Wolf frowned as he stared at the eerie looking broth in front of him, digging the spoon in the creamy, bubbly brown liquid and bringing it into his mouth, his eyes widened as he threw the spoon at Panther.

"You can't cook for shit!"

"Sorry boss, I'm no chef, but it isn't that bad..."

"Just try it!"

Panther sighed and tried his broth, frowning and swallowing it because he didn't want to spit on the floor. "Augh! I can't cook for shit!"

"Damn it, where's Leon? I'm starving...he usually tells me when he disappears..." Wolf sighed as he walked to the cupboard and took out an instant soup.

"Again this shit...at least is better than your broth"

Panther sighed deeply. He enjoyed nice meals but he wasn't one for cooking at all, unlike Leon. Leon had superior cooking abilities, for some odd reason, his food was comparable to those found at the best restaurants in Corneria.

The familiar sound of the opening hangar was music to both the wolf and panther's ears as they announced their partner's arrival…and food arrival. Wolf hurried to the hangar and smirked as he saw the spaceship parking next to his. The cockpit opened and Leon jumped down, yellow eyes staring at the violet eye as he smirked at his friend.

"Missed me?"

"You have no idea how much"

"I think I do"

"No really, you don't, Panther's cooking sucks...and I'm bad at it too"

"Oh that sounds serious now, mmm maybe I should disappear again, maybe I'm not in the mood for cooking"

"Oh, really?" Wolf chuckled and approached Leon, wrapping his arms around the small chameleon and pulling him close. "What if it's an order from your boss?"

"Maybe I'm feeling rebellious"

"So, you want to be punished that badly?" Wolf grinned widely, holding Leon's chin with his hand gently and lifting his head up softly, leaning over him, their faces mere inches away. "Do you know how badly I'd punish you?"

Leon smirked. "No I don't, why don't you show me, boss?"

Panther cleared his throat. "Excuse me...but if you guys start playing around, we'll never get to eat anything...and I'm starving"

Wolf grumbled softly. "Damn it, do you think it's correct to interrupt us like this, Panther?"

"It's fine, I feel like cooking now" Leon smiled and walked away towards the kitchen. Panther smiled "Finally real food!" he followed Leon, ears twitching slightly.

"That cologne you're wearing, haven't smelled it before, it's cool"

"Uh? Cologne...oh, that's because this is not mine"

"Not yours?"

"Nope" Leon smiled and winked at Panther who looked at him in confusion and then blushed.

"O-oh..." the feline rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to ask further questions, since he respected Wolf's right hand, and knew they trusted and respected each other as well.

Leon smiled at him as he headed to the refrigerator and pulled out vegetables, then spices and meat.

"I dislike meat, but you two are carnivores so it can't be helped" Leon shrugged as he put on his cooking gloves. "Get out of my kitchen, I'll be done in half an hour"

Panther nodded and strolled out. One time Wolf and Panther had tried to help Leon out in the kitchen, but they made a royal mess and the stove got caught on fire, Leon had been so angry and bought a new stove, but he didn't like the two carnivores near his cooking gear. The feline didn't understand how Leon could be a ruthless assassin yet be a vegetarian.

Half an hour later as Leon had said, he walked out of the kitchen, gloves on, carrying a plate with grilled steak with vegetables, putting it on the table. He walked inside the kitchen and took a plate of mashed potatoes putting it besides the other one.

"I'm done!" he called his team mates as Wolf and Panther entered, staring lustfully at the great smelling food. Wolf pulled Leon close and nuzzled him. "You're a life savior, now be a dear and bring us some beer"

Leon scoffed and strolled to the kitchen, carrying the beverages.

"Anything else, your highness?"

"No, I'm quite pleased" Wolf winked at him and chuckled.

"Good, I need a bath, enjoy" Leon winked at them and walked out of the dining room to his quarters. Panther tried the meal and purred softly.

"He's an amazing cook...wonder why he didn't stay to eat with us though"

"I bet he's not hungry" Wolf shrugged and dug in his plate, while Panther pondered a bit more on Leon. Since he joined the team, the chameleon had been a mystery, the first month he barely talked to him, but started opening up slowly. Still, he never talked about himself nor his past, but the feline didn't dare ask further. His train of thought stopped when he tried the delicious dinner and ate as if he hadn't eaten in a week.

