Chapter 10

When the two had returned to the dining hall, it was empty.

"I guess it ain't lunchtime, huh?" Wolf noted, relieved by the absence of the other members.

"They usually eat around 12," Fox replied, placing two empty bowls inside the food mixer, pressing some buttons, and watching as the behemoth came to life. "We've got some time before they get here." The gargantuan machine worked for a moment longer before coming to a stop with its signature clicks and cheerful beeps. The vulpine opened the unit and pulled out two bowls, now miraculously filled with an unidentifiable substance.

"I don't think we'll be here long enough to run into them," Wolf commented. Though the two meals were no more than indiscriminate piles of red chunks, their zesty fragrance was enough to make Wolf's mouth water in anticipation. As soon as Fox placed a bowl in front of the lupine, he didn't hesitate to snatch it up and dig in, treating his meal as if it were some unruly prey. By the time Fox had sat down with his own bowl and taken a bite, Wolf had cleared nearly half of his own.

"I guess that's where the expression 'wolfing your food down' came from," Fox joked; his guest was practically inhaling his meal, using his hands in place of silverware.

Wolf paused long enough to spit out a retort through a mouth full of red chunks. "Shut it. I'm hungry."

"Why didn't you eat anything this morning?"

Another pause as he took a gulp. "I wasn't hungry then."

"And all of a sudden you're ravenous?"

"Yes." The lupine took another bite, this time slightly smaller. He had slowed his pace, but only slightly.

"That makes no sense. You were obviously hungry this morning too. Why didn't you eat your breakfast?"

"I..." Wolf stopped to chew. "...didn't feel like eating." He swallowed. "With them."

His response puzzled Fox for a moment. "When everybody's watching? I guess I can understand."

"Well, yeah..." He stopped eating. "When your every move is monitored? Sure, you can understand that just as well as I can. But at least your every move is praised." He resumed eating his meal, talking through a full mouth. "When I do things and everybody's watching? All they do is judge."

Maybe because you're eating with your hands instead of using silverware...?

"That's absurd. Who would judge you for how you eat your breakfast?"

Wolf shrugged. "Your team would find a way." He took another bite, either because he was still hungry, or perhaps because he had nothing left to say. Through all these small incidents, Fox was slowly coming to realize just how poorly his team was treating Wolf. It filled him not only with irritation, but also with a hint of guilt.

"I'll talk to them about it."

"Don't bother." Wolf swallowed the final bite and eyed his reflection in the empty bowl. "It's not worth putting yourself in jeopardy. Besides, I'm only going to be around for..." - he glanced at Fox's watch - "...what, another half hour?"

Fox did the same, nodding. 12:02. "Well alright, if you say so. Still though, I'm sorry you've had to deal with that. I expect better from them."

Wolf dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand before hearing footsteps coming from the hall. "Speak of the devil..." he spoke the words nonchalantly, but his motions said otherwise. He stood and hurried to return his tray. "I should tidy up that room before I go."

"I doubt there's anything to tidy in there," Fox replied, but Wolf was already gone. The vulpine stood up to leave as well, torn between greeting his team and following his guest. He certainly wanted to chew the others out for their recent behavior, but he remembered Wolf's words with resignation.

It's not worth it.

Fox turned towards the hall through which Wolf had left.

He's leaving soon anyway.

He turned back towards the hall from which the others would soon appear, their footsteps getting louder.

This is the last chance to see him.

He rolled his eyes upon hearing fragments of yet another heated debate between Slippy and Falco on the validity of barrel rolls in tunnels.

I guess I should make the most of it.

The vulpine had made up his mind; not even bothering to clean up his half-eaten meal, he stood up and briskly followed in Wolf's direction, his tail swishing side to side to compensate for his quickened pace.

Wolf had taken a roundabout path to the living quarters in order to avoid the rest of Fox's team. The vulpine was impressed by how quickly his rival had learned the layout of the ship that he himself, all those years ago, had taken at least a week to become familiar with. Fox may have been the more knowledgeable of the two, but it was clear that Wolf was the faster learner.

After many twists and turns he finally returned to the living quarters. Wolf had left the door to his room open and was doing his best to make the bed.

"You really don't have to do that," Fox said from the doorway after some time.

Wolf jumped at the sound of the voice, doing his best to conceal his surprise. "There's no way I'm going to just leave the blankets in a pile like this."

