Warning: Later chapters will contain discussion of (but not depiction of) sexual violence/exploitation.

Part 1:
Always Running

It was the beginning of the autumn racing season on Karasa. Despite Peppy's endless objections, he, Fox and Slippy were on the planet to take part in the races. Slippy had had great fun reverse engineering a racing ship, Flying Fox, from an old Arwing which was no-longer fit for much else, and after reassurances it was safe, Peppy had rented a hanger near the course. Nothing in Fox and Slippy's futures was going to be safe, Peppy had eventually told himself this was a managed way for Fox to gain real life flying experience, and for them to bond over a shared goal. The three of them lent over the barrier at the side of the hanger yard, looking onto the course. It was offline now, opposite them the stands were empty, grim looking under a grey sky.
"The course is so incredible." Slippy was saying, "it's amazing how they change it up between each race, there's so much engineering goes into it."
Neither Fox nor Peppy were really listening. Peppy was wondering if it was going to rain. Fox was looking into one of the nearby hangers, trying to catch a glimpse of the competitors' ships. Eager to get inside before the weather changed, Peppy led them down the row of hangers. Flying Fox had already been transported down ahead of them, now they just had to find their space. Peppy glanced down at the display on his arm. Bay 34b. A half hanger had been cheaper, and more than big enough for what they needed. Their neighbour was listed as team Always Running, although there was only one member listed, just Falco, not even a surname. Peppy thought that was slightly odd, most of the teams listed at least three or four people. Perhaps they were just bad at record keeping. After walking a couple minutes loger, they came upon bay 34. The three of them walked into the hanger. Flying Fox was installed in one half, next to it, sat a small light racer seemingly pieced together from every shade of metal, its engine bay was open, being worked on by a man with his back to them. He turned as they entered.
"Hi!" Slippy said, going over to the slightly bemused looking young man. "I'm Slippy, I guess we're going to be neighbours."
"Hello... I'm Falco." He said slowly.
Falco didn't know what Slippy's species was called, he was heavyset but small, and shared a resemblance with the aquatic creatures he'd fished out of ponds as a child. He was followed into the hanger by a young canite who looked vaguely familiar although Falco couldn't think where from. He knew immediately that this must be the new team's pilot. He walked with self-assured swagger. Falco rolled his eyes, another rich young flyboy who would come for a season then disappear again, long before he got a chance to actually learn anything. The canite was followed by... A face he did recognise. Falco felt his mouth fall open. Peppy Hare.
"I'm our mechanic." Slippy was saying. "This is Fox our pilot, and Peppy, he's urh..."
"Bankrolling this madness." Peppy said with a chuckle.
That was why the canite looked familiar. He had more than a passing resemblance to his father, James McCloud. Falco had no idea who Slippy was to them, but he recognised the others. Peppy had been his hero many years ago, before he gave up on heroes all together. They both came over and shook his hand.
"Where's your team?" Slippy asked, looking around.
Falco took a second to respond to what Slippy had said, he was still processing the shock of suddenly being presented with Peppy Hare in his tiny hanger in the crappy backwaters of Federation racing.
"T-There isn't one, just me."
"That's an awful lot of work for one person." Peppy said.
"Keeps me out of trouble."
Falco was a tall lean man with a hard face whose knuckles were split from fighting. Peppy recognised his species as an Avion, his first in person experience of their kind in the last decade, although he knew from conversations he'd had at the academy that their quick reflexes and incredible eyesight made them excellent pilots.
"Your racer is a converted Hydra isn't it? Who designed it?" Slippy said.
"Uh, I did."
Falco's facial expressions were difficult to read. His beak meant all of the motion was in the top half of his face, around his eyes, his body language was hard to gage too, but Peppy got the impression he wasn't used to being questioned.
"That's so cool! I converted Flying Fox from an old Arwing. It was so much fun!"
Falco, for his part, just blinked at Slippy, a little over faced by his enthusiasm. "Uh, well make sure you do some practice laps to work the bugs out."
Fox laughed. "Yeah there's always loads of bugs in what Slippy builds."
Slippy looked hurt and Falco cast Fox a glance which was unmistakably a frown. "Well good luck and that." Falco said, and put his head back into the inspection panel.