Leon stepped into his room, closing the door gently behind him. It was true, Falco's cologne still lingered on him, it had a slightly strong scent, robust and manly, it was quite comforting and Leon wondered if his decision had been the best, doubting about his actions probably for the first time in his life. He walked to the bathroom, and drew a bath, he needed a nice, long moment in the warm tub for himself. He took his clothes off, a lone, small blue feather had snuck in his trench coat and fell graciously to the floor. Leon stared at it for a while as he picked it up and sank in the warm water, closing his eyes and sighing softly, he twirled the feather slowly, the vibrant blue color stood out in the black and white room.

"Are you really leaving?" Falco sighed exasperatedly and placed his hands on his hips, eyeing Leon.

"I feel better now, I should go, thank you for everything though I have no ways to pay you yet"

"I don't need payment, I'm fine...but don't leave"

"...why?"

"Stay here"

"Why would you want me to stay here? I've nothing to offer"

"I like your company, Leon, it's comforting, plus I live alone, we've got more chances on surviving together, don't you think?"

Leon crossed his arms and sighed softly. "You're so stubborn, Falco"

Falco smiled widely. "You have no idea!"

Leon opened his eyes, staring at the feather, smiling slightly as he put it away and continued his bath. He was done after a while and decided to get ready for his next solo mission. He dressed in a thick black leather complete suit, with a utility belt full of his favorite 'toys' as he'd call them, and his hidden knives all around the suit as well. He put on his coat, tucking the feather in his chest pocket for good luck. He put on his gloves and walked out to the kitchen, were Wolf and Panther were still eating and chatting.

"Boys, I'll be back in a week, don't blow anything up while mommy's out" he winked at them as he walked to the hangar. Wolf stood up and followed him, while Panther wished him good luck from his place.

Leon stopped walking, aware of Wolf's presence and waited for the lupine to catch up to him, probably he had something important to say.

"Leon, we have a mission in two weeks, it's a loaded client so this will be fun"

"Understood, I'll be back as soon as possible to help with the preparations, Wolf"

Wolf smiled. "I know you will"

Leon returned the smile. "I've got to go now, see you then"

Wolf grabbed Leon's wrist and pulled him into a hug, nuzzling the smaller man, Leon returned the hug and rubbed the lupine's back.

"I'll be fine" he whispered

"Something looks as if it's troubling you, you seem a bit out of it, it's unlike you, you're thinking on something and I'm a bit worried. You know I never meddle in your affairs, I just want you to know I'm here for you and that I'll be waiting for your return, my dear friend"

Leon's eyes widened slightly and he nuzzled Wolf's chest. "I promise I'll be all right. I'll tell you all about it when I return"

"You don't have to..."

"I know, but I want to"

"All right then, Leon"

"I left the specs of my mission on your room, if you were wondering" the chameleon smiled as he separated from Wolf and continued his way. "See you"

Wolf grinned. "Don't dare get injured, we have an oncoming mission!"

Leon waved his hand in acknowledgement as he walked to his ship, Rainbow Delta. He rubbed his hand over the fuselage, smiling softly.

"Missed you baby, that Cornerian fighter isn't half as good as you" he hopped into his seat and closed the cockpit, turning on the engine. The soft humming was music to his ears, as the hangar's door opened and he took off in an instant. There was something magical about flying in the vastness of space, he would never get tired of it, it would never get old. He leaned back and closed his eyes, it was quite a way for his destination, plus his client was about to call him anytime soon. He took the blue feather out of his pocket and twirled it between his thumb and index finger, staring at it intently, until his business cellphone rang, putting it back and answering the call.

"Mr. Teller"

"Greetings, Mr. Powalski, I got new information on the mission. Casper Johnson, your target, has lost a valuable piece of his novel reactor, this piece is very important, without it the reactor is just a giant heap of fancy materials...it has fallen in the same planet where this reactor is"

"Macbeth..." Leon tapped his finger softly on his knee, in thought.

