Author's note:

I thought I could wait a week to upload the next chapter. But I couldn't.

Chapter 2: Inevitable Truths

While Marcus toiled through homework in his bedroom, Fox paced around the living room with his hands roaming between his ears. What the hell was he supposed to say when Kursed got home? "Hi, honey. Guess what? Our son is a telepath." That part was going to be so much easier than what was destined to come after…

That conversation was hours away. Fox tried to busy himself in the kitchen. It was just Marcus and him home for dinner that night. Kursed's job often led to her barely making it through the door in time to tuck her child into bed. Marcus idolised her. He'd always plead for stories about the cool things that she did at work. Fox knew it broke Kursed's heart that she saw so little of him. That was part of the reason why he chose to stay home and care for their son for the both of them.

After dinner, Fox and Marcus booted up their V-Space system. Their headsets sent them tearing through a war-torn asteroid field. Marcus manned their fighter's guns while Fox evaded the players hot on their tail. It kept both their minds occupied. Alas, the timer that suddenly blinked in Fox's eyes called them back to the real world and what it had in store for them.

He thought he could at least send Marcus off to brush his teeth before a key clicked in the front door. "I'm home!" Kursed called. Marcus spun towards her, and Fox felt the floor swallow him up.

Kursed knelt to hug Marcus and kiss his forehead. Then she looked over to Fox with her sweet, loving smile. All that he could offer his wife in return was a pained stare which could not meet her gaze. She quickly noticed.

"Fox…? What's wrong?"

"Ah… Nothing! Nothing's wrong… Not… per se…" He hesitated. Fox kicked his own ass into gear and carefully placed a hand on Marcus's shoulder. "But… um…. There is something that we think you should know…" Fox and Marcus shared a look. It appeared that Marcus was relying on him to do the talking.

"What is it?" Kursed asked. In the moment, Fox could only see through the purple dye of her fur. The worry in her blue eyes burned a hole in his chest. Her lips turned downward, parting slightly.

Fox swallowed hard. This had to be done. Anything other than the truth would only make things worse for all of them. "Marcus… told me today that he can read minds."

Shock overtook Kursed. "What did you say…?"

"Marcus read the minds of some other kids at football practice today," Fox explained, using his gaze towards his son to mask his inability to hold his head up. "He used their thoughts to run around them, no matter what tricks they tried to grab him."

Marcus stared towards the floor. His tail tucked between his legs. "Sorry, Mum…"

Kursed trembled. "How long…?"

"A month or so, it seems," Fox answered. "I only just found out this afternoon."

Hands raised over her mouth, Kursed glanced fretfully between Fox and Marcus for a long time. Her eyes began to swim as they settled on her husband. "Fox…" Her voice was strangled. "There's something that I need to tell you…"

And here it came. "It's okay, Krystal…" Fox shook his head. "I know…" His soul shattered completely. "I've known for years."

Kursed's throat hitched at the sound of him utter her real name. She stared wildly at Fox as agony consumed her. One sniff preceded a sob. Another followed. At last, Kursed sank to her knees, crying heavily into her palms.

"Mum…?" Marcus clutched his chest. He took an anxious step forward. Fox moved past him, kneeling in front of Kursed and taking her into his arms.

"It's okay…" Fox whispered. The strain of his own tears underlaid hers. "It's okay… It's going to be okay…" To whichever god ruled this corner of the universe, Fox prayed that what he said would become true.

Fox sent Marcus to bed while Kursed took a few minutes to calm down. He found her in the dining room, head laid in her hands over the table. Lead weighed down inside his chest as Fox slowly walked over and took a seat opposite of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"What part of this is okay?!" Kursed hissed at the tablecloth. "I spent years thinking that I'd hidden the truth from you, Fox! And now suddenly I find out that you've known this whole time. Spirits, I'm such a fool!"

Fox sighed. "K… I'm not upset, if that's what you're worried about."

"Why?! Why didn't you say something?" Kursed, once known as Krystal of the Star Fox mercenary team, glared at Fox with hot tears streaking her face. "Have the last thirteen years we've spent together been one big lark to you? Did you think it was funny playing along with my lies?"

"No. That was never it."

Kursed's rage evaporated. She crumpled in front of him. "Then why?" she snivelled.

