A/N: I decided to put my V-Day one shot up a bit early this year, I suspect most people will be busy spending time with loved ones on the day itself, so you might not have time to read fanfiction. I could be wrong, but who knows?
This story got a little inspiration from Xengo's fic Pampering which is all about Fox/Krystal fluff. You can find that in his collection "All the Stars." Go read it, if you want more fluff in your life Xengo is the author you NEED to be reading!
Other than that I hope you all enjoy this helping of Fox/Krystal fluff. And keep an eye out for the next chapter of Cerinian Adventures, it's being beta read as we speak so it should be coming your way in...a week? Tops I would say. Unless I end up having to rewrite the entire thing.
Now, I've prattled on long enough, go read about these adorable floofballs being floofy! And happy early Valentines!
-general whitefur
An Orange and Blue Valentines
Krystal's eyes drifted open at exactly eight o'clock in the morning, as they always did. She looked at the clock by her bedside stand and smiled, the Fourteenth of February, Valentines Day. Sitting up she let the covers fall from her shoulders as she stretched and yawned. A thought came to her mind then, this would be the first Valentines Day since she and Fox began dating. "I wonder if he has anything planned?"
Standing up she padded over to the viewport, her nudity not concerning her as she looked out at the view. Peeping toms didn't tend to be an issue in outer space after all. From the viewport she could see that they had entered orbit above Corneria at some point in the ship's night cycle. The planet spun gently below, a blue and green orb that Krystal tended to think of as her adopted homeworld.
It didn't take long though for her stomach to remind her that she had more important business to attend to. Walking over to her closet she pulled out and dressed in a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, her hair askew and eyelids still a bit droopy. She didn't mind going to eat breakfast like this, everyone on the ship had seen her looking far worse. And, after sniffing the air around her, she confirmed that a shower could wait until after for the same reason.
Pressing the button to open the door to her bedroom she walked out. She stopped dead after a moment and looked down when she felt something odd against the pads of her feet. In addition to the cold deckplating she could feel something soft and just a bit warmer than the floor. She put a hand to her mouth at the sight that greeted her gaze when she looked down. "Goddesses." She breathed, gazing down the entirety of the hall towards the turbolift, the entire corridor having been dusted with an assortment of white, red, and blue rose petals. "He didn't..."
Krystal shook her head, her heart fluttering a bit and a grin spreading across her muzzle. "He did."
After reaching and summoning the turbolift Krystal stepped in, only to find even more rose petals. "Social deck." She said, the lift began moving. She couldn't believe this, she never would have thought Fox would do this. Maybe Panther now that she thought about it, but the suave newest member of Star Wolf was millions of kilometers away at the Sargasso Space Station, and besides, the two weren't dating. Though it wouldn't stop him. She thought to herself.
The lift door opened and Krystal stepped onto the social deck. This deck, consisting of the rec room, the gym, the observation lounge, and the mess hall, was where the members of Star Fox spent most of their free time. Fox didn't stint on equipping it either, every room offered plenty to do, and Krystal found that she could spend an entire day there without getting bored.
Once again the deckplating of the social deck had been sprinkled with rose petals, this time all blue, and all leading to the mess hall. Where did he get all of these? Her curiosity only made her walk faster towards the mess hall.
When she entered she saw Fox, Slippy, and Falco waiting for her. Fox spotted her and stood up, a smile on his muzzle. "Morning sleepy head."
Krystal ran up to him and threw her arms around him, though being careful not to rock the table. Fox seemed surprised by her actions, and she could feel his body temperature rise as she kissed him full on the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her however, doing his best to return the kiss on short notice. When they broke off Krystal smiled and ran a finger over his cheek ruff. "Morning Fox."
"Uh, morning." Fox replied, a little breathless. "I take it you saw the..."
"Roses?" Krystal nodded, a happy smile on her muzzle. "Where did you get them all?"
Slippy cleared his throat then. "I can answer that."
Krystal turned her gaze to Slippy and sat down at the table. "Do tell."
"You remember about a month ago when I set aside one of our cargo bays for a secret special project?" Slippy put air quotes around the words "special project." Krystal nodded. "Well, we turned it into a hydroponics bay, and Fox and I started growing those roses for you."
Fox, having slipped away into the kitchen, returned then. Setting down a plate of steaming pancakes with butter and syrup on it he smiled. "And the last one is right here." He said, handing her a tiny vase with a single blue rose in it.
Krystal put a hand to her heart and took it, shocked at the level of effort they'd gone to. "Fox, Slippy, thank you."
"Don't mention it." Fox answered, kissing her hair before sitting down. "Falco helped to."
"Yeah, don't forget me. I planted my third of them." Falco grunted before looking at Krystal, his beak doing its best to curl into a smile. "Happy Valentines Day Krystal, from all of us. And uh...Panther too."
