#matsutzu

Along a wide, sunset bathed cliffside location, two hands drifted across the sky, hovering over a gathering of numerous creatures of different backgrounds.

 An orderly hand pointed out with its finger, slowly flowing around the cast herd below, as it neared one.

 “Fox!” An omnipotent voice thundered from the skies.

 “Another fight, then.” Fox smirked and readied his blaster. A red coin flashed below his feet. “So be it. Let’s go!”

 “No.”

 “Wait, what?”

 Drifting away, the hand floated off, and the red circle beneath Fox had vanished.

 “…What was the point of that?” The pilot folded his arms and watched as the hand flew off. “…Pikachu, come on. Wasn’t that weird?”

 “Pika pi.”

 “Oh, don’t give me that.” Fox’s ears lowered as the yellow mouse beside him chuckled.

 “Sorry, it’s too fun.” He scratched his ear and twitched his tail. “You’d think that it would make more sense for someone like me to talk, considering that you and your friends can.”

 “Friend.” Fox rolled his eyes. “Falco is my friend, Wolf is not.”

 “…I meant those other animal people.” Pikachu lifted his paw and counted. “If I have their names correct, that includes Peppy, Slippy, uh…Krystal, and—”

 “Ok, ok, you got me there.” Fox shrugged. “Still, I don’t get why those hands can be so indecisive. I mean, the guy’s called ‘Master Hand,’ shouldn’t he be more of a master of his own fate kind of being?”

 “Come to think of it, should we even be addressing him and the crazy one as males?” Pikachu tilted his head, watching the other hand circle through the sky, waving its fingers about wildly. “Just because they have masculine voices, that doesn’t really confirm if we’re meant to address them as such.”

 “They want to be addressed that way, last I heard.” Fox rubbed behind his head. “I know they’re just floating hands with supreme powers in this realm, but they are alive in their own sense, so…” Fox sighed. “This is a complete separate conversation from what I wanted to talk about.”

 “Ridley!”

 “Ah, is this the part where we all yell out, ‘Ridley confirmed!’” Pikachu smirked as a crowd some distance from him and Fox did just that. “Ah…that never gets old.”

 “Samus kind of hates that.” Fox glanced over as the armored warrior seethed. “A lot.”

 “Yeah…and I have some memory of fighting him too, now that you mention it.” Pikachu shrugged. “But hey, he’s oddly good with Pichu.”

 “So is that big cat guy from your universe!” Fox blinked. “…Is he a guy cat?”

 “The one with us today happens to be, yes.” Pikachu chuckled. “Got your head spinning a bit, huh?”

 “Ugh, honestly.”

 “King K. Rool!”

 “And there’s Donkey Kong’s most hated,” pointed out Fox, as a blue light burst from under a large crocodile with a crown.

 “Sure…his, uh, ‘most hated,’ let’s go with that.”

 “They’re enemies, from what I was told.” Fox raised an eyebrow. “Did I miss something?”

 “Uh…someone else should explain it to you.”

 “Duck Hunt! Duck Hunt! Duck Hunt!”

 “What the hell is he doing now?”

 “Probably trying to make that sound ridiculous if he can mash it quickly enough.” Pikachu snickered. “If you’re fast enough, it sounds like—”

 “Something really immature.”

 “Um…well…” Pikachu puffed out his cheek. “Buzzkill, dude.”

 “I’m just saying.”

 “Yeah, you’re right, I guess.”

 “Shulk!”

 “Pit!”

 “Ice Climbers!”

 “Team Battle!”

 “Time!”

 “Stamina!”

 “Time!”

 “Huh.” Pikachu scratched his nose. “Guess they’re swapping rules along with us.”

 “This is the first time I haven’t heard them yell ‘Stock’ in ages.” Fox clutched his head. “It’s almost always the case.”

 “Pretty much.”

 “Ready to Fight!”

 Disks of earth erupted from the ground, carrying off the six selected fighters. A massive portal opened up, carrying them off to a spacious field with a train rushing through the area.

 “Ooh…that’s going to suck for them.” Pikachu winced. “Spirit Train gets a little crowded, you know?”

 “It’s not exactly my first choice either,” admitted Fox. “Though…it’s nice to feel the rush of the wind on a moving vehicle.”

 “You would enjoy that.” Pikachu shook his head and ambled away. “Ah well. Let’s get going.”

 “Going?”

 “Yeah.” Pikachu turned back and blinked. “What, you’re not going to just sit here and wait for them to drag us off in who knows how long that fight’s going for, are you?”

 “Well, I…I just figured…”

 “Oh my gosh, you were.”

 “Hey, come on!” Fox folded his arms. “What else are we supposed to do?”

 “Literally anything else.” Pikachu rolled his eyes. “They don’t even need us exactly to stand here. We’re two of…how many versions of us exist here again?”

 “Point taken, but—”

 “But nothing.” Pikachu motioned for Fox to follow him. “Palutena is going to have a bunch of us at her temple.”

 “To do what?”

 “I don’t know, socialize?” Pikachu continued walking. “Look, you can stand here and wait in your numbered spot, if you want. But, I’d rather relax and play with my friends than just…sit here.”

 Glancing back at the barren sky, Fox spun around as another portal opened in the sky. A goddess with flowing green hair rose up.

 “How is it you mortals start these sort of things?” Palutena tapped her cheek, and then shrugged. “Ah, whatever. Come on, let’s party!”

 Bewildered, Fox shook his head and walked behind Pikachu, as they both followed the massive crowd through the portal.

 Entering a vast structure in the heavens above, Fox and Pikachu stepped onto a grassy cliff. A smaller mouse scurried over to them and excited grabbed at Pikachu.

 “Pikachu, Pikachu!” The tiny mouse bounced around. “Come on, come on! Kirby’s going to play with me and Jigglypuff! And he’s bringing Meta Knight too!”

 “Aw, that’s really cute, Pichu…wait, Meta Knight?” Pikachu grinned. “This, I’ve got to see.” He turned back to Fox. “See you later, Number 7.”

 “Later, Number 8.”

 “Maybe that trainer will let the other Pokemon play with us too!”

 “As long as he’s not stuffing us in balls, sounds good.”

 Fox waved as the Pokemon hurried across the bridge. They bumped a black-winged angel off, who flapped his wings and floated back onto the wooden planks.

 “Hey! Watch it!”

 “Aw, don’t be so angry, Pittoo.” Palutena floated to him, spiraling her staff around. “Come on, relax, enjoy yourself instead of brooding for once.”

 “It’s not brooding, it’s thinking quietly.”

 “Sure, right.”

 “Don’t you have an angel of your own to annoy?”

 “He got selected to battle, or didn’t you hear those other god hands choose him?” Palutena laughed. “That means I get to boss you around in his place!”

 “Not happening.”

 “You’re not refusing a goddess, are you, Pittoo?”

 “My name is Dark Pit!”

 “…That really, really doesn’t sound much better.”

 Fox stifled a laugh and hopped from the cliff, down to the next, and walked over to a flat platform between it and another grassy cliff. He gazed out at the golden clouds and smiled before turning and sitting by the water’s edge, listening to the cascading waterfall flow down below him.

 “Yo, Fox!”

 Glancing up, Fox watched as a blue bird flipped backwards off of a cloud, leaping down and landing on the grass below. He popped back up, waved his wing with a wink, and walked over.

 “Falco, hey.” Fox waved, and then pointed past him. “You do know there was a ladder that you could’ve taken, right?”

 “Yeah, but wasn’t that way more stylish?” Falco rubbed a wing over his beak. “That’s much more my speed, you know?”

 “If you want to break your feet some day, sure.” Fox chuckled as Falco sat beside him. “So, what are you up to around here?”

 “Nothing much, just enjoying a nice perch.”

 “Leave to Falco to find a high spot to hang from,” teased Fox.

 “What can I say?” Falco smirked. “I do prefer the air.”

 “Oh, not that again.”

 “Come on, it’s a great line!” Falco puffed out his chest. “It’s really…me, you know?”

 “Uh-huh.”

 “Don’t be jealous because I’m the one with more personality,” mocked Falco. “That’s why a lot of people get into this place, you know. Go ask that spunky princess, the blonde fighter guy, or that blue vested vampire guy.”

 “Vampire killer, I think.”

 “Whatever, they hang out with a vampire either way.”

 “True.” Fox blinked. “Speaking of, have you seen Krystal?”

 “Nope.”

