A/n: Nine years. I can't polish this any more so I present to you: the finale :')

Complicated 9

The Beginning

"So, now we're here."

Max exhaled and collapsed against the chair his hands were tied behind. Dexter's ears drooped to match his expression, until his face scrunched up and he sneezed.

"Dooo you think you could..." Dexter sniffed, nodding to the ropes around his hands. He was still woozy after taking twenty minutes to sleep off Falco's stun.

Fox and Peppy exchanged frowns before Peppy got up, reached for a tissue box and dropped it in Dexter's lap. Fox ignored Dexter's dismayed whine, staring hard at Kain with a slight twitch in his eye as he mentally overlaid an eyepatch over his left eye.

"Tell me more about your devices," said Slippy, directing his bulbous, sparkling eyes through the chair to where Max's wrists would be. Max's gaze flickered towards him distrustfully.

"Don't fraternise with the enemy," Peppy reprimanded.

"But we've been doing that for the past half an hour."

"So what are youuu gonna do with us?" Dexter slurred.

Kain stared at his knees angrily.

"We can trust Kain," Slippy encouraged.

"Falco?" Fox asked.

Falco shrugged. "If he tries any funny business at this stage, they're outnumbered and disadvantaged."

"We know where all the secret traps are," Slippy added.

"Did you put those in while we weren't looking?"

"No, I'm pulling your bird leg. But now that you mention it—"

"Don't you dare booby trap our ship."

Slippy and Dexter snickered; Peppy glared at the latter. Falco turned to Kain.

"What do you wanna do, kid?" Falco asked. Kain's brown gaze met his and he averted his eyes.

"I'm not going back there," Kain muttered, glancing aside at his captive friends. "You two can leave me behind."

Lightning jolted through Max and Dexter's brains and they visibly flinched.

"We didn't want you getting mixed up in it if things went south," said Max.

Kain snorted. "I don't care what Team Star Fox does with me. As long as I don't go back to that pointless place."

"Then we won't, either," said Dexter, leaning forward as far as his ropes allowed. Max blinked but made no argument. "While we have the chance."

Kain looked hopelessly at Max and Dexter.

Fox clapped his hands.

"Well," he said, "we can drop you off somewhere on our way."

"Solar, perhaps?" Peppy grunted.

"Haha. No. I don't particularly care for turning in rookies."

"You'd let them run free on the ship?"

"I never said that."

Dexter's ears drooped again.

"We can keep them in the theatre," Falco suggested, nudging Fox, who looked horrified.

"But my movies!" Fox whined, after which he loosed a long exhale. "Fine. They can stay comfy there as long as they hand over their comms.

"I'm fixing up a spare room as soon as we do repairs, though."

"And we're deleting your recordings," said Falco, "so hand 'em over."

"Can I keep the shirt?" Dexter whimpered.

Falco held off reminding him that he was pushing his luck and simply sighed.

"Do whatever you want, you weirdo."

Dexter pumped a fist in the air.

"But no wandering," Fox warned. "We're watching you."

*.*.*.*.*

"Tell me more about your inventions," Slippy said to the theatre door. "If you don't... I'll force feed you raw flies!"

"I've had worse," said Max from the other side of the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Crab is just the worst."

Slippy bristled and hammered a fist against the door, threatening to break it down. "Shut your traps, prisoners!"

A frustrated yell from Peppy floated down the corridor told him to shut it.

"Sorry, old man!"

That elicited an even more frustrated sound.

"Are they causing you trouble?" Kain's voice said suddenly. Slippy spun around to face the voice's owner.

"They slandered crab!" Slippy bemoaned, before his face fell in regret. "But I probably didn't need to yell at them for it."

"Be my guest. Do it in my place."

"Still mad?"

"It's been ten whole minutes, Froggy."

Slippy stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Did Falco teach you that one?"

"He told me not to tell you."

Slippy raised his eyebrows.

