Chapter II - Liftoff
Ten months later
During the Aparoid attack on the Lylat system, Krystal acclimated faster to becoming a fighter pilot than anyone had ever expected. She may have had little experience in a star fighter compared to her teammates, but having one-on-one, hands-on training with the top graduates of the most renowned flight school in Lylat can turn anyone into a combat ace in no time. Of course, this also meant plenty of time for Fox and Krystal's relationship to blossom into a more intimate and caring one. To everyone's dismay, however, neither of them had admitted anything to each other. Although the tension between them had been steadily growing, three small words were bound to change that sooner or later.
The beginning of the first winter on Corneria saw a few inches of snow, as well as the reconstruction efforts that followed the Apraoid invasion finally wrapping up. On the more quaint side of things, the most famed unofficial celebrity couple could be seen walking home through the sleepy city on a quiet night. The treeline of the park next to them provided the perfect foreground against the backdrop of a starry night sky.
"I've always loved stargazing, my mom and I used to sit in the park and just watch the night sky when I was a kid."
"And to have the opportunity to fly among them every day."
Fox looked at Krystal and smiled. The cool glow of the moon reflected off his emerald eyes, catching her aquamarine ones in their radiant gaze.
"Not many people have that opportunity, that's for sure."
'There aren't that many stars as bright as you, either.'
Krystal had heard every word float off the forefront of his consciousness as clear as day, but had to pretend not to notice as her cheeks lit up slightly. In a move that surprised him, she hugged Fox's arm, pushing up against him and causing a storm of thoughts to wash over his mind.
"Still a telepath, remember?" She asked with a sultry look on her face.
Fox's slight blush turned into an eruption of red covering his muzzle and ears.
"No comment," came the embarrassed vulpine's reply.
Her melodious laugh was always music to his ears.
/
The two continued to walk along the dimly lit sidewalk towards the house, Krystal still hugging Fox's arm. Despite having a coat on, Krystal soon began to shiver. The tropical climate of Cerinia had spoiled her rotten, so her fur never grew out in the winter, even if her tail consistently stayed obscenely fluffy. Fox noticed this, and lifted his arm away from his partner.
Confusion quickly roused within her as to why her captain was pulling away. She began to probe his thoughts, wondering what was wrong, until she was stopped by the comforting weight of his strong arm falling over her shoulders.
She smiled in joy, now feeling another wave of 'crush' emotions come from his blazing fire of a mind.
No more words were said until they reached the manor, though they enjoyed the comfortable silence to say the least.
"That was a nice walk," Krystal said as Fox opened the door for her.
Fox made an affirming noise.
"Thanks for coming with me, I would have shown you the walking trail, but the parks tend to close pretty early in the winter."
"I'm sure it would have been just as peaceful and relaxing," the vixen said as she hung up her puffy jacket in the coat closet.
"So, what's for dinner?" she asked as she stared out the window at the light snowfall, leaning over the kitchen island.
"That depends, is stew fine?" came the vulpine's reply.
"In weather like this, stew sounds amazing."
Fox nodded, and went to work on expertly cutting up meat and vegetables, while Krystal opened opened the door to the pantry. Her eyes roamed across the sizeable stock of food and kitchenware until she settled on four objects - two mugs, and two packets of hot cocoa mix. She stepped out of the pantry, closing the door behind her with her banded tail, and set the mugs with the packets in them down on top of the island.
Before she could go to the fridge and grab the milk, though, Fox set the jug of milk down next to her, winked, and turned back around to begin putting the stew ingredients into the pot of now boiling water.
The azure vixen smiled at him, and poured the milk and hot cocoa mix into the mugs. Soon after, Fox heard the microwave timer start up with a high pitched beep and a few soft thumps as Krystal padded up next to him. She watched the stew pot for a few moments, and then wrapped her arms around him, causing him to tense up slightly. Her elegant, posh accent gently floated into his ears.
"That smells amazing."
Fox smiled brightly through his deep blush, and grabbed the two bowls on the counter next to him. Krystal had pulled away, but only until he'd finished pouring the delicious stew into the dishes, steam slowly rising up in careless waves above them. The vulpine returned the vixen's tight, affectionate embrace, wondering when he'd finally let the three words on the tip of his tongue roll off like the both of them wanted to.
'No, it's too soon. I can't tell her if she's not ready.'
Slowly, Fox pulled away, as did Krystal, both masking their disappointment in their failure to say anything.
'What if I'm stalling for nothing?'
/
The two ate dinner on the large, mahogany dining table, quietly enjoying the stew Fox had prepared.