"Yes, it has an interesting lock system, it reads a biosignature for the first person that touches it, after that has been established, it would be impossible for anyone else to handle it, since it can give really great electrical discharges...that's all the information I've got for now, hope it'll be of use"

"Understood, I'll call back when the mission is over, Mr. Teller" he hung up and crossed his arms in thought. If he found this piece, getting to Johnson would be the easiest task in the world. He liked thrill in his missions, but he wanted to finish it as quick as possible to help Wolf in the preparations for their next big mission. He needed a good distraction, anyways.

The vulpine stretched on his seat and yawned softly, reading their newest mission: to find a missing piece of a reactor in Macbeth and take care of the space front of the Alianza company, since some space pirates were giving them quite a hard time.

"Ok, so three of us will stay on air while one of us go down to look for that missing reactor piece…Krystal and I will take the space front" he quickly stated.

"I'll take the air anytime!" Falco scoffed as Slippy crossed his arms.

"I won't let you decide that so casually! Let's all draw straws, the one with the shorter one gets the boring mission on the ground!"

"Drop it, Slip, you'll lose, eventually" Falco teased, putting his hands on his hips.

"Geez Falco, I don't know where you disappeared to yesterday, but whatever happened to you surely got you in a really bad mood!" Slippy stated, just provoking the blue bird further.

Falco frowned noticeably and clenched his hands into fists. "None of your damn business!" he growled.

"Well, it's true...you know we're friends so if you need to talk..." Fox started but Falco scoffed loudly.

"You worry about your own hide! Whatever, I'll take the damn ground!" and with that he stomped out of the room to the hangar, wanting to get away from further unwanted questions. The images were fresh in his mind, Leon's sounds, glowing skin, shinning eyes...it all seemed a dream. But the morning conversation still stung him, he was angry, sad and very confused at the same time. He should have never accepted to go back to that apartment, he should have never drank so much, he should have never stared at Leon's gorgeous yellow eyes full of longing and melancholy, he should have never touched the softest, smoothest skin of all, he should have never tried to revive long forgotten moments...

Falco growled again, those images vivid, haunting, intoxicating. He also needed a good distraction. He jumped into his Arwing, turning on the engine and getting everything set, when Peppy's voice came through the intercom.

"Falco? I already sent you the description of the mission and the artifact you'll be looking for, you've got to be really careful, once it has been locked, no one but the user can handle it, or it will throw an immense discharge, I doubt anyone could escape alive from it..."

"Roger, on my way"

"Be careful, lad"

"Yeah, yeah..." Falco turned off the com before Peppy could say anything more; he needed a moment of silence for a while.

His flight to Macbeth was quite peaceful and without trouble, since the air battle was on the other side of the planet. Plus his radar detected the radiation signal from the object, so it was going to be an easy ride. He finally landed in an open field, where the radar started beeping softly. The piece was around 3 kilometers inwards the land, apparently. Before he could jump out of his Arwing, a bolt landed not 10 meters away from him, one of the Macbethian famous thuderstorms was unfolding right before him.

"Amazing! Just what I needed! Fan-fucking-tastic!" Falco scoffed and decided to wait until the storm had ended to continue his journey.

By the time Falco had gotten there, the chameleon had already found the missing piece, handling it carefully and trying to unlock and program it so that it recognized him as its user. It had taken him 20 minutes to get past the firewalls and all the coding, but he finally did it, the metallic sphere shinning a green bright color.

'New user identified'

Leon sighed deeply, technology wasn't his strong side, after all, he did his best to know the basics and some tricks necessary for any good mercenary, but he was better at science and medicine, way better. He put the orb on a black satchel he was carrying and decided to walk out of the wild as soon as possible, thunderstorms in Macbeth were very common and it seemed this thing attracted lightning. As he hurried, his premonition became true when a lightning bolt struck the satchel, thankfully his attire connected well with the ground giving good insulation so the impact wasn't life threatening but it did send him down, unconscious.

It was over in ten minutes, it had seemed an eternity to Falco nonetheless as he jumped out of his ship and ran to the direction marked.

Falco's radar began beeping louder, meaning he was close to his target. His blue eyes fixed in what seemed like a small grove, it was weird to find such a sight in Macbeth, but he noticed a trail of smoke from some of the trees, maybe the piece attracted some lightning during the thunderstorm, which was over, hopefully. He hurried to the place and was taken aback by the sight: someone was lying in the middle of the grove, apparently unconscious.