Most of the races took place on a Saturday. The course covered a large section of land within Milkwalk city, each week, the course was redesigned, with massive barriers and obstacles being moved to keep the course challenging for the pilots. The first course of the season was rated as quite low in difficulty, something simple to get the pilots back into the racing mode after a few weeks off. When Team Star Fox arrived for the first race, they found Falco already suiting up, Blue Runner primed, engine humming softly. Fox wandered over as Slippy began Flying Fox's boot process.
"Any advice for a first timer?" Fox asked.
"Try not to die." Falco said. He pulled on his helmet and jumped into Runner's cockpit.
"Good advice." Slippy said, watching as Falco took the Runner out towards the course. "You're good to go, Fox."
"Please be careful." Peppy said.
Fox laughed softly, "Yeah, see you in a bit guys."
Fox climbed into Flying Fox's cockpit, gave them a quick thumbs up, and took the ship out of the hanger.
He followed a small green racer along the yard lanes and onto the run-out to the course. A few of the racers were already on the track, doing a last-minute practice lap or warming their systems. Fox had already done several runs of the course on the simulators, so hadn't taken up the opportunity of running the track itself. A set of barriers held him, the green ship, and several others until the last of the practice racers passed, then they were released onto the course. As an adapted Arwing, Flying Fox was a new design. Not untested, but this would be its first race. Fox had almost absolute confidence in Slippy's work, though he'd never have admitted that. As he lined up in his position at the back of the grid, its engine rumbled, powering up. Fox was placed close to the back as a new competitor. Up ahead, he recognised the twin blue tailfins of Blue Runner, somewhere near the front of the grid.
"Remember, just take it steady for this race. Flying Fox wont handle like an Arwing, just get used to her for now."
"Yes Peppy."
Peppy could hear Fox rolling his eyes. Fox watched as the ship in front ran through a control check, further ahead, Blue Runner hunkered down to the track, like an animal preparing to pounce. He made a mental note to look up Falco's previous record. The last few racers took their places and above Fox, the time counters clicked down. The ships around him spooled their engines up, Flying Fox rumbled as Fox did the same. Then the timer clicked to zero and they all shot off.

The starting barriers released him, and Flying Fox launched forward. The surge of energy was impressive. Other racers flew close beside him, skimming a few meters above the ground. They jostled for position. Before Fox knew what was happening, he was at the first corner. He followed the racer in front round it. Watching with dismay as another ship passed him on the inside, and the one in front pulled away as they emerged onto a straight. Fox powered after them, but the corners seemed to come before he was ready for them. By the time he'd recovered from one he'd be at the next. The race was so fast, and each time he rounded a corner, someone would pass him. It went on like that for lap after lap. Fox fought to maintain position; Blue Runner was long gone ahead of him. The other pilots darted around each other, blocked each other, and squabbled for places. It was a cut-throat place to be. The race was over after twenty minutes of sweaty, exhausting, taxing flying and Fox finished twelfth of sixteen.

Fox brought Flying Fox back into the hanger, where Slippy and Peppy were waiting for him. He parked up and climbed from the ship as Blue Runner glided slowly in behind him, its engine shutting down with a whine. The cockpit opened with a hiss.
"That could have gone better." Fox said to the others, a note of disappointment in his voice.
"You got round in one piece, I call that a success." Peppy said.
"Yeah, and Flying Fox performed better than I could have even hoped for!" Slippy said excitedly. "You were great!"
Falco jumped out of Runner's cockpit and landed near them, going over to one of the inspection panels he opened it, stuck his hand in and rummaged about for a while. Slippy could smell burning. There was a snap and a fizzing sound.
"Fuck." Falco said distinctly, dropping a component on the floor and shaking his hand. The acrid stink of burning plastic intensified and Falco stamped on a smouldering piece of charred circuit board. Fox and Peppy jumped back slightly.
"Be careful!" Slippy said. "You could have electrocuted yourself!"
"Auxiliary power's fucked. Waiting on a part. Bearly enough charge in it to fry a wasp." Even so, Falco stuck his fingers in his mouth wincing.
"How do you boot the systems without AP?" Slippy asked.
Falco walked over to the side of the hanger and picked up a cable. "Off ground power, how'd you think? The part was supposed to be here last week, it didn't arrive, stupid fucking Lylat Express Carriers... nothing express about 'em"
"Do you have to swear so much?" Peppy asked, irritated.
"Abso-fucking-lutely."
