"Katt… Katt! …KATT!"

The pink feline swiveled her head towards the popcorn covered fennec. Lowering the fistful of popcorn from her mouth, Katt said, "What?" and promptly sprayed the vixen with a shower of chewed, wet popcorn.

"Get your damn life together," Fara laughed and wiped the flakes off herself. "You always eat like shit when you're single."

"Yeah well, I'm going to die alone so I might as well speed up the process," Katt said rather casually and resumed stuffing her kitty cheeks with popcorn.

"You will not," Fara scowled, ignoring the scary movie now playing in which a busty she-wolf just got her head sliced in two down to her torso by a chainsaw. The killer ending it with a one-liner, "Now that's what I call cleavage."

"I will, too. All the good men are taken. Zucchini boy especially," Katt growled before spraying more bottled butter onto her popcorn. "Can't get a good lay these days. Ran out of batteries. My back is stiff from the last mission we were on." Katt continued to ramble through the numerous mouthfuls of popcorn until Fara had enough.

Muting the television, Fara then slapped the trash bag of popcorn out of Katt's hand. "Listen to me, Monroe," growled Fara, immediately getting Katt's attention just by how firm she was. "You're a smart, beautiful, independent woman who don't need no man. Fox would be lucky to have someone as robust and lively as you. Only problem is you'd break him over your knee by the month was out."

Katt frowned but nodded in agreement. "Probably. I mean, there was that one time we got really drunk just before Sauria…"

Fara's eyes became alit with fascination and glee. "Oh? Do go on."

The pink feline's face fell and not even the salty, buttery taste of popcorn could hold the smile to her muzzle. Her food-purr died quickly and before she could reach for the bottle of melted butter, Fara swiped it.

"Well… it was right after he left. We'd both taken it rather hard. Fox lost his ace flyer and I lost a one of the better lays of my life," Katt sulked and began to sink deeper into the couch's loving cushions. "It hurt us both and the only way we feel any better was to drink all the alcohol on the ship and then if we were still conscious, we'd drink the cough syrup."

Fara wanted to smile at the little quip but it took a lot for Katt to open up like she was right now. Any sign of a sort of bemusement would undoubtedly hurt the woman's feelings, as they were not used to being so exposed and vulnerable. Thus, Fara kept a look of compassion and refrained from making any noise remotely close to that of a laugh.

"About two shots in and Fox is already swaying left and right- you know how much of a lightweight he is," Katt said, the faintest echo of a purr escaping her.

The fennec forced down a wide, ear-to-ear grin. "Oh yes. Fox could never hold his liquor and he was always so sweet when he drinks. Until he starts humping everything in sight… oh dear!"

Katt nodded her head. "Yeah. He started to get rather bold."

Fara leaned in. Her heart was starting to run wild at the idea of how Fox behaved with his first mate, whom he still had to swear up and down to the media that their relationship was strictly platonic. Her old boy toy was ever the gentleman… until he got under the sheets that is. With enough teasing and spurring, he was willing to go the extra mile.

"What did he do?" Fara asked, hoping to prod the rest of the story as Katt fell silent once more.

Katt shook her head. "I can't. I promised I would never-"

"He has a tattoo of a Pikachu on his inner right thigh," said Fara suddenly.

Katt's mouth fell agape and her eyes glazed over. She felt like she had a brand-new blaster to poke holes into Fox and his ego. Oh, the jokes she could make at his expense positively enthralled her! Katt looked at Fara with a thankful expression but knew she no longer had a choice.

"Alright. It started off innocent enough," Katt began once more, ignoring the memory of a desperate Fox on his knees begging for forgiveness and her silence. "I complained of a backache and Fox was quick to start rubbing. You know what good backrubs he gives."

Fara smiled, closed her eyes, and threw her head back. "Divine," she concurred.

"About ten minutes in and I was a pile of pink and white goo. I'd stopped drinking and let me tell you, I didn't even care when his hands started venturing higher and higher up my shoulders," said Katt, now playing with a piece of popcorn that had escaped her ravenous maw.

Fara rolled her pale green eyes. "Don't tell me. Once he reached the top of your shoulders he moved down to your chest."

Flicking the popcorn in the air and catching it in her mouth, Katt snickered. "From my neck, to my chest, and all the way down to my boobs. I don't think he knew what he was doing because he started whispering lots of things into my ear. Lots of really… really nice things."

Katt's eyes darkened and were cast upon the floor while the killer on the screen butchered the hot jock character. "Such nice things that I didn't stop him for several minutes. Only when I found myself in my underwear and his teeth in my neck did I snap out of it."

Fara clicked her tongue a few times and snagged some of Katt's popcorn. "Shame. You really missed out, sister. Fox knows how to work that zucchini of his."

"Is it really that big? How big is-" Katt asked to which Fara held out her hands at a considerable length away from each other while she chewed her popcorn down. "Fuck."

