DISCLAIMER: I don't own Starfox. Nintendo does. I own Azulia Lombardi, Draco Lombardi/Dragon L, Jad Tayel, Tori Hart, and Sierra Caridaay. If you wish to use them, email me (neptunerising@poetic.com)
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Falco walked through the streets of Corneria City. He was born and raised there, mostly on the streets. As powerful as his father was, he had lived in the bad section of the city, so Falco kept his wits about him as he walked, keeping a wing on his blaster at all times. He rarely went anywhere without his blaster.
He wasn't sure how he knew that his mother was going to this section of town. He just knew. It was a gut feeling, and, while Falco rarely had such feelings, when he did they were right. So he was here.
There were a few creatures on the streets, but it was a rule that you didn't bother others if you didn't want to be bothered. It was a desperate creature that looked for help here. So Falco asked no one about his mother. Nobody would have cared, anyway.
Falco stopped at a brick building. His old home. It wasn't much, just an apartment complex, and Falco had no good memories of it, either. It had long since been abandoned, so Falco just walked in. He couldn't see much in the dark building, but he found the stairs from memory and headed up.
He was surprised to find the door still on its hinges. The door was older, having a doorknob instead of opening automatically, so Falco had expected it to be gone, ripped off by looters. But still it remained.
He could hear footsteps inside the apartment, and he swallowed hard. It might not have been his mother, but he had a feeling it was. Placing a wing on the door, he turned the knob.
Katt followed Falco to the apartment complex. She stopped halfway up the stairs, silently thanking her feline skill at avoiding being seen. Falco was standing in front of the door, now, and she wanted more than anything to go up beside him. But this was his moment, not hers. She knew her mother. Falco opened the door, and walked in. Katt slipped in after him.
Falco was walking towards another open door. She could see the outline of another bird in the room, and Katt fully expected it to be Falco's mother.
The bird looked up, startled, and she could see the resemblance. Her eyes were a bright sapphire, echoing the eyes that Katt knew and loved on Falco. Her feathers were mostly silver, but there were patches of blue around her eyes. There was no doubt that she was related to Falco.
"Wh-Who are you?" she asked fearfully.
Falco was stunned, unsure of what to say. His mother stood up, fear fading from her eyes as she searched his own. She obviously noticed the resemblance.
"I'm Falco," Falco said softly.
"Falco," Azulia echoed, her eyes darkening.
Azulia rushed forward, pushing past Falco. Falco spun around and followed her. He had never had a family. He wanted to know someone, somewhere, cared about him.
Falco kept up with his mother this time, and soon, exhausted, she turned around.
"What do you want?" she snarled finally.
"I..." Falco stumbled. "I wanted to know... Who..."
"Who your mother was?" Azulia finished. "Well, now you know! Now you know who your father left in the alleyway, bleeding. I was too young for him, he said. And you..."
Falco backed away from her, numb. There was nothing but hatred in her eyes, and, in truth, he felt nothing for her. They had never known each other. Why, though, did she hate him?
"You ruined my life, Falco," she continued, as if she knew his unasked question. "I was fifteen, and all I wanted was to have fun. But no. I had you. I couldn't go out, no, because you needed me. You always needed something. It was almost a blessing when your father left me in the alley. I was finally free. And now, all I want is for you to leave me alone."
Azulia walked away, and Falco let her go. For a moment, he couldn't breathe. He mentally chided himself for getting his hopes up. He should know better by now. Nobody cared about him.
"Falco," Katt said timidly, walking up to him.
Falco didn't look at her, but wondered why she was here. She must have found out where he had gone somehow. At the moment, though, he didn't really care. He wanted her to go away. He held back tears. He was used to it, now. He hadn't cried in years, and he would never cry in front of anyone else. Katt stepped closer to him.
"What do you want?" Falco said coldly.
"Falco, I know you better than to think you're not hurt by that," Katt said.
"Well, you don't know me," Falco said flatly.
Katt wasn't buying it. She looked into his eyes, and he now realized she was searching him as his mother had. Finally, she looked at him sympathetically and wrapped her paws around him. Falco saw the tears threatening him, and he fought them back once more. He realized he was sitting against the building, Katt holding him, whispering something softly in Felin, the cat language. He didn't understand it, but it made him feel better listening to it. He refused to cry, though. He couldn't allow himself to cry in front of Katt. Finally, Katt, smiling, stood up.
"Falco Lombardi, you are so stubborn," she said.
"What are you talking about?" Falco asked.
"You're acting macho again. Don't wanna cry in front of a girl, do you?"
"Why would I cry? I Don't cry, Katt."
"Liar," Katt said, taking his wing. "But I know You're gonna deny it until Solar freezes over. So now, You're going to take me out for pizza."
"I'm going to what?" Falco gasped, standing up suddenly.
"Take me out for pizza," Katt repeated patiently. "now c'mon, I know the best little pizza place only a few blocks from here!"
"Pizza," Falco echoed, still a bit numb. "After what just happened, you want me to take you out for pizza."
"Yes," Katt said simply. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Falco sighed, allowing Katt to lead him down the street. He was calmed down now, at least, and was now wondering how Katt talked him into such things. He did like pizza, though, and he knew where Katt was taking him: Pintello's Pizza. He loved that place. They had the best pizza in the Lylat System. Katt led Falco inside.
"Welcome to Pintello's Pizza. Two?" a mouse waitress asked.
"Yes," Katt said. "C'mon, Falco."
"I'm coming," Falco sighed, following Katt to a booth and sitting across from her.
They ordered a large pepperoni pizza, and Katt giggled as they waited for their pizza in silence.
"What?" Falco asked.
