Fox's sleep was sporadic, broken up by restless dreams of the previous day's events. Every time he woke up he checked his phone to see if Wolf had messaged him, but the only text he received was Falco acknowledging the message Fox had sent hours before.
It was only a little past 9:00 when he got a notification that Wolf had texted him. Fox's heart skipped a beat as he opened it up.
-[heya foxy! couple of friends from my group are having a beach cookout today at lunch time. u in?]
Fox couldn't help the dopey grin that formed on his face as he replied.
[Hey! That sounds like a great idea!]-
He rose from his bed, already thinking about how to prepare for the outing. He started gathering supplies in a bag when he received another text.
-[wow ur up early! glad to see im fixing ur sleep schedule. i'll come around ur place noonish. don't wait til im there to get ready]
"Way ahead of you." Fox mumbled to himself.
Once he finished putting his stuff into the bag he ate breakfast, took a shower, and changed into swim trunks and a red tank top. He still had around an hour and a half before Wolf would come, so he opened up the Star Fox group chat.
Should probably let them know as soon as possible to avoid any conflict in the future.
Fox bit his lip, wondering the best way to word his message. After a few rewrites, he finally got something that he was halfway satisfied with.
Fox
[Hey guys! Hope you're all enjoying your vacation so far. Anyway, I thought I should tell you all that I ran into Wolf O'Donnell yesterday. He's no longer affiliated with Star Wolf and has been living in the Capital for the past 2 years. He's been going to a sort of reform group and I spent the whole day talking to him. He's really turned a new leaf and I'm going to spend more time with him on my vacation. So just saying, if you see me and him together, nothing malicious is going on!]-
Fox winced as he imagined himself in his friends' shoes reading that message. It was worded so awkwardly yet he didn't know how else to explain the situation. He just hoped they would all understand. Soon, his phone lit up. Fox closed his eyes and held his breath, ready for the fallout. After a minute, he opened the chat again.
Slippy
-[Well that's surprising. Good to hear though! One less threat to worry about now.]
Fox let out a short breath from his nose. He expected this reaction from Slippy, since he was pretty easy going.
Falco
-[ah so thats why u didnt come out with me last night. collaborating with the enemy!]
-[haha just kidding i agree with slip here its good to hear wolf is out of the crime life]
Fox produced a relieved sigh. Falco could be unpredictable, but he was a good man. He was glad that he didn't hold a grudge against their former rival.
Now he just stared at the screen, waiting for Peppy. The oldest of the four, the hare had a longer history with Star Wolf than any of them. It seemed like the other two were also waiting for his reaction, as no new messages appeared from them. Finally, a text from Peppy was sent.
Peppy
-[Okay Fox. I might not trust Wolf quite yet but I trust you. If you say he's okay then I'll go on your word. Just don't let your guard down hey Lucy a package came for you yeah it's on the counter wait no backspace don't]
-[Sorry didn't mean to send that.]
Fox rolled his eyes, laughing softly. Peppy always insisted on using the speech-to-text function and it never turned out well. He was glad he took it so well, though. He leaned back in the sofa he was seated on, content that he gotten the green light from his whole team.
Fox
[Thanks guys! I should really have you all meet him sometime this week and you'll see what I mean! He's really funny and charming! I had a really good time with him.]-
Falco
-[wow look at those compliments whens the wedding haha]
Fox blushed. He knew Falco was joking, but he didn't even notice the words he had typed until he saw his friend's reaction. He continued to chat with his teammates as the minutes ticked by.
Fox had ended up dozing off on the couch when he heard the door buzzer. He woke up with a start, and saw that the phone in his hand had a few new texts from Wolf, informing him of his arrival and then asking where he was.
"Shit."
Fox plodded over to the door, opening it without even checking who it was.
Wolf stood in front of him with a look of concern that quickly morphed into joy. He was wearing a purple button up made from a silky looking material and some simple shorts that showed the white fur of his inner thighs quite well and-
"Fox! Did ya fall back asleep?"