"So, where have Falco and Slippy been? I haven't seen them at all today," asked the vixen as she set her spoon down next to her now empty bowl.
"Slippy texted me and told me that he was going to spend some time with his family, hadn't gotten to see his dad in a while. Falco, though, I'm really not sure. He could be passed out at the bar right now for all I know."
Krystal couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that. Falco had always been a bit of a free spirit. Whether they were on a mission or not, the avian always had a knack for doing things his own way, though he still had everyone's back when it mattered most.
What if she's just waiting for me to make a move?
Well, I'm going to go get ready for bed, thank you for the dinner, Fox," she said as she got up with her bowl and went into the kitchen.
"Anytime, Krystal," he called back.
'Come on, don't let her slip away just yet.'
'No, I can't tell her. If she doesn't feel the same way it'll make things worse.'
'How would she not feel the same way? You don't see how she looks at you?'
'There's no way she'd actually want me, she's way out of my league.'
'Why is this so hard? Just tell her how you feel, dammit!'
'Maybe it's because I don't want to fuck things up like I did with Fara!'
'So you mean to tell me that someone who saved an entire galaxy can't tell a girl how he feels?'
'Fine, fine. I'll tell her tomorrow. Now isn't the time to talk about this.'
'Keep telling yourself that, and she might lose interest in you.'
As Fox continued to internally argue with himself in the dining room, Krystal listened in while she began walking up the stairs. Hearing his inner turmoil made her want to run up and hug him, to tell her how she really felt so he could stop hurting himself.
'But would that really help him? Or would it just give him one more thing to worry about?'
The vixen quickly suppressed the voice in her head, not wanting to argue with herself while there were more important matters to tend to. Stepping into her bathroom with an armful of clean pajamas, she began to look herself over in the mirror.
'Is there something about me that's holding him back?'
She set her clothes down, pulled off her day clothes, and turned on the water.
'That can't be it.'
Once inside, she closed the frosted glass door behind her.
'Can it?'
/
Nearly an hour later, Fox found himself laying awake in his bed, unable to quell his stormy thoughts.
'Am I just afraid to love? Is that it?'
As much as he wanted to, something was stopping him from telling the vixen how he truly felt.
'We've known each other for nearly a year. Is that long enough?'
'How are you even gonna tell her?'
'Oh, its you again.'
'Who else would it be?'
'You're not exactly helping.'
'Neither are you, and you're the one who created me, dipstick.'
The vulpine let out a sharp, frustrated sigh and sat up, letting the covers roll off of him.
'I have to tell her eventually.'
He padded over to the tall glass windows across his bedroom, and opened the door to the balcony. Raising a paw, he gently opened the latch, and quietly slid the door open. Stepping out, Fox felt the crisp winter breeze ruffle through his fur, causing his ear to twitch.
'Jesus, Krystal. Why'd you have to be so damn beautiful?'
The vulpine rested his arms on the balcony rail, and turned his head to look at a similar glass door leading into the adjacent room. Another three of the same tall, clear, glass doors were further down the long balcony.
Krystal's room was right next to his.
'I hope she's getting more sleep than me, at the very least.'
The orange mercenary turned his head back towards the view of the Cornerian city skyline, thousands of lights twinkling faintly both above and below the horizon. Unknown to him, Krystal hadn't been sleeping at all. The azure vixen was sitting on her bedside, just out of view of the large glass window leading to the balcony, listening to Fox's thoughts.
'So it's not something about me...'
Hearing Fox think what he thought of her cast a spell of fuzziness throughout her core, though it only lasted a few short minutes, until Fox delved into self-loathing and deprecation, angry and frustrated at himself for not being able to say three simple words to someone who he knew he could trust.
'Look at yourself, man. You saved an entire galaxy and this is your major stumbling block?'
'How is this my fault? You haven't done anything to help, either!'
'And you can't grow the balls to tell a girl you love her! Come on!'
Fox's pent up frustration at himself continued to build to the point where he didn't hear the glass door to the room adjacent to his quietly slide open and shut, nor the quiet pair of footsteps come up next to him.
The voice that floated into his ears cut through his frenzied thoughts and stopped them dead in their tracks.
"Is everything alright, Fox?"
Krystal could see it in his eyes that he was debating telling her what was actually on his mind.
"Y-Yeah... Just wanted to get some fresh air, I guess," he managed to stammer out.
She gave him a disbelieving look, one that she knew he could easily see under the bright moonlight. She just wanted him to spit it out, so he would stop beating himself up, so that she could finally truly be his, and he, hers.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
So that they could both have someone to truly confide in.