"Haven't you ever heard of dinner conversation?" she asked.
"We're not having dinner yet," Falco pointed out.
Katt giggled again, flicking her tail around Falco's leg playfully. Falco blushed in spite of himself.
"You're so cute sometimes, Falco," she said. "Always trying to be tough. But you're a softy and I know it. So you can drop the act."
"Who said I was acting?" Falco asked, trying to keep his cool even as Katt's tail moved up his leg. "I'm just naturally tough."
"Sure, Falco," Katt said, flicking his chin with the tip of her tail; she had a long tail, it seemed. "Whatever you say, bird boy."
"Careful, or I might bite that tail of yours off," he said, grinning.
"Go on," she said, waving it in front of his beak. "Just try it."
A triumphant grin on her face, Katt wrapped her tail around Falco's leg once more. The waitress came with their pizza, and they ate for awhile, but it was getting harder and harder for Falco to ignore Katt's tail, which, judging by the innocent look on Katt's face, seemed to have a mind of its own. He glared at her again as it slipped under his shirt.
"What?" she asked. "Kittens don't know what their tails are doing."
"And you're a kitten."
"Exactly."
Falco sighed, shaking his head and eating more pizza. Falco had to admit, he kind of liked the feeling of her fur against his chest. Kind of. It was a purely physical thought, he assured himself.
And yet, he more and more often lost himself in her eyes while she was talking. Half the time, he wasn't sure what she was talking about. He could just stare into her eyes forever and never get enough. His mind screamed a warning, but all of the sudden, he wasn't listening. All that mattered to him was that he got to keep talking to Katt, keep listening to her soft, smooth voice.
He knew he was in love.
Falco jerked up from a restless sleep, breathing heavily. He was having more dreams about his mother. So she hated him. He shouldn't have expected otherwise. Everyone hated him, after a time. He sighed and turned his thoughts to Katt.
"Wasn't it just three days ago I thought about my mom to stop thinking about Katt?" he mumbled to himself.
Katt, it seemed, cared about him. He could hardly believe it. After she really got to know him, though, he knew she wouldn't love hi many more. Nobody ever did. Not even his own mother. Katt was so innocent, it seemed. She was sweet and kind, and never would have dreamed that Falco was unworthy of her love. He sighed.
Getting out of bed, he threw on some clothes and headed down to the hangar. It was about midnight. Falco didn't know what to do, but flying always calmed him down. He took off.
He wandered aimlessly towards Titania, more because it was in his path than because he was actually heading there.
"Rustburough... That's where all of this started," he sighed.
"Did it, now?" Katt laughed, sidling up beside him in Catpawz
Falco sighed, saying nothing. Katt was always so happy. She had no idea what he was going through. How could she? Almost everyone who met her liked her.
"Falco, I know you're thinking about your mother," Katt said. "And it's not your fault she doesn't love you. She's got problems, Falco."
"Problems involving me," Falco said.
"No, Falco," Katt said. "It's not your fault."
"Yes it is," Falco snarled, flying off.
Katt followed Falco, trying to figure out what to do about his problems. He was circling Titania now, and Katt wondered if he had a destination in mind.
"Stop following me, Katt," Falco said.
"Falco, land," Katt ordered sternly. "Rustburough's just below."
Falco circled Katt's ship once before landing. She wasn't sure why he had listened to her, but she was glad he had. She landed with him. Falco was waiting outside of his Arwing.
"What?" he demanded.
"Come on," Katt said, taking his wing.
She led him down the streets to her apartment. Walking in, she pushed Falco down on the couch and immediately sat on top of him, wrapping her arms around his neck.. Falco gasped. Katt giggled.
"What you don't understand, Falco Lombardi," Katt said. "Is that the whole world does not revolve around you. You are not the cause of everything."
"But I caused this," Falco said.
"No you didn't," Katt said. "You're so stubborn."
With that, she cuddled into Falco, purring softly. Falco began stroking her fur. Katt sighed contentedly.
"You really are stubborn," she continued lightly. "And yet... That's one of the things I like about you, ya know? You never back down."
Looking up at Falco, she saw him smiling back at her as he wrapped his wings around her. In his embrace, she felt safe. She rarely felt safe. But, looking deep into Falco's eyes, she could see his inner turmoil. Even as he held her, he was apart from her. She hugged him tighter, as if that would make the walls come down.
"Katt... What's wrong?" Falco asked.
"I..." Katt trailed off. "Falco, why do you distance yourself from everyone? I don't understand... Falco, tell me."
Falco stared hard at Katt. She wanted to understand him, and that was the last thing he wanted. If she knew just who he was, she would hate him. But he knew she wouldn't give up.
"My dad... You know he's Dragon L," Falco began, and Katt nodded. "Well, he was twenty-two when he met my mom. She was fourteen. She had me a year later. I... I screwed up her life."
"You weren't even alive when she made the mistake," Katt said sternly. "But... But I'm glad she made the mistake."
Falco sighed. "I wasn't exactly the nicest kid growing up, you know. I saw my father die, Katt. I watched him die, and I didn't do anything."
He pushed Katt away and stood up, heading for the door. Katt caught him.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I... I should be getting back," Falco said, startled that Katt hadn't been angry at him.
"Well, normally, this would be the time for the good night kiss," Katt said. "But, of course, you're Falco, so..."
Falco wrapped a wing around Katt's waist and pulled her close. Katt squeaked in surprise.
"So what?" he asked.
Not only was Falco stubborn, he was determined never to be predictable. He thought Katt knew that. So it was no surprise, then, when, lifting her chin up with his other wing, he kissed her softly.
"Good night," Katt whispered.