"Hey! You there! Are you ok?!" Falco hurried and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the peculiar yet familiar curly chameleon tail, mint green color and familiar trench coat. His jaw dropped as he went on his knees and pulled Leon close, shaking him to wake him up.

"Leon?! Hey! Wake up!" his anger was momentarily forgotten as he grew worried for the reptile, had a thunder bolt struck him? What was he doing in that place? Was he even alive?

Falco checked Leon's pulse, feeling relief when he felt the beating, his body seemed all right, it didn't look burnt, at least externally. He stroked Leon's face gently without really noticing that he was doing it, unbuttoning the top part of his coat to make sure the chameleon wasn't badly hurt, that's when a small blue feather slid from the upper pocket, Falco's eyes widened recognizing immediately that feather as his. Why would Leon keep his feather with him like this?

Interrupting his train of thought, Falco was shoved backwards by Leon's tail and the reptile was over him, straddling him with a survival knife pressed against his throat.

"Agh! You're fast..." Falco whispered as Leon softened the grip.

"Lombardi...what are you doing here?"

Falco eyed the sharp knife and frowned "Put that thing away, I'm on a mission"

"About?"

"...get off me first!"

Leon released Falco, sitting beside him as the avian coughed for air. "Geez, was it necessary to hit my throat?!"

"It's part of the defensive technique, Falco, very useful too" Leon sheathed his knife on the holster on his thigh, as Falco raised in a sitting position and crossed his legs. "Man, what were you doing passed out in the middle of nowhere? That's unlike 'The Great Leon'"

Leon scoffed and crossed his arms. "Had some lightning troubles, no big deal"

Falco smirked, knowing he had hit the spot. "Really? Because you looked like you were in a real pinch..."

"I told you, it was nothing, drop it already"

"No really, you looked so not dangerous lying in the middle of a grove, unconscious, fairy tale like"

Leon just glared at Falco using his evil-eye technique, which sent shivers down the bird's spine, but he would never admit it, it was rare when his insults actually bothered Leon, and even though he was confused about last night events, he was still cocky and prideful and was quite enjoying the moment.

"What, did that tick you off?" Falco grinned and Leon pounced at him at bolt-like speed, straddling him again and pressing the knife once more against Falco's throat.

"You're begging to be tortured, annoying bird, now I'll repeat myself for the last time, what is this mission of yours about?"

Falco stayed silent, staring at Leon's eyes, trying hard not to remember that other side of the chameleon he had been able to see last night...maybe it had been all a weird dream...now they were back to their old rivalry fighting, as always. He was almost convinced it had been just his imagination when he saw the blue feather poking out of Leon's pocket.

"Well? Cat got your tongue?!" Leon pressed the knife slightly, careful not to pierce the skin…yet.

Falco smirked. "I very much preferred when you were straddling me without those heavy clothes on, Leon"

Leon's jaw opened slightly, it had caught him off guard, so Falco took advantage of it grabbing Leon's wrist with one hand and pushing himself and Leon up with his legs, this surprised the chameleon, even if he didn't really weigh much, that action needed a lot of core strength, and Falco did have that to his advantage.

Now Falco fell on top of Leon, holding down Leon's arm with all his strength, since Leon was pushing his arm up, probably aiming to strike his back with the knife, and he wasn't going to let that happen anytime soon.

"But I like it way better when you're under me" Falco purred, enjoying Leon's shocked eyes, getting a little revenge in a Powalski way.

"...Falco...you moron"

"Trying to act all mighty with me? I don't think so"

Leon smiled gently for the first time, now it was Falco's turn to be thrown off guard, cheeks flushing red.

"Maybe I should act all nice with you, then?" Leon purred, stopping the struggle with his arm, letting Falco pin his arms down, stroking Falco's face with his tail. "Is that what mighty Falco Lombardi wishes?"

'Damn, cunning as a damn snake' Falco thought, trying his best not to fall in the reptile's trap.

"Enough games, what are you doing here, Leon?" Falco's voice was serious now and Leon blinked and chuckled.

"Oh? I thought you wanted to play"

"Answer me!" he clenched his grip on the small wrists hardly, but Leon's expression remained the same.