Fox suppressed a smile. Falco thought vaguely he should probably try to be more polite around his childhood hero, but he couldn't dredge up the energy. He was tired and his body hurt. The burnt-out circuit had fried some of the surrounding cabling, the system would need a full reboot and possibly reprogramming, depending on how bad the damage was. It was at least a day's work, on top of fixing Aux power, if the part ever arrived.
Peppy rolled his eyes and turned back to Fox. "I don't think twelfth is too bad, all considered. You didn't damage the ship or yourself. Slippy can tune Flying Fox up for the next race, that'll help."
"You need to learn the course." Falco said, irritated, plugging the external power lead into Runner. "That's what'll help. You didn't know where you were going and that was bloody obvious. If you can afford simulator time, do that, otherwise get out and run the course as soon as they release it. Once you're racing, you'll be paying more attention to what the others are doing than the course itself."
The three of them turned to look at him. Blue Runner had crossed the line in third place, so they supposed Falco must know what he was talking about.
"I did simulator runs." Fox said, a slightly petulant note to his voice.
"Not enough, clearly. All the kit and no sense." Falco muttered, picking up a torch from his workbench and burying himself into Runner's hull to inspect the damage.
After a long silence, Peppy said, "He is right. You could have done more prep."
Fox muttered something indistinct.
"Slippy do you need to do any work on Flying Fox right now?"
"No, just some tuning up and maintenance, it can wait."
"Lets go get lunch then." Peppy said, leading them out.
The three of them went out, and Falco was relieved to have the hanger to himself again.

The bay doors were already wide open when Slippy arrived early the next day, allowing the weak sunshine to cascade into the hanger. When he walked in, he could hear a radio playing, and sense, rather than see another presence.
"Hey Falco!" Slippy called, "Wasn't sure if you'd be here today."
"Can't keep me away." Falco said sarcastically, from the other side of Runner, shutting the radio off.
"You can leave that on, I don't mind. What you doing here?"
Falco appeared from around the Runner seeing Slippy alone he seemed to relax a bit. "Waiting for a part."
Runner's internal components were out on the floor, removed to give access to the inner workings of the ship.
"Oh." Slippy said, peering at the components. Most of Runner's insides now seemed to be on the outside.
"You want a drink? I think I have some hot chocolate here if you don't want coffee."
"That'd be nice, 's a cold morning."
Falco chuckled and wandered over to the sink in the corner of the hanger. Next to it was a kettle which he turned on. Slippy watched him as he rummaged about for the promised hot chocolate. In the storage cupboards around the sink, tins of food, medical kit and spare parts shared the shelves. He eventually found the hot chocolate jar tucked away behind a bundle of spare data cables. He made the drinks, listening to Slippy hum to himself. Absently he picked at a hole in his jumper, waiting for his coffee to brew. He'd run out of milk but he didn't mind it black.
"Here you go." He said, handing Slippy the mug.
"Thank you!" He said, warming his hands.
"This is nothing. It snows here in the winter. Your fingers get so cold it makes doing any work a real nightmare."
Slippy shuddered. "I hate the cold, Fox would have to do his own repairs if it got that bad."
Falco laughed softly. "Yeah, many a day I've spent sitting on a heater to work."
A small transport pulled up outside the hanger as they spoke, a young woman took a box out of the back and peered into the hanger.
"Finally!" Falco said going out to meet her. He swiped his hand over the panel to receive the delivery and took the large box over to his work bench. Slippy followed him curiously.
"What you got?"
"Just the part for Aux Power."
"Oh" Slippy said, looking on as Falco unpackaged it. When it was out on the desk, Slippy could tell just by looking at it that it was a low-quality copy of the original part that would have been installed when Runner was new. Falco was looking at it in a way that suggested he knew it too.
"They don't make spares for most of Runner's systems anymore." Falco said, as though reading his mind. "This was the best I could manage that would work with everything else."
Slippy nodded without saying anything. Back on Great Fox, he would have had the part custom machined.
"Fitting that's going to be a big job." Slippy said. "I only have to do a bit of maintenance; I could help you once I'm done."
Falco sighed. Another pair of hands would certainly make things easier. "If you want."
"Great!" Slippy said, "get started and I'll be over once I'm done."

