Chapter 4: Father and Son Talk
The bed was too big when Fox awoke. He killed the silent alarm of the smartwatch buzzing on his wrist. Through dreary vision, he stared upon the empty covers on Kursed's side of the mattress. After the previous night, all he could feel inside his head were the ghosts of his grief and regrets.
Minutes ticked by without him moving. Fox didn't care too much until he started thinking about Marcus. 'Shit…' It was a school day. By now, it was too late for him and his son to head out for their morning run. Fox wrestled with his choices over the next hour.
Kursed's alarm clock displayed 08:39 when Fox finally threw off the blankets. He rolled off the bed and shuffled into the bathroom. A hot shower was good for standing around and thinking. The skin beneath Fox's pelt stung blissfully under the torrent of scalding water. He found himself remembering the occasional late weekend mornings when he and Kursed would get a little naughty while they washed together. The way in which they expressed their love now was different to when they were Fox McCloud and Krystal of Cerinia. Though if Fox had his say, it was by no means any lesser in comparison.
Once Fox was dried and dressed, he crept quietly outside the living room. He could spy Kursed asleep on the couch. It pained Fox, but did not surprise him, to see Marcus curled up next to her under the blankets. Poor kit didn't deserve to get caught up in the middle of his parents' issues.
Fox left them be and continued towards the kitchen. After a quick phone call, he made a start on breakfast. The greasy scents of bacon and onions frying filled the room. Water bubbled inside the kettle to one side of the stove. Fox added a dash of herbs and spices to the beaten eggs, just the way that Kursed liked them.
Soon, Fox returned to the living room. He knelt beside the couch and shook his wife and son each gently on the shoulder. They stirred slowly, blinking tired eyes that quickly found him.
"Hey," he said, attempting to smile. "I made breakfast."
Kursed let go of Marcus so that he could get up. She sat upright and rubbed her face. When she glanced at her watch, Kursed leaped out of her skin. "Fox! It's past nine! Marcus is supposed to be…!"
"I've called the school," he reassured her. "I told them that he was going to be in late today." Fox figured they all needed the extra rest. Kursed visibly relaxed. When she met his gaze, the same anguish from last night filled her eyes.
"Hungry?" Fox asked. "I made your favourite."
Kursed rose with a blanket still around her shoulders and followed Fox into the dining room. He set out three plates of omelettes between them. No one spoke throughout breakfast. Fox took solace in that Kursed was at least eating.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Fox finally dared to ask.
She took a long sip from her coffee and stared into the liquid swirling in her mug. "Tired." Fox did not know what else to do or say.
"Thank you for breakfast, Fox," Kursed said after they sent Marcus to shower and dress. "I'll be working late again tonight,"
"Sure. I'll… wait for you to get home." She only nodded. Fox finished his coffee and set his plate near the sink to wash later. Marcus soon returned with his backpack. Fox looked back over to Kursed.
"See you tonight," he said.
"Yeah… See you tonight."
Marcus ran up to Kursed and hugged her. She kissed his forehead, gazing into his face for a long time. Fox suspected they were sharing a private, Cerinian conversation, for Marcus suddenly wagged his tail. Kursed smiled and kissed him again. She then sent him off to join his father.
Outside the house, Marcus walked over to the car but saw Fox brush past it. "Where are you going?"
"I thought we could walk today," Fox replied. Although it would take them half an hour to get to the school on foot, that would give them plenty of time to talk. Marcus shrugged as he followed.
"Am I going to get in trouble for being late?" he asked Fox.
"Nah. I called them up and said it was okay today. I think you, your mum and I need this right now," Fox sighed. "When I was a kid, I lost my parents one after the other. My mom died when I was five. My dad when I was fifteen. Both times I was so upset that school was the last thing I could put my mind to. What happened last night was pretty hard on all of us. I figured we could talk this out before you need to worry about school again."
"Can I have the whole day off then?"
Fox smirked. "Nice try. But it's not like this is the end of the world. Your mum and I are just working through some old problems, that's all. You can still go to school." Marcus pouted, but Fox could tell when his son was putting up airs and when he was actually upset about something. No psychic abilities. Just good-old parental intuition.
Fox scratched the back of his head. "I suppose you want to know what happened between us last night."
"Mum said you guys used to date before you kicked her off your team."
