A/N: I'm working on revising this story, so ignore the sharp contrast in writing quality for a little bit and bear with me.

Fox's father, James,m Mccloud, always said that the Cornerian Flight Academy would be a good experience for him. He said Fox would make plenty of new friends, and learn discipline. Of course, he'd learn how to pilot fighters, as well, and it sounded like it would be a great time, and the vulpine was inclined to think that way, but then the day came that he'd be dropped there.

The time leading to his departure passed by in a rush, with Fox and James packing for the former's stay and the latter's latest mission. It was an unfortunate coincidence that James would have to leave for a mission with Peppy and another man, Pigma at the same time Fox would be starting school. Apparently, Andross was up to something big, and Fox's dad was the best option to go. Fox really wished he didn't have to leave, but apparently, he had no choice. Because of this, they were both packing to leave.

"Hey Dad? What's the Academy like?" Fox asked him as they hauled their bags into the car. He chuckled as he shut the hood.

"Fox, you've asked this plenty of times before, and as I've said, it's a good experience. You learn new things, meet new people, and you get a dorm mate. Oh... did I mention that before?" James asked, scratching his head. Fox shook his head, getting in the passenger seat.

"No you didn't, dad! What's that about? Dorm mates?" The young vulpine asked excitedly.

James started up the car, and pulled out of the driveway onto the road, putting his sunglasses on. "Well, it's basically like a roommate, except for the fact that you do everything together with that person, and it teaches teamwork. You know who mine was?" He asked.

"Was it Peppy?" Fox asked, grinning. His dad nodded.

"Yeah. I hope you'll get someone you can stand. Apparently, I was one of the lucky ones," His dad remarked, chuckling.

"Hope I get Bill, Falco, or Slippy," Fox muttered with a sigh.

"Well, you don't get to decide, which sucks," he replied. The vulpine could see the Air Force Base just about now. Cornerian ships were flying all about the place in the sky far above the car, and they reminded him of a question he needed to ask his dad.

"Hey… dad? How long will you be gone?" Fox asked, looking over at him. James's face changed into a sad expression, his ears drooping.

"Fox… I don't know. I have to go to Venom, and the trip itself will take six months, maybe longer. Then it's another six back, and that all depends on what happens between then. Andross is preparing for something big... I wish I knew what it was. I might not be back until your first year here is finished," he explained, grimacing. The vulpine felt his ears pin to his head.

"Well… as long as you get back, dad. I'm cool with it all. I just wish you didn't have to leave," Fox whispered. James nodded in understanding.

"I wish I didn't have to either. We really need a break after what happened with Vixy, but Pepper called in a favor, so I couldn't say no," he replied. The car was pulling into the Academy as he spoke.

"I know, dad. Just be careful out there," Fox replied. James stopped the car by the curb near the front of the building. The main portion itself was a tall, gunmetal green block sticking out into the sky. It didn't look appealing, but Fox figured there was more out of eyeshot.

"The complex sprawls out much farther than you can see. This is just the administration building," James explained as he shut the car off.

"I thought so," Fox said, getting out of the car and moving to the trunk. He opened it and grabbed a large backpack and suitcase. James's remained inside. After he shut the hood, they walked over to the entrance to the Academy. Other students and parents were trickling in, but Fox knew James wouldn't go, because Fox could handle himself.

"Alright, son, this is it. Cornerian Flight Academy," James said. "This will either shape up to be the best or worst few years of your life, so make them count. And remember, whatever you do, don't fall in love. Lord knows how many other hormonal fifteen year old freshmen there are in this place."

"Dad!" Fox exclaimed in embarrassment, blushing hard. James chuckled.

"I'm proud of you, son. Remember, I'll call you on that PDA when I can. I'll always be in touch if you need something. Good luck out there!" The older vulpine exclaimed, pulling Fox into a fierce hug. He returned it, and a moment later, they broke off. Fox smiled at him, adjusting his heavy bag.