"Fine." The vulpine shrugged. "Suit yourself." As Wolf continued to make the bed, Fox found himself studying the lupine from behind; his tank top happened to show off his physique in ways the medical gown hadn't. The vulpine realized that Wolf was actually quite well-built - even better so than himself, he reluctantly admitted. Though Fox had shown more skill as a pilot over the years, there was no doubt Wolf had the physical advantage. The mere thought of ever having to fight him in a close-quarters situation filled him with dread.

A sharp ring filled the cabin and shook him from his thoughts, followed by Peppy's voice crunching through the intercom on the ceiling. "Attention, team! We're about to arrive at Corneria City Interplanetary Spaceport. Please report to the bridge in 5 minutes." The hare repeated the message, then silence.

"Does he always announce things so formally?" Wolf asked.

"He tends to go by the books. More than we do, at least." Fox invited himself into the room. "Probably a holdover from his early days with the team."

"Mmh." Wolf laid the blankets down one last time and fluffed the pillow. Fox took a seat on the edge of the newly-made bed; Wolf did the same, taking the space next to the vulpine and studying the floor intently.

Awkward silence ensued, during which Fox caught himself studying the lupine yet again. From such close proximity, he could see that Wolf's fur was thicker than his own - probably not as soft, but certainly more abundant. There was an unruly white tuft peeking out of the top of the muscle shirt that caught his eye.

He wondered what it must've felt like to have that much fur. Would it help combat the cold of Fichina? Would it get tangled more easily? Would it take longer to wash in the shower?

"Well...I guess this is it," Wolf said finally, pulling Fox back to reality.

"Yeah..." He was having more trouble saying goodbye than he thought he would.

Come on, Fox. Don't make this into such a big deal.

As crazy as it sounded, a small part of him actually didn't even want Wolf to leave. These last few days had made Fox realize the lupine was living the way he did not out of malice, but out of necessity. It was really the only way anybody could survive when the entire system wanted them dead.

Speaking of...

"So, what are you going to do when you get to Corneria?"

The question made Wolf stop fidgeting. "I don't know." He paused. "I haven't given it much thought."

"That's a lie. It's been on your mind this entire time."

"Fine." He put his hands up in resignation. "You're right. But just 'cause I've been thinking about it doesn't mean I've figured it out." He sighed. It seemed like he wanted to go on, but Fox didn't pry him for more info.

The vulpine was reminded of his vow to make amends with Wolf today, and he was running out of time. He had some things to say, and they had to be said now - or he would regret it for the rest of his life.

He inhaled, ready to speak, then caught his breath and exhaled again. Eventually he found the courage to address his rival.

"...Wolf?"

"Yeah...?"

"...Thanks." Fox said it before he could even think about stopping himself.

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "...For...?"

"For..." He hesitated. "For not trying to kill me, I guess." Wolf simply blinked in response. "We - they expected you to try to take advantage of the situation. They thought you'd try to catch me off guard and get me once and for all. I'm glad you proved them wrong."

"Huh. Of all the things to be wrong about, I guess that ain't so bad." Wolf thought for a moment before continuing, albeit reluctantly. "But really, I should be the one doing the thanking."

Fox's ears perked. "For what?"

"'For what?' Are you serious right now?" Wolf could only laugh at Fox's oblivion. "Well first of all, you kind of, I dunno, saved my life? I know it was hours and I daresay days ago, but don't tell me you've already forgotten." Fox smirked but didn't say anything. "Second, you've taken me in and basically guaranteed my safe travel to Corneria, against your teammates' objections and beyond all reason."

"It wasn't beyond all reason-"

"It was. I refuse to believe there was any logical rationale behind you keeping me on board." He paused. "Unless there's something you're not telling me."

Fox thought for a moment, refusing to make eye contact.

He thinks I'm hiding something.

"No." Though it had ended up well in the end, Fox really couldn't think why he'd decided to keep him around. Considering his recent luck, he would figure it out as soon as Wolf stepped off the ship and out of his life again. How ironic.

"Are you sure?"

I think something's hiding itself.

"Yes."

Wolf thought for a moment and sighed quietly. Another silence. Fox would've done anything to have known what was going through Wolf's mind. The lupine could only be wondering the same about Fox.

The intercom startled them as it crackled to life once again. "Attention all pilots! Please report to the bridge immediately." As Peppy repeated the message, Wolf and Fox shared a look.

"Has it been 5 minutes already?"

Fox glanced at his watch and frowned. "More than 5. We're late."

"Huh." Another moment of silence. "Well. We shouldn't keep 'em waiting." Wolf stood and made his way towards the doorway. "Let's go."