"I bet they sent you for the sphere of the reactor, didn't they, big boy?" Leon purred, Falco's eyes widened and then narrowed at him.

"Touché" Leon grinned as Falco tightened the grip even more, his fingers starting to tingle from going numb, making him wince slightly.

"Stop your games and tell me what you're up to!" he growled.

Leon thought on getting his knife from the holster with his tail and stabbing the cocky bird, but then again, being Falco's prisoner could actually work to his advantage in more than one way, so he decided to act into it.

"Falco, you're hurting me...stop it"

"As if"

"...Yes I was assigned to get that orb, it's in my satchel...however..."

"However?!"

"I'm the registered user, try touching it and you'll probably die"

Falco released Leon's wrist in a quick movement to grab his blaster and pressed it against Leon's head.

"Then it seems you're coming with me"

"…I don't think so!" Leon kicked Falco off him and grabbed his knife, throwing it at Falco, who managed to evade it by a feather.

"Son of a...!" Falco shot his blaster at Leon and hit a leg.

"Whoa, your aim is better down here than when we're fighting in the air!" Leon grinned, limping slightly, he could fight back and have an even match, he also could have evaded the hit, but he needed Falco to feel safe, and it probably would take him to get more damaged...something in his head told him Wolf wouldn't be happy about this at all...

Falco approached him, blaster up. "Give up already!"

"Never" Leon took two more knives hiding in his sleeves and started attacking Falco, it surprised the bird how fast Leon could move even If he was hurt, but his leg did provide quite a con to his technique and Falco managed to land a hard blow on Leon's stomach, sending him to the floor.

Leon hissed in pain, maybe that was enough to convince Falco he was really out for good...he sure hoped so, as that hit hadn't been merciful at all.

The chameleon struggled to stand up, spitting some blood aside and preparing his knives once more, maybe a bit more...

"You want some rougher loving?!" Falco growled as he pounced at Leon once again, he received two superficial cuts on his arms but hit Leon's head hard with the back of his gun, the smaller man plummeting to the floor.

"Agh! Damn it Lombardi…" Leon bit his lower lip as some blood dripped down from his head, he knew it was superficial but heads were quite scandalous when they bled, apparently.

Falco secured some handcuffs on the chameleon's wrists. "Better now, you should've just come along in the first place, stubborn bastard"

"Bite me"

"With pleasure...maybe after the mission is done" Falco smirked and Leon scoffed slightly and muttered things in his native tongue along the lines of 'stupid horny jerks' and 'birds are always the biggest douchebags'.

"What was that?" Falco raised an eyebrow and pulled Leon closer, who stumbled slightly and bumped on Falco's chest. "I didn't hear what you were saying..."

"Stupid jerk" Leon tried getting away but Falco held him in place, inspecting the wound on his head.

"Does it hurt too much?..."

"Why would you care?"

"Idiot, you fucking know I do care, I didn't want to hurt you, but you left me no option..."

"Well you better change that mentality because I'd hurt you if I could"

"I know, you psychopath…hold still" he took a first aid spray from his holster and sprayed it on Leon's head wound. "It'll help it not to get infected...now your leg..."

"Why do you bother? You just want me to hand that thing and throw me to rot in jail, don't you, Falco?"

"No, I don't want that, Powalski, not at all..." he sprayed Leon's leg as well, the wound was deeper but nothing permanently serious.

"My ship is nearby, so let's hurry" Falco finished, putting the canister away as they walked, but Leon could hardly keep the pace with Falco, not only because the bird was a good head and a half taller than Leon, but also because of the constant limping of the reptile.

Falco sighed and without advice swept Leon off his feet, carrying him bridal style, Leon gasped at this action and stared at Falco, who was clearly avoiding his gaze.

"Put me down, Falco, I can walk..."

"Like hell you can, we'll get there in a month if I let you walk"

"You're exaggerating...put me down now"

"That won't happen, anyways, my Arwing is close and it's a one seat ship so we'll be cramped in there for a good half an hour, so you'd better get used to it"

Leon sighed and rested his head against Falco's chest, enjoying once again the warmth emanated by the soft feathers, Falco didn't bother looking at him but couldn't hide his flushed face as they headed to the ship.