"Positive."
So that they could both have a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold.
"Please don't lie to me, Fox. Something's wrong, I can feel it."
That they could finally have that special someone to love, after all they've lost.
Fox shivered slightly, finally feeling the effects of the icy winter air, but refused to let himself go back inside.
'Don't miss your chance.'
"I can hear you arguing with yourself, you've been hurting y-mmph!"
Krystal didn't have the chance to finish her sentence, but she had no concern of doing so anyway. Fox had fully turned to face her, leaned forward and planted a quick, shy kiss on her lips before pulling away and staring into her deep aquamarine eyes, his emerald irises now holding a blazing, vibrant fire behind them.
Moments later, she heard his soft, tender voice.
"I love you, Krystal."
The words that came out of Fox's mouth had caught her off guard, even though she had been waiting for him to say it ever since they had met on that fateful day on Sauria. The vixen stood there for a few moments, watching Fox steeling himself for the almighty slap of rejection, or at the very least, Krystal saying that she was flattered, but had no interest or already lost interest in him.
'The worst she can do is say no, right?'
'It's finally off your chest. That's all that matters now.'
Krystal slowly moved closer to Fox and tightly embraced him, beginning to cry small tears of joy. Fox pulled her in close by wrapping his powerful arms around her lithe frame and planting his muzzle in her hair, breathing in the comforting, flower-y scent of his beloved. The vixen rested her head on his broad shoulder, feeling the warmth of his mind and soul both physically and mentally.
"I love you too, Fox," she whispered into his neck fur.
He pulled away slightly, but only enough to lock his muzzle with hers, a motion that Krystal returned with as much fervor as she could muster.
The two foxes stood on the balcony, kissing under the bright, pale blue glow of the moonlight for what could've been hours, but hadn't lasted long enough when it ended.
/
The next morning, Fox awoke with a spring in his step.
Sure, he'd become accustomed to waking up early thanks to his years of mercenary work, but the unmistakable feeling of loving someone, and having them love him back made him want to get up and run a marathon. After months of bottling it up inside himself, locking it away in the confines of his heart, and only letting it slip out into the open every once in a while had made the reward much, much greater.
A few minutes later, the vulpine had left his room, padded down the stairs, passed through the living room, and turned on the kitchen light. The pristine array of pots and pans reflected some of the light off of their shimmering stainless steel surfaces, bouncing the light across the room into different places along the walls.
Fox walked over to the pantry, and pulled out the pancake mix. Sure, it may not have been the same as the delicious, homemade, fluffy breakfast circles that his mother made for him when he was a kit, but he could never seem make them quite the same as hers, no matter how delicious his teammates thought they were. Besides, the box was getting close to running out, so he might as well use up the rest.
The vulpine poured the remainder of the box into a mixing bowl, and added some milk. After a few minutes of vigorous stirring, the contents of the stainless steel dish had transformed from a lumpy, half-wet half-dry concoction of milk and pancake mix into the smooth, creamy, golden pancake batter he knew so well.
Especially after the death of his mother, pancakes had always been comforting to him; a taste reminiscing of the good old days, back when everything seemed joyful, when a young Fox McCloud could do and be anything without a care in the world.
If only they could see me now, Fox thought as he put a pan down on the stove.
His ears pricked at the soft thumps of footsteps coming down the stairs. Soon after, a blue pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, making his heart swell.
"Morning, Krys," he said softly.
The azure vixen sighed in content, and stood up on the tips of her toes to kiss his temple.
"Morning, love."
"How'd you sleep?"
Krystal squeezed him a little tighter before releasing her hold, allowing Fox to turn around and face her.
"The best I've slept for quite some time," she cooed as she snuggled up under his chin.
Fox's arms wrapped around the small of her back, pulling her in closer to his muscular frame. The two held each other for a little while longer, until the sound of Krystal's stomach grumbling filled the air. Fox gave her an amused look, and pulled away.
"I know you want to keep holding me, but I think you'd want breakfast first."
"Breakfast does sound nice right about now," Krystal admitted with a sigh as she watched Fox pour the batter into the pan.
Just then, Fox's communicator pinged. His ears instinctively swiveled towards the source of the familiar sound. A message from the General presented itself on the holographic display.
"Star Fox," Fox began reading aloud. "This mission has been highly requested for you to execute. Allies of the Cornerian Federation have been reporting a large, surprisingly organized force of pirates attacking bases, stealing cargo, etc. Should you accept, a briefing will be held today at 4:00 PM. We hope to see you there."
"Looks like we just found our next job, huh?" Came a voice from the doorway.
