A bit of a divergence from what I guess I'm comfortable writing, so here goes.


09: Venom

He was livid.

Unbelievably, undeniably angry beyond his comprehension right now.

Fox tried to recall the last time he felt his blood boil like this; it hadn't been for a long time, because as he has grown in the last 4 years as a serious pilot, he had to train himself to collect himself, and remain calm and organized even when everything force surrounding him tried to provoke him otherwise.

But even at the (somewhat) mature age of 22, Fox allowed his temper to get the best of him this time around.

And ironically, out of everything that could set him off like an agitated volcano, it had to be her.

He liked her, he had come to realize. A lot. She was seemingly very different from the few other females that occupied the mansion, and she possessed a few similarities to him that definitely shined through and caught his eye. But out of everything that was endearing about her, he could not stand the fact that she was ridiculously, inexcusably stubborn.

Pikachu was so stubborn that when bandits had shown up and stolen some dangerous weapons from the mansion that were only to be used by the possessor of said weapon that she ran off even though Fox had pleaded her to wait.

She had promptly returned a few hours later with the stolen goods and a smile on her face, proud and accepting of the praise everyone was offering because she had saved the day. He, however, did not fall into step with everyone else, instead prepping himself to give her an earful on why it was ridiculously stupid that she had done that. And she seemed to pick up on how he felt, because the moment her eyes met his, the smile was gone and her eyes grew glassy because he knew that she was fully aware at that moment that he was not pleased with her.

He also knew that she took it to heart because that was a few days ago and he hadn't had a chance to talk to her at all because every time he entered a room, he would notice her duck her head and hurry out. He understood her avoiding him because he knew he looked beyond pissed with her upon her return, but the intentional running because he didn't want to see him only fueled the fire burning within him.

And after the same routine for 3 days straight, he decided he was tired of it.

So he went searching for her.

And he was only moderately worried he would lose his mind at her.

Wandering the mansion aimlessly murdered any sense of joy Fox had left in him. Falco had questioned him when he stormed out of the avian's room earlier after the mere mention of her name, and when Fox simply huffed in response, Falco knew that only trouble was coming.

Minutes felt like hours as Fox continuously rounded corner after corner, searching for the blonde in question. She was successfully evading him, which agitated him further and made him wonder if she was hiding in her room or if she was completely oblivious to what was currently happening to the vulpine.

Fox paused in his tracks; he had completely forgotten that Pikachu very well could be just hiding out in her room, avoiding any risk of running into him. With that in mind, the pilot turned on his heel, heading back in the direction he had just come from.

What did he plan on saying anyway? Screaming at her was tempting, because he wanted it to be crystal clear how upset he was with her risking her safety for something that wasn't even really her issue in the first place, but that would sever some ties between them- he didn't want to drive her away.

Thoughts buzzed angrily in his mind like hornets, dulling the rest of his senses since it was so heavily distracting.

He rounded the third corner leading to the hallway that held her room when he spotted his target down the hallway. Pikachu stopped in her tracks, her eyes growing wide.

Before Fox could do anything, she had turned back the way she came, running away from the vulpine, who immediately took off after her in a hurry.

She was fast- Fox could not deny this- but luckily for him, she was faster when she was in her normal mouse-like form. Currently, she was not, therefore allowing him to steadily catch up.

Fox shot his arm out, gripping onto her forearm, receiving a squeak in response from the blonde and bringing them both to a stop. His eyes landed on a lone door, leading into a supply closet. Tightening his grip, Fox dragged the girl towards the closet, swinging the door open and pushing her inside, ignoring any cries of protest leaving her mouth.

Locking the door behind him, he turned around and pinched the bridge of his nose, unable to halt the slow progression of the headache settling in the middle of his forehead.

He opened his eyes to see her face- her bright blue eyes were as wide as saucers, and she was biting down so hard on her lip he swore she would draw blood.

A heavy sigh left him before he spoke.

"Do you…" He began slowly, trying to prevent the irritated tone in his voice from spilling over the edge. "…have any idea what you put me through the past few days?"

Pikachu blinked, saying nothing. Nervousness flittered across her facial expression as she remained silent. Fox, on the other hand, took this as his cue to continue.

