"Papa! The car's here!" six year old Maddox called from his bedroom, aware of the fact that DEVIN has probably already notified his fathers of that fact. He hurried into his uniform and raced downstairs.
Once he reached ground level, he slid into the kitchen in search of his parents. He was kind of hoping they'd wake him up today and wish him a happy birthday, but he knew how busy they were. He cheerfully thanked DEVIN who wished the young boy a happy 6th birthday and rushed out to the waiting limousine. The car was taking him to his other dad's house so that he could get his private tutoring. He hoped his 'Papa' and 'Dad' would be there to give him his martial arts training. Not that he didn't love Uncle Panther and Uncle Leonard, he just wanted to show his fathers how strong he's gotten. Ever since he could remember, everyone worried about him. He was small for his age and quite a pacifist. His fathers were afraid of where that could lead, so they began to train his body while his Aunt Krystal helped train his mind.
He hopped in the limo and greeted the day's chauffeur, who also wished him a happy birthday, and they made their way for Falconridge.
Once they arrived, his 'Daddy' was there waiting with open arms. He hugged his third father and beamed with joy as he wished him a happy birthday. They made their way inside and began their day, which consisted of lessons on different subjects; math, science, English, geography, calligraphy, diction, and ceremonial studies. These were all important lessons for the future King of the planet of Corneria.
Math and science were taught by Uncle Leonard. They were currently working on algebraic equations and graphing. Maddox was well above his age group when it came to his studies, it was perhaps a side effect from his psychic abilities. He was sitting working on some equations when Uncle Leonard suddenly told him to look out of the window.
He did as he was told and he saw two familiar aircraft shooting through the sky. They began to duck and weave around each other, leaving a trail of smoke in their wake. When they'd finally finished, the smoke had written the words "Happy Birthday Madz" in the sky.
"Wow..." he gasped as he read the message. The aircraft then made final descent in the yard of the castle that Madox was currently in. Leonard had called for a break from the lesson, but he was almost too late, as Maddox was almost already out of the door. He just chuckled and muttered," I just can't compete."
Maddox ran to the garden area and saw two men disembarking from their aircraft, one a red fox with a blond mohawk leading to a long ponytail, the other a grey wolf with an eyepatch that glowed a deep violet. They began to coolly walk over but were almost immediately tackled by their son who was ecstatic to see them.
"Papa! Dad!" he yelled as they hit the ground.
"Hey there, squirt." Wolf said ruffling his son's shaggy hair. "Happy Birthday."
"Happy birthday, Madz. How's my prince doing?"
"I'm fine. Daddy and I were hanging out and then Uncle Leonard and I began our lessons. I missed you guys this morning." he admitted.
"Well, there was a bad guy we had to stop, but because he was so weak we took him out with no problem," Wolf boasted.
"Of course! I have the three most powerful Dads in the world!" he boasted back.
"You betcha, pup." Wolf chuckled.
"Well, you ready for your party?" Fox asked.
"Party?! Yes! ….but wait, I have to finish my lesson for today."
Fox was proud that his son had such a strong sense of responsibility at such a young age. If anyone had told him that he'd be getting out of school early when he was that age, he'd be halfway out the door.
"It's all right," Leonard said, approaching the trio on the ground. "Calling it quits early won't hurt." In the six years since joining Star Fox, Leonard had learned to relax and not be so rigid. The clean-cut young man with glasses and slicked back hair was now the twenty-six year old with contacts and the perfect bed-head. It was quite the transformation.
"Heya, Leo. How's it hanging?" Wolf greeted his teammate.
"Can't complain. Your son is probably going to wind up being my teacher at this rate," he chuckled.
"My little genius," Fox said, cuddling up to his son's face. Unlike most kids his age who would have protested to such a show of affection, Maddox readily returned it. "Well, let's head out."
"Can I ride in the Arwing? Pleeeeeease?" Maddox begged.
Fox and Wolf looked at each other. They supposed since they didn't have far to go and it WAS his birthday...
"Alright, cadet. Climb aboard." Fox saluted.
"YESSS!" he yelled and ran towards the aircraft. He said his goodbyes to Leonard and made sure he told his Daddy to make sure to come to the party, then climbed into his vulpine father's lap and watched at the hatch closed. He watched with fascination as Fox prepared for takeoff, he even let Maddox press a few of the button on the control panel.
With a mighty roar, the launch sequence initiated and they were off.
They landed back at home and put the Arwings in the hangar. When they entered the house, Maddox was bombarded with a loud cheer of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
He looked around and his whole family was there. Grandpa and Grandma Hare, Aunt Lucy, Aunt Krystal and Uncle Panther, even Uncle Falco and Aunt Katt. DEVIN had just announced that his Daddy and Uncle Leonard were arriving and that Uncle Leonard's dads were also coming.
The fact that for a child's birthday party there was a distinct lack of children wasn't lost on anyone. All three of his parents wished he could have more friends his age, but because of who he was and the attention he and his family brought, they couldn't risk Maddox making friends with someone else's child and that child becoming a target for any terrorist or anything. Also, because of his powers and species, Maddox stands out immensely. It would be hard to gauge anyone's true intentions in befriending him. Maddox was still a very trusting child and his parents were determined to keep it that way. Thankfully, he seemed content with his family being his friends so far, but they know it must get lonely sometimes.
They settled in and everyone went straight for the gifts. Everyone had a running bet to see which one Maddox would like the best. Last year, Krystal won with her energy channeling bracelets that allowed him to control and refine the energy he shot from his hands. It caused quite a bit of damage to the training room and equipment, but Maddox was happy, so that was all that mattered.
Peppy and his wife started the gifts by giving him a full set of advanced trigonometry and calculus books. Hit little eyes grew in excitement. Maddox loved learning and Fox or Wolf would usually catch him with a book of some sort when he wasn't active.
Krystal had made him a staff similar to the one she had when Fox first found her. It brought back fond memories for the two foxes, and Maddox loved twirling it about.
Panther got him a picture of himself with a rose in his mouth as a gag gift, which caused everyone to erupt with laughter when Maddox's less-than-pleased face emerged instantly. He'd really gotten him a fancy set of wristbands that complemented his channeling bracelets. They indicated his mood by changing colors.
Leonard had designed a pair of sunglasses that had DEVIN installed and could not only give him status updates on everyone, but give health diagnostics and his precise location to all three of his parents at a moment's notice. Fox, Wolf, and Emperor Xavier were all pleased with that gift.
Lucy, Falco, and Katt all went in on his gift of a large sum of money into his already ludicrous bank account.
His parents had conspired with their gift as well, but for their gift everyone had to move to the hangar. Once everyone headed back out, Fox gave DEVIN the command to 'bring it out'.
What 'it' was, was a smaller version of an Arwing. It didn't go as high or as fast as a real Arwing, but would allow him to get pretty high from the ground. Of course, DEVIN was installed and all the safety features were checked and double checked. His wasn't blue and white like his Papa's or black and red like his Dad's. His was white and black like his fur with the Star Fox symbol emblazoned within the black area.
The other guests watched as Maddox almost blew a gasket running over to his gift, they all knew that his fathers had won this year.
Fox, Wolf, and Xavier walked over and explained how to start it up and the controls. After a few minute of explanations, he was hovering inside the hangar. Fox opened the doors and Maddox shot off into the sky.
They all watched as he had the best childhood out of anyone present.