 “…You…don’t sound all that concerned about her.”

 “Why should I?” Falco shrugged. “She’s not really the same as us, you know?”

 “Hey, she can fight just the same—”

 “As in from the same point in our universe, Fox.”

 “Ah. Well…wait, what do you mean?”

 “You know, that whole, uh…how did the others put it…?” Falco waved his wings around. “The chronology thing! How she’s from this set era based on a time that we never existed in. It’s not really hers either, but it’s from that adventure.”

 “An adventure of ours that we’ve never been on?”

 “There, that!” Falco grinned, as Fox tilted his head. “…Don’t look at me like that. You remember going to the dinosaur planet, Sauria?”

 “No, but…I don’t remember a lot of things that I’m supposed to around here.” Fox rubbed his head. “Something about space alien species known as Aparoids, Andross having a grandson, it’s all…I don’t know, foreign?”

 “Includes Krystal,” reminded Falco.

 “Look, just because we don’t really recognize her and she doesn’t really understand why we’re different doesn’t mean that we should treat her like she doesn’t belong with us.” Fox lowered his eyes as Falco folded his arms. “Come on, don’t be like that.”

 “She’s weird, just admit it.”

 “Different, not weird,” corrected Fox.

 “Call it what you want.” Falco shrugged. “Anywho, that’s neither here nor there. At least she has herself around here. Peppy being a big handsome penguin with a bunny headband is weird.”

 “Yeah, you’ve got…wait, what?”

 “I mean, I know it’s not really him, but—”

 “Whoa, whoa, back it up.” Fox pointed at Falco. “Did you just utter ‘handsome’ about that big penguin guy?”

 “…No?”

 “Pretty sure my hearing is one of the best around here.”

 “Pretty sure you’re crazy.”

 “Falco.”

 “Ok, maybe I did!” Falco hopped up from Fox’s side. “So what?”

 “Are you into him?”

 “Into who?”

 “That penguin.” Fox tapped at his chin. “I think he’s…Dedede?”

 “King Dedede.”

 “Holy crap, you do have a crush on him.”

 “Do not!” Falco blushed and twisted away. “It’s not like it’s that big of a deal.”

 “Are you so offended by me knowing?”

 “Knowing what?!”

 “That you like the king.”

 “Which?” Falco snapped his beak shut and twisted back, eyes widened. “Uh…what?!”

 “…You like more than one of them?”

 “No!” Falco twisted back and placed his hands on his hips. “Where do you even get off with those ideas?”

 “Well, the only red spots of your feathers are around your eyes, not your cheeks.” Fox pointed at Falco’s brightened face. “Also, I think even your beak is glowing a bit from—”

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

 “Aw, that’s so cute.” Fox blinked. “Hang on, did you like Peppy before—?”

 “Ew, no!” Falco fumed. “Enough, Fox!”

 “So…if King Dedede is one…” Fox snapped his fingers. “Oh, that King K. Rool guy, he’s another one, huh?”

 “Gross, no way!” Falco stomped his foot. “Come off it, Fox!”

 “Wow, you are.” Fox smirked. “The penguin I get, birds of a feather and all that. But the crocodile?”

 “What?! What’s wrong with him?!” Falco shifted his eyes back and forth wildly. “Uh, not that I care.”

 “Hmm.” Fox’s grin broadened. “Do you have a thing for big guys, Falco? I didn’t think you had a particular type.”

 “I don’t!”

 “You sure?”

 “Shut up, Fox!”

 “Hey, do you like that Wario guy too?”

 “Are you serious?!” Falco scooped Fox up by his jacket. “Ooh, I could clobber you myself, here and now!”

 “Think that role is reserved for me.”

 Both pilots spiraled around as a third stood on the cliffs above them, smirking a toothy grin.

 “Wolf!”

 “Saved by the rival.” Falco sighed, and blinked, releasing Fox. “Not…not that I needed that.”

 “Good, because I’m not here to rescue you from your embarrassing heavy guy crushes,” mocked Wolf.

 “Oh, come on!”

 “What the hell do you want, Wolf?!”

 “Just keeping tabs on you, same as always, Fox.” Wolf spun away. “Carry on, you two, gossiping like those psychic kids and villagers about silly crushes.”

 Running off, Wolf cackled as he hurried away. Tightening his hands to fists, Fox jerked up from the ground.

 “Fox, he’s absolutely baiting you,” cautioned Falco. “What for is beyond me, but that’s definitely bait.”

 “Maybe so, but I’m not just going to let him go around causing trouble whenever or wherever he wants.” Fox jumped up to the cliff. “If anyone can stop him, it’s me!”

 “You get him, Fox!” Falco rubbed behind his head as Fox twisted around, shooting his teammate an inquisitive look. “Uh…what?”

 “You’re not coming?”

 “Um…you, uh, you want me to?”

 “…You’re waiting for that penguin, aren’t you?”

 “No!”

 “Whatever, I can handle Wolf on my own.”

 “Hey, Fox!”

 Running across the bridge, Fox charged after Wolf, who disappeared past the fountain. Hopping down from a ledge as three princesses giggled and whispered with one another near an actual temple, he surged past them, swinging down past another ledge.

 “Hey, watch where you’re going, tough guy!” The princess in yellow and orange placed her hands on her hips, glaring after him. “My girlfriends and I don’t appreciate you just running amuck, got it?”

 “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt the gal pals.”

 “Girlfriends.”

 “Right, that’s what—” Wolf clasped his mouth shut. “Oh. …Huh. My mistake. Carry on and enjoy, ladies.”

 Grinning, he hopped down to a pit below, falling past a hall and down to a cavern dungeon. A blue frog and a red tiger were chattering together there.

 “Ok, so the cave was a less, uh…intimate than I imagined,” admitted the tiger. “That’s my bad.”

 “It’s double your bad, Incineroar, because I told you this place wasn’t a nice spot,” grumbled the frog. “I’ve been here before, you haven’t.”

 “Sorry, for the third time already, Greninja!” Incineroar folded his arms. “Look, I just thought somewhere darker might be cozier for us than…” He shuddered. “…Cozier than anywhere near the waterfalls.”

 “Or the fountain,” insisted Greninja. “Those were nicer spots!”

 “Boy oh boy, I do love interrupting couples today.” Both jerked around and glared at Wolf, who grinned and waved at them. “Hello, fellow evildoers.”

 “In our world, ‘evil’ is a description of mysterious types that people don’t understand, including our own kind,” snapped the frog. “It’s not the same as in yours at all.”

 “Right, sure.”

 “What do you want, Wolf?”

 “Ooh, you know me!” Wolf placed his hand over his chest. “I’m touched, kitty-cat.”

 “It’s Incineroar,” snapped Greninja. “Quit being condescending.”

 “So defensive of your partner,” teased Wolf. “How sweet.”

 “If you don’t want me to pound you out of the stratosphere, you’ll choose your next words carefully.” Incineroar growled.

 “Come on, we all know you’re a big softie.”

 “I’m not,” warned Greninja.

 “No, you…you’re rougher.” Wolf grinned. “Like me.”

 “What?”

 “You two and I should team up once in a while,” offered Wolf. “After all, I’ve got an assassin on my team back where I’m from, like you, froggie.” Wolf beamed as Greninja rolled his eyes. “And you, well…apparently, I have worked with a big cat before. Maybe not as meaty, and maybe not to my recollection, but—”

 “Not interested.” Incineroar smirked. “Like you called it, I’m the big softie. Folks may like me fooling around with the bad guys for show, but I’m not about to roll with one like you outside of one.”

 “…Huh. First time that one backfired on me.”

 “Wolf!”

 Twisting back with a jump, Wolf lowered his eyes as Fox growled at him from above.

 “Sorry, boys, looks like I’ve got to run.” He grinned back to them. “Enjoy your date. Offer’s open whenever you like.”

 “It’ll stay open,” both Pokemon fired back simultaneously.

 Hopping up onto an orange spring, Wolf flew up and past Fox, bouncing onto another spring and upwards again.

 “Get back here!”

 Jumping onto the spring, Fox chased after him. Incineroar and Greninja blinked athe two disappearing pilots and glanced back to each other.

 “Fountain of Dreams would have been a much nicer spot to be right now,” insisted Greninja. “We could have had a relaxing evening there.”

 “Oh, here we go.” Incineroar sighed and rolled his eyes. “Babe, what part of ‘Fire Type’ don’t you get?”