Slippy chatted happily about his life aboard Great Fox as they worked. Falco mostly just listened. He described flight training sessions and travel through deep space. Slippy, it seemed was a better engineer and mechanic than he was pilot, but he was working hard on getting up to the standard he needed for his license. Falco was primarily self-taught where the workings of his ship were concerned, and he valued Slippy's input. He showed him easier ways to do the work Runner needed. Slippy was generous with his time and his knowledge. When he wasn't talking, Slippy hummed or sang along with the radio. Falco smiled and shook his head. He brought a lightness to the work that Falco appreciated, and he found himself growing quite fond of the cheerful young man. When late afternoon rolled round, Slippy peered at Falco over the top of Runner's hull.
"Um, Falco." Slippy said hesitantly. "Your coolant feed line here is literally held together with duck-tape!" he said, gesturing to the plastic pipeline in front of him. "If that fails you could have an engine fire. Why don't you swap it out for a new one? It's a simple job."
Falco glanced at it. "It's fine. Duck-tape's great. No-one can improve on duck-tape."
"But you could be killed!"
"It's fine." Falco said, closing the hatch.
Slippy frowned. Most of the work was done now. "Why don't we go get lunch. I'm hungry."
Falco ducked his head back into one of the inspection panels on the side of the ship. "You carry on, I'll just finish up here. Thanks for your help."
"Oh come on!" Slippy said, pouting. "I'll buy you a burger."
"It's alright..." Falco said, his voice echoing from inside the ship.
"Come on! Please? Fox and Peppy will have had theirs. I don't want to go on my own." Slippy whined, walking round and tugging on Falco's sleeve.
Falco jumped. "Yikes! Alright alright jeez." He said, peeling his gloves off and wiping his hands on a rag.
Slippy skipped out of the garage, and Falco followed him.

The burger restaurant wasn't particularly busy. They'd chosen a table outside, overlooking the river. The day had warmed up, the sun was now shining brightly. Falco sat at the table, watching the other customers and Slippy as he stood in the queue. Eventually he came over and put a tray of food down on the table between them.
"Thank you." Falco said.
Slippy sat down opposite him and started unwrapping his burger. "That kid is really annoying." He said, gesturing to a child that had spent the last five minutes screaming because he didn't like the toy that had come with his meal.
Falco laughed softly, unwrapping the burger. "Glad you said that. I thought it was just me being a miserable git."
Slippy shook his head. "My dad would have killed us if we'd done that. You got any siblings?"
"No, there's just me."
Slippy wiped his fingers on a napkin. "I have two sisters and a brother... Well... I had a brother. He was in Corneria City the day the bombings happened."
"Sorry man."
Slippy smiled. "Didn't mean to bring down the mood. We're a big family, we were lucky he was the only one we lost."
"The last decade's been pretty shit, let's be honest." Falco said with a wan smile.
Slippy laughed and shook his head. They sat in silence for a while. Falco watched the wake spread out from a pleasure boat as it moved down the river until it reached the shore, frightening away a seagull. The area had its fair share of tourists, who came in to watch the races, shop in the city and generally have a good time.
"So, are you guys living on Great Fox now?"
"No. We have a rental." Slippy said, finishing up his chips. "We have our own shuttle so we could come backwards and forwards, but Peppy's the only one with a licence and it gets to be a pain."
Falco nodded and gestured for Slippy to help himself to his leftovers. "I went to some pretty swanky parties in some team rentals on Capital Hill, swimming pools, cocaine, Champaign fountains, the works, it was like something out of a movie."
"I'm not sure I'd like that."
"No." Falco said carefully. "I don't go to them anymore."
"Our rental isn't swanky" Slippy said with a chuckle. "Where do you live?"
"Over near the race yard." Falco said vaguely. "Basic but I have it to myself most of the time, which suits me."
"You should come for dinner one night. We always end up with too much and I get sick of eating leftovers."
Falco laughed. Being invited over for dinner sounded absurd to him at first, like having a playdate as a child. Then he supposed maybe that was what people did. It had been a long time since he'd had a normal friend. "I'd like that. Although I'm not sure Fox and Peppy would."
"They won't mind." Slippy said, getting up.
Falco followed him, weaving between the tourists and businessmen on the packed streets, heading back towards the hangers. Eventually they came to a crossroads. "I have to go this way now." Slippy said, gesturing down a side street.
"Have you got far to go?"
"Nah, about 10 minutes, that's all."
Falco nodded. "Alright... Hey Slip... Thanks for lunch, and your help with Runner, that would have been a real pain without you."
"No problem." Slippy said lightly. "I think Peppy said something about us going away for a couple days, but I'll see you when we're back."