"So that example you had Krystal run through wasn't that far off," giggled Fara. "I can't believe you got her to do that! Do you think she's doing that right now?"

"It's been a few hours," said Katt, pretending to look at a watch around her wrist when really there was only fur there. "She's probably wishing she'd brought some horse tranquilizer by now."

"Yeah… lucky girly," sighed Fara, grabbing another handful of popcorn.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

The next morning Katt woke up in the fennec's slender, but tightly toned arms. Her head was lying gently in Fara's lap, surrounded by a dressing of popcorn kernels. Katt started purring and nuzzled into Fara's lap, unbeknownst to her that Fara was already wide awake.

"Whoa now. No, no, no. Don't threaten me with a good time." Fara tried to push Katt away but the feline rooted herself by digging in her claws.

"Mmm. Breakfast," said the feline and dive bombed Fara with her muzzle.

Fara let out a squeal and a gasp and had to pry the scandalous cat who was now blowing raspberries and making things unbearably tantalizing. It was so unscrupulous, that if it went on for any much longer, Fara would have found herself unable to fight Katt off. Thankfully, Katt stopped when her ravenous gut started growling.

"I'll save that for some dessert," Katt growled with a smirk and a wink. "But for now, let's go get Fox to make us some breakfast."

Forgetting the purring tingle within her womanhood in favor of her surprise. "Fox is back? And Krystal?"

"We'll just have to go and see," Katt said, her tail flicking excitedly behind her. "Then we'll see who wins that twenty cred."

"It will be me," said the vixen confidently. "I have faith in my Foxy-Woxy."

"There is no way Fox even got to second base," said Katt, helping Fara up off the couch so they could go barge into the tod's room and force him to make some scramby eggs.

The two malicious females chatted the entire way to the Captain's quarters. When they arrived, they didn't even bother knocking and entered with voices loud enough to wake even the most laden drunk.

"Phew! Holy hell it smells like some hot sex in here!"

"Pickled zucchini! Gotta love the smell of pickled… what the shit!?"

The room was devoid of any orange or blue. The bed was still perfectly made, unspoiled by the romping of a newly bonded couple. Not even the floor was soiled with clothes thrown off in the heat of passion. Katt looked to Fara who seemed rather offended by the lack of nude foxes in the room.

"Maybe they're in the hanger? It could be they didn't make it to the bedroom and used the rack in the shuttle," Katt suggested, her tummy giving a rumble.

"Yeah," Fara said, her tone suggesting she believed otherwise.

Again, they walked through the halls of the Great Fox, though noticeably less jovial. The elevator ride was quiet with the exception of Katt's belly singing a chorus of misery, pain, and emptiness. Katt muttered something along the lines of murderous intent if Fox was not around to make her some eggs. Even Fara was scathing to think that if Fox wasn't around, there would be no chance of getting a home cooked meal today, as she had never spent even a minute working in a kitchen her entire life. That's what Fox and servants were for after all.

Yet if their search in the Captain's quarters yielded nothing but contempt, it was a minor subplot in comparison to the outrage both conniving females felt upon seeing the hanger devoid of a shuttle craft.

"What the shit? WHAT THE SHIT!?" Katt exclaimed, her hands threatening to yank out two giant fistfuls of white hair.

"Where are they!?" Fara shouted with her, her own belly beginning to cry.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Katt yelled in utter panic and began hammering into her wrist communicator. "Rob. ROB! Are you there!?"

"Affirmative, first mate Monroe. Is there something I can-" the metallic voice replied but was cutoff.

"Do a thorough scan of the ship! I need to know where Fox is. It's urgent!"

"Right away," the robot replied and not even a second later, he dealt a crushing blow to the two women. "Captain Fox McCloud has not been aboard the ship in almost thirteen hours. He was last seen departing the Great Fox in the transport shuttle with our guest, Krystal. Judging by the Captain and Krystal's elevated body temperatures, it is possible they were planning on courting with one another."

Katt's deep sea and Fara's pale green eyes met. Slowly their hands came into contact before coiling around one another's like snakes.

"It's been an honor girling out with you, Fara," Katt whimpered, as if death was peaking around the corner.

"The honor is all mine, Kitty-Katt-Bar."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"So…" Fox said, breaking the silence that had pervaded the two foxes since the start of the shuttle ride.

"So…" Krystal replied, thankful it wasn't her who broke the silence.

Again neither of them spoke, not even as the autopilot brought them into dock with the Great Fox. Both the hair and fur of the two foxes was matted and messy. No longer did they smell of sweet perfume or alluring cologne, but now of sweat, blood, and shame. Eye contact had become unbearable. Memories of the night prior had scarred them for life. Any hope of a kindled romance… was dead.

For as bad as Krystal felt losing the one shot at her hero, Fox felt infinitely worse. He had blundered so spectacularly that he had ruined not only his chance with the girl of his dreams, but squashed the poor vixen's hopes of potentially being happy with him. He would have spoiled a woman as ravishing, caring, and marvelous as her until she forgot how to even dress herself. Yet now he'd just have to chalk this up as yet another failure of his stupid, awkward self.