 Fox carried on after Wolf, but stopped short as he climbed up to the fountain. A monkey in a cap and shirt walked past him.

 “Oh, hey! Uh…Diddy Kong!” Fox hurried to the monkey. “Listen, can you help me catch Wolf? I need to—”

 “Wolf?! He’s here, in this place?!”

 Jerking back, Fox blinked at the monkey. His eyes were lowered and he grinned darkly.

 “Star Fox, I’m certainly not about to help you over my, ah…leader.”

 “…So…you not wearing red…is because…?” Fox blinked. “Are you ok, Diddy?”

 “It’s Andrew, Fox!”

 “…Ah.” Fox nodded. “In that case…”

 Grabbing the monkey by the shirt, Fox flung him out past the bridge and spiraling away from the skies, as the chimp screamed out and fell away.

 “You’re lucky that doesn’t kill you,” called Fox with a wave. Twisting back, he gazed past the fountain. “Now…after Wolf.”

 Clawing his way up platforms past the temple, Wolf leapt up and to the shrine that hovered above the smaller temple. He rushed to the altar, where Palutena talked with a blue haired woman.

 “So then, I rushed back through time to go help my father, and put a stop to the fell dragon once and for all.” The woman blinked, and unsheathed her sword. “Lady Palutena! Be wary. A beast approaches.”

 “What?” Palutena turned around. “Oh, you.” She smiled. “Wolf, wasn’t it?”

 “That’s right.” Wolf rested his hands on his knees. “I’m going to need your help, ah, Lady Palutena.”

 “Excuse me?”

 “You heard right.” He picked himself back up. “Come on, get me a portal that goes to the other big crowd, off at that cave.”

 “The one below? I think there’s only a couple down there.”

 “The other cave, not even here.” Wolf paused and waved a fist up and down. “You know, where that, uh…that penguin comes from.”

 “Oh, the Great Cave.” Palutena nodded, and turned back to the woman. “Sorry, where were you with the story, Lucina?”

 “Hey, I introduced you to her! The whole ‘mortal above the rest like Link,’ wasn’t it? They’re the two that catch your eye the most.” Wolf folded his arms. “You owe me.”

 “I believe you’ve forgotten that I’m goddess,” reminded Palutena, maintaining her smile as she whipped back to Wolf. “I don’t owe you anything.”

 “But don’t you want to help out a poor, troubled creature like me?”

 “You have me confused with the other goddess who takes in nature’s strays.”

 “Come on, I need to get somewhere where I can get lost with a partner of mine.”

 “Oh, him.” Palutena giggled. “That much I could arrange. Just give me a moment to get the Hands’ attention and permission.”

 “…Don’t you use your own powers here?”

 “Not quite. This place isn’t the same as my home.” Palutena tapped at the altar. “I can use some magic here, but the Hands are the ones in control.” She turned and raised her staff. “Ok, we should be good.”

 “Wait, that quick?”

 “I may be limited here, but I am a goddess.”

 A portal opened across the sky and Wolf gazed in at the castle and grass structures over lava. He smirked as he heard someone groan and crawl up the shrine.

 “Wolf!”

 “Thanks a bundle, then, goddess!” Wolf rushed through the portal. “Don’t keep me waiting, Fox!”

 “Get back here!”

 Running after Wolf, Fox disappeared through the portal as it sealed away from the heavenly skies. Palutena sighed and flipped her hair.

 “My apologies, Lucina.” The swordswoman gawked at her as she leaned against the altar. “Now, you went through time to catch up with Chrom, right? I think he’s with Robin past the tower now, if you want to go see those men…well, you know their bonds, I’m sure.”

 Jumping out of the portal over the castle and landing on the platform over the lava, Fox whirled around, spotting Wolf as he flipped down from a ledge past the palm trees.

 “Catch me if you can, McCloud!”

 “Damn it, Wolf!”

 Flipping past women with guns, with one blowing a kiss to the other, Fox and Wolf descended across the platforms, jumping down deeper into the cave.

 “Mind the mine carts, Fox,” cautioned Wolf.

 “What do you care?!”

 “A lot.”

 “What?!”

 “Come on, let’s—”

 “No, enough of this!”

 Tackling Wolf, the two canine pilots dropped past a burning wall and crashed down onto a tile ramp. Eying the track that ascended past the cannon, Wolf exhaled, and grunted as Fox pinned him to the floor.

 “Start talking, Wolf!” Fox growled. “What are you up to?”

 “Never thought you’d end up on top between us,” teased Wolf.

 “Wuh…what?!”

 “Lighten up, Fox.” Wolf pushed Fox from atop him. “Come on, let’s go somewhere else.”

 “Oh no, I didn’t chase you from one stage to another to just…talk!”

 “Hey, I’m the one that wanted to come here to do just that.”

 “…Come again?”

 “Nuh-uh.” Wolf wagged his finger. “Come on, follow me. Before we get run over…”

 Ambling down the ramp, Wolf beckoned Fox to follow. Raising an eyebrow, glancing back for the cart, Fox shook his head and followed Wolf down the ramp. Ahead of them, past the platforms before the castle, stood a boy in an orange tunic.

 “Oh, isn’t that one of the Links?” Fox waved to him.

 “Fox, hold on—”

 “Hello there, Link!”

 Twisting around, the boy grinned happily. He plucked a bomb out and hopped forward at Wolf and Fox.

 “…Does he normally do that?”

 “No!”

 “Didn’t think so.”

 Jumping out, Wolf kicked the boy back, knocking his bomb away. Grinning still, the boy hopped up, and bounced away along the ramp of railway tracks.

 “Kids with bombs are scary, but that was outright terrifying,” murmured Wolf. “You good, Fox?”

 “What was wrong with him?!”

 “That wasn’t actually a Link, Fox.” Wolf scratched his head. “Aren’t you used to this world, yet?”

 “You say that like you are!”

 “Kind of am.”

 “How?!”

 “We’re Spirits, Fox. It’s not like we’re actually who we are.”

 “…Come again?”

 “Look, I’m not explaining this on the tracks.” Wolf jumped down and past the buried castle walls. “Let’s go this way.”

 Raising an eyebrow, Fox followed Wolf along, and they walked past the castle’s pillars. Ahead, beyond the platform, were a man and monster.

 “Isn’t that Bowser and Mario?” Fox pointed at the two.

 “Don’t try greeting them,” warned Wolf. He glanced at the pair and exhaled, brushing his head. “Well, at least they’re the usual two.”

 “Huh?”

 “Just shut up and listen.”

 Blinking, Fox looked from Wolf and back to the duo. Mario watched as Bowser took his hand, and guided him to the tiled platforms below the lava ceiling.

 “Come on, just look at that!” Bowser grinned to Mario. “That’s such a look for my castle, and it’d be perfect!”

 “While I admit that a lava infested castle sounds like it should belong to you, I’m pretty happy that it’s not yours.”

 “Mario, come on.” Bowser lifted his arms and flopped them down. “This place should be mine, not Dedede’s or Kirby’s or whoever.”

 “Meta Knight’s?”

 “Sure, him. Though he owns a whole battleship, so he doesn’t care about this place.”

 “I’m not sure if any of them do, really.”

 “All the more reason it should have been my castle!”

 “You did get a few places that look like it,” reminded Mario. He guided Bowser back by the hand, and pointed at the castle walls. “Besides, look at the windows of…are those stained glass or something else?”

 “They look like clay.”

 “Weird.” Mario shook his head. “Anyway! This place isn’t really the best location, is it? It’s so hard to find anyone around here, it’s too spacious, and would you really want your castle to be so marred by tons of lava spots where touching them could practically kill you?”

 “…That literally sounds like my castle, so, yes.”

 “Ugh, Bowser…” Mario brushed a hand over his head. “Ok, look, I admit that you should have a better place to call your home—”

 “Thank you!”

 “But, you and I can share nicer spots around the Mushroom Kingdom stages.” Mario took both of Bowser’s hands into his own. “Isn’t that be nicer than, I don’t know, a huge mess like this place?”

 “Maybe.” Bowser sighed. “I just don’t like sharing them with…let’s see, three princesses, one of my plants, each of the seven Koopalings, the alternate reality version of you as a doctor—”

 “Ok, it’s strange, I know, but we have a lot of places that feel like home for all of us,” reasoned Mario. “Out of those places, you and I can always find somewhere that’s just right for, well, us.”