Falco nodded, and with a quick wave, Slippy trotted off.

"Where've you been?" Fox asked, when Slippy let himself in to their small apartment. "I thought you said the work on the ship wouldn't take long. Peppy was about to send a search party."
Slippy laughed. "I was helping Falco with Runner."
Fox rolled his eyes. "You do realise that he's our competition."
"I know." Slippy said, helping himself to a drink from the fridge. "But he had a lot of complex work to do that's a real pain on your own."
Fox snorted irritably. "Well if you want to spend all day repairing someone else's ship for free, be my guest. I'm going for a shower."
"Did you have a nice day?" Peppy asked as Slippy plopped down on the sofa next to him.
Slippy nodded, opening the bottle. "Yeah."
"Learn anything interesting about our feathery neighbour?"
"Blue Runner is definitely stolen."
"Oh." Peppy said, not entirely surprised, but he'd thought Slippy might have opened with something a bit more banal. "Does he know it's stolen?"
"It would be hard not to, all of its ID chips have been removed and the chassis number identifiers have been scratched out or replaced with blanks."
Peppy pondered this information, watching an advert for teeth whitening without really seeing it.
Slippy sighed. "I wouldn't let Fox fly in it."
"Anything else of note?"
Slippy shrugged. "Not really."
"Well, you're usually a good judge of character Slip, but just, be careful ok?"
"Oh Peppy, you worry too much. He's harmless."
While Slippy had been gone, Peppy had done a few online searches. While clearly a talented pilot, Falco had two championships to his name, and several appearances on the podium, there were other more telling results which painted a less comforting picture.
"It's not Falco specifically that concerns me. It's the company he keeps."

It was two days later when Slippy and co returned to the hangars. Fox was booked in for some simulator time and Slippy wanted to do a few minor repairs and trim Flying Fox up for the new course layout. The radio was on quietly when they entered.
"Hey Falco!" Slippy called.
Blue Runner was hooked up to external power, a lead ran from an access port to a diagnostic computer on Falco's workbench. Falco himself was not immediately obvious. It was only when Slippy peered round the side of Runner that he saw Falco, laid in a small cot at the back of the hanger, on his back, one arm over his eyes.
"Are you sleeping?" Slippy asked.
"I'm not now." Falco growled.
Fox walked up behind Slippy. "It's lunchtime, what are you doing?"
He gestured vaguely towards the computer with the hand not over his eyes. "Waiting for the diagnostic data to download."
"I think it's finished." Slippy said, glancing at the computer.
"Ok." Falco said, but made no effort to move.
"What time was your simulator booking Fox?"
"One thirty." Fox said, looking at his comm to check the time.
"Hey, can you keep it down. I feel like shit."
"It's your own fault if you're hung over." Fox said, much more loudly than was necessary, chuckling.
"I'm not hung over!" Falco said. The note of despair in his voice made Peppy, who had been mostly listening to the news report on the radio, tune in to the conversation.
"Why don't you go home if you're sick." Fox said.
Falco muttered something about having work to do, sitting up, holding his stomach.
"Well don't infect the rest of us."
"Wouldn't want to get that close to you."
Falco stood up, massaging his stomach and side, near his cot was a small work area with a sink which had been converted into a sort of kitchen, complete with fridge with a kettle on top, he filled the kettle and turned it on, getting a couple of mugs out.
"You want a coffee, Slip? I think you've had the lasts of the hot chocolate, sorry."
"No thanks."
"You didn't offer me one." Fox said
"You can go fuck yourself."
"I'm going to the simulators." Fox huffed, and walked out.
"Can I have one?" Peppy said, wandering over.
"Sure."
Along with the bed and the fridge, there was a small heating element for cooking and an array of pots and pans stacked in the corner. At the end of the bed there was a bag of what looked like clothes.
"You've got quite a set up here." Peppy said.
Falco poured some water onto the coffee. "There's only me to do the work, that requires the odd late night. It's easier to eat or nap here if I'm waiting for resin to set or the computer to download than go anywhere else."
Falco handed Peppy his drink and headed over to the computer, wincing a bit.
"You alright?" Peppy asked as Falco scrolled through the readout.
"Mhm just a bit stiff."
Peppy frowned, watching him. There was something about Falco which didn't make sense. He was a talented pilot, with two championships to his name, but he'd apparently done that all on his own. He had no support team, no sponsorship, no nothing, a total lack of apparent connection to anyone. No-one could live like that. It left Peppy with a feeling of intense disquiet.