Fox still held a dazed expression as he looked up at his guest, and he yawned to confirm his assumption.
"Heh, ya wanna take a few before we head out?"
Fox nodded. "Yeah, I should have another cup of coffee. You can come in if you want." He turned around and lead Wolf in, his tail wagging slightly the whole time.
Fox's apartment wasn't anything special. He didn't use it much on account of being in space most of the time. At most he would use it two weekends out of every month, not including occasional vacations like his current one. As such, it was only one room, blending living, sleeping, and kitchen areas into one.
"Wow, and I thought my place was small!" Wolf plopped onto the couch Fox had previously been snoozing on, making himself at home.
"Yeah well you actually live there. This is really just a place I can stay so I don't go stir crazy in the Great Fox." Filling another mug up from the brew he had prepared that morning, Fox made his way over to the couch, sitting next to his new friend as he took a sip of coffee. It was then that he noticed he didn't get one for Wolf. "Oh, sorry did you want some coffee too?"
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though!"
"Mmm." Fox downed the hot liquid, thinking about the goodbye hug they had shared last night. He kind of wished he had taken the opportunity to sneak another one in when he opened the door.
Man, am I really that touch starved? Maybe I should start hugging my team or something.
"So.", Fox put his mug on the coffee table, "How many people are gonna be there?"
"Three, and one of em is bringing her two kids. Nothin too big, although the beach itself will probably be packed."
"Yeah, no doubt. How old are the kids?"
"Three and seven. You don't have a problem with that, do ya?"
Fox held his hands up. "Oh, no, of course not! Just, I haven't really been around any kids that young in a while. Only the cadets in the academy when I go in to make appearances, and they're already in their late teens."
"Well don't worry yer lil head about it! They're well behaved." Wolf, noticing Fox finish the rest of his coffee, stood up. "So ya ready to go?"
"Yeah, lemme just get my stuff." Fox retrieved his bag and left the apartment with Wolf, locking the door behind him.
It was about as hot as it was yesterday, but knowing that they were about to go to the beach seemed to negate the effects. The pair made their way to Wolf's car and its owner did his trademark over-the-door jump, losing a flip flop in the process.
"Aw, dammit! Foooox can you get that?" Wolf looked over his shoulder, giving a puppy dog eye.
Fox sighed as he picked up the footwear and dropped it into Wolf's waiting hand. "See? That's why you can't be doing that all the time."
"Okay, mom."
Fox slid into the passenger seat and they set off. The trip to the beach was only projected to take half an hour, according to the GPS.
"So, I told my team about you and how we hung out yesterday."
"Yeah, and?" Wolf's voice was normal, but it was betrayed by the nervous look that washed over his face.
Fox beamed. "And they seem fine with it! Peppy's still a little wary but he just has to talk to you for a few minutes before he changes his mind, I'm sure." He reached over to the driver's shoulder and shook him slightly. "We should all definitely get together before our vacation ends!"
"Heh, the last time we were all together it was in space and we were tryin to kill each other." Wolf shook his head, smiling at the irony. "But yeah, that sounds like a great idea!"
"Alright then! I'll try to set something up."
As predicted, the beach was swarming with patrons. Wolf and Fox had parked the car and were navigating through the clusters of people, trying to find their own group.
"Hey Fox." Wolf shook off some sand that had gotten under his heel. "I should probably tell you about one of the people that's gonna be here."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, Sam. He's a...well, let's just say he's a 'military enthusiast'."
"Ooooooh." Neither had to say another word. Star Fox may be a famous team that saved the Lylat system from hostile takeover more than once, but the average citizen never would expect that their members would be walking among them. Couple that with Fox's mostly plain appearance and he barely ever would get recognized. Today would be an exception, it seemed.
"Yeah. Actually, he was the one who was able to turn up your phone number."
"Hmm, guess I can't really pretend to be bothered by that, since I'm enjoying the outcome." Fox nudged Wolf with his elbow, but before he could respond, a high pitched sound broke through the bustle of the beach.
