"GGGHHHHHAAAGHH!" Fox screams, tearing off the sheets and rolling out of the bottom bunk of the bed. He crashes to the floor, waking up Krystal, who yipes loudly.
"Goddesses, what're you so riled up over?" Krystal groans, frustrated to be woken up so suddenly. She looks down at Fox's meek and trembling form and instantly softens.
"Oh, Fox, are you okay?" Krystal sympathetically asks, her muzzle curling into a smile.
Fox whimpers, his face buried in his hands. Krystal can't figure out why Fox is acting like this, and if it weren't for her abrupt awakening, she'd have simply read his mind. Since the last mission, in which they were cleaning up some pirate forces left over from the Lylat Wars, Krystal was almost shot down. Not a big deal, she thought, Falco, Slippy and Pepper were always in danger, sometimes even shot down or injured. But Fox was the team leader, and he took it all in step, a constant intense presence throughout their missions, and their recoveries. After that mission, though, he'd seemed more bottled up and reserved than normal.
"Fox, please answer me. I can't figure what's wrong if you don't talk to me." Krystal inquires, her voice sweet as honey.
"K-Krystal -p-please don't die- come back.. I n-n-need you!" Fox whines, overwhelmed by the intensity of his nightmare.
Krystal eases herself down to the floor, and pulls Fox's hands away from his face.
"Fox.. I'm still here." She murmurs to him.
"Krystal?!" Fox says in surprise. He's stopped from saying anything else by a kiss, sweet and passionate.
They separate their muzzles, and Krystal smiles at Fox, her smile giving him new life. He still whimpers but he's assured of her well being.
"Krystal, I dreamt you died. I-I need you to promise me something." Fox says, his voice shaky.
"Anything for you, Fox." Krystal replies, her eyes glinting with intelligence and beauty.
"Promise me that you won't put yourself in harms way." He says, suddenly serious, yet his voice still shakes.
"Ah, Fox, I'd never do that." Krystal giggles, and implants happy thoughts into Fox's thoughtstream.
"I've been worrying about you getting shot down, and in my dream tonight, you- you- YOU DIED! And I was there but I couldn't do anything!" Fox yells, crying even harder than before, tears streaking down his fur, dripping onto his chest.
"Fox, I'm here, I'm alive! Sshhhh…" Krystal says, whispering as she pulls the sobbing vulpine onto her lap. She rubs him on the white streak in on his head, and he starts to pur happily. He reaches for Krystal's hand, and she holds him, slowly losing him to sleep.
Krystal sighs. He's so worried. Bloody Nexarus, I hope this doesn't come and bite me in the arse like everything else in my life does.
She falls asleep with Fox on the floor, resting her head on his chest fur. It's a natural, warm and loving pillow. Mmmm…. He's so soft.. Krystal thinks as she sleeps.
I hope she never dies I love her and I'll do anything to stay with her. thinks Fox, in a deep, sweet sleep, curled up with his head in the lap of his favorite vixen in the Lylat system, no, his favorite vixen the the whole universe.