A/N: So I keep setting out to write fluffy little pieces, and then they mushroom into these big, violent, angsty ... things. (They also contain Italian accents, at which I fail epically.) Not that there's not fluff in here; oh no, there's plenty of that. But it is fluff of the male/male variety, meaning if slash is not your cup of tea, turn back now. Thank you kindly, and hope you like! Concrit is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox nor Super Smash Brothers. No profit is being made. I humbly beg that you do not sue.

"Wolf..." Fox moaned, as the lupine's paws slid up and down his body, lingering lightly over his hips, "what're you..." Both of them were naked from the waist up, and Fox was shivering; though it certainly wasn't from cold.

"Sssh," whispered Wolf, in a tantalizingly soothing voice. He peppered Fox's muzzle with soft kisses, his hands not stopping their fluid movements. "Don't think," he said, and his voice was deep, throaty, sensual. "Just enjoy it..."

"Mmmph..." Fox tilted his head back, then felt himself start as Wolf slid a paw up his thigh. "W-Wolf..." he grunted again, and part of him cursed himself for doing so: Why stop, when it felt so right?

"Fox..." Wolf muttered in response, and he halted in his movements, withdrawing his paw. "...You know I would never hurt you, right?"

His other paw was still lingering, this time over the tip of Fox's tail, which made it somewhat hard for Fox to respond. "Y-yes..." he finally said, though he couldn't keep a slight tremor out of his voice. "N-never..."

"Then just relax," said Wolf softly, resuming his movements, "and trust me." He began peppering Fox's muzzle with soft kisses again, this time moving down to the vulpine's neck, and Fox moaned again — but wait — something was wrong. This time felt different. Wolf's kisses were too sharp — he was using his teeth — he was biting him — he was biting him hard —

Wolf suddenly let out a fierce snarl. The playfulness had gone from his remaining eye, which seemed to glow red, and without warning he bared his teeth to the fullest — and sank them deep into Fox's neck.

Fox let out a strangled cry, as much from shock and horror as it was from pain, and fell backward, his neck spurting blood. His head fell into the wall with a harsh thump and he slid downward on the bed, his vision swimming as he felt the life draining out of him. Spots were appearing on his vision, blank, empty visions of darkness, but Wolf was still visible, leaning over him and smirking broadly. Fox coughed, once, and blood dripped into his paw, before he looked back up at Wolf one last time.

"...Trust me..."

Fox let out a yell and bolted upright as he awoke, clutching the bedsheets tightly to his bare chest. He looked around quickly, panicked, and immediately his paw shot up to his neck — and then his rationality returned and he drew in several deep, shuddering breaths, lowering his paw from his neck, which felt quite whole.

There came a soft snore from beside him and Fox almost fell out of the bed, his nerves jangling as he glanced to the side. Wolf was lying there, turned on his side and facing Fox, his face looking peaceful and untroubled in his sleep. Fox drew back automatically; even though his mantra of It was just a dream, it was just a dream kept repeating over and over in his head, his first instinct when he had seen Wolf had been fear.

And then it hit him: His nightmares were making him afraid of the one he loved.

Fox swung his legs over the side of the bed and rested his elbows on his knees, burying his head in his paws. This had been the fourth dream in as many nights; images of Wolf turning against him, betraying him, going so far as to murder him — they'd always return as soon as his head hit the pillow, and Fox couldn't understand what was wrong with him. He was happy, for crying out loud — the Brawl had started and he and Wolf had both been incredibly successful, rising up amongst the ranks and somehow always managing to get on the same team when they played together. And anytime they weren't in a match, he and Wolf would never be separated — going out to get a bite to eat, hanging out with other Brawlers, even spending time in each other's rooms, just talking. Fox was happier with Wolf than he'd been with anyone. So why, why, did these nightmares insist on trying to ruin the one thing he never wanted to lose?

Wolf gave another snore, and Fox almost fell off the bed again, internally cursing himself for being so jumpy. He turned to look at the object of his affections, and a reluctant smile began playing on his face when he realized that Wolf was dreaming. Admittedly it wasn't as amusing as a few nights ago, when he'd been dreaming he was chasing a fellow Smasher on all fours; this time the lupine seemed much more ... relaxed. A definite smile was on his features and he mumbled something unconsciously — something that Fox swore sounded very much like his name.

Fox slowly swung his legs back on the bed and laid down again, settling next to Wolf and turning on his side to face him. The memory of the dream still lingered, but now that the moment had passed, it didn't seem like such an urgent matter after all. They were dreams, that was all. They didn't mean anything; it could easily be chalked up to stress after the tournament.

Fox snuggled a bit closer to Wolf, his muzzle coming to rest in the crook of the lupine's neck. He then draped an arm over Wolf's shoulders and closed his eyes, slowly willing himself to fall back asleep. After several deep breaths, Fox was unconscious once more.

"So-a Fox, are you a-set for your match this afternoon?" Luigi asked, driving his fork into a pancake and raising a piece drenched with syrup to his mouth.