"WOOOOOOOOOLF!"
Two spaniel children, coming seemingly from nowhere, shot out and latched onto Wolf's legs, throwing him slightly off.
"Wooooah woah woah, hey guys!" Wolf untangled the tiny arms holding onto him and crouched down so he was near eye level with the young dogs, ruffling the fur on their heads with each of his hands. Fox stood there, shocked at how quickly it all happened. Soon, a heavyset spaniel woman approached them.
"Hiya Wolf! Gladya could make it!" Her voice sounded like a sweet tart if a sweet tart could have a voice.
"Hey Anne! Are Sam and Danni here?" Wolf stood up again to greet the newcomer as the two kids ran over to her, circling her legs.
"Yeah, they're set up just down the beach a lil. Luke! Show Wolf the thing you wanted to show him!"
The older of the two pups pulled the edges of his mouth apart, showing his fangs. A noticeable gap could be seen where the top right canine should have been.
"Woah, bud! Ya get in a fight? I hope ya won!" Wolf exclaimed, feigning shock.
"Noooooooo I lost a tooth, silly! I lost it all by myself!" The kid's joyed expression changed to caution as he noticed Fox drawing closer to Wolf.
Seeing his friend approach, Wolf took a small step back to gesture toward him. "Oh yeah! Guys! This is Fox! Fox this is Anne and her lil gremlins, Luke and Madi!"
"Ah, hi everyone." Fox waved sheepishly.
Anne stepped forward. "Ooooh so this is Fox! The man of the hour! Nice to meet you!" Her two kids peeked out at him from behind her legs, offering soft hellos after seeing their mom talk to him.
"Yeah, nice to meet you too!" Fox scratched the back of his neck.
"C'mon let's go find the others!" The spaniel woman started to lead them down the beach.
Fox moved closer to Wolf, brushing against his arm. "Wow, those kids really like you, huh?"
"Heh, yeah. I've watched em a few times when Anne couldn't get a family member to do it. They're fun."
Fox laughed softly. "You certainly seem to do well with them! Test run for when you become a real dad?"
Wolf snorted. "Oh god, no! I don't want that much responsibility! I'm fine just bein the fun surrogate uncle."
"Yeah, I get that. If I had kids I would have to either leave my team or barely be around for them, so I'd say it's off the table for me too."
Soon, they were at the location of the cookout: a large beach umbrella protected a small grill from the sun, where a short boar man and a taller rat woman stood, bickering.
"No, you don't have the gas hooked up! The latch has to close! You're making everyone breathe it in!" The rat snapped, the piercings on her face rattling a bit as her face muscles moved.
The boar took a step back from where he was working. "I'm telling you, that thing isn't moving! That's how it's supposed to look!"
"Why are you even using a gas grill? That's like something they used hundreds of years ago!"
"New grills can't cook a hot dog to perfection quite like an old one like this! You'll see!"
Anne clapped her hands together. "Hey guys! You can fight over the grill later! Wolf and his friend are here!"
Wolf put an arm around Fox's shoulder and walked him forward. "Guys, this is Fox! Fox, this is Sam and Danni." The three of them exchanged greetings, transitioning into Wolf and Danni looking at the problem with the grill, leaving Fox with Sam. The boar was probably older than both Fox and Wolf, but the way he stood there wringing his hands made him look like a shy child. Fox decided to rip the band aid off quickly.
"Wolf told me. You can ask me whatever you want."
"O-oh, he did? Ahaha, oh where to begin. Well-"
Sam lobbied everything he had in him. Queries ranging from equipment specifications to battles, and even what his favorite foods were. Fox managed to keep up, taking moments to glance over at Wolf. After a few minutes, it seemed like he and Danni had managed to get the grill working. Sam didn't seem to care much, as he kept coming up with questions about Star Fox. Fox gave Wolf a silent pleading look, which he returned with a sympathetic smile as Luke and Madi pulled him toward the water.
"So, what's it like to be friends with Wolf now?"