The ship's ramp hissed and fell down in a slow limbo. Fox unstrapped himself and almost moved to help Krystal, but found it still too awkward. It hurt him straight to his heart seeing such a beautiful creature with endless potential to make him happy, pushed so far away by his own failure. What a fool he is.

"Thanks for… well… thanks," Fox said rather apologetically.

Fox and Krystal stepped out of the shuttle wanting to go their separate ways to lament their failed courting, but they both had to ride the elevator. The whole walk was quiet and tense and the ride was even worse. Fox could smell the sweet perfume permeate around him. It was intoxicating. He wanted nothing more than to bury his muzzle into the soft fluff of the vixen's chest and soak in the scent. Yet the mere thought of it now made him cringe in shame.

Even Krystal, who longed to fall into his arms and surrender herself to his charms, could not shake the horrible embarrassment that they both suffered mere hours ago. It was enough to bring her close to tears. When the door finally opened, she almost broke out like a caged animal but thankfully Krystal managed to hold her composure.

"After you," Fox waved, ever the gentleman even if he was lying broken in defeat.

Krystal murmured something along the lines of gratitude before stepping out. Yet again the poor foxes found themselves unable to part. Though all they wanted to do was go find a hole to absconder themselves, the forces that be kept them agonizingly close. Not a moment too soon, they arrived at the Captain's quarters.

"Well… thank you for the nice time," Krystal lied.

Fox's ears fell with the weight of his sinking heart. "I'm sorry things turned out the way they did. You're a really nice girl and you deserve better than-"

"FOX!"

The two vulpine flinched at the loud cry. As they both turned to see what made such a desperate yell, a flash of pink and sand obliterated the tod. One went high and one went low and Fox went down.

"You came back! You came back!" Katt cried, nuzzling into Fox's neck.

"We were so worried about you! Where have you been!?" Fara added, nuzzling Fox's waist without even realizing.

Krystal stared down in horror at what remained of Fox. His eyes were unfocused and his muzzle hung open in an endless, silent scream of agony. Though she was uncertain, Krystal was sure she heard a pop and a snap as Fox landed with two erratic women atop of him. Certainly, by the look on Fox's face, he'd felt a pop or a snap.

"Fox? Are you alright?"

A pitiful moan escaped the tod like a death rattle. Despite his suffering, the two women quickly propped him back up onto his feet.

"There we are," said Fara, readjusting Fox's scarf. "All nice and handsome."

"An absolute bombshell!" Katt concurred, fixing Fox's hair out with her clawed fingers.

"You both should tell us all about your date," Fara said as a low rumble daunted the hallway. "I know! Let's go talk about it in the kitchen!"

"Yeah, yeah! That's a great idea- oh! Silly Fox," Katt giggled as Fox was left to stand on his own accord but nearly collapsed. "Let's just get you… there we are."

The pink feline and sandy fennec shouldered Fox's weight and immediately began hiking him towards the kitchen. Krystal would have felt left out were it not for them eventually calling back to her to join them for some pancakes. Krystal wanted to refuse to go and mope, but she wanted to be discourteous. So begrudgingly, Krystal followed the Lylatians to the kitchen.

By the time they made it down to the kitchen, Fox was back to standing on his own two feet. Though he was about to turn the Great Fox into a murder scene, Katt and Fara's combined pleas for food were too powerful for the shy tod to resist. The way their eyes widened, their lips pouted, breasts perfectly scrunched together, and quiet whines escaped them just broke him on the inside. Or was that his ribs?

"Oh thank you so much, Fox!" Fara swooned as Fox laid a heavy plate in front of the fennec as well as the pink feline.

"Bitchin' eggs!" a voice that sounded like Katt's said, but no one was quite sure as the space the feline occupied now became a nauseous blur with flecks of food occasionally flying about.

"I must concur with Katt, Fox," Fara replied, eating with more dignity and grace than a princess as opposed to the ravenous beast at the end of the table. "These eggs are most divine." Taking one more bite, Fara wiped her lips with a napkin before indulging her curiosity. "So how did the date go, you two? Katt and I are dying to know the details just as much as we're dying of starvation!"

At that however, Fox's patience seemed to have hit its limit.

He slammed his own fork on the table and snapped, "There's nothing to talk about!"

Such an outburst was most uncommon for Fox. So strange was it that everything in the room came to a standstill. Even a forkful of egg destined for the unscrupulous maw of Katt Monroe, seemed to hang in the air. Gray-blue and pale green eyes flicked back and forth from tod, to vixen, to compatriot. Worry brimmed within the two but before they could intercede, Fox rose from the table.

"I'm going to bed," he said so brokenly that only Fara could remember a time he was that morose.

Krystal merely sat at the table, holding herself and looking like she hadn't a friend in the world. Without a word to either of them, Fara dashed out of the room. A mere glint in her eyes as she passed told Katt all she needed.