Krystal, who had been sitting there in shock trying to come to grips with the emotions she could sense, the unconditional love and friendship she could feel pouring in her direction, broke out of it at the mention of Panther. "What? What does Panther have to do with..." She trailed off, suddenly realizing something.
"Yeah." Fox scratched at the back of his neck nervously. "I mentioned I wanted to do this for you when we met them after the war. He wouldn't let me go until he gave me a whole book on how to do it, as well as some personal advice. His condition was we had to tell you happy Valentines Day from him. I uh, I hope it's not a problem."
Krystal just smiled. "No, not at all." She brought the rose to her nose and inhaled the scent. She didn't mind if Panther had helped, better that he and Fox work together somehow to make her happy, instead of competing for her attention. "So, do you have anything else planned for me today?" She asked, cutting into her pancakes, the scent of which appealed to her as much as the rose, Fox made wonderful pancakes.
"I uh..." Fox paused for a moment, looking to Falco and Slippy. Slippy gave him a thumbs up, Falco an are-you-kidding-me-right-now look.
"What Fox?" Krystal prodded, taking a bite of her breakfast and humming in pleasure.
"I got us a suite at the Cornerian Luxury Hotel, just for the night." Fox told her, color coming to his ears.
She paused for a moment, turning her gaze on him without turning her head. No wonder he felt nervous. He'd quite literally gotten them a room. Smiling she said, "Great. I can't wait."
Fox breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his breakfast. As they ate an idea popped into Krystal's head. Doing her best not to smile at the wickedness of it she extended her telepathy to Fox for a brief moment, just long enough to send him an image of her in a bikini, after all the suites at the Cornerian Luxury Hotel all came with the most luxurious private hot tubs.
She watched gleefully as his eyes widened and he looked at her. Sensing that he knew she was teasing him she sent him one more image, an image of her walking over to the hot tub only to strip right out of it before getting in. He nearly choked on his pancakes. Giggling she reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. "Sorry Fox, I couldn't help myself."
Falco and Slippy looked between the two vulpines for a moment before trading amused glances. "What's she doing under the table Foxie?" Falco asked, his beak curving in amusement.
"Nothing Falco." Fox answered, being truthful.
"Uh huh." The avian didn't look like he quite believed it. Even Slippy looked unconvinced.
After finishing breakfast Krystal walked over to the sink and began washing her plate. Fox stood next to her, waiting to wash his own dish. "I hope you're having a good Valentines Day so far." He said, ears flicking.
Krystal smiled as she set her plate in the strainer to air dry alongside Falco and Slippy's. "Wonderful Foxie." She replied before kissing him on the cheek. Then, with a wink she said, "I can't wait to get you alone in that hotel room."
Though he began to blush like mad Fox actually managed to grin at the thought. He started to wash his own plate in the sink."Yeah. That'll be good."
Wrapping her arms around his chest Krystal nuzzled into the back of his neck. Then, putting her muzzle next to his ear she whispered, "It'll be fantastic. You'll be walking funny for a week when I'm through with you."
Fox's eyes widened and he lost hold of his plate. Despite his shock and the rise in his ambient temperature she felt his tail trying to wag against her, even as her own swayed rapidly behind her. "Krystal..."
"Mmm, yes?" She answered, hands stroking idly at his chest.
"I love you." He said, picking his plate back up.
Krystal gave an impish giggle. "Love you too. I'll go get dressed and pack a few things." She unwrapped her arms from him and stepped back, patting his rear as she left the kitchen. Then, much to her surprise, she felt Fox give her a return pat. Smiling she wagged her tail as she walked out. Good, he seemed to be gaining confidence despite himself. This would be a good Valentines Day.
Krystal hopped out of her Arwing, the canopy closing automatically behind her. Unloading a small duffle bag from the Arwing's cargo compartment she shoulder the bag and looked over to where Fox stood waiting for her. Smiling she joined him as the two walked out of the hangar and crossed the distance to the terminal.
As they walked she took his hand in hers, moving closer to him and walking in step. The Cornerian Spaceport didn't seem to have changed much since their last visit. The port had been the sight of a fierce battle during the Aparoid invasion. Though short the battle had been intense, and to a certain degree it could still be seen. Most of the damage seemed repaired, but Krystal could still pick out plasma scoring and other evidence of weapons fire in places that the less observant would miss, but the trained eye of a mercenary couldn't help but notice.
"You notice them too?" Fox asked.
"Mmhmm." Krystal replied. "A year is a long time, but it was a bad battle."
"Yeah." Fox squeezed her hand and she sensed a memory flash through his surface thoughts.
"I didn't die you know."
Fox glanced at her, looking as if he had been caught red handed. "No. But you almost did in that battle."