Fox and Krystal looked up to see Falco standing there with a sheepish look suggesting that he'd probably walked in on their moment, but didn't have the heart to interrupt.
"Hey Falco, when did you get back?"
"Came in pretty late last night, I was out clubbing with the lovely Miss Monroe," said the avian as he sat down at the kitchen island.
"Yeah, either that or you got thrown out by a bouncer again for asking the DJ to play Shiitake 9ine6ix," Fox joked as he flipped the pancakes.
"That was like two years ago, and I'm not saying that it was good music, but enough alcohol can make anything sound like it was written by Koji Kondo."
"Fair point. Either way, we've got a mission and a briefing at four."
Fox joined his two teammates at the island, and the three ate their breakfast over casual conversation, likely none of which is plot-related.
/
At 12:00 PM the following day, a dark silver LeDorean LMC-13 pulled into a hangar in the Cornerian Defense Force's airfield. As the gull-wing doors on either side opened, a pair of foxes got out, their reflections bouncing off the car's pristine stainless steel body.
Fox pulled off his sunglasses - the same ones that James had given him, to be exact - and put them in his flight jacket pocket. As he and the blue vixen he loved walked towards the other two members of their team, the car closed and locked itself, chirping twice and flashing its low beams once it had finished its operation.
"Are you done flexing your car on us?" Falco asked as he sat up from the nose of his arwing.
"Nope, not until the day I die," Fox replied with a smirk on his face.
"Judging by the lack of intel they gave us during that briefing, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that it's gonna be a month from now."
The mood quickly dropped after Falco's remark.
"Way to kill the vibe, Falco," Slippy muttered.
"What?" Falco asked. "They gave us almost nothing to work with!"
Fox sighed.
"Yeah, I hate it too, but the payout's too big to skip this one. Hey, we'll be getting to visit another system while we're at it."
Krystal hated the thought of Fox dying, but didn't show it. Now was not the place nor the time to dwell on those thoughts.
After a few more moments of uncomfortable silence, Fox spoke up again.
"Either way, we've got three and a half weeks to get there, so we'll have plenty of time for planning and prying for more intel. Let's all have a safe mission, alright?"
"Alright!" Everyone echoed.
The four pilots all headed for their arwings, save for Falco, who just leaned backward and rolled right into the synthetic leather seat of his cockpit.
Before he climbed up the side of his arwing, Fox turned to Krystal.
"Ready?" He asked her.
Krystal smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "As I'll ever be."
"Hey, you two lovebirds! I'm trying to get off this rock ASAP!" Falco called out from the closing canopy of his arwing.
"Guess we'd better get going." Fox grinned. The two foxes parted, climbed into their respective fighters, and closed the glass canopies. As the engines fired up, Fox smiled as he leaned back into his seat, preparing himself for the exhilerating blast of an arwing launch rail. One by one, each blue and white star fighter taxied themselves out of the hangar and onto the launch strip.
After running his systems check, a countdown appeared on everyone's cockpit HUD.
Five...
'Krystal, I know you can hear me.'
Four...
'I just wanted to say,'
Three...
'Be safe.'
Two...
'I love you.'
One.
The launch rails shot forwards, sending the space fighters down the track and into the sky towards the Great Fox II, which was patiently awaiting their return.
- I was really unsatisfied with this chapter in particular because my lazy ass thought I could take inspiration from the story "Heroes are made, not born" by LONEW0LF. By 'unsatisfied,' I meant 'appalled,' and by 'take inspiration,' I meant 'almost entirely rip off.' Also, you may have noticed the omission of Beltino's death, which I think was necessary as it helps the story flow much better. I thought I could use it later in the story when I wrote the first version, but then didn't bother to go back and remove it when I ended up not using it. (sorry)
- The Air/Spacecraft Launch Rail System (A/SLRS) is a type of aircraft launching system developed by Space Dynamics for the Cornerian Military. The system uses long rails with an open top that allow a vessel to take off and land at any point along the track. During a launch, an electromagnetic carriage grabs onto the craft's frame from below and pulls it forwards at a high speed, putting less stress on the frame as opposed to taking off vertically using VTOL. The railing can also be reconfigured to be positioned above the craft, such as in dreadnought carriers like the Great Fox II, or even at an upwards angle, running off of a launch pad. Essentally, the idea is that you could slap a Tornado F-3 onto a giant Estes rocket launcher and be ready for combat in a couple seconds flat. It's still faster than using VTOL.
- VTOL: Vertical Take Off and Landing. Push button, plane goes up. Push other button, now plane goes forward. Pretty cool, right?