"You mean, the one against your brother?" Fox responded blearily, taking a swig of cold water before continuing. "Sort of. I've never really fought against him before, so I'm not sure how it'll go."

"Ah, Fox," Luigi said dismissively, "it-a shall be easy. Mario, you see, is quite a-good at fighting, but he is also quite a-cocky. You-a simply must watch to see-a when he is getting too overconfident, and-a then you shall find his weaknesses."

Wolf raised his eyebrows. "Well, thanks for the tip, Green Man," he said, twisting his fork around his steak before glancing over at Fox. "You're sure you're ready for this, pup? You look pretty beat..."

Fox laughed weakly. "I'm fine, Wolf. I just —" he faltered, "...I ... uh ... I couldn't get to sleep last night. Worried."

"You-a shall be fine," Luigi said comfortingly, reaching across the table to pat Fox on the shoulder, before stabbing another piece of pancake with his fork. It dropped off and landed in a puddle of syrup, splashing and shocking the nearby Pikachu. The little Pokémon glared at Luigi, electricity crackling around him, and the plumber nervously got up and moved to another table.

"Fox, watch your back!" Wolf shouted, dodging another fireball from Mario. "Sonic's right on your tail!"

The little blue hedgehog in question had rolled himself into a ball and now shot himself toward Fox's head, aiming to knock him over the ledge of the Pokemon Stadium platform. Fox jumped, turned in midair and dodged, before spinning back around as a Pokeball caught his eye. Fox swooped down toward it, grabbed it and threw it squarely at Sonic's head; it hit its target and Sonic stumbled backward. The Pokeball broke open as it landed on the ground, bathing the two Smashers in a white light and revealing —

"Damn it," Fox cursed, "Goldeen again."

The little fish flopped around at Sonic's feet, utterly useless; the hedgehog flashed Fox a cocky grin and barreled toward him, flinging out his fists, and Fox was all too happy to return the punches.

Meanwhile, Mario and Wolf were engaged in a similar duel, each doing their best to knock the other out; Wolf threw a particularly nasty series of three punches, and as Mario stumbled away, Wolf pulled out his blaster and fired it at the plumber. Mario flew backward, temporarily stunned; Wolf used this momentary distraction to run past him over to the other end of the platform, where Fox and Sonic were dueling.

"Hands off of him," Wolf growled, and he again fired his blaster; Sonic dodged it, however, and as Fox and Wolf came at him from both sides, he jumped, leaving a small red spring behind and flying over their heads. An additional effect of this was that Fox and Wolf barreled into each other, crashing to the ground and landing with Wolf on top of Fox.

Fox smirked. "You have no subtlety whatsoever."

Wolf gave a playful growl, nipping affectionately at Fox's ear, and muttered, "Later. Right now we have to finish these two bozos off..." And he scrambled to his feet, offering a paw to Fox and helping him up, just in time for Sonic to again come flying at him in his little blue ball shape. Fox countered this with a fire attack, but Wolf missed the rest because Mario had broken open an Assist Trophy and Little Mac was coming after him.

Fox dodged another of Sonic's flying punches and glanced briefly at the giant screen above, panic rising within him. He and Wolf were both damaged at over a hundred and thirty percent, while Mario and Sonic had barely passed seventy each. If either of them got one good hit in, Fox and Wolf would be done for. That was about to change, however, because as Fox was looking up, he also spotted a familiar orb above his head, one that was drifting toward Wolf as he used his reflector to send another of Mario's fireballs back towards him.

"Wolf, smash ball!" Fox called, running after it. "Grab it!"

Wolf pulled out his blaster and shot at the orb, pausing in mid-attempt to again reflect Mario's fireball, and on the third shot the ball shattered and that familiar blue glow surrounded Wolf. Mario and Sonic paused for a millisecond, exchanging a panicked look, and Wolf grinned and offered a paw to Fox.

"Hop on," he smirked, and the blue glow around the lupine intensified. He and Fox leapt into the air, coming down with the Landmaster, and Wolf's triumphant shout echoed through the stadium:

"We're gonna have fun with this thing!"

Fresh off of their recent victory, Fox and Wolf retreated to the relative privacy of Wolf's room that evening; before Fox knew it, he found himself shoved up against the wall as Wolf kissed him with unrestrained passion, as if never wanting to let go. Fox wrapped his arms around Wolf, kissing back with equal fervor before burying his muzzle into Wolf's neck, making the lupine gasp. Fox nuzzled the crook of Wolf's neck lightly, as a kit would nuzzle its mother, before tilting his head upward and catching Wolf's lips in another kiss. All the while, their hands were moving up and down each other's bodies, Wolf's paws lingering lightly over Fox's hips.

"Fox ... you know I would never hurt you, right?"

Fox froze, only for a millisecond; then he quickly pushed the memory away, shoving it to the back of his mind and focusing on Wolf, the real Wolf — his Wolf. The lupine's paws were lingering gracefully over Fox's flight suit, slowly unbuttoning the front; soon the both of them were bare-chested, Fox's paws on Wolf's chest. Wolf's fingers lightly played over the tip of Fox's tail, and the lupine smirked when it twitched automatically in his grasp.