Fox wanted to hold her hand; to comfort her; but he felt frozen in place. "When you disappeared after the Anglar Blitz, I thought I had lost you forever."

He lowered his head. Ancient remorse numbed him to the bone. "Kicking you off the team was the worst mistake I've ever made. I thought I was protecting you from danger, but all I was doing was protecting myself. It wasn't until Wolf told us stealing Andross's machine was your idea that I finally understood how much I had hurt you. By the time I was able to search for you and apologise again, it was too late. You were gone. And nobody knew where you went. I blamed and hated myself so much that I didn't know if I could keep going."

"Fox…"

"When we kept running into each other after that job on Kew, I thought I was ready to move on with my life. I asked you out for a drink and you said yes. At the time, I didn't recognise you at all as Kursed. You had changed so much since I last saw you." Fox chuckled, though there was no humour in it.

"But then I met you at the bar, outside of our fighters. You were so beautiful I could hardly stand it." Fox ran his hand across his face. "Then I caught your scent… and I knew! I knew that it was you! I couldn't believe it, but there you were standing right in front of me!"

"I thought you hadn't noticed." Kursed hung her head. "But if you had known from the start, then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I was afraid that you would leave me again if I did," Fox sighed deeply. "I thought that this was my second chance with you, and I was scared to ruin it. So, I played dumb and pretended that you were a completely different person." He laid his head against his palm. "I was always terrified that you'd read my mind and catch me out."

"I thought that if I did, you'd recognise me," Kursed hugged herself.

"I'm sorry, K… I never meant for this to drag out for so long," Fox said. "I always believed that you would tell me the truth when you were ready. Then we could have had this conversation and worked things out from there. But… you never did. And now that Marcus has his powers, I've realised that this couldn't wait any longer."

Kursed wiped her eyes, unable to dry them completely. "I'm surprised that you didn't speak up when Marcus was born."

"I know, right?! I thought for sure you'd crack after he came out with your fur!" They each chuckled at their own stubborn stupidity.

"Kursed… Krystal…" Fox looked into her eyes. "I need you to understand that I never meant to hurt you again. All that I wanted was to be here for you and support your new life, instead of trying to control it. I just wanted another chance to make you happy."

Kursed shook in front of him. Fox fretted that she would cry again. "Why, though…? she whimpered. "After what I did to you and the others on Titania… Why would you ever want anything to do with me again?"

Fox recalled the heartbreak he had felt after Krystal used him to steal Andross's terraforming device and defeated the Anglars alongside Star Wolf. He still felt that pain as clear as day. But… "Because despite all that happened, I still loved you. I still do now."

The dams broke. Kursed sank into her hands, crying forcefully. Tears burned Fox's eyes, as well, and soaked his muzzle. Years of bottled, painful regrets ruptured and spilt free. It felt like hours until they both wept themselves dry. Fox was the first to lift his head and speak.

"So… what now?"

"I don't know…" Kursed shook her head. "Fox… I need time to think about this… I'm sorry…"

He nodded sadly. It was better than her outright rejecting him, as he always dreaded, yet her lack of an answer sucked Fox deeper into the state of limbo he had spent the last thirteen years trapped inside. "Take your time," he said.

It was late, and this night had left Fox exhausted; each in mind, body, and soul. He rose from his seat. "Will you come to bed with me?"

Kursed gnawed on her lip. "I'm sorry, Fox… But I think I need some space right now. I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

Fox tried not to show his hurt. He wanted to offer the bed and take her place, but he knew Kursed well enough now to know that she'd adamantly refuse. "I'll help you set up."

She let him do that much for her. It took too little time to lay a pillow down along with several blankets. When there was nothing more that he could do, Fox walked towards the end of the living room. "Well… Goodnight," he murmured. "I'll see you in the morning."

Kursed nodded. She did not look at him. "Goodnight."

Fox hovered in the doorway. He swallowed with a dry throat as he took in as much of her visage as he could. "I love you."

When she didn't respond, Fox sighed and left her be. Once his footsteps had faded from her hearing, Kursed pulled her knees to her chest and sniffed painfully.

"I love you, too."

Kursed only wished that she had the right to say that to his face.

End note:

I'd like to thank USEChairman for pointing me to the resources I've used to learn about the Star Fox universe in detail. Although plenty of sources contradict each other, the information has been invaluable for my more recent works.