"Bye, dad. I'll call when I can. I love you," the vulpine said, walking towards the Academy.

"I love you too, son. See you around, Fox," James replied. Fox didn't look back, and instead walked straight into the building. James be alright. He always made it back from his missions.

The main lobby was busy, with students rushing all throughout, and heading through different corridors. Fox looked around for someone to get his room number and schedule from, and saw an attendant at the front desk who didn't look busy. He walked over to her, and she smiled brightly at him.

"Hello, another new face! What's your name, sweetie?" She asked, looking at Fox. He smiled awkwardly.

"F- Fox. Fox McCloud," he said, scratching his head. Sometimes, he forgot that he was related to a celebrity. Her face lit up in recognition.

"Ah, you're James's boy. I'm Ms. Spaniel, but just call me Fay, darlin'. I'm an office aide. Anyway, here's your schedule and room number. Classes start tomorrow, but everybody's schedule is different to prevent overcrowding. Don't be late!" She exclaimed, handing the vulpine a slip of paper and a keycard. He waved goodbye, and proceeded to look down at the items in his hands.

"Huh. Room number… four hundred seven. Dorm mate… Wolf O'Donnell. Wonder who he is," Fox muttered, walking off to a hallway marked DORMS.

It seemed that everybody was headed that direction, so the vulpine had to squeeze through the halls. They extended quite a ways from the administration bulding, apparently, but that was alright. Walking wasn't a terrible chore, after all. He managed to escape up a stairwell at one point, and climbed up to the fourth floor, avoiding people rushing down the stairs. It really shocked him to see how many people couldn't figure things out for themselves, judging by their extremely confused faces.

Fox climbed the stairs, managing to avoid losing anything, and reached the fourth floor. From the looks of things, the dorms had five floors, separated by gender. Probably prevented some sexual mishaps. The vulpine shuddered at that thought.

"Four oh seven, four oh seven," he muttered to himself, walking down the near empty grey halls. Fox guessed that more people stayed on the first three floors. The less noise, the better.

Fox wondered what my roommate was going to be like. Wolf... he sounds alright. What if he's a smartass? What if he's incredibly stuck up and obnoxious? Dad said that these years would either be the worst or best in my life, so what if my dorm mate is the deciding factor? He shook the thoughts out of his head, focusing on finding his room.

About every thirty feet on either side of the hallway was a door. Fox kept going, and eventually, found the correct door, 407, only a small ways away from a stairwell, which was very convenient. If Wolf was in there, the vulpine couldn't hear him.

Taking a breath, Fox slid the card down a slot by the door, and he heard the clank of it unlocking. He slid the key card into my coat pockets and opened the door, stepping inside.

The doorway opened into a small living room, with a single sofa, coffee table, and sizable TV. There were three other doors extending from the living room, extending into a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.

"Hey, anyone else home?" Fox called out cautiously. He received no answer.

He stepped into the kitchen, which was deserted. It contained a stove, microwave, refrigerator, and some cupboards, and a washer and dryer stood in the corner. The vulpine then walked into the bathroom, which was small, with a sink, toilet, and single shower.

"Alright. Very spartan furnishings," Fox muttered, walking back out. He walked into the bedroom, dropping his bag and suitcase in a corner.

When Fox looked up and over to the bunks, he was met with deep purple eyes staring at him. His stomach twisted itself into knots as he looked at the figure laying on the bottom bunk.

He was a grey and white wolf wearing a black tank top exposing toned muscle, as well as blue jeans and headphones. Fox couldn't find it in him to tear himself away from those purple eyes, though.

Clearing his throat, the vulpine muttered, "Hey. I'm your dorm mate."

Wolf opened his mouth to speak, but first took his headphones off, hanging them around his neck. "Huh? What'd you say?" He asked, his voice gruff and deep.

Fox blinked. "Oh! Uh… I said hey. I'm Fox, your dorm mate," he said, glancing around the room and avoiding his eyes. A large window took up the space of the wall to his right, and a desk and chair were situated in front of it. Wolf's bags were dropped by his bed.