"You're so tense, Fox..." Wolf muttered throatily, his other hand digging into the vulpine's shoulder. "You need to relax..."

Fox had the dignity to chuckle, but then suddenly froze again.

"Then just relax ... and trust me."

Fox pulled away from Wolf, struggling in the lupine's grasp; even as he screamed at himself not to, that he shouldn't stop, that he loved Wolf, dammit — even as he fought against the panic rising within him, his mind couldn't let him forget one simple fact: That he was in almost the exact situation that his nightmare had resembled.

"Fox, what's the matter?" Wolf asked in his gruff voice, arching an eyebrow.

And just as quickly as it had arisen, the panic had subsided, leaving Fox with a strange, weary feeling inside his chest; he turned to face Wolf again and gave a half-hearted smile. "Nothing," he said, his voice soft, "I'm fine. It's just..."

"Just what?" Wolf asked, drawing Fox close again.

"...You were really good out there today," Fox said quietly, touching his nose to Wolf's. "I wanted to make sure you knew that."

Wolf grinned, and a canine tooth poked out from beneath his upper lip. "Only 'cause my muse was out there with me. You were pretty damn fine yourself."

"Glad to hear it," Fox smirked, then pulled Wolf in for another kiss. The memory of the nightmare still remained, but Fox tried again to bury it, drowning the fear by losing himself to Wolf's endeavors.

"Whoa!" Fox shouted, almost falling off the edge of the stage before he righted himself and moved forward to shoot his blaster at Toon Link. Fox knew he couldn't afford to be so careless; they were in the Final Destination area, with nothing but a small platform hanging in midair for them to fight on. Any slipups could be deadly.

Fox glanced over to where Wolf was, several yards away; he was standing stationary, using his shield to reflect the blasts from the gun that Kirby had somehow gotten hold of. The little pink creature got the idea after hitting himself thrice over, and tossed the gun over the edge, moving in for the kill. Wolf smirked, deactivating his shield, and slashed at him with his claws.

"Smash ball!" Toon Link shouted, and the four fighters immediately stopped focusing on each other and chased after it. Fox hit it once, then Toon Link twice, then Kirby — but it was Wolf who threw the final punch and shattered it, darkening the stage around them save for the blue glow that again encircled the lupine.

Wolf then turned to Fox, gazing at him with his glowing yellow eye — and seeing the malice in his gaze, Fox realized that something was wrong.

Wolf let out a roar and lashed out with both his paws, shoving away Toon Link and Kirby, who had tried to move in to knock the Smash Ball out of him. The two of them went flying over the edge, letting out dismayed shouts, before trying, unsuccessfully, to force themselves back up. They disappeared into the inky blackness below while Master Hand's voice announced their defeat.

"Wolf, what —" Fox started to say, then was cut off as Wolf lashed out at him too, kicking him square in the jaw and knocking him to the ground. Fox lay there dazed for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened, before he raised his head just in time to see Wolf leap into the air and smash into the stage with his fist.

Cracks emerged in the ground from Wolf's hand, spreading across the entire area rapidly, and Fox realized with a thrill of horror that the stage was crumbling. He quickly staggered to his feet, trying to find his balance as the ground shook underneath him, and without thinking reached out a paw to Wolf for help. Wolf sneered at it, swatting it away before again punching Fox, this time in the stomach. Fox let out a weak cry and doubled over, looking up to see Wolf jumping high into the air. Fox, dreading what was to come, could only watch as he saw the Landmaster come down, landing on the rapidly disintegrating stage and pointing its gun directly at the vulpine.

"I win, Fox," came Wolf's voice from inside, laced with triumph and hate. "You lose."

And before Fox could even move, a beam of energy shot out from the Landmaster, enveloping him.

"Fox? ... Fox ... FOX!"

Wolf clapped his hands directly in front of the vulpine's face, and Fox snapped out of his daze, eyes focusing unsteadily on Wolf. "Yeah?"

"What's the matter with you?" Wolf growled, settling back in his own seat. "It's no wonder we lost today, you can't stop daydreamin'. What's got you so damn distracted, anyway?"

I can't stop remembering that you betray me in my nightmares. "Nothing."

Wolf snorted. "Sure, Fox."

Fox's ears drooped. He couldn't stop rehashing last night's dream in his mind, and he knew that that was what had cost them today's Brawl, one of the few that he and Wolf had ever lost. Ganandorf and Pit were off in another corner of the cafeteria, obviously still pleased with themselves, while Wolf sat across from him munching on some chicken, looking none too happy.

"I'm sorry, Wolf," Fox said at length, toying with his own food rather than eating it; he didn't feel remotely hungry. "I've just ... been preoccupied with things."

"I just wish," snarled Wolf, tearing into his chicken as though each piece had done him a great personal wrong, "that you would actually tell me about it. For Christ's sake, we're supposed to be an item or something. Whatever this thing is that you're thinking about, it's been on your mind for days." He dropped what remained of his chicken and wiped his mouth before staring straight into Fox's eyes, making the vulpine even more nervous. "Just tell me, Fox. Whatever it is, I can deal with it, I swear."

