Chapter 4
"What the hell did you do to her?" Fox demanded.
"Nothing!" Falco insisted.
The vulpine crossed his arms and glared at his teammate. "Explain to me exactly what this nothing entails."
Falco sighed. "All right, fine. I may have...sort of played a prank on her."
"What kind of prank?"
"I just wanted her to admit that I'm the reason she joined the team!"
"Falco, for godsake. It's a wonder she's here in the first place. Go apologize to her. If she's not back to her usual self by the next time I see her, I'll sabotage your arwing."
Falco's eyes widened. "You wouldn't! That could cost me my life!"
"Oh, I won't do anything too drastic... just a few downgrades, maybe removing the barrel roll's g-force stabilizer...disabling the engine..."
"Fine! All right. I'll apologize." Falco threw up his hands in exasperation and walked down the hall. He knocked on Katt's door.
The door opened. She stared at him with an unamused glare, and then closed the door immediately in his face.
"Katt, wait! Look, I just... I want to apologize to you. The way I acted the other night was really awful."
Silence.
"Katt, I... I do like you, okay? I just... I let my ego get the better of me. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just... I wanted to hear you say it, ya know? I just wanted you to admit that you joined because of me, because I... I feel something for you, and honestly, I wanted you to join for me. I'm selfish, Katt. I wasn't thinking about you, and I realize that I hurt you, and I'm sorry. I really am. I'm sorry, Katt."
She opened the door. "Who put you up to this?"
"What? N-no one."
"You've never apologized for a thing in your life. Who put you up to this?"
Falco sighed. "Fox."
"Tell Fox thank you, but I don't need him meddling in my personal problems." She started to close the door.
Images of a damaged arwing flashed in his mind. "No, wait!" He threw out his arm and held the door open. "Wait!"
Katt rolled her eyes. "What is it?"
"It's me. Okay? It's me, and I'm telling you I meant everything I said."
"What did he threaten you with?"
He hesitated, and then sighed in defeat. "My arwing."
"Right. Tell him he's not anyone's parent, and he needs to butt out." She attempted to push him out of the doorway.
"Katt, please. You haven't been yourself, and everyone's noticed it. I knew before Fox even pointed it out. I hurt you, and coming from me, I want to apolo-"
"He threatened something mechanical, didn't he?"
Falco hung his head.
"Tell him he can ask me himself about what I've told you and get out of my room." She closed the door harshly.
The next morning, she opened her door on her way to the restroom and stopped in her tracks.
On the wall across from her room, in dark purple paint, were the words "please forgive me".
She crossed her arms and stared, raising a brow in amusement. Fox is going to kill him... It's not exactly an apology, but then I'd never trust one of those coming from him. She sighed. "Fine..."
"Really?" Falco stepped out from his room.
"You have exactly zero seconds to wipe that look off your beak before I change my mind."
The avian took the two steps to cross the hall and hugged her. The act took her so much by surprise that she didn't get a chance to hug back before he released her. "I know I'm an asshole... I just hate it when people are mad at me."
"If you ever do something like that to me again, I solemnly promise you I will slice off your testicles in your sleep."
The bird cringed. "I believe you."
She turned and walked down the hall to the bathroom for a morning shower. By the time she emerged, the Great Fox was in disarray.
Falco grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bridge.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Star Wolf. They're challenging us to a dogfight."
She grinned. "This should be good." She laced her fingers together and pushed her palms outwards, cracking her knuckles in preparation.
"Oh, no. You're not flying with us. You're gonna sit on the bridge with Peppy and make sure they don't board us!"
"What?!" Katt stopped in her tracks, slack-jawed. "I am twice the pilot Slippy is and the fact that I'm a girl gives you an advantage!"
"They won't take us seriously with a girl pilot!"
"Right, and that will end up being their last mistake!"
Falco groaned. "You're not fighting them with us. You might get hurt, and we don't want any whining pussies on board."
The feline's ears flattened and she glared spitefully. "You're an asshole!"
Falco, Fox, and Slippy hopped in their arwings and sped out of the docking bay, leaving Katt to seethe on the bridge.
"It's all right, Katt." Peppy touched her shoulder sympathetically. "They leave us behind not because they don't think we're capable, but because they care about us and want to protect us."
"I don't need a bunch of babysitters! I can protect myself! I joined this team knowing the risks; ready to fight, not sit on the sidelines warming the bench like a useless player!"
"There's nothing wrong with sitting one out."
"I-... I didn't mean you, Peppy. I just... I want to help! I want to fight! I know I'm a good pilot, okay?"
"I'm sure they know that, too. Fox wouldn't have agreed to you joining the team if he didn't think you had skills. We're the elite. We're the last defense between pending doom and life as the citizens in the Lylat system know it. If they really thought you needed a babysitter, you wouldn't be on the ship with us. There's always a reason behind decisions. I believe the decision to leave you out of the fight was made to keep you safe."
"I don't need him to make decisions for me! I'm capable enough to keep myself safe!"
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but I don't think that decision was made for you. I do believe he wants to keep you safe for his own reasons."
She hesitated. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Falco may be a thick-headed selfish stubborn ass, but that doesn't lessen the fact that he is a living, sentient being and he has feelings. He hides them well behind his obnoxious sarcastic attitude, but I do believe one of those feelings is for you."
Her lower lip quivered and she stared at the ground. "With the utmost respect, I strongly disagree."
Without another word, she left the bridge and locked her bedroom door behind her.
Author's Notes: So... this is definitely gonna end up being more than five chapters. I'm shooting to have it wrapped up by chapter ten, now.