Blue Runner leapt off the starting line. Like a keen racing horse. She hunkered down to the ground, skimming the surface, the G of the acceleration pushing Falco back into the seat. He felt the familiar rush of excitement as his body dumped adrenaline into his system. His focus sharpened. The pain in his chest disappeared, everything else was forced from his mind. While he raced, he and Runner became one entity. He had wings, strength and speed. Nothing else mattered. He charged into the first corner in fifth place, between Fang and Dagger. On the straights, most of the racers were faster than him, but Runner had an advantage in the corners. It was small, and manoeuvrable. What Falco had given up in power he made up for in fleetness. As they pulled away from the corner Falco slipped past Fang, squeezing through an impossibly narrow space between them and the side wall. He grinned and dared to hope it would be a good season...

He crossed the line in second. Pleased, but annoyed. There was just no matching the lead ship, Dark Panther. Falco had trailed it for the entirety of the last lap, getting within passing distance once or twice, but the sleek dark ship was just too fast. The pilot, from what Falco could observe was merely average, but an exceptional ship could make the difference. He cruised Runner along the wide lanes until he came back to the familiar hanger. Slippy was standing out front, waving and hopping excitedly from foot to foot. Unable to hold back a grin, Falco gave him a thumbs up. He took Runner to his side of the hanger. Even if they weren't his team, it was nice to be welcomed back after a good race with a smile. As he began the shutdown process, Flying Fox rumbled in beside him. He gave it a look over. The ship seemed undamaged. He'd already turned off his cockpit displays, so he didn't know what place they'd come in. Far enough back that he hadn't seen Flying Fox for the whole race, at least. Judging by the expression on Fox's face, he wasn't pleased by the result. He jumped to the ground. Falco popped the cabin and stood up, rolling his shoulders, rubbing his ribs absently. Now that the race was over, the relentless aching pain was back. Fox looked up at him.
"Where did you come?" Falco said, dropping down to the ground.
"Tenth." Fox said, a slightly resentful, bitter note to his voice.
"That's an improvement, I guess." Falco said with a smirk.
Fox muttered under his breath as Falco pulled his helmet off, rubbing his hand through the feathers at the back of his head.
"Bit more practice and you'll get there." Falco said.
"Don't be so fucking condescending."
"Wow, that's a big word, McCloud." Falco gestured at Flying Fox "For your second race, tenth, and no damage really isn't a bad showing. You do need more practice. Ship like that, you can't blame the technology, or the support team, the pilot is the weak link."
"Least I've got a support team, no-one wants to work with you, you miserable-"
"Fox!" Peppy said, a hard, angry note in his voice. They both looked round. "Shut your mouth."
"That's you told." Falco said, laughing, and turned away to start Blue Runner's post-race checks.
Fox scowled, lowering his voice a little. "First or last it doesn't matter, no-one gives a shit what you do-"
Falco gestured dismissively. "Pipe down you pompous jerk. You aint special."
"Fox!" Peppy shouted, a warning note in his voice. "Get over here."
Fox went back over to his side of the hanger, where Peppy was waiting for him. Falco watched them surreptitiously over the top of Runner's wing. Peppy led Fox outside. He couldn't hear the words, but he could tell from their respective postures that Peppy was giving Fox a thorough dressing down. Peppy didn't shout, he didn't need to. He wished he was closer; he would have loved to be able to hear the words. It was quite funny, in its way, watching the son of James McCloud being scolded like a naughty schoolboy. He was still so young, after all.
"He can be such a jerk sometimes." Slippy said, making Falco jump.
Falco laughed. "I don't really take much notice."
Slippy nodded and sat on Runner's wing as Falco looked the ship over. "I don't think he does it on purpose, but sometimes he says stuff that's just nasty."
Falco straightened up from inspecting the underside of the ship. "All of us have said stuff we wished we could take back."
Slippy nodded slightly, watching him.
"If he upsets you, just kick him in the shins."
Slippy laughed. "I would, but Peppy would kill me. We're not allowed to fight outside a training session."
"Well just wait until one of them and 'accidently' shoot him in the foot."
Slippy laughed again. "I could do that yeah."
"Just make sure you film it and email it to me for my enjoyment." Finished with the majority of his checks, Falco sat down next to Slippy on Runner's wing.