Fox tried to smile. "Really, Wolf..." he started, then paused for a moment. His mind was currently at war with itself: One half was screaming at him to tell him everything, while the other was screaming to keep his damn mouth shut. In the end, though, the latter option ran out, and Fox shook his head. "It's nothing. Trust me."

Trust me...

Wolf closed his eye briefly and sighed, shaking his head disappointedly, before saying, "Your prerogative, Fox," and diving into the remainder of his dinner.

Fox was silent in response. It seemed impossible to him that only a few days ago he and Wolf had been sneaking glances at each other during Brawls and using makeout sessions to celebrate their victories, when now they were barely saying two words to each other and starting to lose matches. Fox didn't care about the matches nearly as much as the fact that he was distancing himself from Wolf. And all because Fox's own subconscious was apparently set on driving him insane.

They finished their dinner without a word, Fox still not eating a thing, before Wolf picked up his plate and stood up. "I'm gonna hang around the lounge for a little while. You comin'?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Fox said, doing the same, and he followed Wolf to the cafeteria entrance, tossing his paper plate into a garbage can along the way. They walked through the hallways silently, though Wolf did extend a paw, which Fox gratefully took, and they arrived at the lounge still holding hands. Several smashers were already there: Pikachu was playing a round of pinball with Donkey Kong, Link and Ike were at the open bar, and Mario and Yoshi were sitting on one of the three couches in front of the TV, the plumber flipping through the channels disinterestedly.

Wolf gave Fox the briefest of smiles before removing his paw and going to join Link and Ike at the open bar. Fox hung back, as drinking had never really been his thing; instead he headed over to the TV and sat down on one of the unoccupied couches, smiling halfheartedly at Mario and Yoshi, who both raised their hands in greeting.

Fox watched the television with a sense of detachment, slowly laying back on the couch. Mario continued to flip through the channels, but Fox wasn't paying attention to the ever-changing series of pictures; he felt drowsy, lazy. His head finally fell back on one of the couch pillows, and Fox drifted off to sleep.

When Fox woke up, the rest of the smashers had left the lounge, and the TV in front of him had gone; in its place was a fireplace, its fire crackling merrily and casting dancing shadows around the room. Only then did Fox notice how cold he was; slowly he shifted forward, off the couch, and sat down in front of the fire, holding his paws in front of it and rubbing them together.

"Nice, ain't it?" came a voice, and Fox turned his head to see Wolf standing above him. He was wearing his trademark grin once more, the tension between them seemingly gone. He sat down next to Fox and put an arm around the vulpine; Fox, sighing contentedly, leaned on Wolf's shoulder.

They stayed like that for several moments, before Fox warily raised his head and looked directly at Wolf. He hadn't wanted to ruin such a nice moment, but he felt like if he didn't get it off his chest, he'd explode. "Wolf, I'm ... I'm sorry about earlier."

"You mean how you've been havin' nightmares about me betraying you and leaving you for dead?" Wolf said idly, picking up a poker and shifting one of the logs on the fire.

Fox started. "How did you —"

"It doesn't take a brilliant mind to figure it out, Foxie," Wolf replied, dropping the poker and turning to face the vulpine. "I gotta say, though, it is pretty weird." The firelight glinted off of Wolf's good eye, mesmerizing Fox with its look. "Fox ... you know I'd never hurt you, right?"

Fox shivered — that line kept coming back to him — but nodded. "I know."

Wolf grinned, and now the firelight was glinting off of his teeth. "Good to hear." He drew Fox close again, and the only sound for a few moments was their gentle breathing, with Fox resting on the lupine's shoulder once more, feeling utterly relived.

Presently, Wolf interrupted the silence again. "Fox ... you want to know something?"

Fox raised his head to look at Wolf again, bemused. "Sure."

Wolf slowly turned his head, that gleaming eye boring into Fox.

"I'm lying to you."

Fox froze. "What?"

Wolf stood up, yanking Fox to his feet and grasping the vulpine's shoulders so tightly that it hurt. His smile had been replaced with a ferocious sneer. "You disgust me. Every fiber of your being repulses me. It's been nearly impossible for me to be by your side as long as I have. Surely you didn't think those dreams were just dreams, did you, Foxie?"

Fox didn't move. He couldn't move — he just stood there, stunned. "Your mind was telling you something your heart didn't want to believe, Fox," Wolf was saying, voice filled with hate. "You are a horrible creature. You're selfish, you're needy, you're clingy, and you're whiny. You don't know how to be there for someone else. You'd rather sit and sulk and keep everything to yourself. I was sent to see if you deserved the right to live, and guess what? You don't. In fact, I hate you. I'm thoroughly going to enjoy killing you ... right now."

Wolf shoved Fox backward, claws digging into the vulpine's chest as he did so; Fox stumbled and, with a cry of pain, fell to his knees; as he struggled to get up, Wolf strode forward, grabbed Fox's head and slammed his knee into it. Fox yet out another yell of agony, falling onto his side and looking up at Wolf, his vision swimming. Blood dripped down from his head onto his face, mingling with tears.