They were the last to arrive at the bridge.

"Sorry, guys." Fox quickly seated himself in the last remaining chair along the narrow table. A blue-green planet loomed over the team through the bridge's spacious windows as the Great Fox rapidly approached. Wolf watched from the corner of the room as the planet grew closer, casually leaning on the only section of wall that was free of buttons and knobs.

"Look who decided to finally show up." Falco jabbed Fox jokingly. "Thought you got murdered or something."

Fox was about to respond hotly when Peppy cleared his voice and began to speak. "Alright, are we all clear on our tasks before we land?" Everybody nodded, except Fox and Wolf. "Then you're free to leave. We should be at the spaceport in about 20 minutes."

"Home sweet home," Falco said with a contented sigh. "It'll be nice to finally chill out for a few days."

"I've been meaning to go to that junkyard outside the city," Slippy interjected excitedly as he stood up. "I'll be able to get those parts and fix ROB 64 again!" The two continued to discuss their plans as they left the bridge.

"What did I miss, Peppy?" Fox continued to sit apologetically in the chair across from Krystal.

"Oh, just the usual landing procedures. Inventory, repairs, governmental correspondence, that kind of thing..." Peppy was interrupted by a beeping on his wrist. "Oh?" He looked down at his flashing comm with mild curiosity, inspecting the tiny screen for the caller ID. His squinted eyes widened with surprise as he processed the name flashing on the device. "General Pepper?!"

"Huh?" Fox perked up. "Since when does he call your comm directly?"

"Never," the rabbit replied. "It must be important." He touched the screen, brought the device to his face, and spoke in his trademark official tone.

"Sir...? Yes, this is Hare speaking...Why yes, we're actually in the process of landing at CCIS right now. Is...Sir, is something wrong...?"

Fox shot Wolf a worried look; the lupine returned it.

Does General Pepper know?

Krystal was about to leave when she sensed the sudden unease in the room and stopped in her tracks. Every minute provided more and more detail to the swirling clouds covering the planet as the Great Fox neared the end of its journey.

After a tense silence, the rabbit raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? What perfect timing!...Yes, of course." Krystal perked her ears, as if she'd heard a startling sound, and began to watch Peppy intently. "I believe that can be arranged. I'll ask her and get back to..." He looked at Krystal, who was already nodding knowingly. "...It seems that Krystal has agreed to come with us...Yes, as soon as we land...Yes sir...Of course. Thank you, sir." He lowered the comm, pressed a button, and with a beep the screen faded to black.

Fox was quick to break the silence. "What was that all about?"

"General Pepper just informed me that the Cornerian Defense Force has captured one of their most-wanted criminals. Apparently he was intercepted while trying to rob a shop on the outskirts of Corneria City, and they want me and Krystal to lead an interrogation."

"Wait, they want Krystal to read his mind?" Fox inquired. "He must be a pretty important guy."

"He's been associated with a number of other, more serious crimes over the years," Krystal responded. "There's a reason why the CDF has been pursuing him for so long."

Fox let out a breath he wasn't aware of holding. It seemed Wolf was still a secret - at least for now.

"So," Peppy continued, "this changes our plans a bit." He consulted what appeared to be a checklist. "Let's see...Slippy's agreed to oversee ship repairs, Falco's going to run inventory on our medical supplies, but now Krystal and I are going to conduct that interrogation...and..."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Peppy eyed the lupine, who was paying no attention to the proceedings; Wolf simply continued to lean against the wall in the corner, watching intently through the window as his destination grew closer and closer.

The rabbit cleared his throat. "Mr. O'Donnell?" The sound of the lupine's name shook him from his thoughts. He focused his violet eye upon Peppy as he continued. "Where did you want to be dropped off?"

Wolf uncrossed his arms, pushed himself off the wall, and stood with his hands behind his back politely. "Corneria City will work."

The hare raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's the safest place for...for someone like you?"

"It certainly isn't," Wolf admitted. "But I don't want to endanger you and your team any more than I already have. I can't imagine the repercussions of such a respectable mercenary team knowingly granting asylum to a wanted criminal."

Fox gulped. Wolf was right - the longer he stayed on board the ship, the more likely somebody would find out. Star Fox would likely find themselves in serious legal trouble as a result.

Peppy's face dropped in thinly-veiled horror, while Krystal simply stared at Wolf confusedly. The ship had entered the atmosphere and was now dipping beneath the clouds, illuminating the bridge with white light.