"Oh. I'm Wolf. Got here about an hour ago," he replied, giving a weak half-smile. Fox's stomach starting twisting again. What's wrong with you? He chastised himself.

"I guess we have the same schedule. Mind if I… sit down?" The vulpine asked. I hope I didn't blow any chance I had of…

"Sure, I don't care," Wolf said, changing to a sitting position and patting the bed next to him. Fox sat down, unsure of what his thoughts wanted to form.

Fox cleared his throat again, his hands fidgeting. "So… who dropped you off here?" The vulpine asked, taking that slip of paper with his schedule out of his coat pocket. Wolf's expression depended into a scowl; that wasn't a good look for him.

"I'd rather not say, if that's all good with you," he muttered, looking away. Fox nodded, deciding to change the subject. I hope I didn't…

"Okay, sorry, I won't pry." Fox cleared his throat, feeling bad for bringing the problem up. "Anyway, let's see here. Wow, our first class isn't until ten, and it's combat training. Second is… flight tactics… lunch after that… then individual flying simulators, and finally… team simulators," the vulpine said, looking over the list. Wolf looked back over at him with a pleased look on his face, which caused Fox's ears to catch fire.

"Well, I'm looking forward to that. Glad we get to sleep in, too, huh?" Wolf asked, smiling.

"Uh huh," the vulpine muttered, avoiding his gaze. "We should probably unpack."

"Yeah. You're probably right," Wolf replied, getting up off the bed and moving to his suitcase. Fox did the same, unzipping his and grabbing all of his toiletries.

Fox avoided his gaze as he walked out of the bedroom with his bags in hand and trudged into the bathroom. There were two cupboards by the sink, so the vulpine figured he'd leave everything he owned in one. He took his toothbrush and set it in the holder provided, then put his shower stuff in a niche within it. Fox then heard muffled clanking, and a swear from the kitchen. That made him laugh silently as he walked back to the bedroom.

From what Fox had seen of him, Wolf didn't seem too bad. He was pretty carefree, but he hoped that didn't spell trouble for them.

Fox nearly slammed into Wolf as we both walked back into the bedroom, and he muttered an apology. When his arm brushed against the vulpine's, his face felt hot and he quickly shuffled to his bag, grabbing his PDA from it.

"You've got one of those old things? They're pretty ancient, Fox," Wolf remarked from the desk, as he had seemingly finished his unpacking.

"What, the PDA?" Fox asked, walking over to the desk, to which Wolf nodded. "It's my dad's. Or... one of them. He said to keep in touch. My old man's always a little paranoid, and only uses these. They're reliable as all hell, though," the vulpine explained.

"I see. Well… I've just got a regular phone, you know. It's not that great either," Wolf said, producing a beat up, cracked smartphone. Fox nodded, unsure of what to say next. The lupine stared at him with those purple eyes, and his stomach started to twist back up in knots. What the fuck is happening to me?

Wolf cleared his throat. "Well, since we're dorm mates, it's stupid for us not to have each other's phone numbers, right? Unless your PDA doesn't do that," he said softly.

"No, it does. We can do that," Fox said a bit too excitedly. Wolf and the vulpine exchanged phone numbers, and the latter sat down on the bottom bunk bed, shoving his PDA in his pocket.

"It's getting pretty late, Fox. Want something to eat?" Wolf asked, looking over at him expectantly.

"Sure. Should we go out to the cafeteria, or something?" Fox asked, not sure where the eating places were in the Academy.

Wolf scoffed. "Cafeteria food is shit. Why do that, when I can cook for myself?" He asked, and the vulpine looked up at him, his mood brightening instantly.

"You can cook?" Fox asked in mild surprise, for he didn't take Wolf to be into culinary things.

"Yeah, it's fun. Why else do you think I was back at the kitchen earlier?" He chuckled. "Anyway, I brought plenty of ingredients, so what do you want for dinner?" Wolf asked.