"Hm?" Fox's ears perked up.
Sam chuckled. "I mean, your team's career rival? Must be pretty weird, right?"
"I mean, yeah, of course it is." Fox turned his eyes back to the subject of their conversation, and he tensed up. At some point Wolf's button up and shorts had come off, revealing only a deep maroon speedo, showing a body that was no stranger to regular exercise. The heat of Lylat suddenly became unbearable. "It's...it's pretty darn weird alright."
"Y'know, I'm the one who was able to get your number for him. I...hope you don't mind that."
Wolf was now in the water, moisture glinting off his body as the sunlight bounced off his fur. He was laughing heartily as he played in the water with Anne and her kids. "I...don't mind...at all."
"Ah, that's good! Y'know, I talked to Wolf about Star Wolf too, but he didn't really seem too open to talk about it, but I get that. Looking at him now, I can barely imagine what he must have been like at the height of his career! What was he like?"
Fox blinked slowly, eyes never leaving the wolf splashing in the water. "Honestly, I barely even remember." He said, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, I guess it was a pretty long time ago. Anyway-" He kept going, seeming to either not notice or just ignore the fact Fox wasn't paying attention. Wolf had gotten out of the water now, and returned Fox's gaze. In a flash, he was next to him.
"Hey Sam, mind if I borrow Fox? Promise to give him back!"
"Huh? Oh, hey Wolf. Yeah, that's fine."
"Thanks. I fixed yer grill by the way."
"Oh, really? Great, thanks!"
"No problem." Wolf pulled Fox away, who looked up into the taller man's eye as they walked toward the water.
"You...you saved me." Despite playing it off as a joke, Fox was only half kidding. He looked into Wolf's violet eye, noticing he had taken his eyepatch off, allowing the scarred flesh where his left eye was stuck closed a chance to breathe.
"Wouldn't be the first time, buddy. Yer lucky I'm so nice and don't expect you to owe me anythin."
"Well, maybe I'll just surprise you with something one day!"
"Ooh, exciting!"
Fox took his tank top off and the two entered the water, the cool waves washing over Fox. He fell face first into it, letting himself relax in the movement of the tide. When he surfaced again he saw Wolf face down on the surface of the water, swimming slowly to where the kids were, holding a hand straight up on top of his head to mimic a fin.
"SHAAAAAAAAAAARK!" Luke and Madi shrieked in feigned terror, splashing away quickly. Fox swam over to the group.
"Guys, guys! Don't worry! Sharks aren't that tough!" He hovered over to where Wolf was floating, "HiiiYAAAAA", and gave him a gentle blow to the back. Wolf hollered out in mock pain and began to thrash around.
The two pups looked at each other before rushing Wolf, assaulting him with all kinds of harmless little kid attacks. "Die, shark, die!"
Suddenly, Wolf shot out and grabbed Madi under her arms, standing up to his full height and hoisting her up onto his shoulders as she laughed with delight.
"Let her go, sharkface!" Fox held up a finger gun while Luke struck Wolf in the abdomen, which Wolf now decided had no effect on him.
"Make me!" He sneered.
"Pweww! Bweewsh!" Fox shot the finger gun while Wolf used a free hand to trace the pretend path of the shots, guiding them to his chest and then away from it, making ricochet noises.
"Nice try, Foxy!"
"I-impossible!"
"There's nothin you can do! And now I'm gonna eat this innocent little girl!" Wolf held the pup above his face and opened his mouth, making an obnoxious 'aaaaaaaahhhh' sound.
"Fox, you gotta save my sister!" Luke pleaded once he figured out his attacks were also not working. The man threw aside his faux firearm and took a wide stance, his arms held at the ready, before charging Wolf head on.
"Oof!" Wolf gently let Madi fall into the water as Fox rammed his abdomen. Not hard enough to hurt but enough to actually make him step back. Fox wrapped his arms around the larger man's back as he pushed the side of his face into his stomach.
