The title of the story is taken from The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' song "Misery Loves Its Company" - which I do not own in any way. None of the lyrics that are used throughout the story belong to me in any way, either.

I also do not own Star Fox.

An idea for a story like this one has been in my head for a really long time, and I've been trying to get it into words. I was writing and writing, and I finally got the basis of an idea when I actually began to lose my inspiration. That is... Until a friend of mine - EchidnaGirl - contacted me. I had asked her earlier if she would be interested in helping me write this, and due to some of the material, she opted out. However, just a few days ago, she shared with me a story about one of her good friends. He's going through a really tough time right now, trying to deal with a part of his identity that's not completely accepted by the world. I was really touched by her story, and she said that he really opened her eyes. She changed her mind and decided that she'd very much like to help me with this story, on the condition that we dedicate it to her friend. So, this is a story written by both EchidnaGirl and myself. Dedicated, and written in support, to her good friend (for these purposes) Alexander.

Misery Loves Its Company

Chapter One: Misery Loves...

"We were lucky to make it out of that alive..."

Wolf didn't look up from the controls on his fighter as he growled, "Luck had nothing to do with it."

Panther shook his head. "Do you think they know that we're still alive?"

The great canine fumbled with a few switches, but he paused at the question. With his single eye, he looked out into the empty blackness of space. And then he frowned, resting his hand on a lever. "They know."

"Wouldn't it be much simpler to go after them, then? It isn't as if they don't know where to find us. After all, they did nearly total Sargasso..." Panther was cut off.

"We're not going back to Sargasso!" Unintentionally, Wolf hit the controls, making his Wolfen lurch forward a few feet, violently. He scowled at his own mistake, pulling the brake, then turning his head to look over at Leon's fighter. "Leon?"

"Are you sure? Won't we get in trouble?"

"Only if they catch us. Come on, Leon, live a little."

"It's illegal for us to drop. We just learned how to fly..."

"And do you want to fly for the Cornerian air force? Is that how you want to live your life? Come on, you're the one always talking about being different! So let's be different."

The chameleon was sitting in the cockpit of his own plane, staring blankly and emotionlessly into the air in front of him. Upon hearing his name, Leon's left eye swiveled in the direction of the Wolfen. "Hmmm?"

Wolf stared at Leon for a moment, recognizing the blankness on the chameleon's face to be a sign of serious consideration. "Something on your mind?"

"I'll figure it out, don't worry. Are you sure this is what you want? I thought you hated to be different..."

"But you don't. Besides, that's another reason to leave here. They always treat me like I'm some great pilot, you know? But I don't want to be a commander or a general. I want to fit in, but it's like they just won't let me."

"...Sometimes it's not bad to be unique...special..."

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll figure it all out. Be ready then, Falco."

"Always am."

"No. Nothing." The response was instant. Automatic.

Wolf knew better than to push Leon to talk. Sometimes the lizard was an open book, but when he wanted to hide something, there was no hope of finding it out. So, Wolf just nodded. "Alright. Let's go." He turned his head back to check on Panther, and, at seeing that both of his co-pilots were ready, he pushed the ship into full throttle.

Leon waited for Panther's ship to disappear after Wolf's. When the second ship had vanished from sight, Leon shifted the gears on his plane's controls and followed after his two teammates. He had no trouble catching up with them, and, for a moment, he regretted all of his years of flying experience... Because flying was almost a sixth sense to him. And that meant that it took very little effort from his brain to pilot the plane. So, the rest of his mind was free to roam.

But it wouldn't roam...

"Excuse me, Commander..."

"What? -Oh, Leon. It's you. Where's your friend? I never see you alone..."

"Falco's in class, sir."

"Good boy. He has a lot of potential, that kid..."

"What time is curfew?"

"You don't know that by now, son?"

"I just wanted to make sure..."

"Eight o' clock. And don't break it, alright? Run along, now. I've got some important business to attend to."

"Of course. Thank you."

"Dare I ask where we're going?" Panther's voice drawled over the radio.

One of Leon's eyes glanced over to his co-pilot's ship, and he answered plainly, "Not if you don't want to know the answer."

"Fair enough... Why, though, is it so imperative that we stay away from Star Fox, now?"

Leon frowned at the question. He, personally, wouldn't have minded sticking around Star Fox for a bit longer... Not that he was fond of the team, per se... But Falco had become quite fun to annoy. Leon's frown shifted to a slight grin.

Wolf listened to the silence on the radio for a few moments, but the second that Leon's sharp, somewhat disturbing laughter started, he decided it best to answer Panther's questions, "We're heading toward Sector Z. And in case you haven't forgotten, Star Fox is too close to the Cornerian government. If we give Corneria half the chance, they'll have us locked up for good. Or worse."

Panther nodded, trying his best to ignore the maniacal laughter still raging on Leon's side of the channel before responding, "Very well. But why Sector Z?"

Wolf sighed. "We're getting new ships."

Leon's laughter faded at Wolf's words, and he shrieked, excitedly, "New ships!"