Fox knew exactly what he wanted, if Wolf could make it. "Can you make spaghetti?" The vulpine asked, grinning.

Wolf scoffed once more. "Simple. If that's what you want, I'll get started on it," he said, getting up. Fox smiled gratefully.

"I was just craving some. My dad made the most awesome spaghetti when I was little," the vulpine explained as he followed Wolf into the kitchen. The lupine began grabbing pots and other supplies from the cupboards. He really had unpacked incredibly fast, Fox noted with surprise.

Wolf hummed. "Ah, I see. Is he…." He trailed off, misunderstanding the context.

"No, he's not gone. Dad's just on a mission. He works for the Cornerian Army occasionally. His name is James McCloud," the vulpine explained self consciously.

"Ah, you're his kid. Cool, cool. Anyway, this will take a bit to make, so go relax in the living room and I'll take care of everything up here," Wolf said dismissively. Fox nodded, walking into the living room and sitting on the couch. He grabbed the TV remote, turning it on to a news channel.

Fox was strangely glad that Wolf didn't think differently of him because of the whole 'related to a celebrity' thing. It was strangely refreshing, for everyone else treated him that way. He blushed at the thought.

"God, what's wrong with me today?" Fox asked himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was just nerves at meeting someone new. He was always apprehensive in those circumstances, right?

The vulpine pulled his PDA out of his pocket and opened it to see some new messages from Falco. He looked at them, not surprised he had missed them during his encounter with Wolf.

FROM: FALCO L.

Hey, man, you at the Academy?

FROM: FALCO L.

Got everything situated at your place? Who's your dorm mate?

FROM: FALCO L.

Bill, Slippy, and I are at the courtyard right now. You wanna hang?

Fox snorted in amusement. He was alright with hanging out with Wolf for the rest of the night. The vulpine started typing a response.

TO: FALCO L.

Yes, I'm moved in. My dorm mate is a guy called Wolf O'Donnell. He's a pretty cool guy. And no, I'm eating dinner with him. He's a good cook.

A few moments passed, and then Falco's reply appeared.

FROM: FALCO L.

Wow, already ditching us for a nice date with your new boyfriend?

Fox found himself blushing hard, and he groaned. What was he thinking?

"What? What is it, Fox?" Wolf asked from the kitchen. The vulpine felt his ears heating up.

"My friend is being a prick. C'mere," Fox replied with a groan. He heard the sound of a pan being placed on the stove, and saw Wolf walking in with a black apron titled 'Kiss the chef' tied around him. Wordlessly, the vulpine showed him the texts. A few seconds later, Wolf snorted with laughter.

"Man, I love your friends already! Give the PDA here, I have an idea!" The lupine exclaimed, laughing. Fox chuckled, handing him the PDA.

Wolf began to type, and Fox watched him with morbid curiosity. He had an idea for what the lupine wanted to do. A moment later, Wolf handed the PDA back to him, cackling. Fox looked at the latest sent text.

TO: FALCO L.

This is Wolf. Don't come to our dorm room tonight, we'll be boning. And by the way: he's taken now. Don't bother.

Fox found himself blushing even harder than before, and he reached over to smack Wolf. The lupine yelped in surprise, rubbing his arm.

"You're a dick, Wolf," the vulpine said, but there wasn't malice in his tone.

Wolf wrung his hands. "Alright, I'm sorry, I was just trying to have fun!" He snickered. " Anyway, let me get back to finishing dinner." He walked back into the kitchen, and Fox glanced back over at Wolf's words, a warm feeling in his chest.

What was wrong with him? He couldn't even begin to figure it out.

FROM: FALCO L.

Dude, what the fuck? Are you serious?

Fox chuckled, deciding to go with Wolf's stupid idea.

TO: FALCO L.

This is Fox again. And yes, don't come over if you know what's good for you.

The vulpine grinned deviously, turning his PDA off and setting it on the coffee table, deciding to let Falco mull over his words.