"You're going down!" Fox yelled, his feet digging into the sand. He could feel Wolf was legitimately trying to stay standing now, as he placed his hands onto Fox's back and pushed back. Fox was losing ground now and his feet sunk deeper into the sand. Suddenly, he jumped up and wrapped his body around Wolf's upper torso and twisted behind him, attempting to bring him down with his body weight. At first it didn't seem to work, but with another tug Fox was able to send them both crashing into the ocean. The two pups watched in anticipation as their mom simply shouted in amusement.
Finally, the two canines broke the surface, Fox holding up the wolf-shark's limp body. Wolf rolled his eye up and let his tongue drop from his mouth. "I did it!" Fox puffed out his chest triumphantly.
"Yes!" The kids paddled over to look over Fox's handiwork.
"Fox, that was so cool!" Luke looked at him with sparkling eyes as Madi played with one of Wolf's twitching ears. Nobody noticed Danni approach.
"Hey everyone, food's ready!"
Wolf came back to life and craned his neck around. "Oh, thanks Dan!"
The rat took a moment to process the image of Fox holding Wolf in the water while being poked by two children before slowly turning away. "Oh my god, you guys are adorable."
Anne waded over and collected her kids, leading them to where the grill was set up, leaving Fox and Wolf alone. Fox hadn't gotten up, and lowered Wolf so he was resting gently against his chest, both looking out over the water they were partially submerged in.
"Man...that was fun." Fox sighed happily.
Wolf looked up at him, grinning. "Wasn't it? You make a really great fun uncle!"
Fox chuckled and looked down at the man in his arms. He was struck once again by the realization that this was Wolf O'Donnell. The Wolf O'Donnell, scourge of team Star Fox. And they had just spent the past few minutes in the ocean splashing around like idiots.
"Fox! Shark! Hot dogs!" Madi called out, breaking Fox from his own mind. He looked down again to see Wolf locking his eye with his own. The coolness of the ocean did nothing to help the heat that was now wracking his body.
"Ready to eat, Foxy?"
"Y-yeah."
Sam was right, hot dogs did taste better on a gas grill. Fox couldn't exactly tell what was different, but they were the best hot dogs he had ever eaten. After lunch, Fox laid out on his towel next to Danni, learning about her tattoo business. Eventually he drifted off to sleep as a result of his poor night's sleep, and was awakened by Wolf and the kids attempting to bury him in the sand. Fox chased them all across the beach.
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, with so many things to do and people to talk to, and Wolf's comforting presence with him the whole time. It wasn't long before the sun dipped low over the ocean and Wolf's friends migrated to their cars. After showing everyone his Icehawk, everyone went home, Madi and Luke hugging Fox's legs before they left.
The two canines lingered in silence for a moment, before Fox spoke up. "So, gonna head home now?"
Wolf looked out over the beach. "Tide's goin out now, and the sun looks really pretty again. Let's go for a walk."
Fox's heart fluttered. "O-okay! Sounds good!" He liked Wolf's friends, but he was also infinitely relieved to be all alone with him again.
The pair walked far out to where the water receded and then walked adjacent to where it still lapped at the beach, taking pictures periodically.
"So, gonna make it a habit to take me out to see the sunset every day?" Fox gave a sly smirk.
"Only if ya want me to." Wolf shot back, and Fox's ears flicked erratically.
Eventually they stopped walking and sat down on the sand, leaning slightly on each other, as Lylat sunk below the waves.
Wolf spoke first. "Man, I haven't been here in such a long time..."
Fox looked over curiously. "Oh, you've been here before?"
"Yeah. Used to come here a lot as a kid, but stopped once I joined the academy."
Fox blinked, dumbfounded. "You...you went to the academy? Like, the academy? Are you from Corneria?"
"Born and raised. What, where did ya think I was from?"
Fox held his head with one hand. "Man, I don't know. I guess I just always thought you were so...different, you know? I mean, obviously not now but..."
"Yeah, I getcha, Fox. I can understand how you'd think it's weird that yer greatest foe turned friend was born on yer home planet."