Kain slid to the floor and sat with his back against the wall. Slippy joined him and they listened to the galactic cinematics of Celestial Odyssey vibrate through the door.

"Should I tell them that one sucks?" Kain whispered.

"Better keep that to yourself," Slippy replied. "Your team and mine."

"Team..." Kain echoed.

"And if you're still mad, let them waste their time."

Kain's next self-deprecating line was interrupted by an approaching set of footfalls.

"Don't tell me they're watching the remake," Falco gasped as he strode up beside the pair. He rapped on the door and yelled, "Put the movies away, you're having too good of a time!"

"Or what?" Dexter yelled back.

"This movie sucks, anyway," argued Max.

"No, it doesn't!"

Kain winked at Slippy, who snickered.

"The newer ones have their own appeal, okay?" Falco hissed, glaring accusingly at the pair. "Just don't ask Fox why he likes them."

Slippy faked a gagging noise. Falco held a hand out to Kain.

"Anyway, get your team to figure out where they want to go," Falco said as he pulled Kain to his feet. "And do it before my team start craving blood."

Kain's fur bristled at the 'T' word again, but he shook it off and slipped inside the room.

*.*.*.*.*

ROB needed to reset the coordinates several times as the Venomians flip-flopped on their decision on whether or not to take a detour to Macbeth.

"Just straight on through to Corneria?" Fox sighed, hunched over the console. "Are they sure?"

"Yeah" said Falco.

"Sure sure? They wanna stay cooped up for an extra week?"

"It's your ship. You can just veto it, man."

"Vetoing you. Shush."

"Damn."

Fox finished inputting the commands and looked wistfully across the bridge, over to his abandoned pot in the kitchen.

"Enough spice for you, yet?" Falco asked.

"You know what? Maybe I will drop them off Solar."

"Fitting."

"First time we've agreed on something in a while."

"Hey, I didn't mind Celestial Odyssey!"

"Actually, I think the last time was when I told you to buzz off before the mission."

"Yeah, to get away from you."

"Wait..." Fox stepped away from the console and tapped at his comm like an animal possessed. "Actually, I wrote this down. The last time you and I agreed on something was this morning when you... uh, your doppelganger wanted to get to a naturally habitable planet ASAP. I think I like the new Falco better than the old one."

"But I would have—" Falco cut himself off and lunged at Fox, trapping him in a headlock.

"I deserved that," Fox grunted as he struggled to break free.

"Strike two. Hat trick?"

"You're an asshole."

"Gorgeous. Now get in the kitchen. I'll see you in a bit."

Fox considered yanking out one of Falco's tail feathers before the pheasant danced out of his range and fled down the hallway, probably headed to the theatre that he'd forgotten was occupied by their captives.

After spending the next few minutes pressing more buttons, Fox found himself standing in front of the stove again wincing at the pot's contents, knowing he would perish if he tried it.

A yipe escaped his throat as Peppy materialised beside him and sampled the curry. Peppy made no reaction it, simply raising an eyebrow at Fox.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Fox whined, elbowing Peppy away from the pot. "I was about to fix it."

"Thought you didn't have it in you," Peppy chuckled, giving Fox a hearty slap on the back. "Keep working hard, son."

Fox rolled his eyes and took stock of the ingredients they had left in the pantry. Its bareness made him wince again and he shoved the door shut.

"Y'know," Fox began, now sticking his head into the fridge, "when we returned here, I looked down at that planet and wanted to wring its neck."

"Maybe if you were really big," said Peppy.

"Shut up. My point is that we've been here for so long that I don't care anymore and just want to get out of here as ASAP as possible."

Peppy stared out a nearby window, down at the swirling, noxious planet below. "We can let another team take care of the rest. Like recovering the blueprints that Max fellow made."

Fox held up some containers of raw meat and meat-adjacent foodstuffs for Peppy to assess. "How are you for mixed protein?"

"Surprise me."

"Isn't your blood pressure high enough?"

"Get back to work, son."