Putting down her fork, Katt swallowed hard and then scooted closer to Krystal who did not seem to notice the shrieking sound of chair against tile.

Katt cleared her throat. "So… how'd Fox screw it up?"

Krystal's heart skipped a beat. "He didn't- I mean… it wasn't his fault that… that…."

The feline's belly rumbled and though she still had half a pound of breakfast lying in wait, Katt knew it was her heart that needed to be used right now. So, grabbing Krystal by the head and pulling her into her dirty pillows, Katt hummed and cooed.

"There, there," she whispered, and snuck a bite of toast which crumbled into Krystal's shoulder length hair. "Tell momma Katt all about it."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Fox. Fox! Don't walk away from me! What happened!?" Fara called out to the tod but he ignored her.

He pressed the down button on the elevator and just as the doors closed, something banged into them and a loud "fuck!" was heard from the other side. Fox sighed as the lift lurched, taking him down to his quarters. He knew Fara just wanted to help, but he didn't want help right now. All he wanted was to curl up in a bed, shut his eyes, and slowly fade out of this existence.

With a ding the door opened and as Fox took a step, something slammed into his throat and crushed him against the wall. Fox tried to gasp but he wasn't allowed to. Reaching up to pry the vise around his throat only made it worse. Spots began to form around the edges of his visions.

"So… what happened?" Fara growled through a light pant.

The pressure lessened off of Fox's neck but did not disappear. Visions of candled cake and margaritas assaulted the tod's mind, as the last time Fara choked him like this, it was the night of his birthday. While nice and all, Fox was starting to feel like a half-filled balloon having all of its air squeezed to one side.

"I fucked everything up of course," Fox grunted, his face trickling some of the red away until Fara clamped back down.

"You what!? Fox… HOW!?" Fara balked, her muzzle hanging agape. "You're a perfect Casanova of romance, charm, goof, and man meat! How could you possibly push a girl away!?"

Fox let off a nervous grin. "Because it's me?"

Fara glared into Fox with all the ire a fennec could muster. How tempting it was to push down just a little harder and crush the man's windpipe, but alas, he was just too cute to kill. With a huff, Fara released the tod.

"Figures. You always were helpless."

Fox lowered his ears in shame while he gulped for breath. He hoped that was the end of it, but he knew Fara better than to actually believe he was off the hook.

"What exactly did you do to screw everything up though? I'm running out of time and you need to fix this shit ASAP," continued Fara while stepping out of the elevator, intent on tagging along.

"Can we talk about it later, please?" asked Fox, knowing full well the looming answer.

"No. Now what did you do?"

Fox sucked in half the air on the Great Fox before letting it out in a crestfallen sigh. "Where do I begin?"

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"This is wonderful," Krystal sighed as her head leaned against Fox's shoulder.

Fox's whole body stiffened as it always did around drop-dead gorgeous women. It was shameful how he locked up around the opposite sex. Falco always busted his balls about it, compounding the issue with every stuttered pick up line that wound up making his target giggle just a little too genuinely. Not to say he was incapable of getting a date, he was The Legendary Fox McCloud for god's sake, it was just he more often than not made a fool of himself in the process.

And now he'd found a woman that blew every other woman away that he once thought the most beautiful. Worse still, her beauty was not merely fur deep. In the short few weeks he had known her, Krystal had proven herself to be a cut above the rest. Her compassion was as limitless as her humility. Her grace soared as high as her invigorating spirit. And despite the searing repugnance of his corniness, she laughed at every one of his jokes. All that and more combined together made for a lethal bombshell to absolutely end him.

Aside from a few hiccups at the start however, the date had proceeded far more smoothly than Fox could have ever hoped for. He hadn't tripped over his own words thus far, and if the night kept up its steady pace, he might even earn himself a second date. All he had to do was continue to not, as Katt so eloquently put it, "Trip over his own balls."

The show continued as normal. A massive orb of liquid, light, smoke, and jewels continued to morph and shape itself at random. It was a dazzling display, with many "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd when the sight before them twisted in just the right way to refract the light into a shower of resplendence.

"What is this? Is this more Cornerian technology?" Krystal asked, utterly bewildered when the lights glimmered from orange to blue.

"It's a Sinona… and it's alive."

Krystal's ears perked and her curiosity overlapped the so called Sinona. Realizing he had her undivided attention, Fox continued.

"We found them on a planet outside the Lylat called Arcturus Twenty-Five," said Fox, watching the creature's gelatinous body take a more rounder shape as the climax of the act was approaching. "They're non-sentient but they seem to take a liking to people full of warm emotions. And they love chocolate."

Krystal couldn't help but giggle. She thought that Fox just had to be joking with her, but then she saw someone standing underneath the shifting body and throwing bars of chocolate up. The candy passed through the translucent skin like it would fall into a still lake. Upon consuming the precious sustenance, the Sinona's body ignited. The gentle blue gave way to an errant orange. Light filled every pocket of the being and the smoke swirled around, creating a dancing sunset of a beauty that Krystal had never seen before. Her eyes grew as wide as dinnerplates, soaking in every last detail.

