Hi hello, I have a request; I've been having a bunch of fun writing these because I love these two characters and they never interact and it makes me sad, hence why I'm writing these. The list I'm going off of is only about 50 long, but some of the themes are very obscure and hard to get ideas for.
If any of you have ideas for themes/plots for chapters, feel free to submit them to me! I love hearing what other people have to say/wanna see!
Anyway, enjoy!
11:Sleep
The pounding at his door caused Fox to wake up with a start; he was caught off guard and took a brief moment to catch his breath because going from silence to the sudden and fast rhythmic tapping a few feet away was unexpected to say the least.
He sat up, eyes struggling to make out the time on the clock propped up on the bedside table, groaning slightly when he was able to see that it was in fact ridiculously late at night- or early depending on how you chose to view it. The clock showed 3:14 AM, and the vulpine sat still for a moment, wondering (and preparing himself) who in the world was still awake at this time.
After the pause, he stood and walked over to the door, the last remaining barricade between him and whoever decided to bother him. He prepared himself to see the blue avian on the opposing side, ready to storm into the room and ramble about whatever it was that pissed him off this time, no matter how minuscule the matter may be.
However, the person on the other side was not who he pictured, but rather a pajama-clad Pikachu, hair pulled up messily in a bun and bags largely apparent under her tired blue eyes. Fox blinked, unsure of what to say at first, once again caught by surprise to see someone who he was sure was dead asleep at this time in the morning.
"Sorry if I woke you," she began in an unusually small voice, and whether that was to remain quiet or for some reason was unknown to Fox.
His eyes searched hers for a moment, once again settling on the dark bags resting beneath her eyes. They were bigger than normal- she rarely had bags or seemed exhausted anyway- and they were like magnets, his eyes constantly being pulled to them no matter how hard he tried to look away.
"Are you okay?" He finally responded, and she merely shrugged.
"I can't sleep, if that wasn't obvious…" she sighed, blowing a stray hair out of her face.
Silence fell heavily upon their shoulders, Pikachu having said her piece and Fox unable to decipher that cause of her discomfort. He picked at his brain, the gears turning slower than normal due to having just woken up.
Fox breathed out slowly, leaning against the doorway and crossing his arms. "These past few days have been getting to you, have they?"
Pikachu eyes, previously having been closed, opened to show a glossy sheen. Fox recoiled ever so barely, uncomfortable for a few reasons: he had never been good with handling people when they cry, especially not younger girls. He also knew that despite being somewhat emotional, Pikachu didn't cry often. But the stress of the days gone by has been wearing down on everyone, him included.
"I'm worried about Captain Falcon," she started, her breath shaking. "And Ness. And Marth… and everyone."
"Pikachu-"
"We haven't found them, Fox." Her voice trembled more this time, and he feared for tears to spill over the edge. "What if they got to them first?"
"Don't think that…" he choked out, trying his best to console the shaking blonde. "They're going to be okay. We'll find them."
She quickly looked away, rubbing at her eyes. "I'm sorry. I haven't been sleeping well the past few nights, and we've been constantly sending out search parties and I'm sure I've been no help…" she started, trailing off towards the end as her eyes searched the area around the vulpine, avoiding looking at him directly.
He offered a soft smile. "You don't have to apologize. Everyone is feeling the same way you do."
Pikachu merely nodded, still refusing to meet his eyes.
The two stood in silence, her searching around him while he kept looking straight at her to make certain she was alright.
"Hey," he said, breaking the silence that had blanketed them once more. "Give me a second?"
She blinked, watching as he retreated into the darkness of his room, listening as he rummaged through what she assumed to be his clothing. He returned a moment later, tossing his arms through his signature white jacket.
"Come on." He began to walk past her as she whipped around, keeping her sights focused on the moving vulpine.
"Where are we going?"
"On a walk."
It was pitch black out, and the further the duo traversed away from the mansion, the darker it became due to the loss of the lighting from the grand building. Pikachu settled for occasionally flicking her fingers, small bursts of bright electricity leaving her fingertips in a twirl. She followed close behind the Starfox leader, saying nothing as minutes past, unknowing of where they headed.
"Fox?"
He hummed in response, saying nothing as he continued his straight forward trek.
"Where are we going?" She repeated, growing desperate for a solidified answer to the question bouncing around in her mind like a ping pong ball.
"I didn't realize we had to be headed somewhere," he chuckled, and Pikachu resisted the urge to groan.
"So we're just walking?"
Fox stopped in his tracks, Pikachu coming to a halt a few inches behind. He turned, and she felt her cheeks and ears burn at the warm smile on his face.
"I'm just trying to wear you down a little," he teased, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile all the same.
"What a classic strategy."
He laughed at the sarcasm laced throughout her response. "No, but really; this should hopefully clear your head a little. Out of sight, out of mind."
She cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "Are you sure you aren't leading me out to the middle of nowhere so you can effectively kill and hide my body?"
"Oh wow," his arms shot up to the sides in mock-insult and amusement. "You caught me, right in the middle of my devious plot and everything."
"Someone's gotta keep you on your toes," she sang, sticking her tongue out at him.
Fox smiled again, and she felt the familiar warmness settle everywhere on her body. "We'll find them, Pikachu."
"I know," she whispered, nodding slowly and avoiding his eyes once more, afraid of the puddle she'd possibly melt into.
A sudden loud cry startled the duo, causing Fox to literally jump out of his skin while Pikachu's eyes widened- half at the noise and half at the dramatic reaction from the Starfox leader.
"Are you okay?" She questioned, in between giggles.
Fox clutched at his chest, head whipping around in search of the source of the noise. "What was that?"
Pikachu hummed thoughtfully, looking around herself. "Sounded like some murkrow."
"Some what?"
She laughed at remembering how foreign the Pokémon species were to everyone but herself and the related batch. "Just a bunch of birds. They like to make trouble at night."
Fox returned her look with a less-than-amused one, gradually dissipating into a look of annoyance. "I was never a huge fan of birds."
"Aw! What about poor ole Falco?" She laughed the expression that grossed Fox's face at the mention of his partner and ally.
"He's the reason," he teased, smirking as Pikachu laughed further.
A sudden yawn escaped her, and she quickly shut her mouth, embarrassment crawling up her spine. And the slight yearning of not wanting the moment between the two to end.
"I'll say," Fox nodded, brushing past her gently. "We should probably head back so you can try sleeping again."
She felt disappointed, but vowed to keep that thought to herself, not wanting the vulpine to know how she secretly felt. After all, there was a reason she came to him.
"Okay," Pikachu conceded, turning on her heel and jogging slightly to catch up to Fox who waited patiently for her. "You won't get annoyed if I do this every night, will you?" She smirked at him as he raised an eyebrow in question.
"Maybe not during this stretch. But if you do this during the tournament season to try and get an upper hand with me, we'll have an issue."
"Oh Fox" she sang again, grinning at him in a mischievous manner than sent a strange chill down his spine. "I would never do such a thing to a friend."
"Of course not…"
"But really," she sighed, stopping again as a soft smile graced her lips. "Thanks for helping me out."
He nodded, returning the sentiment, placing his hand on the small of her back to beckon her back in the direction of the sleeping quarters.
And off in the distance, the sun peeked out beyond the edge of the earth, barely allowing its golden branches to touch the sky.