 “…And Junior, and your brother—”

 “Bowser.”

 “Yeah, those two I don’t mind as much.” He chuckled as Mario nudged his stomach. “Sorry, sorry. You’re right, I just don’t like admitting it.” He shrugged. “So, you want to get out of here?”

 “We need to wait for someone to get us out of here.” Mario scratched behind his head. “Besides, you said you wanted me to model some of the new costumes for you?”

 “Ooh, can you bring those out from here?” Bowser clapped his hands together. “Your wedding tuxedo is a lot hotter than I like admitting to.”

 “Wait, what?!”

 Mario and Bowser spiraled around as Wolf groaned, pushing Fox down from their sight.

 “These places have no privacy at all,” muttered Bowser. Louder, he grumbled out, “What do you want, Wolf?”

 “Nothing from you, Bowser.” He sheepishly grinned. “Just admiring you and yours.”

 “Super. Admire us another time and give us our minute alone, will you?”

 “Sure thing, buddy.”

 “We’re not buddies.”

 “We’re definitely buddies.”

 “Get lost, already.”

 Chuckling, Wolf slid down from the pillar and pulled Fox away. Tugging his arm free, Fox pointed back in the couple’s direction.

 “I have several questions.”

 “Spirits, Fox.” Wolf rolled his visible eye, and ambled away from the buried castle walls. “That literally answers everything.”

 “It does not!”

 “We’re Spirits that are based on the lot of our different universes and all mashed together here to fight and mingle otherwise, while also preventing the fabric of reality from being disrupted and causing a calamity across all of our homes from our joining.” Wolf’s shoulders slumped as Fox’s mouth parted open. “How does that not make sense to you?”

 “You sounded smart.”

 “Ouch. Thanks.”

 Spotting the Young Link in orange ride a mine cart down holding a bomb, Wolf grabbed Fox again, and dragged him across the platforms in front of the castle. They waited as the mine cart crashed on the platform above them, rattled off past, and crashed into the walls behind them.

 “Is he going to be—?”

 “He’s fine.” Wolf tugged Fox on again. “Quit acting like you don’t know how this place works, Fox. Didn’t you lob a monkey off the bridge earlier?”

 “You saw that?”

 “Hey, you were supposed to be chasing me.” Wolf chuckled. “Had to know why you stopped.”

 “He was acting like Oikonny from home.”

 “Ah.” Wolf shook his head. “I don’t know why multiple versions of me ever even recruited him. I get that it was mostly Andross’s meddling, but—”

 “Speaking of, we’re through, by the way.” Fox pulled from Wolf again. “You helped them with killing my father, and you’re still my enemy.”

 “Based on him, not him,” reiterated Wolf. “Is it that hard to get?”

 “Doesn’t matter to me.” Fox shook his head. “You’re a Wolf through and through after all.”

 “A Wolf that has memories of multiple lives and origins, Fox.” He chased after Fox, as the two hopped past a platform near blue and purple crystals. “There’s a world, a galaxy, where you and I have allied with one another. Multiple times.”

 “That’s got to be a lie.”

 “It’s not!” Fox turned back as Wolf paused. “It…it’s not. You know about that…uh, that alternate version of the Lylat that Krystal yammers about?”

 “You know her name?”

 “She’s one of us!” Wolf shuddered. “Even if I do find that creepy to admit out loud.”

 “Go on.”

 “Huh? Oh.” Wolf cleared his throat. “That place, the one with the, um…the Aparoids.” Wolf took Fox’s hand. “You and I were side-by-side in that place.”

 “And…you remember that?”

 “Well…no.”

 “So much for multiple memories—”

 “Look, Fox.” Wolf watched as Fox jumped down by the bottom section of crystal shards, and hopped after him. “Please, I’m trying to—”

 “Trying what, Wolf?!” Fox spiraled around. “What do you even want?”

 “This version of me holds the memories of a Wolf that held some kind of basis on that Wolf.” Wolf dragged his claw over his face. “That sounded so much better in my head.”

 “Did it?”

 “Fox, the Wolf that was a Trophy, from this universe…” Wolf paused and straightened his posture. “You know how we’re all assigned numbers and we’re meant to be based on fighters that were previously from this place, right?”

 “What, like how I’m Number 7 out of…however many we are again?”

 “Yes, yes, that!” Wolf grinned, more genuinely than his usual kind. “You’re Number 7, and I’m Number 44. We’re the basis of fighters that the Master Hand has had clash before in this place. And I don’t get that very much, but I know of the Wolf that was a Trophy before me, one that was lost years ago.”

 “They lost a few before, and only some were found during the last gathering of everyone,” recalled Fox. Wolf raised an eyebrow to him, and Fox turned away. “I paid attention to the stories, I just…don’t really understand them that well. Or the ones that keep calling me one of the Original 8, like that should mean something to me.”

 “It does in this universe, Fox.” Wolf grabbed his hand again. “And that’s the weird thing, because I know you have some of those memories instilled into you, just like I do.”

 “Uh…well, I sort of—”

 “You do! I already know you do!” Wolf pointed back. “That’s why you can pick up on so many names and recognize faces quickly. Mario’s like an old friend even though he looks nothing like us, right?”

 “He…feels that way, sure, but—”

 “But nothing!” Wolf shook Fox’s hands again. “This is what I mean. These versions of us, we’re…we are, but we’re not who we are.” He smiled again. “That means we have the freedom to pursue what we want when we’re not part of the battles, not part of the show.” His lips curled up further. “Why do you think we’ve hurried past so many pairs earlier?”

 “What? Those princesses, Mario with Bowser—?”

 “Even Falco crushing on some weird type interest he developed.” Wolf nodded. “That’s all part of the freedoms we do have here, the will to choose how we go forward from who we’re supposed to shadow, and who we want to be.”

 “That’s a really weird concept.”

 “Is it, though?” Wolf folded his arms. “Come on, don’t act like you feel entirely comfortable around even Falco.”

 “He’s my good friend and teammate,” defended Fox. “We belong together.”

 “There’s nothing about him that seems odd?” Wolf snorted. “Besides the crushes.”

 “Well…not weird enough—”

 “But there are differences to what you think you know about him!” Wolf pointed at Fox. “And, and, he has those weird lines that he brings up that he swears up and down—”

 “That he’s used countless times before,” finished Fox. He blinked and gazed at the shards. “…Like it’s something we’ve talked about plenty of times already, but I don’t even remember him saying them.”

 “Exactly!”

 “Still…” Fox folded his arms. “I don’t think…I mean, we are like that, but…Falco—”

 “No, no, Falco’s served his purpose for my point, leave him to his one-sided lusting.” Fox opened his mouth, but Wolf covered it. “He barely knows any of them, and I know for a fact that King K. Rool has eyes more for Ridley and Donkey Kong over Falco, so that’s definitely a lost cause.” Wolf dropped his hand away. “Us so-called villains tend to get lumped together, even though you’ve already seen that I’m not exactly the best of friends with them.”

 “Bowser likes you.”

 “No he doesn’t.”

 “He could’ve been a lot angrier at us before.” Fox smirked. “I think he does like you.”

 “And again, you feel like you know him, don’t you?” Wolf placed his hands on his hips as Fox’s arms fell, and he slowly nodded. “It’s because your Spirit is imbued with the memories of the Fox, or the Foxes, that came before you.”

 “It really doesn’t sound any more normal the more you repeat that,” deadpanned Fox.

 “Fine, sorry.” Wolf shrugged. “Anyway, my point is that, when we’re not being forced to face off against each other…why don’t you and I…get to know one another better, as we are here?”

 “…You have no friends.”

 “Not really where I was going with that.”

 “You want stable friends that are more familiar to you than your villain buddies.”

 “Sort of on the right track, yes.” Wolf sighed. “Fox, whether we like to admit it or not, we’re close, and connected.” Fox opened his mouth. “Yes we are, don’t argue it.” Fox shut his mouth. “Look, can we just…try something different?”

 “For what? For us, or for…for who Fox and Wolf are supposed to be?”

 “Uh…both?” Wolf scratched his cheek and nodded. “Both, let’s go with both.”

 “So…what do you want to be?” Fox huffed and rolled his eyes. “Like Mario and Bowser back there?”

 “Why not?”

 “Because we’re not a couple!”

 “Why not?”

 “Because we’re…we’re…”

 “Not enemies.” Wolf held up his finger and wagged it. “We’re supposed to be, especially when we’re on display. But who we are…who we want to be…we don’t have to follow that design set for us.”