"When were you planning on telling us about this, Wolf?"

"When we got there."

Leon focused both of his eyes on the space in front of him, a childlike anticipation stamped across his face. It was hard to believe that the chameleon would be turning thirty within the next few months. Something about his personality always retained a youthful innocence... But with the widespread crimes across Lylat that bore Leon's name, it was really no wonder that very little would make the Cornerians happier than to see the spry, spontaneous lizard dead.

"How'd ya do it, Peppy?"

The old, grey hare looked up, mildly surprised to hear the voice. He smiled lightly before asking, "You want to talk to a 'crazy, old fool' like me, Falco?"

Falco shrugged, taking a seat across the table before responding, "Hey, what'd you expect, old man? Since you and Fox decided to leave me outta whatever plan you had. I thought you were really gone."

Peppy shook his head. "There wasn't really a plan. Just a hunch. And Fox managed to catch on. When the Queen was destroyed, all those creatures that the aparoids had taken over were freed."

"Uh-huh..." Falco tapped his fingers on the glass table, watching their movement carefully.

"Something on your mind, Falco?"

"Nah. Nothing." The avian continued to stare at his fingers for a few moments, but then he looked up at Peppy. "Hey, I think I'm gonna take the Arwing out for one last spin."

"Falco, the new ships are coming in the morning."

"Yeah, I know. Which is why I'm takin' the ship. It'll be my last chance."

"Falco..."

"It's pilot stuff, Pep. I've been flying it for a long time. It's just one more flight... Sentimental reasons."

Peppy adjusted his glasses, shaking his head in disapproval. "It's already very late..." He knew from his own experience that switching ships wasn't always easy for a pilot. Or, at least, it wasn't always easy for a normal pilot. But if there was one thing he'd learned in the time Falco had joined Star Fox, it was that the brightly-feathered avian was far from normal. Falco was the sort to relish the idea of having a new pair of wings to fly, not to become "sentimental" over an old pair. "Are you sure there isn't more to it than just 'one more flight'?"

"Appreciate the concern," Falco said as he stood up, "but I'll be fine."

"Falco, I'm retiring. The next time Star Fox goes out on a mission, I won't be there. You're a great pilot, and you know you're Fox's best friend. You've got to be there for him." Peppy was wary already, knowing full well of Falco's tendencies to suddenly take off somewhere and not return for a long time. It had hardly been a year since the avian had rejoined the team.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hope your golden years of retirement are great an' all." Falco headed toward the door.

Peppy frowned, but Falco seemed to be impervious to guilt. "Where are you planning on going?"

"Can't say."

"When should I tell Fox you'll be back?"

"I don't know. Whenever I get back."

"Falco."

At the door, Falco paused, looking back over his shoulder at Peppy. "I follow where the sky takes me. It's been good working with you, old man. But I've got to figure some things out. See ya around." With that, the door opened, and Falco walked outside.

There was a moment of uncertainty for Peppy, then. Upstairs, probably asleep, was Fox, in one of the rooms that General Pepper had reserved for the team's use since the Great Fox had been destroyed. Fox would want to be informed of Falco's leaving as soon as possible and would likely try to stop him from going... But then Peppy also knew that Falco was many things - but one of those things was not a bad friend.

"Peppy?"

The hare turned his head to see a lavender-blue vixen standing by the staircase, and he nodded in greeting. "Ah, Krystal."

"I couldn't sleep. There was a feeling of oppression in the air..."

"Falco's just gone out." He stood up. "I'm on my way to tell Fox."

"Falco left?"

"Yes. He said that he's 'got to figure some things out'." There was a pause. "He's been acting strangely since we got back from the aparoid homeworld."

"I noticed..." Krystal looked in the direction of the door. "Perhaps I should try talking to him."

Peppy stood up carefully. "Maybe you should. I'll go wake Fox up. You try catching up with Falco."

Krystal nodded, running for the door, and Peppy continued upstairs. At the first door, Peppy stopped and raised his hand to knock. He then stood back and waited for Fox to answer the door. Behind the door was the sound of movement, the rustling of sheets, footsteps on the floor. Then Fox was standing in the doorway, looking alert despite his frazzled hair.

"Peppy?" Fox blinked. "Are you okay?"

"Sorry to wake you, Fox. Falco's just left. Krystal went after him to try and stop him, but..."

"Falco left?"

"He's been in one of his bad moods, you know... I think something's really bothering him."

"Yeah, I noticed, too... I just thought it was about everything that happened at the end, though. I thought he might be mad that he didn't figure out that you weren't really dead and all, Peppy."

"He did ask me about that, but I think it must be something else. And Krystal described the feeling she had in the air as 'oppression'."

"Krystal felt it?" Fox took a step past Peppy before breaking into a dash down the stairs. For Krystal to be able to read feelings in others, it required her to be close to the subject. Either that, or the subject's feelings actually had to be very strong. And since Krystal had been no closer to Falco than anyone else had been, that meant that Falco's strange mood swing must have been a lot worse than Fox had originally thought.

'It's true, we are... We are destined to fail.'