For a few blissful minutes, Krystal was lost in the sight, Fox reveled in the feeling of her body clinging to his. The soft touch was indescribable. It made him feel emboldened and strangely, loved. He had no reason to feel such a way, yet just from her gentle paws alone, Fox felt ready to take on the entire Sharpclaw army with his bare hands then rip out that tyrant Scales' heart from his torso.

When the show finally came to an end, the audience in the circular auditorium were left to bask in an ebbing high. Many looked like they were coming down from a narcotic laced with aphrodisiacs. Looks were being cast between couples and they were the first to exit through the vomitorium.

"That was amazing," sighed Krystal, her voice as dreamy as it was sleepy.

Fox picked this up like a blaster mod on sale for half price. "We should get back to the Great Fox. It's getting really late and-"

But Krystal would not make it back to the Dreadnaught. Her eyes were already fluttering. Unless he wanted to carry her all the way back to the ship, he would have to get a place for them, fast. Easy enough, seeing as how any receptionist this side of Lylat would give him a free room just for a few selfies and maybe an autograph. But would they give him two rooms? He'd blown all of his on-hand cash for tickets to this event, and the last thing he wanted to do was further dip into the unspoiled paycheck from Sauria before Slippy got a chance to allocate repairs.

"Are you going to be able to walk, or do you want me to carry you?" Fox asked jokingly, but the vixen's face lit up expectantly.

"What a gentleman. Do you think you can manage with all those muscles?" she asked while letting her half-lidded eyes enjoy the man's bulky figure.

'I could hold you up all night long,' thought the man, his heart revving up in tempo as lewd thoughts of holding Krystal up against various objects and surfaces flooded his mind.

The thought did not go unnoticed however. Krystal's snowy white face became seeped with a red blush upon seeing Fox's libidinous thoughts of herself being rutted and taken so unceremoniously. After spending the day with her valiant vulpine however, a small part of her was not too abhorred by the idea. Perhaps not after the first date, but Fox was a prime mate material! His corny jokes made her sides ache from laughter. The way his eyes sparkled when their dinner was being brought to the table, melted her heart. And every last detail about himself that he disclosed was utterly riveting.

"Well, if you need a little nap, I'm sure I can accommodate," said the man, withholding his salacious thoughts to maintain his gentlemanly guise.

Krystal almost jumped when he spoke. She had become so lost within her idol worship of him that the whole world around her had fallen away. The vixen quickly and politely declined, allowing them to make their way to the exit. Once outside, the foxes were welcomed to a summer night's breeze. Strange scents of food and delight danced around her, but the only thing she cared to smell was Fox. Their walk arm-in-arm was like a dream, and just for a moment, Krystal wondered if she had fallen asleep and was now being carried.

"You look tired."

Krystal leaned into the tod. "I am."

"Do… do you think you can make it back to the Great Fox?"

Thoughts of Fox's comfy bed filled Krystal's mind. What she wouldn't give to be back under the covers… and with a warm tod to keep her company.

"No. I don't think so," the vixen admitted when she started to nod off even as they walked across a street. "You might actually have to carry me."

"I mean… I'm not above doing that," Fox offered but his eyes spotted something in the distance. "What about a hotel? Like that one?"

Cerulean eyes tracked the orange finger and the heavy lids hanging over them lifted with shock. The hotel was a misnomer, as to Krystal, it looked more akin to a royal palace. The windows were all tall and paned, the outer walls made of marble, the roof was so high up she could not see it, and the foyer was a garden that eclipsed all but three on her homeworld.

"There?" gapped the vixen, unable to put her flabbergasted words in a coherent line.

"Why not?" Fox asked with a grin. "Would you prefer a seedy hotel with starched sheets and a grungy carpet?"

"Not in the slightest. But don't you think this is perhaps too expensive?" Krystal asked as they drew nearer to the hotel.

"Oh certainly. I'd never even dream of sinking so much money into a room here, unless it was on someone else's dime," Fox said, only confusing the poor girl even more. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it though. I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

The riddle Fox posed did not go without an answer for long. As from the moment they stepped foot inside past the shrubbery cut into the shape of a bird, the owner was upon them.

"Captain Fox McCloud! So good of you to return to our humble hotel!" the man announced rather loudly in his boorish accent, drawing many heads and eyes as a result.

Fox seemed unfazed by the man's antics and shrugged them off as normal. Krystal however, wished the man's lips were glued shut, as far too many judging eyes were now upon her. Everyone on Corneria knew of the Heroic Hero of Lylat Fox McCloud, but what interested them all now was the blue vixen at his side. Who was she? Where did Fox find such a succulent morsel for the evening? And was this perhaps the start of a new romance that the whole of Lylat would fawn over?