 “So, what, you want to be boyfriends?” Fox shot up an eyebrow. “What, am I supposed to believe that you’ve been attracted to me all this time?”

 “…Well—”

 “Oh, come on.”

 “You’ve got really pretty eyes. Emeralds.”

 “Wolf.”

 “A really nice figure all around too—”

 “Wolf!”

 “What? I’m catching you up to speed.”

 “But…but we’re not…” Fox’s cheeks fired up. “…You really like my eyes?”

 “Sure, the eyes are the compliment you liked.”

 “Wolf!”

 “Yes, ok?!” Wolf laughed and placed a claw on Fox’s shoulder. “…Yes.” He sighed. “I can’t get rid of this…this gnawing feeling in my mind. I want to be with you, and for some reason…I don’t know, being at your side feels…right.”

 “…Which Wolf is that one based on?”

 “I don’t know.” Wolf shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s the past Wolf’s thoughts, the current Wolf’s thoughts, some foreign iteration of me, or…or if it’s what I came up with myself.” Wolf sighed. “I just…I feel some weird sense of peace with you. Familiarity. Nostalgia. I don’t know what it is, but it calms me.” He sighed, brushing his arm over his reddened face. “You ever get that?”

 “…Usually with Falco, honestly, but…” Fox rubbed behind his neck. “I’d be lying if I denied having those feelings around you too.”

 “…So…”

 “…This is absolutely insane, but…”

 “Is Fox McCloud thinking about a life with me?”

 “Thinking about it.” Fox groaned as Wolf beamed. “Don’t make me regret that.”

 “You won’t, promise.”

 Wolf kissed Fox’s cheek, to which Fox jumped. He backed away as Wolf tilted his head at him.

 “What? Boyfriends kiss.”

 “We’re not boyfriends!”

 “Not yet.”

 “…Yet…”

 “Fox?”

 “…Somehow…this feels…”

 “…Familiar?”

 “Yeah.” Fox frowned. “Why?”

 “I don’t know.” Wolf touched his chest. “My heart pounds harder around you than anyone else, but that feels somehow like it’s supposed to be that way.”

 “When I’m with you, I just thought that my fur standing on edge was because we’re supposed to be enemies.” Fox gazed down. “But it feels that way now, and I don’t feel like fighting with you, so…that’s not the case, is it?”

 “Maybe it is. And maybe we’re perverting who we’re meant to be after all.”

 “But then why should we do it?”

 “Because it’s our choice.” Wolf closed the distance between them. “Maybe you don’t want to be with me, Fox, and that’s fine. But I like this, because we get to pick that we want to be together. And nothing feels like a greater middle finger to what destiny dictates us to be than to being with someone who’s meant to be your enemy.”

 “…Where the hell did you pull all of that from?”

 “Ah, well, I, uh…I might have listened to Chrom and Robin talking about their feelings and stories and…I don’t know, how their big romance started.” Wolf shrugged. “Everyone thought Chrom could only feel that way about the woman Robin, but he acted like that around the man Robin as well, or one form of him did, so…the two of them are why a lot of us questioned who we can be.”

 “…So Robin and Chrom’s relationship spawned all of this?”

 “No, not quite…but it did help a lot of us wonder.” Wolf cleared his throat. “At least, I did happen to pick up on it from them, and then went around, you know, observing—”

 “Spying.”

 “Not really…ok, fine, yes, I spied on others.” Wolf shrugged. “Sue me. It helped me come up with all of these thoughts.”

 “…How many others?”

 “Not that many.”

 “All of the other villains?”

 “Well, a lot of them, namely Bowser and K. Rool, but not all of them.” Wolf groaned. “Can we just get back to what we want to do?” Wolf rested his arms on Fox’s shoulders. “Tell me: do you want to try this, whatever we have…do you want to be with me?”

 “That’s…oddly polite of you.”

 “I’m a jerk, but I’ve got a little bit of heart.” Wolf chuckled. “It’s just buried away.”

 “Like this castle?”

 “Um…sure.”

 “Ok then.” Fox slowly exhaled. “Then…maybe I can…unearth it?”

 They paused for a moment. Then, Wolf cracked a smile and snorted.

 “Don’t—”

 “What?”

 “You’re ruining my only moment.”

 “That was cute.”

 “Oh, shut up.”

 “Make me.”

 “Gladly.”

 Grabbing Wolf’s cheeks, Fox hesitated, and the two gazed at one another. Slowly, he guided his face into Wolf’s, as they closed their eyes, and pressed their lips together. Wolf wrapped his arms around Fox’s back, as Fox’s hands slid down Wolf’s face and around his shoulders. Gently, they broke apart, and opened their eyes, staring into one another again, and slightly smiling.

 “Finally.”

 Both pilots jerked forward and whirled around, glancing at the cliff above them. A white and purple cat rolled its eyes while a black and blue jackal lightly clapped his paws together.

 “That only took, what, an hour?”

 “Mewtwo, hush.”

 “How…how long were you listening?” Fox poked his head past Wolf’s, as the larger canine faced away from their interlopers. “And why are you still?”

 “You interrupted our date,” deadpanned Mewtwo. “The least Lucario and I could do was intrude on yours.”

 “Hush.” Lucario smiled to the pair below. “I thought the whole thing was really adorable. A great confession sequence, and a true proclamation of love! Your auras were dancing with such a delight when you finally came together—”

 “Quit overselling it, their minds were messes.”

 “It was sweet and sincere, Mewtwo.”

 “It was a disaster that was barely averted.”

 “Uh…thank…you?” Fox tilted his head. “…Are you two just going to stay up there, or…?”

 “No, we’re leaving.”

 “What?!”

 “Lucario, we’re leaving. You got to see them kiss, they’re a couple, we’re going somewhere else now.”

 “But…but we could do more cute things too!” Lucario tugged at his partner as Mewtwo drifted away. “Double date! Wouldn’t that be nice?”

 “If we get Incineroar and Greninja with us, we can.”

 “Ok, then a triple date!”

 “No, Lucario.”

 “But it’s creative! You like creative things!”

 “Not like that.”

 “But it uses imagination and your mind! Mewtwo, wait up! Can’t we talk a little more about this? Hey, wait for me!”

 Fox waited and listened as the two disappeared up the cave. He sighed and chuckled, returning his attention to Wolf.

 “So, uh…how’d it feel to have your favorite role reversed?”

 “I’m an asshole.”

 “It’s not that bad.”

 “Fox, you don’t get it.” Wolf buried his head into Fox’s shoulder. “Oh, I’ve done that so many times, and now…how could I have been such a foul, rotten—?”

 “You’re not going to change, are you?”

 “Nope, interloping is fun.” Wolf picked his head up and grinned. “That’s how I got you after me, isn’t it?”

 “That’s not…oh, forget it.” Fox tugged Wolf along. “Come on, let’s move up the cave and look for a nicer spot near the crystal shards.”

 “Isn’t this one good?”

 “Not with those giant spikes hanging off the wall, no.”

 “Giant…?” Wolf turned and his ears twitched. “Oh yeah, those.”

 “We should make like those other two and head somewhere else.” Fox pulled Wolf along. “Let’s go.”

 “Ha.” Wolf followed him along. “Lead the way, Fox.”

 Both smirked at one another as they climbed up the Great Cave, searching for a spot to settle for a little while. They held one another’s hands all the while, and remained together throughout the night.

Ha. Haha. Ahahahahaha! I...I never want to write the Smash universe again. Good lord, is this how Sakurai feels every time?

But yeah, I thought it would be fun to analyze Ultimate’s interpretation on the characters, use my past one-shots of the fighters being reflections of their actual basis characters, and came up with this! ...Please don’t look at me like that, I kind of tried, ok?

It’s not always easy to pair off enemies, especially when the canon gets rewritten to screw you over ones that people love to see clash, but I thought I’d take the bait and go for it. Besides, at least I tried putting a little bit of logic as to how and why Fox/Wolf could be a thing besides them being cute together.

Please don’t hate me, I really, really tried.

Anyway, it was fun pulling that one out for Smash. And I think it featured a good number of pairs that @mrnerdling and @matsutzu would like and/or appreciate to some capacity, as well as another to satisfy myself, and another to barely reference something I made for another friend! One that probably won’t read this unless I literally tell them about it, oops.

So...trivia nonsense time!