"I never thought about it that way..." The rabbit shook his head nervously. "Oh dear. And here I was earlier this morning encouraging Fox to inform the general at once."

He shot a look towards the vulpine, who was watching the conversation tensely. "Fox? You haven't told him, have you?"

"Of course not," he was quick to reply. "I wouldn't throw you all under the bus like that."

"Phew." Peppy sighed. "Well, then I suppose we'll have to figure out how best to, uh..."

"Smuggle him off of here?" Fox suggested wryly.

"...Well yes, for lack of a better word." Peppy ran his hands along his ears nervously. "The entire ship is likely to be inspected as soon as we land, as per protocol. I'm just trying to think how to best approach this situation..."

Fox waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry, Peppy. We'll take care of it. You and Krystal need to focus on this interrogation of yours."

Peppy hesitated for a moment, looking between Fox and Wolf several times, before nodding. "...Alright. I trust your judgment, Fox." He lowered his voice. "But whatever you do, don't get caught. Nobody will be safe if you do. Not me, not Wolf, not Star Fox..." The rabbit was nearly whispering now. "And especially not you."

Fox nodded somberly. "I won't let you down."

"Good." The rabbit was immediately back to his usual self, as if somebody had flipped a switch. The ship had left the cloud layer, and Corneria's brilliant, blue-green landscape could now be seen in striking detail through the windows. Rivers, forests, cities, mountains - it was by far the most beautiful planet the vulpine had ever known.

Peppy turned to Krystal. "Alright, Krystal, let's discuss our strategy."

His words shook her out of her thoughts. "Oh! Yes. The types of questions we ask will depend heavily on the first impression we get upon meeting the prisoner..."

Fox checked his watch as she continued to detail her plan. 12:45 local time, it read. They would be landing any second now; he needed to take this time to plan Wolf's escape.

He began to make his way towards the doorway, beckoning for Wolf to join. Krystal and Peppy quickly lost themselves in their conversation while the other two exited, ready to plan Wolf's escape.

"Whoo-ee, this thing's a mess."

The mechanic whistled in awe at the state of Fox's Arwing, examining the damage one more time. Under the garage's bright ceiling lamps, the ship looked even worse than it had in the dim lighting of the Great Fox's hangar.

"It's seen better days for sure," Fox admitted. He'd dressed himself in unassuming civilian clothes, even going as far as wearing sunglasses for maximum anonymity. When it came to disguising himself from the public eye, he didn't take any chances.

"I usually fly each ship into the garage on my own, like I did with the others," the simian explained, "but it's been a long time since I've had to actually tow one in like this."

"I bet." Fox didn't know how to contribute to the conversation; he was far too preoccupied with Wolf's escape to devote his attention to small-talk.

"Well anyways, here's the deal. The repairs on this ship are going to take far longer than usual. I'm thinking somewhere around two or three days."

"That's fine by me," the vulpine replied. "I won't be needing it for a while."

"Good to hear." The monkey checked his comm, which had suddenly sprang to life with flashes and beeps. "Alright, I've got to get going here. I'll give you a ring when all these repairs are complete. Now if you'll excuse me, mister...?"

"Gray," Fox was quick to reply. "Marcus Gray." It was the pseudonym Fox always used whilst in public.

"Alright, Mr. Gray. Thanks for your business - I'll see you soon." He scurried off towards a toolbox on the opposite side of the garage and began to rummage through it, grumbling to himself about a wrench he'd been looking for all day.

Fox checked his watch again. 13:35 local time. With the mechanic's attention somewhere else, the coast was as clear as it was ever going to be. Leaning casually against his Arwing, Fox blipped his comm, coughed twice, then shut it off again.

A moment later, a certain lupine emerged silently from the cockpit of the ship; he expertly avoided the broken shards of glass lining the metal of the formerly-present windshield. Had he opened the hatch, the sound of the airlock would have certainly alerted the mechanic and blown his cover. Who would've thought something as tragic as the damage done to Fox's ship would've ended up allowing for such a perfect escape?

There's a silver lining to everything, I guess.

Wolf's silver fur shone brightly against the lights of the garage as he leapt from the ship and landed silently on the ground below. Fox hadn't expected Wolf's movements to be so graceful; he watched, captivated, as Wolf picked a piece of the shattered windshield from the fabric of his tank top.

"Man, I didn't realize how much glass was still inside that thing," he whispered.

Fox was shaken from his thoughts. "I never got a chance to clean it." He beckoned for Wolf to follow him to the door as the two stealthily made their escape. "I've been busy with other things."

