled expression and whacked herself again. "Forgive me, Fox, I…I don't know how I know his name."

"By now, I'm sure that you've heard it once, probably in passing while mentioning my team or I," dismissed Fox. "He was the original team leader, before I took over."

"Now that makes sense." Robyn deflated again. "But…I don't…why do I already know that much about you?" She folded her arms again. "When we first met, Robin and I immediately knew more about you than ourselves. That just…it bothers me, so much. It's…so unsettling."

"Pretty disturbing for me too," joked Fox. "But, they like to claim I'm famous, or something, at least around Corneria."

"What if we're not even from Corneria?" Robyn shivered. "How would Robin or I even attain this knowledge, and then lose everything we knew about ourselves? Or why would we even hold onto that, more than even our own names?" She stumbled back, hitting a wall. "Did…did I mean nothing? Was my life of so little consequence?"

"Hey, come on now, none of that," insisted Fox. He stepped closer to her and placed his hands back on her shoulders. "Robyn, you're plenty important. If it weren't for you and Robin helping us, both before and recently, my team faced serious injuries, and I might not have even survived my encounters."

"Nonsense." She smiled to him. "You're the legendary pilot, Fox McCloud."

"Titles don't grant you armor."

"No, I suppose not," relented Robyn. "But, I'm sure that you don't rely on that to survive." She nodded. "You're someone who would rely on skill and instinct."

"Instinct," Fox echoed, as he lowered his arms and his ears twitched.

"Sure. Any great pilot, or warrior, would rely on that to survive missions, more than anything else." Robyn pushed herself back out from the wall as Fox gave her space. "And you made it through wars based on that, I'm certain."

"It certainly helped," concurred Fox. "In my toughest battles, that and teamwork were critical to success." He paused and frowned, as his ears lowered. "Well…maybe I am lacking somewhat in the team department."

"Are you still on about that?"

"Since you have me thinking about it, I realized that I try too hard to enter would-be final battles on my own," explained Fox. "The last war we battled in, against the Aparoid Invasion, that was the first time that I worked with my whole team during the last fight." He sighed. "Against Andross, I insisted that I faced him on my own. I wanted to avenge my father for myself, but I…I was younger, more reckless."

"You didn't want them to fight your battle, suffer for your burdens," sympathized Robyn. "Either way, we live and learn from decisions like that."

"Except for the part where I almost didn't make it," mocked Fox. "Fortunately, though, I…I did."

"That's good. And by the invasion, you had learned to work with your teammates."

"…Something like that." Fox sighed. "I need to do better than that, though."

"As we go forward, you can do better," explored Robyn. "Just as I can learn more and take on new challenges."

"Actually…you're right." Fox beamed. "Thank you, Robyn. You've reminded me of just how important teamwork is."

"Pairing up and establish bonds are great places to start," expanded Robyn. "Through those, you'll be able to increase the team's efficiency and cooperation." She smiled, but shrugged. "Personally, I think the team you have so far will work well with you regardless, but it is something to keep in mind with newer members such as Robin and I."

"Noted." Fox scratched behind his neck. "You know, you've got a fair number of strategies under your belt already. You'd make a good tactician of sorts."

"Really? Thanks." Robyn tapped her wings together. "It's a role that I like the idea of, as does Robin. But we will adapt to any role you need us for, Fox."

"Well, I don't know if I'll need you for any singular role, honestly," disclosed Fox. "So long as you have the flexibility for it, though, I'm sure you'll adjust fine to anything." He nodded. "For now, let's see how things pan out, going forward."

"Yes, of course." For a moment, Robyn and Fox waited in the silence, as the bird shifted around in place. As Fox turned away, she added, "So far, what do you think of me, anyway?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry, I…I was wondering what you thought of me. Or, about Robin?" She rubbed behind her head. "I'd rather…I don't know, not alarm you again, if I continue to explore the mother ship."

"Great Fox," corrected Fox. "And I think you're fine, honestly. I'm looking forward to befriending both you and Robin, to which…well, we might not have much time for, in the middle of missions. But, when we can take a minute away from the usual missions, I think that will be good for us to…'bond,' as you call it."

"Ha-ha. You're so very clever," mocked Robyn.

"I try."

"Hasn't anyone taught you to be more polite around ladies, Fox? Your mother, perhaps?"

"Oh, uh, she couldn't have." Fox frowned as his ears lowered. "She died before my father, in the precursors to the Lylat Wars."

"Fox, I'm so sorry." Robyn's beak parted open for a bit, as she struggled to form words. "I didn't…I wasn't—"

"Nah, don't worry about it," eased Fox. "You were having fun, and I took it down to that level." He forced a laugh. "Sorry about that!"

"You certainly know how to recover." Robyn sighed and hesitated before continuing. "How about anyone else in your life?"

"Considering that I've been working with other guys for most of my years, not really, no," admitted Fox. "Krystal is the most recent one on my team, and we don't spend much time talking about manners."

"Ah. That explains it, then." Robyn smirked. "And what, none of your teammates are dating or married?"

"Peppy is married, though…I guess I've never asked him about that." Fox paused and blinked. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've really checked in on any of my team's romantic history."

"So, you really do need to catch up on their personal lives, huh?"

"It would seem that way, yes." Fox sighed. "Guess I'll need to work on that, along with everything else."

"Hey, you won't be alone," soothed Robyn. "It'll be fun getting to know you better. Um, your whole team, that is. Both Robin and I are still, well, getting to know everyone now." She brushed at the red feathers along the bottom of her face. "That makes some sense, right?"

"Sure, of course." Fox smiled. "I'm typically awful at first impressions myself, but it's been nice chatting with you." He turned away and made his way for the door. "Ready to head back out yet?"

"In a bit. I'm still looking to explore the Great Fox, if that's ok?" Fox nodded to her. "Great! Thank you." Robyn waved as Fox walked out. "Take care, Fox!"

The door shut as Fox waved back, and Robyn let her arm drop. She paused and turned back to the gun deck's window. Quietly she gazed out to the stars in space, lost in thoughts.

...

And there is the first part to the Robynox relationship development! Robyn may not remember much, but she'll have a lot to learn quickly! Can Fox help her 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!