Wolf left his sight for a moment, and when he came back, he had the fireplace poker again; the prongs at the end gleamed white-hot. "I never loved you, you bitch," the lupine growled lowly. "You're a toy, Fox; an object. And now it's time for me to finish what Andross started."

Fox shut his eyes as Wolf drove the poker into him, searing his insides with fire. Fox yelled and yelled, yelled until his throat was sore, until it felt like his throat was on fire too; nothing could curb the sheer agony he felt not only from the fire, but from his own heart. Fox opened his eyes one last time, and all he saw was Wolf, leering at him from above as he shook his head in mock disapproval.

"Oh, Fox, Fox, Fox..."

"Fox. Fox! FOX!"

Fox let out a shout as he awoke; when the first person he caught a glimpse of was Wolf, he gave another shout without even realizing it. Calm down, calm down; it's just Wolf, it's the real Wolf, his rational side kept telling him, but the memory of Wolf driving the stake into him still lingered in his mind, still terrible, still too real.

"You were having a nightmare," Wolf said, his paw on Fox's shoulder; it had been he who had shook Fox awake. "You were shouting in your sleep." His look was one of uncharacteristic concern as he leaned over Fox. "Are you ok?"

Fox shakily shrugged Wolf's paw off of his shoulder and stood up, barely even thinking about where he was going. He heard the other smashers murmuring behind him, but didn't spare even a glance in their direction; all he knew was that his mind was telling him to get as far away as possible.

"Fox, where are you—?" Wolf started, rising from the couch.

"I just need some time to think," Fox muttered, still not looking back.

"Fox —"

"I just need some time to think, all right?!" Fox exploded as he whirled around, clenching his fists. Wolf took a step backward, as if he had been physically punched in the chest, his gaze at Fox betraying his hurt and confusion.

When Wolf finally spoke, his voice dripped with bitterness. "Fine then."

And he turned around and sat back down on the couch, crossing his arms against his chest and gazing murderously at nothing, as the other smashers gave him a wide berth.

Fox was panting. "Fine. See you," he said shortly, and turned and walked through the door of the lounge. Once it had closed behind him, however, Fox realized that he didn't know where he was going, or, indeed, where he even wanted to go. He settled on leaning against the wall of the hallway, pressing his back against it, before finally sliding down to a sitting position and burying his head in his paws for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few days.

What's wrong with me?

Distantly, through the haze of thoughts and confusion, Fox heard the door to the lounge open and close again, but he didn't look up.

What's wrong with me? Wolf would never do or say any of that. Never. Would he? What if—

The fur on the back of Fox's neck prickled suddenly; he was being watched. Finally Fox looked up, and a familiar little green dinosaur stood in front of him, his arms crossed and his gaze accusatory. It could not have been plainer what he was thinking: And just what do you think you are doing out here?

Yoshi indicated his head toward the doorway. You should be back in there, with your loved one.

"Don't look at me like that," Fox said shortly, to no immediate response from the dinosaur. "I just needed some time to think, okay?"

Yoshi arched his eyebrows. And just what is there to think about?

Fox shifted, uncomfortable under Yoshi's glare. "It's complicated, all right?"

Yoshi pattered over to where Fox was sitting, sat down next to the vulpine, and took his paw. His gaze was comforting. Just talk.

Fox looked at him, looked down at the paw Yoshi was holding, and then slowly spoke. "Well ... the thing is, I think my mind is trying to drive me away from the only person I've really gotten close to..."

Over the next half-hour, Fox recounted his story to Yoshi: The nights of waking up in a cold sweat; the wedge that the nightmares were driving between him and Wolf; and the guilt that kept gnawing away at him as his dreams continued to make him afraid of the one he loved. Yoshi never interrupted, never said a word; he just sat and listened, letting Fox tell his story. He did gasp slightly as Fox described the latest nightmare to him, and Fox faltered, but Yoshi shook his head and indicated for him to keep going with a quick squeeze of his paw. It's all right. Just talk.

"...and I'm scared," Fox finished, blinking to clear his vision. "I'm scared of these nightmares, I'm scared of him, but most of all ... I'm scared of losing him. And ... and I don't know what to do."

When Yoshi realized that Fox was finished, he stood up and patted the paw that he was holding; Fox gazed at him, bemused. Yoshi simply smiled and winked — a look that seemed to say, Just leave it to me — before letting go of Fox's paw and sprinting down the corridor as fast as his little green legs could carry him.

Fox watched him leave, slightly bewildered. What was this strange little reptile going to do? He obviously had something in mind, else he wouldn't have left so fast. But he wasn't going to get Wolf; he was still in the lounge — and, presumably, still upset, Fox realized with a twang of guilt. It seemed slightly odd that he had been spilling his story to this little dinosaur only to have him take off like a bullet. Fox wondered if he should be concerned.