Slippy smirked. "Oh, I'd be in so much trouble, but it might be worth it."
"Pretend it's an accident."
As they watched, Fox and Peppy came back into the hanger. Fox was looking at the floor, scowling. Peppy came over to them.
"Are you finished up for the day Slip'?"
Slippy nodded. "Yeah." He turned to Falco. "Unless you need help with anything?"
Falco looked slightly surprised. "Uh- no, I think I'm ok. I need to go into town though, tag along if you want."
Slippy grinned. "Sounds good. I'll see you later Peppy."
Peppy nodded. "Have fun, don't get lost. Send me a message on the group chat and let me know when you're expecting to be back."
Slippy waited until Peppy had walked away to roll his eyes. Falco smirked slightly. Watching him go out.
"He's so overprotective."
"Is he, or are you just good at getting lost?" Falco asked with a playful grin.
Slippy shoved him so hard he dropped off the edge of Runner's wing, laughing. He headed over to his cot, pulled his jacket on and picked up a rucksack, swinging it over his shoulder.
"Don't knock it Slip' at least he cares. C'mon."
Slippy hopped off the wing and followed him out. "What do you need to get?"
"Just some groceries, really boring, but it's nice to have company."
Slippy nodded and trotted along at Falco's side as they headed out of the race yard. For each of Falco's steps Slippy had to take two. "Peppy keeps saying I should try to have more friends off the ship."
Falco laughed. "Yeah, that must get pretty intense, the three of you living that close together, I get fed up living with myself, let alone anyone else."
"Great Fox is quite big, so we all have our own rooms, so we can get away from each other, but yeah, we get on each other's nerves sometimes."
Falco led them down a side street, they waited at a crossing while some ground traffic passed them.
"Peppy says three is a difficult number. Someone's always left out."
Falco nodded slightly, looking around before they crossed the road. "Or if you argue someone gets ganged up on. I get that."
"Peppy tries to stay neutral when Fox and I argue."
"I find it hard to imagine you arguing with anyone." Falco said, smiling down at Slippy.
Slippy shrugged. "I mostly just hide away with my projects. I'm trying to build a submarine."
Falco let out an involuntary shudder.
"What?"
"My idea of hell, being in a metal box underwater. Ugh."
Slippy smirked. "I'll probably make Fox test it."
Falco laughed as they walked along a long street with a mixture of shops either side. Slippy paused, peering in the window of a clothes shop. Falco stopped with him.
"Want to go in? The shops back here are a bit cheaper than on Main, where the tourists go. I'm in no rush to go home."
"I really need some new jeans." Slippy said. "I burned a hole in the only pair I brought down working on Flying Fox."
Falco followed him in, chuckling. "Did you burn yourself in the process?"
"Only a little bit."
"You should have said, I've got a med-kit in my cupboard, we could have patched you up."
"Peppy had a look and made me sit with a damp rag over it for ages."
Falco laughed. "Where was I? Dunno how I missed that."
"Napping, I think."
"Oh." Falco said slightly awkwardly, following Slippy into the shop. "I've had a few late nights lately."
Slippy chuckled. "Just be careful Fox doesn't throw water on you... or jump on you, he thinks that's funny."
"I'll break his ribs if he does."

They walked into the part of the shop selling jeans. Some of them looked like they might fit Slippy. He looked at the labels. Falco absently watched the other people in the store. There weren't many people around. Some teenagers in the corner about to shoplift some jewellery, a couple of women debating which dress to buy, two assistants tidying the shelves and chatting, oblivious to the teenagers. Falco watched them, one of the girls slid a necklace and earrings into her coat pocket, while another stood close by, shielding her. It was an entirely unnecessary subterfuge, disinterested as the staff were. A third girl was stood further away. Together they effected a casual walk, and went out.
Slippy was saying something to him, which he'd totally missed. "What? Sorry."
"I'm going to try these on, is that alright?"
Falco nodded. "Yeah sure."
Slippy nodded and disappeared towards the changing rooms.
Deprived of the entertainment of the teenagers, Falco wandered into the section of the shop which sold winter coats, he looked around. He wasn't looking forward to the hard, dark Milwalk winter. It would be a long slog. Absently he looked through the rails. Some of the coats were way too bright for him, but there were a few more to his taste. This shop actually sold clothes that might fit him. He found a jacket he liked, it was black with reflective stripes sewn into the seams, and lined with green fleece. He looked at the price tag on the collar and grimaced.