Fox nodded sadly. "Yeah… I did. And that was a really stupid thing I did." He placed his hand on Marcus's shoulder. "Let me give you some important advice: If you ever meet a special girl in your life, never make her do something that she doesn't want to; and don't ignore her when she tells you 'no.' Women hate that. I did it and it bit me in the ass like you wouldn't believe. Your mum had every right to be upset with me, and I deserved everything that happened as a result."
"Why did you do it?"
"Because I was scared of losing her. My mom was killed because my dad made powerful enemies through his work. I didn't want to put your mother in the same kind of danger, so I took her off the team. She ended up leaving me entirely."
Fox shook his head, exhaling. "There were so many other choices that I could have made at the time. But, instead, I just went with the first one that worked for me. Like I said: I was stupid and scared. I should have talked with Krystal about it first and respected her skills as a pilot more."
"How did you find mum after she ran away?"
"Did she tell you about that part already?" Marcus nodded. "Honestly, it was sheer dumb luck. The universe is a big place and we ran into each other in a different galaxy. I didn't even recognise her at first. She was strong and confident, but she had grown cold and angry with the world. I thought I had done something to annoy Kursed, so I asked her out to make amends… and maybe see if she'd be interested in being more than allies."
Fox blew a sullen breath. "Then I found out who she really was. I could recognise Krystal's scent anywhere. But your mother didn't say anything about our past the whole time. So, I didn't say anything either. It was weird, but we ended up having a good time."
He and Marcus cut through the park. They passed by mothers and fathers playing with younger children. "As we spent more time together, I realised that Kursed wasn't angry towards me anymore. It seemed more like she was angry with herself and took it out on whichever goon she was hunting at the time. I knew it was my fault that she became that way."
Fox sighed, haunted by bloody visions and the agonised screams of crooks who pushed their luck too far with Kursed. "She used to be the kindest, most gentle person I've ever met, but I couldn't see that side of her anymore. So, I stuck around to try and help your mother find her old self. I didn't have the balls to tell her outright to start acting like Krystal again, but I did encourage her to make better choices when she worked. A lot of times, the easiest thing you can do isn't the best thing you should do. That was a lesson that I've learned the hard way."
"But Mum isn't mean or angry like that," Marcus argued.
"And I'll take that as a testament to my hard work," Fox smiled. "Your mother is so much better now than she used to be, and I'm proud of her for that. But… it had been years by then and we still acted like Krystal never existed. I didn't care about that anymore, though. I was just happy to be a part of her life again."
Thinking back to their conversation from the previous night, Fox hung his head in despair. "But now Kursed knows that I've been lying to her, and I'm not sure if she still loves me anymore." Too late, Fox realised that was the worst possible thing that he could have told Marcus.
"Mum said that she does love you," Marcus said, "but she doesn't know how to tell you right now."
As Fox stared at his son, a great weight shed from his shoulders. "She did? Oh… That's a relief." He thanked Marcus with a tender scratch between his ears. "Then it looks like there's nothing to worry about. Your mum will come back to sort things out when she's ready; and you and I will be here for her when she does. Okay, champ?
Marcus's tail wagged. "Okay."
When they arrived at the school, Fox took Marcus to the administration office. A grey-fleeced ewe glanced up from her monitor. "Hi. Fox Reinard. I'm here to drop off my son, Marcus."
"Of course." The receptionist typed away at her computer for a few minutes. Fox provided a signature and received a paper slip. Afterwards, Fox continued to walk with Marcus to his classroom. He knelt in front of him outside the door and placed both hands atop Marcus's shoulders.
"Hey, listen," Fox said softly. "I know that things at home are a little worrisome right now, but everything is going to be okay. And if you ever feel that you want to talk to me; whether it's about your powers, or your mum, or anything else; I'll be right here for you. Alright?"
Marcus nodded firmly. Fox smiled and tapped his son's head. "And don't go messing around with your powers until your mum teaches you how to use them properly, okay? Behave yourself."
Fox wrapped Marcus into his arms. He squeezed him gently, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. Then he passed the paper slip to Marcus and sent him in to give to his teacher. With the kind of sigh only breathed by a father worried for his child, Fox began the long, solitary walk back home. Kursed would probably be on her way to work before he got there. Fox would then have eight-to-twelve hours before he could find out if he'd ever get the chance to talk to her again.