Suddenly the intercom in the mansion crackled to life, and a strange voice filtered through the speakers. "Goooooooooooooooooood afternoon, Smasherz!!! Gotta really big Brawl for yas today, oh yes we do—"

There were sounds of shuffling; somebody went "oof!" and Fox realized, with a roll of his eyes, that Crazy Hand had once again gotten control of the microphone, and Master Hand was attempting to restore order. After the sound of another "oof", Master Hand's regal voice resonated from the speakers. "Sincerest apologies. Now then, will Fox and Wolf, along with Yoshi, please report to the green room at once."

Fox gasped.

"Once again, that's Fox, Wolf and Yoshi, to the green room at once, please. Thank you."

Fox gave a snarl as he stood to his feet. He was going to kill Yoshi.

Fox had left before Wolf could catch up with him, so the lupine was the last to reach the Green Room — the waiting area before imminent brawls. Yoshi was already there, bouncing in a corner and chirping happily to himself, in his own little world. Fox was leaning against the wall of another corner, his arms crossed and his look murderous, much like Wolf had been not long beforehand. Every so often the vulpine would shoot dark glares at Yoshi, who would chirp on, oblivious. Wolf eyed the dinosaur warily before approaching Fox, who looked up at him, his face blank.

"What's going on?" Wolf asked Fox, a little too politely to be normal.

"That little dinosaur over there just scheduled us into a brawl," Fox said, indicating Yoshi with a nod of his head.

"Now? As in, with no warning period?" Wolf sighed, then shrugged. "Still, why so serious? We can take him, easily."

Fox wasn't looking at Wolf anymore. "It's a free-for-all."

"WHAT?" Wolf shouted — and there was a sudden whirring noise; Master Hand's voice said something inaudible over the intercom; and the floor dropped out from under them, sending them falling to the stage that waited below: Final Destination.

Wolf landed on four paws and jumped to his feet immediately; Fox did the same, but Yoshi took his time, seeming almost to drift to the ground, and continued dancing in place, completely unaffected.

"Free-for-all, one life each, no time limit," Master Hand's voice repeated. "On my countdown."

Wolf looked to Fox, but the vulpine still refused to catch his eye.

"Three ..."

Fox tensed up, muscles bunching.

"Two..."

Wolf lowered himself into a fighting stance, snarling under his breath.

"One..."

Yoshi danced on, seeming still oblivious.

"GO!"

Wolf and Fox both jumped forward at the same time, heading for the little green dinosaur; but Yoshi suddenly stopped dancing, produced two eggs out of nowhere and hurled one each at both Fox and Wolf; both eggs hit their targets and Fox and Wolf were sent flying backward, landing on the ground in a dazed heap. Wolf was the first to recover; jumping to his feet, he pulled out his blaster and fired it at Yoshi. Yoshi dodged, running toward Wolf, and stuck out his tongue: Wolf watched with a still-disbelieving gaze as it shot out of the dinosaur's mouth, toward Wolf, then around him, and as he whirled around Wolf realized that Yoshi was aiming for the still-dazed Fox.

"Oh, no you don't," snarled Wolf, and rushing forward he crashed into Yoshi with his shoulder. Yoshi's tongue snapped back into his mouth (without Fox) and he bounced backward, dodging another laser blast. This one had come from Fox, who had at last managed to get to his feet and was now firing constant shots at Yoshi, trying to push him backward, over the edge of the platform.

Yoshi shot his tongue out again, and Wolf dodged, rushing to the side. However, without realizing it he had run directly into Fox's line of fire — and as a searing pain shot through his back, Wolf suddenly remembered that he wasn't immune to Fox's shots now. This was a free-for-all. Feral instinct took over, and before Wolf could think he had whirled around to shoot his own blaster at Fox; the vulpine ducked and then fired a shot of his own. Wolf raised his shield, and as Fox did the same the shot bounced between them for several moments. But Wolf's shield was stronger; Fox's crumbled, and the blast shot into his chest. Fox was thrown backwards, wobbling a little but managing to stay on his feet.

Yoshi suddenly threw another egg at Wolf and it hit him in the back of his head; as Wolf spun around, Yoshi jumped upward and paddled his feet thorugh the air, rising higher and higher. Wolf backed away, unconsciously coming to stand right next to Fox, and in a split second, both of them realized at the same time what Yoshi was about to do — just as he did it. With a shout of "HA!" Yoshi spun through the air and shot downward; Fox and Wolf both flung themselves out of the way, but as Yoshi slammed into the ground between them, the force rippled through the platform and both Fox and Wolf were knocked off-balance and fell to the floor again.

Fox was the first to get up this time; pushing against the ground with his paws, he brought himself to a sitting position, noting Wolf do the same, as Yoshi stared at them both. "Answer me one question," Wolf snarled, rubbing his forehead. "Why — why — of all the times you could schedule us into a brawl, why now?"

"And why," Fox added, struggling to his feet, "is it the three of us in a free-for-all? You know as well as I do that Wolf and I prefer being on the same team."

Yoshi smirked and pointed at Fox's blaster, then at Wolf's. Realizing that they'd shot at each other, the two of them looked away uncomfortably, until a chirp from Yoshi drew both their gazes back to the dinosaur. Yoshi pointed at Wolf, then at Fox, then banged his fists together several times; he then gestured to the wide expansion of the Final Destination stage.