"You gunna try it on?" Slippy said, coming up to him.
"Nah, outa my price range."
"It's nice." Slippy said. "It's so cold here. You must be freezing in that jacket you're wearing."
"This isn't cold yet." Falco said with a laugh, trying to walk away. "My last coat was ruined when I was-" He stopped. "Well I couldn't mend it, but I'll wait until winter starts, they usually have a sale. How were the jeans?"
"Ridiculous." Slippy said. "Finding anything to fit me is impossible."
Falco laughed and they headed out of the shop. "Yeah tell me about it. We've got the same problem just at opposite ends of the scale. If you're not a canite or a felis you've kinda had it around here."
Slippy nodded. "It's really annoying. I wish I could just buy stuff off the shelf like Fox can."
Falco rolled his eyes. "Yeah well Fox has been blessed with that 'perfect' physique some designer thinks everyone has. Once he turns thirty it'll all change."
They went back out onto the street and Falco started leading them down towards the centre of the shopping precinct. This part of Milwalk city was off the tourist streets. The precinct was a little grimy, the central pedestrian area was dated and unloved. There was graffiti on a few of the walls that looked like it had been there for a while. A few trees had once grown there, but they were now dead, their lower branches stripped off by overzealous children. Falco led Slippy into a supermarket. He took a basket and headed down the aisles. Slippy followed him.
"You need anything?" Falco said
"No." Slippy said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Peppy does our grocery shopping, and most of the cooking. Fox and I are permanently on dishwasher and kitchen cleaning duty."
"Seems like a good deal." Falco said, picking up some chicken and fish from the reduced section. "I hate washing dishes. I don't have a dishwasher so I have to do it all by hand. I hate that moment when you haven't quite scraped properly and something slimy touches your hand."
Slippy laughed. "Ugh. Yuck."
"What do you do about cleaning and maintenance for the rest of the ship?" He asked, adding milk, some vegetables and a large bag of pasta to his basket.
"We have those little rover things that do the vacuuming. We're responsible for looking after our own areas. Any of the communal spaces if you make a mess you're supposed to clean it up. Doesn't always happen like that though."
They walked through the bakery; they were selling off a few slightly squashed loaves of bread. Falco took one and they turned down the aisle selling chocolate and biscuits. Slippy picked up a packet of chocolate chip cookies. They passed a few more aisles and Falco picked up shower gel and laundry soap, all from the supermarket's own low-end brand.
"What about maintenance? That must be a big job."
"Yeah." Slippy said with a heavy sigh. "I'm always behind." He turned and went to the section selling pre-prepared sandwiches and pasta, Falco followed. "Have you had lunch? Should we get a sandwich or go somewhere?"
"Nah." Falco said. "I'm never really hungry after a race. Takes a while for the adrenaline to clear out of my system." He passed his basket into his other hand. "I'll make something when I get home."
Slippy shrugged and picked up a sandwich and a drink to go with his packet of biscuits. "I'm starving."
"I think that's me done." Falco said, heading for the tills.
Following him, Slippy glanced at Falco's basket as he passed it between his hands. It struck him as rather a meagre amount for a week's food, but then he supposed he probably wouldn't know. When deliveries arrived to Great Fox they were usually supplies for at least a couple of months. They came in crates which took hours to unload into the various storage locations. Falco reached the tills and stood aside to let Slippy go first with his few items. Slippy paid for his stuff with his biochip, but when it came to Falco's turn, he took out a couple of thousand credit notes.
"Cash?" Slippy said as Falco loaded the lasts of his items into his rucksack and waited for the machine to spit out the change.
"Yeah. I do a bit of side work, strictly off the books, so they pay me in cash." He took his change and shouldered his bag, heading for the door.

They shared the cookies as they walked back towards the hanger. Slippy chatted about his family, his parents, how much he missed them, but equally how much he loved life on Great Fox, with all its opportunities to pursue his projects unchallenged. Falco listened, marvelling at the other world he inhabited. At the crossroads near the hangers, they parted company again.
"See you later Falco." Slippy said. "Take care of yourself ok?"
Falco thought that a slightly odd thing to say. "Yeah- you too. Have a nice evening. You coming to the hanger tomorrow?"
"I don't know. Probably not, we don't need to do any work just yet and I think we might take a day or two off."
Falco nodded. "See you when you're back then."
Slippy waved, and they went their separate ways.