"The sooner son ceases being a servant in his own house, the better."

*.*.*.*.*

It was a blustery sunny day when the Great Fox docked at a seaside civilian airport in southern Corneria. Once again, aggressive flecks were assaulting Falco's airways, but at least they were moist.

"I might hit the beach up north after this," Slippy pondered, taking a deep breath of the salt spray that was flying in from the end of the tarmac several hundred metres away. "Nab some bites, drinks with little umbrellas with them, you know."

"Up for jet skiing?"

"I think sandcastles are enough excitement for me, right now."

Fox and Peppy marched the Venomians down the Great Fox's ramp, free of their ropes.

"That's one giant leap for Macbeth-kind," Dexter said as he stepped onto the tarmac with a flourish.

"One small step for nitwit," Max snorted.

"I could get used to this," Kain sighed, stretching his arms above his head. "Enemy territory isn't so bad to be in, after all."

"Behave, you three," Peppy ordered, raising a paw in a threat to cuff them over the heads.

Before they could venture further, Falco stepped in front of them, looming over the shorter animals.

"Remember," Falco said darkly, "if you ever share those videos, we will find you, and we will kill you."

"But they're harmless!" Dexter protested.

"I have a fundamental hatred of the paparazzi and I cannot guarantee my behaviour if you sic them on us."

"You shouldn't have become famous, then."

Fox narrowed his eyes. "And I wasn't aware of your hatred of—"

Falco clamped a hand over Fox's muzzle.

"Just get out of here before I sic the authorities on you," Falco grunted, waving them away.

"You're no good at the intimidation thing," said Kain, ignoring the slight ruffle of Max's dark feathers. Slippy snickered and smiled at Max.

"We'll share notes?" Slippy asked, tapping his comm. "I won't steal or turn you in, pinkie swear."

"Maybe. Sure." Max's face went through an elaborate gymnastics routine until it gave up trying to hide his feelings, settling for an expression that communicated a rough approximation of the enthusiasm Slippy's proposition had elicited in him. Dexter began pushing him towards the arrivals terminal.

Kain walked alongside them for a few paces, then stopped.

"Need a souvenir too, kid?"

Kain spotted the pain in Falco's creased brow as he looked on forlornly at the retreating yellow shirt. His maw slackened a fraction.

"No, I—"

He shook his head and went to tail Max and Dexter again. Falco watched the wolf's grey head bob away a few more steps before he lurched forward.

"Kain!"

The wolf spun on his heel, wide-eyed at Falco's frantic tone. When Falco caught up, he said nothing for a long moment. Kain's tail quivered until Falco clamped a hand on his shoulder. He puffed up his chest.

"Good luck," Falco said, stiffly. "Lay low for a little while. You're a way from the capital, but if the General has at your hide, we'll vouch for you guys."

"Thanks..." Kain looked at the ground.

"Bye, Kain!" Slippy called, waving his hands over his head. "Stay peachy!"

The corners of Kain's mouth twitched upwards and he finally met Falco's gaze. "Look after your boys, okay?"

"Hey, they're tougher than they look. Which isn't saying much, but it's better than nothing."

"I heard that!" Fox yelled from the platform.

"And, uh, thanks for not downing us."

"My pleasure," Kain gloated, with a bow.

Falco pushed Kain's shoulder away so that he spun around to face Max and Dexter, who had turned around to wait for him.

"Now, get lost," Falco chuckled. He watched as Kain's ears pricked up and he hurried after his friends. After basking in the sun a moment longer, he returned to to his own crew.

"Now is the war over?" Fox sighed, arms crossed.

"You wanna take a break from errands for a while?" Peppy asked.

Fox merely unleashed a grating sigh and began trudging back up the dreadnought's ramp. Falco pushed Slippy ahead to have him give Fox an arm.

"Hey," Falco said, "did we ever tell you that frogboy had the hots for one of the Venomians?"

"Shut up, birdbrain!"

Thanks for reading :'D