"He'd prefer that we come to blows in the Brawl rather than outside it," Fox murmured as realization dawned, and Yoshi nodded.

"Come to blows? What the hell are you talkin' about? We've only had one real fight, and that was today," Wolf said, also standing to his feet. "What, you've suddenly decided we need an intervention or somethin'?"

Yoshi shook his head, and then padded over to stand behind Fox. Fox automatically reached for his blaster, thinking Yoshi was going to attack again, but Yoshi simply placed his hands on Fox's back and pushed him forward, toward Wolf. Wolf arched an eyebrow; Fox, meanwhile, was growing nervous, and raised his paws. "No," he started softly, "don't—"

Yoshi gave Fox a hard shove and the vulpine tumbled into Wolf's arms; the latter caught Fox instinctively, wrapping his arms around him, and pulling him back up to a standing position. "What's the matter, McCloud?" Wolf asked, bitterness creeping into his voice again. "Scared?"

Fox lowered his ears, looking down. "You have no idea."

Yoshi tapped his foot, and they looked down at him. Yoshi pointed to Fox again, then jerked his thumb toward Wolf, keeping his eyes on the vulpine.

Wolf smirked. "I think he's sayin' that you have somethin' to tell me."

Yoshi nodded and placed his hands on his hips, waiting.

Fox shuffled his feet, took a deep breath, and looked up into Wolf's eye for the first time in what felt like days. "This might have been our first real fight," Fox said, hesitantly, "but the truth is we've been growing apart over the past few days. A lot. And it's my fault, really..." He looked down again. "I'm such an idiot."

"While I'm not going to disagree per se," Wolf said dryly, as he drew close to Fox, putting an arm around his shoulders, "don't you think you're bein' a little hard on yourself?"

"You kill me in my nightmares," Fox blurted out, looking up again, and Wolf raised his eyebrows. "I've ... I've been having these dreams ... we're making out, or doing a brawl, or sitting by the fire or whatever, and ... you always turn on me. You want to hurt me; you've been lying to me." Fox hadn't broken his gaze with Wolf this entire time; the vulpine's eyes were shining. "And ... I couldn't stop forgetting that. I guess on some level my mind keeps coming back to when we weren't on the same side." Fox turned away from Wolf, exhaling sharply. "I never want that to happen again. I'm too afraid of losing you... and these nightmares are only making it worse."

Wolf didn't say anything for a moment, and Fox's nerves jangled; when he turned back to Wolf, though, the lupine was wearing a reassuring smile. "Fox," he said, placing his hands on his lover's shoulders, "listen to me. We were never on different sides. I was on a team of mercenaries hired to go after you, and because I was young and stupid I thought it'd be fun to up the ante a little bit." It was Wolf's turn to break the gaze now; he seemed embarrassed. "It wasn't that I had anything against you, really; I was just doing my job, and trying to have some fun with it. But after I really knew who you were ... after I'd gotten to know you a little better..."

Wolf dropped his paws from Fox's shoulders, rubbing one arm self-consciously. "It took me a long time to realize it, and I kept trying to deny it at first. But after the Aparoids took over and came for you... I couldn't let you die there. I kept up the tough-guy act, just because I knew Leon and Panther would make fun of me to no end if they knew the truth. Not that they hadn't already guessed it." Fox chuckled a bit, and Wolf's ear twitched in mock annoyance. "And then they told me I'd been invited to the Brawl, and now ... well, here we are."

Wolf drew close again, paused for a moment, then engulfed Fox in a hug. "You know I would never betray you," he said, quietly. "I never have, and I never will."

Slowly Fox returned the hug, his breath shaky but his voice firm. "I know, Wolf. I always have." A pause. "I love you."

"I love you too, Fox." Wolf drew back, hands still on Fox's shoulders. "So," he said, in a more normal tone of voice, "What do I have to do to convince your subconscious that I ain't evil?"

Fox smirked. "I can think of a few things..."

"Hey, hey. There are kids here, McCloud." Wolf shook a finger, tsking sarcastically, and gestured to Yoshi, who was back to doing his little happy dance. "Yoshi! Yoshi!" the dinosaur chirped.

"He's happy that we're back together, aren't we?" Fox asked in mild amusement.

Wolf laughed. "We were never apart, McCloud. But I'm sure this talk helped things."

Fox's smile faded. "So ... what do we do now?"

Wolf looked disinterestedly around the Final Destination stage. "You mean, the fact that we're all still against each other?"

"Yes, that," Fox started, but Yoshi seemed to have a solution: The little dinosaur walked forward, over to where Fox and Wolf's hands were still joined, and placed his hand on top of theirs. Understanding what he meant, Fox and Wolf both grinned; then all three of them raised their hands together.

"Master Hand, we forfeit."