Stages used:

That first one? That’s the stupid cliffside that keeps popping up since Smash 4 decided that this was a place where things happen. Or since Brawl’s ending, I guess? I’m not sure which one to blame, but Ultimate decided to bring it back, so I decided to use it! Bonus points: it’s also the living incarnation of the character select screen, because yes.

Palutena’s Temple. Because let’s be real, a goddess like her would totally have a party in her temple, which is just called Angel Land in Japan, I think, and that explains why there’s only one actual temple there. The more you know. Anyway! It’s one of my favorite giant map stages, and I used it previously, but I figured, screw it, it didn’t involve the whole map last time. So, clearly, I decided to one-up myself. Like an idiot amazing writer.

The Great Cave Offensive. That other mega map stage that...honestly, do people like playing this stage? I love Kirby to bits and pieces, but...it’s really a tacky servicing to both the mode from Super Star Ultra, a mess to play on, and just kind of...I don’t know, not great all around. Still, I figured I could try using it, since Bowser’s Castle isn’t available because of this hellhole it’s unique and a worthwhile challenge to include in a writing piece as a possible intimate locale. Plus, I have a very fond place in my heart for crystal shards. You know the ones.

Characters/Ships:

Obviously, the main pairing is Fox/Wolf. Because that’s what both of my friends like and it’s doable pairing without breaking my brain over crossovers really making too difficult of leaps in terms of sensibility. It’s not my top pick from the Star Fox universe, but mine are trashy, and this one is a fandom favorite that also is in Smash, so of course, a clear winner.

Falco and his embarrassing, one-sided crushes on big boys. Why that? You know, I thought early on with this, “Gee whiz, what’s Falco gonna do while Fox and Wolf run around with each other? He’s like the only bird in the game.” And then I remembered King Dedede existed. And then somewhere along the way, a wire in my brain snapped and I came up with, “Hurr durr, Falco/Dedede is a doable ship because blue birds, Smash makes it happen.” After that, another wire snapped, and I somehow came up with Falco liking big dudes. No, I can’t explain that one. You thought I had something clever for it, and I might have at one point, but it’s lost to me as of writing. And you think I know what I’m doing. No you don’t, no one does.

Greninja/Incineroar, a cute pairing that I’ve developed an obsessive interest in thanks to Incineroar’s Classic campaign. They’re actually pretty cute, both starters, both part-Dark, and both clearly not given enough attention together, so, screw it! I paired them off. I think this is the...you know what? I don’t know how manieth pairing. It’s number I lost track of how many people I put with Greninja. He’s flexible, sue me. I also like ninjas, but that has nothing to do with it. Ever. He’s just a really cute, quiet boyfriend for the equally cute, louder and showier Incineroar. They’re perfect. Why don’t people enjoy these two together? It’s because of Lucario, isn’t it? Lucario literally gets everyone in the Pokemon universe, the shipped king of the franchise, everyone’s favorite...

Palutena/Lucina, a fan-preferred pair that I didn’t get to give enough attention like I wanted to, because I really, really enjoyed writing Palutena’s sass, and Lucina just didn’t really fit into that. Lucina is a good girl, with a wholesome heart that acted to help save her dad, his friends, her friends, their kingdom, and all the world from an evil dragon. Palutena lives to drag Pit, Dark Pit, Medusa, Hades, Viridi, and literally everyone she meets down to the ground. This is her truest self, and that’s the reason we all love her. At least, that’s how I lie to myself about people liking her. Bonus points: crossover ship!

Peach/Daisy/Rosalina, the threesome pairing of the story that I barely touched on. And...no, I don’t have an excuse here. Daisy made it into Smash after years of being a palette swap. Like, she deserved that so much. And her girlfriends would be so happy to have her. And yeah, there was a part of my brain that said, “Daisy’s the kind of girl to use the word ‘girlfriends’ referring to her friends.” And then I did it again, but then made it so that girlfriends were more than just gal pals. You’re welcome.

Ridley/King K. Rool, a pair that I mentioned via Wolf, because they’re a duo that people have wanted in Smash for years, and, let’s be real, they’d probably be friends that might notice there’s something more blossoming, and not just because K. Rool reminds Ridley of his buddy Kraid, but because there’s a magical, special feeling between them, and it really needs to be addressed by the fandom at large, because I feel they could really make great things...

Bowser/Mario, my flagship pairing that I have been waiting to stuff into another story for the past three years at minimum. No, there is no logic behind this. But you know what? Bowser’s Classic clear congratulations screen has him kidnap Mario. In his wedding tux. Away from Peach. So, checkmate everybody, someone on the Smash team absolutely read my fanfic, and they convinced Sakurai to add that in. That is absolutely a thing. You all get to deal with a version of Bowsario being canon. You’re freaking welcome. Also, both of my friends like this pair too, so up yours, I get triple bonus points for that, because I’m the one that reminds them it exists every day. Every. Day.

Mewtwo/Lucario, that pair at the end that vaguely references my other Smash gift if you squint really hard. Ok, no, it doesn’t. I just wanted to shamelessly add in another pair of Pokemon. Because I love Pokemon, and I love that they have the most fighters on the roster. Cry about it all you want, haters. Pokemon wins. They always win. They are tripping with representation, and you all know it. Also, this pair shuts down people that hated on Lucario back during Brawl days, so it gives me special pleasure to consistently include it.

Robin/Chrom, the mostly-mentioned-only gay pair that helped me come up with, “Screw what destiny says, we’re gay” as a general story theme. I could have made it straight Chrobin. I could have, but, that goes so very hard against my ethics of...of...screw it, I like gay Chrobin better, their supports were cuter together, and there was a gay Fire Emblem Awakening hack that made their pairing so fulfilling to me. Chrom most definitely deserved to be in Smash, his daughter and husband needed him, so you haters can go away! ...They’re a beautiful couple, ok? I have like one friend who endlessly supports them elsewhere, and that’s good.

Bayonetta/Zero Suit Samus, as the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them pairing that you all most definitely glanced over because I only addressed them as women with guns. And it was definitely not Bayonetta who blew the kiss, because Samus is the one who...ok, fine, it was Bayo, shove off. And it was another attempt at a crossover ship, which I didn’t have nearly enough of. And I would’ve added more too, if it weren’t for that meddling clock ticking away and reminding me that I don’t have eternity to mix and match the Smash cast!

Pikachu, the character who no one would’ve expected to talk if Deadpool wasn’t making a movie about it. I firmly believe that only Deadpool could pull that off. No, not the actor. Deadpool literally came to life and managed to get Detective Pikachu off the ground. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me liking Pokemon a whole lot.

Pichu, another Pokemon that appeared and had nothing to do with me liking Pokemon a whole lot, and isn’t just the most adorable thing to appear and I’m so happy he’s back, you guys, I’m just...so...so happy.

Andrew Oikonny, a Spirit that embodied Diddy Kong and gave us the rare opportunity to see Fox display his top tier dominance in action. I mean, his violent side. Yes, that.

Poppy Bros. Jr., a Spirit that took form as Young Link and probably left a lot of you scratching your heads. It has nothing to do with me liking Young Link, his return, and/or wanting to add a lunatic bomb-thrower. It absolutely has nothing to do with me really, really wishing Bomberman was a playable character on the roster. If Hudson still existed, he...ok, he was never likely to make it, and I’m honestly amazed that Konami agreed to have him as an Assist Trophy character.

Samus, you know, with the armor, because I think I mentioned her for like two seconds with Pikachu and Fox’s segment. Like, physically being there. And separate from Zero Suit Samus. They’re totally different characters by the way. Metroid.

Master Hand, the godly being that I decided runs Smash Bros., probably like literally everyone else who writes Smash fanfic. Because, come on, the Hands absolutely run the show, right? Who else could? They don’t even get to be full villains anymore, because they’re always manipulated and because they’re our connection to the franchise as a whole. Master Hand represents the...get ready for this...spirit of Smash Bros. Boom, there it is! Look at that, I’m awesome.

Crazy Hand, that awkward kid twin for Master Hand that pretty much everyone goes out of their way to include, because honestly, we all love and relate to the crazy one.

Krystal, a frequently mentioned character that didn’t actually appear, but I decided to list her name individually since...she...you know, influenced some things. Like...multiverse. And...uh...that’s really it.