"The platinum suite is currently available, Mr. McCloud. I'm afraid that an acquaintance of yours has already taken it," the man proceeded in his elevated tone, further sinking Krystal into the cesspool of humility she was already neck deep in.

"Come now, Duran. The Ariandel Suites is so nice, I'd sleep in a broom closet if it was the only thing available!"

Krystal's eyes squinted at Fox for his shameless selling out. Duran's aura practically oozed with self-satisfaction, and his eyes traced around the room to see if everyone had heard The Hero of Lylat shill. It seemed satisfactory, however, as moments later, both Fox and Krystal were escorted upstairs for the night.

The room was something out of a royal palace, but the gravity of its splendor was lost when she heard the bellboy's departing words.

"Just call if you need new sheets, Mr. McCloud."

"Go, go, go!" Fox hissed under his breath, handing the young bellboy a tip while forcing him outside.

Fox turned to Krystal with a sheepish smile. "So what do you suppose he meant by that, Fox?"

The warmth of Fox's aura (and most certainly his body as well), drained out of him like an hourglass after being rolled over by a tank. Krystal almost lost her bearing upon seeing Fox's eyes pop open wide, ears perk, and tail pop into its maximum fluff. What came out of his muzzle next was nothing if not a sentence thrown into a blender. Stammers, stutters, and tod-like whines was all that escaped the man.

"Drinks!?" Fox yelped suddenly and as shriek-like as a pubescent bat.

Krystal felt the fluff just below the neck stand with the warm feeling swelling within her breast. Fox was such a delight to tease. His adorable boyish charms perfectly complimented the heroic man she idolized. The thought of having both, to hold one in her arms and to be cradled by the other, riveted her. As she watched Fox quickly make his escape to the fridge, she couldn't help but fantasize a little. She was not about to throw herself at the man, but that didn't mean she wasn't considering a courtship. Fox was a man whom had proven himself a thousand-fold. He would be a perfect suitor for any woman, even one as unworthy as herself.

"Hey," Fox said, returning with two bottles and two glasses. "Look, I'm sorry if I'm giving off the wrong impression here."

"Not at all, Fox. I just thought what that man had to say was rather entertaining is all," Krystal said with a coy look. "It's not like we'd only need new sheets."

Before Fox's imagination could run away with what she said, Krystal took one of the glasses and poured a fizzy drink into it. "What is this? Is this more wine?"

Fox let loose a nervous grin that Krystal's eyes melted into. His perfect teeth, glinting green eyes, and twitchy little nose spoke volumes to her heart that she should not be feeling.

"Actually, it's a soda. Like I said, I'm not trying to pressure or even take advantage of…"

Krystal's cool composure broke before the end. How could someone be so unyieldingly perfect? Her own face became embroiled with unadulterated love and awe for the man, which in turn, now vexed the tod into a silent trance.

"You're a wonderful man, Fox," Krystal whispered, her body drawing in close to the object of her heart's desire. "I owe you and your friends everything. I'll never be able to repay your kindness, your generosity… your-"

But the vixen could not go on. Her eyes began to shed hot tears of love and joy. Not even before the first one fell, she found herself encompassed in her hero's arms. She could not describe just how warm, loved, and safe she felt within the fortress of muscle and sweet orange fur. Not even the fires that still ravaged her world years after the great cataclysm could reach her now. Everything that wasn't her perfect tod seemed to melt away.

"You don't owe me a thing," Fox told her in a voice that reached deep down inside of her.

"But I do!" Krystal said, pulling away just enough so that she remained in her fortress but could look the man in his gorgeous green eyes. "I… I want to help you. I want to do what you, Star Fox, do. You've given me a new light in this dark world to hold on to."

Fox gulped but did not let go of the soft blue vixen. "You want to join Star Fox?" He asked, his ears starting to tingle and his heart race at the thought.

"I… I do," Krystal affirmed, her courage holding fast despite the presumptuous manner in which she was going about this. "I'm not even remotely close to your league as a pilot, but I do have a multitude of other skills. And I will train day and night until I am worthy enough to fly beside you and Katt!"

In all of the woman's wildest dreams, never would she expect Fox to say yes. She was so foolish to even ask to be a part of the legendary team, Star Fox. There were hundreds, thousands of pilots that could out fly her and shoot her down along with any pitiful hope she had. Yet all the same, it was her dream to fly alongside her heroes. To protect them, fight alongside them, and lay her life on the line knowing she was doing some good for the universe.

So when Fox's muzzle curled up into a warm smile, she expected him to laugh her off, only to be very much surprised.

"We are down a pilot since he left," Fox conceded, his mind awash in the possibilities of having her on the team. "Katt's always been saying we need new blood. Only problem is we don't do a lot of ground missions. How well can you fly?"

Even if he was humoring her, Krystal was infinitely grateful that Fox was taking her proposal into consideration.

"I used to fly escorts for trade ships. I've shot down three ships and damaged four others," Krystal replied but if only she knew the combined kill count of Star Fox, she wouldn't have brought it up.