"Do you have any idea…" he continued, voice rising in volume. "…how unbelievably pissed I am at you?"

"For what?" She cried, color rising on her cheeks. "There was a problem, and I was able to fix it. Why couldn't you be happy like everyone else?"

"You could've gotten hurt!" Fox yelled, and she recoiled slightly. Fear crossed her face and she felt uncomfortable, having never seen the usually cool Fox McCloud so undone before.

Her ears dropped slightly, her eyes refusing to meet his. "I can take care of myself you know."

"I don't care," he hissed. "That was irresponsible of you to run off alone."

The previously frightened expression on Pikachu's face melted into a more offended form, eyes narrowing as she paused, searching for her words. "Since when do you get to decide when I do what and how?"

"That's not what this is about."

She scoffed, throwing her arms to her side. "It kind of sounds like you feel threatened about losing control on something."

It was his turn react; he growled under his breath, taking a step forwards towards the blonde, who in turn instinctually stepped backwards, desperate to keep the distance between the two constant.

"This isn't about control. This is about you refusing to listen and doing something reckless."

"I'm not one of your subordinates, Fox!" She cried, her voice cracking as she attempted to reassert some type of dominance. "You can't order me around!"

"Ordering or not, you put yourself in a bad situation. You could've gotten hurt or worse, and nobody would be able to help you because you were alone!" His voice progressively rose, reaching a peak at the end in the form of a shout. He was breathing heavy and his mind was foggy, unable to decipher the look on her face, a mix of frustration and hurt.

"I don't need you protecting me." She hissed, her hands turning white from how tightly they were fisted. "I don't need to be saved by anyone."

It was like a rubber band holding together the last bit of his patience and tolerance has snapped as soon as Pikachu finished her statement. In one swift movement, he moved forward quickly, arms outward as he forced her against the wall behind her body. Her body made contact with the surface forcefully, causing her to release a gasp of surprise and loss of air. Her eyes grew wide again and her face flushed a deep shade of crimson as the vulpine grew close, hands on either side of her head, boxing her in.

"You don't need help?" He began, voice dangerously low. The eerily calm sound of his voice, a severe contrast to the condition it was in before, sent shivers down her spine. Not too mention the nervousness that bubbled in her chest from the close proximity between the two.

"What about right now? Nobody knows you're here or that I'm here, it kind of seems like you're in trouble," He breathed out slowly, and she merely gulped in response. "You sure you don't need help?"

"Fox, what are you doing?" She choked out in a whisper, unable to provoke her voice to raise its volume and gain back some control that had been handed over to the Starfox leader.

He said nothing, catching her throat in a firm grip, but loose enough to allow her to still gather some air. Her hands shot up, desperate to pull his hand away because the entire situation was becoming too much for her to handle and sent her into a tailspin.

"Fox," she squeaked, earning no response from her unexpected assailant. Another moment passed and she began to wonder if he was just trying to scare her straight or if the interaction held a deeper meaning.

As though he read her thoughts, his lips came crashing down on hers. She froze, her mind losing all capability of rational thinking and she flat-lined, finding herself growing hungry for more. She attempted to reciprocate, only being able to offer a weak response. Her faced burned even further as her drew closer, his body flush against hers.

The moment ended as soon as it had started, Fox pulling away and taking a step back. She opened her eyes shyly to peek at him, goose bumps making an appearance as his eyes were cold, competing with the red tint on his cheeks.

He turned back to the door, ready to exit. His gloved hand turned the door, shoving it open, the cold air floating in and gently brushing across Pikachu's face. He was already halfway out when he stopped, keeping his back facing the blonde.

"Think about it," he stated, blunt.

He stepped out, leaving her behind and the door ajar. She sighed heavily, placing her hand on her chest, trying to convince it to seize the rampant pace it was pounding at.

She slowly slid to the ground, keeping her back in contact with the wall behind her to stabilize her journey to the floor below, unconvinced that her legs can handle her own weight quite yet.

She knew that the circumstances of their relationship, or whatever it was, had suddenly been thrown into a realm of complication that she had no desire to travel into. And all she could think of was the taste on her tongue, venomous and slowing of her senses.