Mentioned: Kirby, Meta Knight, Shulk, Pit, Duck Hunt (the other bird of the roster is here!!), Link, you could make an argument for Toon Link, Wario, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings lumped together, Luigi, and probably a handful more. Hell no, I did not even try to cram in the full roster, and yes, I absolutely wanted to try. And yes, I didn’t even include a bunch of my favorites, though I got a lot of them.

Items:

Haha, you’re hilarious. No, I wasn’t anywhere near including items. We didn’t watch actual fights. I don’t hate myself enough for that.

Music:

Probably something from youtube that I listened to and did not include in the story. Probably also from Smash. You’re welcome.

Good lord, is there always a huge credits list for things related to Smash? How do people honestly torment themselves by asking for more things to be added into a game franchise armed to the teeth with literally I can’t handle how much content? It’s wild.

Also, this is the best Smash game, we’re never going to top it, because they’ll probably cut back the roster after this, and I only ever wanted literally everyone in the series added in one Smash game.

Anyway! If you’re somehow still reading this, thank you very much, you’re a trooper! Especially @matsutzu and @mrnerdling, who I tagged multiple times to basically force them into reading all of this. You’re both welcome. And thank you very much for listening to me!

...That’s it. There’s no more here.

 “Ooh, Fox, you sure know how to make a move,” teased Falco. “Must have been your plan all along.”

 “What are you talking about? This was your idea!”

 “Sure, that’s what you’d want me to think.”

 “Just shut up and fly.”

 With another fit of snickers, Falco closed the ship and readied it for launch. The pair stared out of the hangar gate, and the Arwing rocketed off.

 Fox gazed from the window and watched the night sky whip past him, as Falco took the ship onward. He watched as it lowered toward Corneria’s open waters, and observed the buildings in the distance.

 “It really does look beautiful,” admitted Fox.

 “Yeah…sure does.”

 “Can you even see that well?” Fox’s ears twitched. “I feel like I’m in the way.”

 “What? No way, I’m taller than you.” Falco chuckled. “Plus, I’ve got a perfect view, so I don’t know what you’re going on about.”

 “…Uh…if you’re sure.”

 “Of course.” He leaned forward against Fox. “Now hang on. We’re gonna have some fun.”

 The Arwing rolled around as Falco had the ship flip. He brought it closer to the water, as Fox grabbed at the sides of the ship, clutching tightly against it. Spiraling around again, Falco let the wings dip against the water’s surface, and boosted back into the air.

 “Ha, see that?” Falco grinned. “Now that’s how to really enjoy a flight!”

 “Falco, you’re insane.”

 “Maybe a little bit.” He forced the ship to climb upward. “Come on, let’s get a nice view of the sky, huh?”

 “Geez, Falco, cool it!”

 “Come on, you’re enjoying yourself, right?” Falco leaned in again. “You liked what you saw before, didn’t you?”

 “Well, yeah—”

 “Then trust me a little.”

 Sighing, Fox eased back against Falco, relenting. Blushing a bit, Falco brought the ship up further into the sky, before leveling it out. Slowing the pace, he and Fox gazed outside of the cockpit, admiring the dark clouds and studying their shapes.

 “There’s no way to travel like flying,” claimed Falco. “This kind of view is everything right…”

 “Yeah, it’s pretty great up here.” Fox smiled. “It’s been fun, Falco.”

 “Aw, you’re not bored already, are you?”

 “No, but, we should get back soon.”

 “Ah, fine, you do need your beauty sleep.” Falco brought the ship down in a nosedive. “Although…let’s pass back this way, so we can catch one more great view.”

 Though Fox opened his mouth to protest, he slowly closed it and let Falco guide them forward. He brought the Arwing back up, and it burst from a sea of clouds, emerging near Corneria City.

 Fox gawked and gazed at the city lights, enjoying the night view of skyscrapers and small buildings alike. Falco guided them around Corneria Command, soaring past the tower and back around, zipping away from the city once more.

 “Bet you hardly ever take the time to enjoy that view,” wagered Falco.

 “Well, I’ll admit that I don’t get to fly around like that, and…not as often as I’d like, no,” confessed Fox.

 “Thought so.” Falco nodded. “So, how about we make this more of a regular thing? Let me take you out when you’re done with being cooped up all night, and we can just fly off, enjoy the air, and take time to relax in Corneria’s skies.”

 “That sounds great, Falco, but…I don’t know.”

 “Figured you’d give me that answer.” Falco scoffed. “Never can let Fox out to relax for too long, huh?”

 “Look, it’s not—”

 “Nah, I get it. Let’s get back to the Great Fox.”

 Flying the ship onward once more, Falco guided the Arwing back to the flagship. He slowed the ship’s descent as they reached the hangar, and carefully landed it inside. Once it stopped, he sighed and released the controls, opening the pilot’s seat.

 “Safe and sound,” announced Falco. “Please watch your arms and legs as you exit the Arwing. Thank you for flying Air Falco, have a nice night.”

 “Adorable, thanks,” teased Fox, as he climbed from the cockpit. He waited on the ship’s edge, and turned back to Falco. “Are you coming?”

 “Uh, yeah, in a bit.” He smirked at Fox. “Ladies first, you know?”

 “Slippy’s right, you know how to ruin a good moment.”

 “Knew that twerp talked behind my back,” grumbled Falco. “Whatever, just hop down, and I’ll be out in a sec.”

 “No you won’t, I know this act.” Fox folded his arms. “You’re going to take off and go somewhere on your own, sulking about whatever has you in a mood right now, rather than coming out and talking to me about it instead.”

 “…Nothing gets past our great Fox, huh?” Falco scoffed. “Fine, yeah, maybe I wanted to go for a personal cruise next. Is that an issue? We don’t have anything else to do tomorrow.”

 “We don’t know that.”

 “Doesn’t matter, I’d be fine.” Falco shrugged. “It’s not like anyone can doubt my flying.”

 “That’s not the point,” argued Fox. “My issue is that you’re running off, again, rather than just talking about whatever it is that’s got you worked up.”

 “It’s you,” snapped Falco. “You’re the one that’s got me so ticked, ok?”

 “Why?” Fox swayed his tail as he watched Falco seethe. “What did I do?”

 “Just leave it be, Fox.” Falco groaned and dragged his wing over his face. “You go get some rest, I’ll go fly, and we’ll be good by morning.”

 “Falco, please!” Fox slid back into the ship. “I don’t like arguing with you, honest! Just tell me what’s wrong. What did I do, why did I make you angry?”

 “Look, I’m not really angry, or I wasn’t until right now!”

 “Then what is it?”

 “You’re not happy!” Falco through his arms in the air and flailed. “Fox, I took you out for a nice ride on a great night, and you just…I don’t know, had such a controlled reaction. It seemed like you enjoyed it, and I thought you’d let yourself go a little, but you just…I don’t know, you never cut loose!” Falco shook his head. “You’re so uptight, you have to stick to schedules, and you never…you never just enjoy a moment for what it is.”

 “…Falco, I’m sorry.” Fox dropped his head. “I did really have a nice time. It was something that I needed and I really appreciated you taking me out.” He sighed. “But I’m leading a team, and I have to be able to keep up with it. I’d love to stay out all night with you, but…I guess you’re right. I can’t shirk on my work.”

 “Fox—”

 “Look, if you want to go flying to clear your air, you can.” Fox spun around, sliding from the Arwing. “I’m sorry that I always bring out this sour side of you…”

 “Aw, don’t give me that. Fox.” Falco hopped up from his seat. “Hey, Fox!”

 Jumping from the Arwing, Falco chased after Fox, stopping him before he left the other Arwings. He tugged him back around and the two gazed quietly at one another for a moment. Falco pulled back, and glanced away, as Fox exhaled.

 “If you want to go—”

 “You already talked me out of it.”

 “Fine, sorry for that too.” Fox shrugged. “If you’re sure that you can handle it—”

 “No, no, you ruined it.” Falco flopped his wings, a few feathers flying off. “Look, I can’t leave you, because now I’m going to feel even worse after that guilt trip.”

 “Now you’re making me feel worse.”

 “But I’m not trying to!” Falco clasped his wings on Fox’s shoulders. “Look, I’m sorry too, ok? I just want you to be happy too, and then I got all huffy because I thought you weren’t enjoying yourself. You’re right, you do need to be at the top of your game, no matter what.” Falco exhaled and shook his head. “I’m selfish, ok? I want to go out and have a good time when we get a minute. That’s just…that’s me.”