Fox held a finger up. "Actually, I was born on Papetoon. Dad and I moved here after mom died, though."
"Ah..."
"...so you went to the academy, huh? How'd that lead into space pirating?" Fox chewed on his nail.
Wolf's expression faded to a more neutral one. "Well, I was all about flyin. Always was. Wanted to make somethin of myself through it. But I eventually became disillusioned with it all. I had fallen into some bad recesses of the net by then too, and that was back when Andross's exile had just happened."
Fox gulped. He had wanted to avoid the topic of the mad scientist in fear of bringing up bad memories for Wolf, but he had brought him up himself. He continued.
"On all the forums and communities I was a part of back then, he was the victim. The Cornerian government had just exiled a man who was trying to better society. That's what they all said, and I lapped it all up. I was young and naive." Wolf sighed.
"Don't beat yourself up over it, Wolf." Fox laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he turned to Fox and smiled.
"Oh, don't worry. I've made my peace now. Just, never pleasant to recall."
"Oh. You can stop if you want."
"Well, we're near the end anyway." He cleared his throat and continued. "So, I loaded up a bunch of supplies and stole a fighter. I bounced from planet to planet trying to find out where Andross was sent, eventually forming Star Wolf out of necessity to feed myself. And the rest is history."
Fox blinked. "You were still a student...you must have been so young then."
"Yep. Just turned 18, actually."
"Heh, that was the age I took command of Star Fox, actually. After my dad...yeah."
Wolf's ears drooped down. "Fox...I..."
Fox let out a long and staggered breath. "It's okay, Wolf. It was Andross and Pigma that took him. Not you."
"Yeah, but it was still Star Wolf." He looked away, wringing his hands nervously.
"Yeah, Star Wolf." Fox reached over and took one of his hands, intertwining their fingers and squeezing. "Not you."
Wolf looked down at where Fox held his hand, and then into his eyes. His one eye had erupted into tears and he quickly looked away, taking a long uneasy breath as he returned Fox's squeeze. The last trickles of sunlight danced off the tears that ran down his face.
"You okay?" Fox asked softly, concern clear in his voice. Wolf simply nodded.
"Yeah. Yeah, just...it's always hard going back. But I'm glad I got to talk about it with you."
"Well, I'm happy that you're happy then!"
The sun had completely set when they got up and made it back to the car.
Just like the previous night, the two men exited the car once they got to Fox's apartment complex, circling to the back for their goodbyes.
"Thanks again, Fox, for comin today."
Fox waved dismissively. "Pssh, you don't have to make it sound like it's a chore for me! Should be clear now that I like spending time with you."
"Oh, uh, thanks." Wolf rubbed the back of his head. "Well, about that. Tomorrow I'm gonna be busy all day. Got therapy and the gym and a lot of other errands to run."
"Ah." Fox felt a pang of disappointment.
"But the day after that I got poker at Lou's, if yer in."
"Oh, I'm in!"
"Great! Plus there's the whole meet up with your team, if ya still wanna do that."
"Oh, yeah! I can plan that tomorrow with them."
"Sounds good!" They stood there silently for a moment, shuffling awkwardly before they found themselves drifting closer together, melding into a soft yet tight embrace, Fox's shorter stature forcing his face into the taller man's chest.
"Have a good night, Wolf." His heart was hammering in his chest.
"Are ya alright? Yer heartrate's really fast."
Fox drew back a bit, embarrassed that Wolf could feel that. "Yeah, of course."
Wolf looked down at him and grinned. "If ya say so. Have a good night." He withdrew from the hug and drove away. Leaving Fox alone once again.
Woah, deja vu.
Fox returned to his apartment, showered off the salt and sand of the beach, and got himself a plate of food to eat in front of the television. He wasn't really watching, though. All he could focus on was the empty feeling in his chest. Once again he thought about what it would be like to invite Wolf inside instead of him leaving. Fox grabbed the pillow next to him and squeezed it tight, burying his face into it, one thought dominating his mind.
I think...I might really really like him.