"I went with your plan; I'm hoping I'll freak Falco out!" Fox called, and he heard more deep and lovely laughter coming from the kitchen.

"Can't wait to see the look on his face! Now hold on, I'm bringing the food over!" The lupine called back.

A minute or so later, Wolf, sans apron, walked to the living room with two big bowls of spaghetti in his arms. He handed one to Fox and sat next to him.

"I think it's stupid that we don't get a dining table in these places," the lupine grumbled, taking his fork and stsrting to dig into the food. Fox nodded, doing the same. It certainly smelled delicious, and if that was any indication, it would surely be heavenly.

"Maybe it's just a space issue. Just be grateful you got a nice kitchen and- oh man this is heaven," Fox murmured in surprise after taking a large forkfull of the noodles. It was one of the best things he had ever tasted, which was an impressive feat when comparing it to his dad's cooking.

Wolf smiled gratefully. "You really think so? Nobody else has ever bothered to try my food," he stated sadly, and Fox nodded vigorously while taking another bite.

"This is the best I've ever had. I don't want anything but your cooking ever again, Wolf," the vulpine said again in between large mouthfuls of spaghetti. He meant those words, too.

"Thanks, Fox. That really means a lot to me," the lupine replied sincerely, ruffling Fox's headfur. His face almost immediately began to heat up, and he was suddenly very thankful of the thick fur covering his face.

The two canines then continued to watch their dinner in comfortable silence, watching the news reports on the TV. Most of it was just boring politics crap that Fox never cared about, since he couldn't exactly do much about it for a few years anyway.

The spaghetti was quickly wolfed down, and the two brought their bowls and forks back to the kitchen and set them in the sink to be washed later. They walked to their bedroom after Fox grabbed his PDA, and Wolf grabbed a set of clothing to change into.

"I'll go shower and get changed and stuff in the bathroom," he stated, grabbing his toiletries. Fox decided he'd wake up early and shower in the morning.

"Alright, that's cool, Wolf," the vulpine replied, watching him disappear from the doorway.

Fox sighed, grabbing a pair of sweats and a white tee from his suitcase. He quickly changed into them once he heard the shower being turned on in the other room. The vulpine sifted through his backpack until he found a blanket and pillow, and then he climbed up to the top bunk and made his bed. He lay down on it, and stared at the wall, waiting for Wolf to finish.

Fox wondered why he was paired up with Wolf. Was it just a random coincidence, or did somebody think they were compatible? Either way, it seemed to be working out for the better, at least for the moment.

The vulpine heard the shower being switched off, and he rolled over to see a clean-looking Wolf wearing nothing but black boxers walk back in. He had finely toned muscle all over his body, probably from years of working out. Fox swallowed heavily, trying to look anywhere but at his dorm mate.

"Hey. Ready for our first day tomorrow?" The vulpine asked, giving a weak smile. Wolf nodded excitedly, grinning back.

"Yeah, course I am. I'm just hoping we will get to fly pretty soon," the lupine remarked, climbing into the bottom bunk after turning out the lights.

Fox took a breath. "Yeah, me too." He mulled over his next words for a second before opening his mouth again. "You know, you're pretty cool, Wolf. Don't you have any other friends here?" He asked.

He heard a sigh from below him. "No, never had many friends. They always left me, so I came here for a fresh start, Fox. No strings attached," Wolf explained. Fox nodded to himself.

"Well… we could be friends. You think?" The vulpine asked, then grimaced at how immature he sounded.

Wolf chuckled. "Yeah, I think so. I like you, Fox. You're a pretty cool guy," he said. Fox smiled, his ears heating up.

"Thanks. Night, Wolf," he replied.

"Goodnight, Fox," the lupine murmured.

Fox shut his eyes, and searched for sleep and a break from reality. That would take more than a few moments, however, as Wolf started to snore softly. It wasn't obnoxious, just a little distracting and jarring.

He wondered why he was so nervous around his new dorm mate.