Several days later, Wolf and Fox had one of their rare days off, and decided (as per usual) to spend it together. Electing to walk around the grounds of the Smash Manor, the two made their way through the mansion, earning several hearty congratulations and slaps on the back from fellow Smashers on their recent re-ascension to first place (including Falco, who Fox had been relieved to find did not care about him and Wolf in the slightest) along the way, and a few vengeful glares as well. Fox found these slightly disconcerting, but Wolf simply laughed it off.

When at last they had reached the foyer, they were amused to find Yoshi walking through the double-door entrance, chattering excitedly to Lucario, who didn't seem to be saying much but was wearing a rare half-smile, obviously enjoying listening to the little ramblings from the dinosaur (which apparently he could understand). Yoshi stopped talking when his eyes fell on Fox and Wolf — and, more importantly, their intertwined hands.

Wolf and Fox waited (Fox smiled somewhat nervously), but Yoshi said nothing, instead giving a long, knowing grin at the two and then bounding off, Lucario following close behind as he listened to the dinosaur's renewed chattering.

Wolf and Fox watched them go, and Fox laughed. "You know, we really ought to thank him."

"Yeah, me twice over," Wolf added, half to himself. When he noticed Fox giving him a questioning look, he shrugged. "It's, er, not important," he said, somewhat self-consciously.

"Awww ..." Fox teased, reaching up and rubbing Wolf's head-fur, earning a half-hearted growl from the lupine. "Is Wolfie embarrassed?"

"Shut up, you know I don't get embarrassed," Wolf said, as the two of them walked through the double doors, out into the bright sunshine.

"Of course you don't," Fox said, entirely unconvincingly. "What are you on about?"

"Well..." Wolf started, "it's ... kind of a long story."

Over the next half-hour or so, as they strolled along the grounds, Wolf recounted the Fox the story of his introduction to the Manor and how Yoshi had been the one he'd opened up to about his feelings for the vulpine. Fox only interrupted twice, to ask for clarification, and it became clear, as Wolf told his story, that Fox's experience with Yoshi had been very similar — emotional, yet lighthearted and ultimately very much worth it.

"So that little guy is pretty much singlehandedly responsible for getting us together?" Fox said, grinning as he idly picked a flower.

"Pretty much," Wolf said, casting his eyes around the scenery: Dozens of trees, once barren from the recent winter storm, beginning life anew as spring returned to the Manor.

"Well then," Fox said, as he sniffed the flower, "I'd say you're right. We basically owe him big time." He laughed, before gazing at the trees as well. "I knew he had something to do with it, obviously — I mean, he pushed you straight into my room. But I never realized how much he'd really done..."

Wolf's cheeks burned underneath his fur as he recalled the memory. "I'm just glad he didn't take the threats of dismemberment seriously."

Fox smiled. "'Course not. That little guy may be goofy, but he's not stupid. And his heart is in the right place."

"You can say that again," Wolf said, watching Fox discard the flower.

"His heart's in—"

"That is not a literal saying, Fox," Wolf said, cutting him off exasperatedly.

Fox laughed. "I know; it's just that you're so much fun to annoy."

"Oh, you wanna be like that?" Wolf said, chortling too. "C'mere and lemme give you a noogie, then, ya little —" Fox yelped with surprise as Wolf suddenly pulled him close and rubbed the top of his head; squirming, the vulpine quickly escaped Wolf's grasp and tore through the pathway between the trees, both of them laughing now, as Wolf chased after him. It wasn't long before the lupine caught him, and pounced; together the two of them tumbled through the grass and down a hill, playfully wrestling before coming to rest near an unoccupied bench. They laid there for a moment, Fox on top of Wolf, both of them panting happily, before Fox slowly stood to his feet and offered a paw to Wolf, pulling him up as well.

The lupine's gaze was still merry, but as Fox watched, his look changed to one of concern, and it was obvious there was something on his mind. "Fox..."

Fox sighed. "Let me guess. Nightmares, right?"

Wolf slowly took his hand, and together the two of them sat down on the bench, never breaking their gaze. "Fox ... it's just ..." He bit his lip; he seemed self-conscious again. "I need you to know that you can trust me."

Fox smiled serenely. "You don't need to worry, Wolf. Ever since Yoshi staged our intervention, I haven't had a single nightmare. Whatever he did ... it worked."

Wolf raised his eyebrows. "You're sure?"

Fox stroked Wolf's cheek with a thumb, still smiling. "Positive."

The tension gone, Wolf laughed with relief, drawing Fox close for a one-armed hug. "Good to know."

"It is," Fox agreed, also putting his arm around Wolf's shoulder, and the two of them leaned against each other, content to just stare at the trees and the beautiful landscape before them, aglow with orange and red light in the heat of the fading afternoon.

Fox slowly raised his eyes up to the tree branches above them. "It's spring," he said, pointing lazily with a finger. "The cherry blossoms are in bloom."

Wolf looked up at it, a bemused smile on his features. "They certainly are."

Fox was still gazing at them. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Wolf wasn't even looking at the cherry blossoms anymore; all of his gaze was focused on Fox. "Yeah," he said slowly, "beautiful."

Fox smiled and turned to Wolf, and the two of them leaned in for a kiss as the setting sun doused them with its radiant glow.