"Things like me," the lupine retorted. "I don't blame you. I know I'm a handful."

Fox smirked. "As I'm now well aware." It had been Wolf's idea to smuggle himself off of the ship via the damaged Arwing. Fox had been skeptical of the plan, but the lupine had persuaded him that it would work, and they both knew that there was no other way to get him off board safely.

"How the hell did you know he'd tow my ship, anyways?" Fox asked as the two exited the garage and made their way through the hallway.

"This ain't my first dogfight," Wolf replied with a grin. "A mechanic will usually fly ships to the garage himself, but if it's deemed unsafe to do so..." He cocked his head towards the door from which they came. "...Then he'll usually bring a bigger ship to tow it instead."

"Didn't think you'd know something like that. I sure didn't." Fox wasn't afraid to admit that he was impressed by Wolf's knowledge.

The lupine raised an eyebrow. "It's practically common knowledge. Have you ever done any mechanic work, McCloud?"

"Nope."

Wolf paused. "Ah."

"I assume you have, then?"

"I assume every mercenary has." The lupine combed another glass shard out of the fur behind his head. "Though now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense that you've always had mechanics to do the work for you. I personally just couldn't afford to hire anyone."

"I'm getting the impression that you're a do-it-yourself kind of guy. That would explain that handiwork on your old ship, eh?" Fox thought back to the hodge-podge of miscellaneous parts that had nearly shot him out of the sky on Fichina.

Wolf sighed. "Yeah. I guess you're right." Fox opened the door at the end of the hall and beckoned the lupine through. The two left the building and were immediately greeted by the sights and sounds of the bustling city.

"Well...looks like we're here."

"Yeah." Fox sighed.

End of the line, bud.

The truth of the matter was that Fox really didn't want to say goodbye. Not quite yet. Then again, he had some errands to run while he was here in town...

"Say..." Wolf perked up as Fox continued. "I know Peppy wanted me to let you go now, but...I mean, I've still got a busy day ahead of me here...so..."

Wolf simply blinked in response.

"So..." Fox paused again, even more awkwardly this time. "I mean...you're free to join me. If you want. If not, that's fine."

Wait, what the hell? That's not what I was supposed to say.

Fox realized that he wanted Wolf to stay far more than he should have.

You're supposed to be relieved that he's gone, not that he's staying.

He really shouldn't have been holding on to Wolf like he was. He had to remind himself that they were rivals, and he shouldn't be expecting - let alone hoping for - anything other than a formal farewell and a parting of ways.

But...

Something felt different now. After the events of the last few days, he admitted with reluctance that he actually...enjoyed spending time with Wolf?

What the hell is wrong with you?

But it felt so right to stay with him. To spend more time with him. To get to know him.

After some time, perhaps too long, Wolf had made up his mind. "I guess there's no harm in that. Might as well."

Fox's ears perked back up and he felt satisfaction bubble inside of him, followed by a pang of worry.

Something's definitely not right here.

The vulpine didn't care; he was too preoccupied with the day's plans to focus on whatever was bothering him.

"Well." He clasped his hands cheerfully. "In that case, we've got plenty to do here in the city. Let's go."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

What's that? Yet another chapter of boring dialogue? *grumble grumble*. But hey, now that the two are off the ship they'll be able to have some fun around town!

This chapter is essentially the continuation of the previous chapter, in the sense that Fox is continuing to discover his feelings for Wolf. He compares himself to Wolf multiple times (e.g. "his fur is thicker, but mine's probably softer," "he's a fast learner, but I probably know more," "I'm a better pilot, but he has a physical advantage," etc). Fox and Wolf's rivalry has always been focused on competition, so it's only natural for Fox to compare himself to the lupine whenever he can.

Fox is also starting to notice that what he's feeling for Wolf is not what he's used to. He hasn't quite made the connection yet, but he's certainly on his way to doing so. As the two interact further in the city, he's likely going to have his "oh crap" moment and realize exactly what his feelings for Wolf really mean.

And, on what I swear is an entirely unrelated note, I have a question for you guys: what are your views on mature content? Should I include some of the more *cough* adult scenes? Or should I just heavily imply them? On one hand I want to satisfy my audience if they really do want to read them, but if most of them would be turned away by such content I'd be better off avoiding it. So, right now I'm just trying to get a feel for what you guys would like to see in future installments.

Thoughts? Please let me know! And as always, thank you for your continued support and feedback.

-Gerlakus