A sigh escaped her lips. She really didn't want to do this. "We all almost died. Several times as I recall. Let's not dwell on it."
The two of them walked in through the doors to be greeted by the noise of hundreds, even thousands of people bustling about. The PA blared news about delays and reschedulings, and Krystal sensed an overtone of the usual stress that accompanied interplanetary travel. Though a relatively common practice it did entail certain dangers that those who stayed on a single planet never even considered. Pirate attacks, solar storms, ion storms, meteor showers. All the normal space hazards that, though most ships were equipped to handle them, still made people a bit jumpy, at least until the ship broke the atmosphere.
Both of them did there best to move as quickly as possible while keeping a low profile. Even a year after the war they were still enjoying a certain celebrity status. Krystal remembered the number of invitations for interviews she herself had personally received. She turned them all down of course, having no interest in basking in the glory while so many continued to suffer from the destruction. Fox took a few under the advice of Peppy, the old hare telling him that people needed a hero. She could recall going to one with him, as moral support, only to have the host ask if the two of them were dating. The memory brought a smile to her lips, not long after that she decided that it would be a good time to start having that conversation. And now here she was, going off to spend a night in a luxury hotel, all alone with nothing to bother the two of them.
"It's nice to see." Fox said as they walked.
"What?" She asked, looking at him curiously.
"People getting on with their lives." Fox responded. "Even after all we've been through. First Andross, then the Aparoids, and in less than ten years. It's a lot for any one system to take."
Krystal squeezed his hand and bumped into him purposefully, letting her tail sway against his. "Your people are strong. Even if something knocks them down they don't hesitate to get right back up. If anyone can survive whatever the universe can throw at them, it's you Lylatians."
"Thanks Krys. That gives me hope."
She smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "That's all I want for you."
Krystal sat down on the edge of the bed in the bedroom of their suite. They were just finishing unpacking, Fox having gone into the bathroom to arrange toothbrushes and other essentials. Feeling cheeky Krystal decided to take a look in his duffel bag while he remained distracted. As she leaned over the bag something caught her eye. Hidden behind a pair of Fox's boxer briefs sat a small cardboard box. Hmmm, now what could that be? she thought to herself. Taking it out of the bag she nearly broke into a fit of giggles when she realized just what it was. Foxie!
Just then he returned from the bathroom, a toothbrush in either hand. "Krys, I'm going to put mine on the left side of..." He stopped and blushed when he saw what she held in her hand. "Uhhhh."
Krystal got up from where she sat and held the box in front of her. "Were you planning to hide these from me?"
His eyes widened and his ears tipped back. "K-Krystal I can explain."
She arched an eyebrow, fighting to keep her tail from wagging and giving away her amusement. "Fox, I know what condoms are for."
"Well I know but I..."
Krystal set them down on the bed and reached a hand out to stroke his cheek ruff. "Don't worry." She said, a smile on her muzzle. "Just tell me, what did you think you needed them for? You know neither of us have anything, and I'm not in heat."
"You aren't?" Fox looked at her a little dumbly. "Oh."
She shook her head. "You know Foxie, I would tell you if I was in heat. I've been with the team over a year now, I told you all when it happened a few months after I arrived. I'm not due for..." She thought for a moment. "At least three more months. If you aren't sure just ask. I won't be offended."
Fox nodded. "Yeah. I know. Falco just uh..."
Comprehension dawned on Krystal. "I see. He told you better safe than sorry and then laughed like it was a joke." She didn't phrase it as a question. He'd done the same thing with Slippy when he the toad went on a brief vacation.
"Yeah." Fox answered. He looked relieved that she understood.
"Well." Krystal said, stepping closer to him, their muzzles almost touching as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Considering we've just broken the ice, care for a bit of fun?"
Fox looked at her funny. "It's only noon."
Krystal rolled her eyes and kissed him hard on the mouth. When she pulled back she said, "Well then, let's call it an afternoon delight shall we?"
She heard the sound of a pair toothbrushes drop to the floor as Fox wrapped his arms around her waist. His tail wagged as he said, "I'll get us new ones. Let's rock and roll."
The two of them couldn't help but giggle at the lame attempt at humor as they tumbled onto the bed, determined to spend the next few hours hot, sweaty, and in each others arms.
A knock came at the door of the suite. Krystal, wearing a blue silk robe and just on her way to join Fox in their private spa room stopped and went to answer the door. Opening it she saw one of the hotel attendants standing there with a red box. "Krystal?"
"Yes." She said, opening the door a bit wider.
The attendant smiled and handed her the box, the label reading Speciality Chocolates, made canine safe. "These came for you. Special delivery. Sorry if I disturbed you, I know it's a bit late."
Krystal gave the attendant, a fennec fox, a reassuring smile as she took hold of the box of sweets. "It's no problem, thank you."