"Well, I suppose we can hold a tryout when we get back to the ship." Fox tried to pull away but the vixen's arms held him tight.

"Do you mean?"

Fox nodded.

Without warning, the man's ribcage was nearly flattened. Every particle of air was squeezed out of his lungs, and the white of his face was overrun with red. Were he not currently in the arms of a deceptively strong vixen, Fox would have thought he was being run over by a Landmaster.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" Krystal squealed so loudly that she could be heard two floors up and down. "I swear by all the gods, new and old, that I will not let you down. Thank you, Fox!"

Fox did not reply until she released him from her clutches. Only after a minute of gasping for air did the colors start to return to his vision and evaporate from his face.

"I do have," Fox began but had to sit on the bed and suck in a few more painful breaths, "one condition."

"Anything! You name it!" Krystal exclaimed before thinking.

"It's a simple request, really," Fox assured, now no longer holding his ribs in place. "I've asked every space bum that's come up to me in the past couple of years the same question. Seeing as how there are only three people on the team, you can see how few people have given me a good enough answer."

Fox took a deep breath and with one look, challenged everything Krystal ever knew. "Why do you want to join my team?"

In just one beat, her joyful heartbeat turned into a fearful patter. What if she answered incorrectly? What if her shot was already jammed in the gun barrel? Her eyes locked with Fox's and she could tell without a doubt, he was deadly serious. She had this one and only chance. She could lie through her teeth to try and impress him, but what if it worked and she found herself living in a tainted dream? It would be worse than being refuted! No. This had to be honesty that only the heart could express.

Krystal walked over to the bed and sat beside the man. She took a moment to muster her words and courage, then looked him in the eyes.

"For months, I've been lost among the stars. I lost all purpose, meaning, and identity in life. I thought I was the last of my people, left to eke out an isolated existence adrift in echoes and memory," Krystal paused. Though the outcome of her life depended on this very moment, Krystal could feel her bravery swelled. "Then you and Katt came into my life. I felt something I thought was no longer possible; hope. And with it also came a renewed sense of purpose. You and your team stand for the same principals my people once did. More than anything else, I want to be a part of Star Fox to do some good for the world… and… to be close to you."

Fox's eyes widened. "Krystal!"

"I can't keep it a secret any longer," Krystal all but whispered, her mind shrieking at her to stop before she ruined everything. "Forgive this foolish girl and what she has to say, but… I love you, Fox McCloud! I love everything about you and what you stand for. In the short time that I've known you, you've expelled all shadow of doubt that you're a just and noble man. If you would let me, I'd follow you into the heart of war without an inkling of fear."

For the first time in years, Fox felt moved by an answer. Many had come close, a lynx and canine in particular nearly made the list, only problem was they were grossly underage. If only Krystal fell into the same shortfall. As touching as it was, he cringed at the thought of putting her in harm's way.

"You know," Fox began, his mind still swimming in the warm sea of Krystal's words, "if you join Star Fox, you will have to forget your feelings for me. Our lives will always be on the line and I can't put the team or either of us in jeopardy."

Krystal shook her head. "That is something I can not do. I will fight until my last breath for the one I love. If my life is needed to save yours, I will gladly lay it on the line."

"Krystal," whispered the Fox over the roar of conflict in his mind. "You can't- I can't!"

"I've been thinking I couldn't for so long," Krystal admitted, her hand reached up to Fox's face. "Maybe instead of worrying about it, we should just act?"

"W-What do you m-mean?" he asked, starting to feel boil at the mere touch of the vixen's soft paw.

Krystal smiled sweetly. "Like this."

A rushing river separates two fires from merging. Though their passions lay waste to the flora, the cold water never lets them couple and burn all the brighter. Flames dance and lick the air, drawing no closer no matter how hard they reach out. Only when a chance unknown to the river makes its appearance does a hope embolden the fires. An errant wind rushes over the smaller wind and in one fell swoop, the two fires' desires are realized. Nothing is held back; all restraints and shackles are shed. Two bodies, two breaths, and two hearts become one. When finally the flames wane and only embers remain, the passion the two fires shared can still be felt in the scorching air.

"That was amazing," Krystal whispered.

"You are amazing," said the man, pulling the naked vixen closer to his sweating frame. "Krystal… I've never-"

"I know," Krystal interrupted, not needing to hear him as she could feel what his heart wanted to say. "I've never felt this way about anyone before, either."

Fox nuzzled into Krystal's hair. "I'm a little scared to be honest. I don't know where to go from here. Can we go on like this?"

"As long as we have each other, nothing will ever stop-"

Without warning, the door to the hotel room crashed open. Krystal let out a gasp of fright while Fox moved quickly to preserve her modesty.

"AND IN THIS CORNER OF THE RING- FALCOOOOOOOO LOMBARDIIIIIIIIIII!"

The air became toxic with the smell of vomit, alcohol, and the wet leavings of cheap space whores. Fox was too surprised to say or do much while Krystal was thunderstruck by the intrusion of such a nasty stranger.

"Foxy, Foxy, Foxy!" the blue and red avian slurred as he stumbled into the room. "You always knew how to pull the hottest little whores!"

"Get the fuck out of here, Falco!" growled the Fox, his anger threatening to conflagrate the avian.

"Hey man, no need to be hostile! I'm sure she's got a lovely personality, even if you can't remember her name!" Falco mumbled before downing another bottle of crude liquid he was carrying in a pack of six. "Hey! HEY! I've got an idea! How's about we show this gal a time of her life? You stick it in the front end, and I'll pilot her from the rear! It'll be like that one time on Katina with that lioness!"

Fox jumped out of bed, his pride hanging out and all for the world to see. Krystal merely held the covers closer to herself and watched in horror as Fox tried to shove the bird out.

"Hands off my threads, Foxy!" Falco said, ducking away but nearly collapsing on the ground as a result. "I just wanted to say hi and catch up… like old times!"

"Sober up first, then we'll talk," Fox growled and made a move to push Falco out again but missed.

"Fine! You don't mind if I take blue upstairs do you? I heard that noise she got you to make and I'm curious to see if she can do the same for-"

WHAM!

The bird fell over onto the bed, out cold. With one hit, Fox shut the bird up for the rest of the night. Krystal gave off a little gasp when he landed, but was thankful the bird was done terrorizing her.

"I," Fox began while clutching his fist, "am so sorry about that. There's a reason I fired this idiot."

"You used to fly with him?!" Krystal asked, appalled such a man was permitted to be a part of the legendary Star Fox team.

"He's a much better pilot than he is a romantic, believe me. He kind of went off the deep end when Katt broke up with him though. I am so sorry."

"It's quite alright," Krystal lied, still quite shaken up from the whole ordeal.

For a while the two foxes lingered in silence with only the snores of the avian to denote the passage of time. The reality of what they had done was starting to settle in like a freezing snow over a gentle flower. Already, guilt of exploiting his newest recruit was eating at the man, while Krystal could only feel ashamed with herself for pressuring her superior into such a position. Fox had been right before; this was wrong of them. As more time went on, neither of them could look the other in the eye any longer. What was once beautiful and magical was now soiled, much like the expensive looking clothes on the avian now littered with stains from many an excursion.

"I'm going to take this birdbrain to bed," Fox finally said, making the woman wince.

"Yeah," was all Krystal could say before Falco let out a loud rip of ass that stung the eyes as well as the nose. "Please hurry."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"And so… we decided that we shouldn't pursue a relationship. We realized just how wrong it was for us to do something like that if she was going to be a part of the team," Fox finished.

Fara blinked in rapid succession. "And that's it?"

"That's it."

"You decided to end it all," Fara paused as if she was having difficulty putting what she'd heard into focus, "because Falco pulled a Falco?" Fox nodded. "Are you shitting me!? Are you literally retarded!?"

"Well, Fara-"

"DON'T WELL FARA ME!"

"OW! OW! OW!"

With the speed of a cracking whip, Fara lashed out and grabbed Fox by the ear. Without a word of explanation, she began dragging him through the bowels of the ship.

"Ow! Ow Ow!" came the feminine voice from around the corner.

"KATT!"

"FARA!"

The two women caught sight of each other when Fara rounded the corner. Both were positively fuming and had a death grip around their fox's ear. Katt looked ready to shoot nails with her eyes while Fara looked ready to hammer them with her own.

"Did she tell you what happened?" Fara demanded to know whilst throwing a vindictive finger at the hunched over vixen.

"Yup! Did he!?" Katt asked, doing the same.

"Yup!"

As if previously coordinated, both Fara and Katt tugged their fox forward and caused their bodies to slam together.

"Now you kiss her until you make it better again, Fox!" Fara ordered sharply.

"Fara, I-" Fox tried to protest but had his head shoved forward.

"KISS HER!"

The two foxes' lips met unceremoniously. Both were caught off guard and extremely uncomfortable being held hostage by two enraged females.

"Krystal! Fall into his arms!"

"Buh-" Krystal tried to say out from under her mashed up lips but was shoved into Fox's bulky frame.

"Now, Fox. Grab her around the waist with one hand and by the ass with another!"

Fox complied.

"Krystal. Lift one leg and shove your tongue into his mouth!"

Krystal obeyed.

"You two are the densest mother fuckers I've ever met," Fara growled as she watched the two foxes slowly succumb to the moment. "I've been watching the both of you eye hump the other raw and I'm sick of it!"

"You two are perfect for each other! I will never find a better girl to hook Fox with so long as I live! Imagine! A girl more innocent, naïve, and submissive than Fox!" Katt added, her arms crossed.

"You're both going to work this out whether you like it or not," said Fara, who continued to rant and rave with Katt for several more minutes but went unheard to the two foxes.