He tipped his hat and Krystal quickly ran to get her purse and tip him. Once he left she went back to the chocolates and read the note that came with them. "Happy Valentines Day, your friends are thinking about ya! Love, Katt, Fara, Fay, and Miyu. Awww." Krystal smiled and took one out of the box, popping it in her mouth and moaning in delight at the taste. She felt positively spoiled. She would have to call and thank all her friends for the gift, and make sure to get them something in return the next time they saw each other face to face.
With a special spring in her step Krystal headed for the spa room, just off the bedroom. The suites at the hotel really were positively luxurious, she didn't even want to think about what Fox must have been paying for the both of them. Though it did make her feel special. Briefly she imagined him saving up for it, just for her. He's such a dear.
Entering the room she saw Fox already in the hot tub. "Hi."
"Hey. The water's perfect." He replied.
"Good." She answered, untying the knot in her robe and letting it flutter to the floor. Despite the low, intimate lighting she could see Fox blushing. "What?"
"You're uh...naked. Under there." He said, seeming embarrassed
"Yes I am. Come on Fox, we're in a private room, in a private spa, I'm soaking naked whether you like it or not." She walked, no on second thought, strutted right over to him before stepping into the water, sighing as she sat down and pressed herself to his side.
Fox put an arm around her. "I didn't say I didn't like it. Just caught me off guard is all."
Krystal smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I know. I'll never forget the look on your face when I told you I sleep in the nude. You looked so adorably confused."
Fox chuckled a bit. "Confused? I guess. Honestly I was just trying not to imagine it."
"You didn't succeed did you?"
"Nope." Fox kissed her on the forehead. "Who came to the door?"
"Special delivery. I tipped him don't worry." Krystal added.
"What did he bring up?"
"Chocolates. Canine safe of course."
Fox pulled back a bit and looked at her curiously. "Who sent you chocolates at nine at night?"
Krystal smiled and sank deeper into the water, not stopping until it reached her chin. "The girls. Just to tell me they're thinking about me."
Fox smiled. "That's nice."
"Yes." Krystal sighed and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "I feel so loved."
"Good." Fox said, sinking down into the water with her. "I never want you to feel any other way. None of us do."
Shifting around to the other side of the tub Krystal stuck one of her feet out of the water and wiggled her toes at Fox. Fox took hold of it and began to gently massage the toes. "Little harder." She told him.
"Like this?" He asked.
"Mmm. Just like that. Good boy." Krystal cooed. "I'd like to go and see them at some point. Subspace coms aren't the same, even when they're real time."
Fox nodded, his eyes on her toes as he continued massaging them. "I know. I promise I'll get the team some longer leave time soon."
"I was thinking more about going to see them this week." Krystal specified, a hopeful look in her eyes. She hadn't seen any of them in so long. She missed Katt with her wandering eyes, Fay with her constant hugs, Miyu's sarcastic quips, and Fara always having the latest gossip.
Fox managed to crack one of her toes, she gave a pleasured little whine. "We actually have some escort duty in a couple days. The Binary Run between Macbeth and Eladard. That's why I could only get us the one night."
"Shame." Krystal replied, lifting the other foot for him to tend to. "It's alright though, I'm sure they're busy. Isn't Fara taking over something for Space Dynamics?"
"Yeah." Fox said, switching to the other foot. "She's taking over supervision of a couple of prototype projects. One of them is for the new Arwing Beltino is working on, I forgot the others. Either way I'm sure she'll be plenty busy."
"Is she going to take over the company at some point?" Krystal asked, curious. Her eyes rolled back a bit as Fox hit a particularly good spot. "Oh right there."
His discovery of a sweet spot made Fox smile triumphantly. "She probably will eventually. But her father isn't going anywhere anytime soon."
"Hmm. I wonder if we'll ever see her again once that happens." Krystal wondered aloud. She began to pull her foot away, Fox held firm though, kissing her toe before letting go. She giggled. "Foxie!"
"Sorry." Fox apologized. "Couldn't help myself. But no, I think we'll still see her. Fara takes her friends seriously. We'd always be more important to her."
"I figured as much." Krystal responded, shifting back over and straddling Fox's lap. She put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you."
Fox wrapped his arms around her back. "I love you too Krys. Did you have a nice Valentines Day?"
"I did, yes." Krystal answered, happily snuggling into him. The combination of warm water, warm steam, and Fox's own warm body began to make her eyelids droop.
"Sleepy?" Fox asked, gently stroking her back.
"Little bit. I'm not moving though." Krystal replied.
Her eyelids really did feel heavy. She didn't usually go to sleep quite this early, but she just felt so relaxed, so comfortable, so safe with Fox's arms around her. She could feel herself beginning to doze off. The last thing she heard before nodding off was Fox saying, "Don't worry, I'll tuck you in." She fell asleep with a smile.