 “That’s not you at all,” countered Fox. “You changed whatever plans you had the second I came down here. You went from going alone for a flight to taking me out for the night. Falco, that’s literally the opposite of selfish, that’s selfless.”

 “Yeah, but…I don’t know, I wanted to keep having a nice night with you.” Falco shrugged. “We never get to bond that much, and…I don’t know, I’m kind of jealous.”

 “Jealous? Of what?”

 “The others,” admitted Falco. “Both of them have had more history with you. Slippy’s been your buddy since you were kids, Peppy’s been in your life for pretty much the same amount of time or longer, and I…I don’t know, I wasn’t always.” Falco rubbed his beak. “I just, I don’t know, I want to fly solo a lot of times, but I…I like flying around with you too, Fox.” He huffed and turned away. “Now we know I’ve gone soft.”

 “Definitely.” Fox chuckled. “But, that…means a lot to me. You’re a valuable member of this team, Falco, regardless of history. And you mean a lot to me.” Fox blushed and smiled. “You’re more than just a pilot and teammate; you’ve become a great friend to me. And I’m hoping that goes beyond Star Fox.”

 “If it does for you, and it does for me, then it will.” Falco smirked. “This the part where we confess our feelings for each other, admit that we make each other’s hearts throb, and all of that mushy junk?”

 “…I, uh…well, I…”

 “I’m teasing, Fox.” Falco chuckled, but stopped as Fox rubbed his shoulder. “…Fox?”

 “Well, I doubt you’d be the one to make a first move,” determined Fox. “So, I might as well do it.”

 “What are you talking about?”

 “That mushy junk you mentioned, it’s…well, I guess I do feel some of that around you, sometimes,” confessed Fox. “Um…maybe more often than some of the time. Maybe a lot of times, but, it’s…if you’re not really—”

 “Whoa, whoa, back up, you’re not fooling around, are you?”

 “…No.” Fox shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s, or if I’m…to your interests, but…”

 “Wow, wait, y-yeah.” Falco’s face burned into a blush as he grinned to Fox. “You are definitely someone that I’m interested in Fox. And yes, in that way! I’m…w-well, I’m, y-you know…I play for that team?”

 “Smooth.”

 “Shut it, I’m trying to open up just for you.”

 “Then, go on.”

 “Look, I…ok, I-I admit it, I really wanted to make swoon and go crazy from tonight,” admitted Falco. “Me snapping before and, ah, and getting so worked up, I…I wanted you to tell m-me that you loved our night out, that you did want to do it more often, and that…that we could be…”

 “You’re adorable when you stammer, you know?”

 “Quit teasing me, Fox.”

 “Just spit it out, then, Falco.”

 “Fox, you make my heart throb, I’ve got the most ridiculous feelings for you, and I want to share all kinds of mushy junk and tender moments with you, even more nights like tonight, and I want to be yours, ok?” Falco threw his wings out. “There, that’s everything. You happy?”

 “You know, I did go first.”

 “First is the worst, second’s the best.” Falco smirked as Fox rolled his eyes. “So, uh, h-how about that one, Fox?”

 “Hmm. Well, I did have a nice night, and you did finally talk it out with me,” surmised Fox. “So…I think you earned this next part.”

 “What next—?”

 Falco choked on his next words, as Fox pressed his lips against his beak. He froze for a moment, and then wrapped his wings against Fox’s back, moving into the kiss. They pressed into one another for a minute or two before parting, just slightly.

 “…So that’s what it is.”

 “Like it?”

 “Almost as much as sliding your butt around on my lap,” teased Falco. “So, how often can I get my leader back into the Arwing, huh?”

 “Just for that, not often at all,” fired back Fox.

 “What?! You can’t be serious.” Falco pushed back into Fox, who smirked and chuckled. “Don’t do that to me!”

 “Come on, you asked for it.”

 “All I asked for was you.”

 “And you got me.”

 “…Yeah, I did.” Falco beamed. “And you got me, too.”

Firing his charged blaster, Fox’s laser soared out, and Wolf quickly leapt away from it. He whipped his blaster forward, and fired a shot against Fox.

 Sidestepping it, Fox twisted his arm and fired his shot at Wolf, who yelped as it connected with his arm.

 “When did you even learn that one?!”

 “Training lets me loosen up a bit,” announced Fox. “I can try things that normally work less in real combative situations.”

 “You still think this isn’t real?!”

 “Fine, yes, it’s real enough,” relented Fox. “Slippy really outdid himself on accounting for the lines that you receive in this sim, huh?”

 “Seriously, what are you—?”

 “No, enough of this,” barked Fox. “It’s ending here, Wolf! I’m taking you down and taking you in!”

 “Not likely!”

 Clutching his shoulder, Wolf darted across the roof and charged at Fox. Though Fox fired several shots, Wolf’s agility allowed him to evade each laser.

 Rushing in close, Wolf threw his hand forward and held Fox up by the throat. Fox kicked in the air, hitting Wolf’s arm, but remained unable to free himself.

 “Wow, Slippy did a real good job,” commended Fox.

 “Are you kidding me right now?” Wolf shook his head. “What does it take?”

 “Enough of your nonsense, Wolf!”

 “How about enough of yours, Fox?” Wolf pointed his blaster at Fox’s head. “This ends here.”

 Struggling, Fox broke free of Wolf’s grip, as the blaster shot fired and soared into the sky. It connected with the barrier of the room, breaking through it and disrupting the simulation.

 “Wait, what…?”

 “Is that normal for this crap, too?” Wolf folded his arms. “Or did I finally break through?”

 “…Simulation override, 101,” called Fox. “End simulation.”

 “Training simulation terminated.”

 At ROB’s recording, the cityscape faded around Fox. He pushed up from the ground and gawked as Wolf set his blaster back in its holster.

 “W…Wolf?!” Fox shook his head. “That’s really you? What are you even doing here?”

 “Took you long enough,” snapped Wolf. “I thought you’d actually do me in thinking it wasn’t a real fight.”

 “That didn’t answer the last question!” Fox raised his fists. “If you’re here to fight me now, rest assured, I’m more than capable of—”

 “Yeah, I’m not here to fight,” intervened Wolf.

 “…What? Oh, come on.” Fox rolled his eyes. “First, no missions. Then, my training is interrupted. And now you’re telling me that you actually don’t want to fight me. How much of this am I supposed to deal with?”

 “Well excuse me, Fox,” snapped Wolf. “I thought you’d actually be happy about not fighting for once.”

 “Ok, fair enough, it is a nice change of pace,” admitted Fox. “But then…what are you doing here? Trying to steal intel for a battle against us? Swiping tech and schematics to replicate and steal our craft?”

 “No, you dolt! …Ok, wait, no, that’s fair,” relented Wolf. “But, uh, no, I’m not here for that either.”

 “Then why else would you be here?”

 “Um…listen, your father used to take me under his wing when I was a pup, kind of like his son before you,” revealed Wolf. “And…I’ve been thinking…you know, lately, we haven’t needed to fight each other as much. The whole reason that I resented you was because you’re part of what took away James’s time with me.”

 “Yeah, sure, blame me for something completely out of my control,” grumbled Fox.

 “Look, it goes beyond just that!” Wolf sighed and folded his arms once again. “Let’s just…maybe I’m here to…try something different.”

 “Oh? And that would be…?”

 “Um…w-well…I was thinking of…maybe…” Wolf swallowed hard. “Of maybe joining Star Fox, officially, after all of these years. James offered it to me a long time ago, but then he went back on it, and so I—”

 “Yeah, no, where is this coming from?” Fox shook his head. “My longtime rival wanting to suddenly disband his own team and join mine? That’s definitely what you’d call a load of crap.”

 “Believe whatever you want, but I really want to!” Wolf scowled. “I just…look, after being fooled to work with Andross, I’ve realized that…I’ve done a lot wrong.”

 “Here we go, there it is,” mocked Fox. “You want to avoid the bounty on your head from Corneria.”

 “I’ll admit, that’s definitely a perk,” agreed Wolf. “But, no, that’s…not the only reason. I, uh…look, I really liked your father. A lot.”

 “Ok.” Fox lightly shrugged. “Still a traitor and jerk, probably murderer too.”

 “Hey, that’s…ok, that’s fair,” allowed Wolf. “But I want to move forward from that. I want…I want to make James proud.”

 “Uh-huh.”

 “Also, I realized a better way to stick it to him.”

 “And that would be?”

 “Getting in bed with his son.”

 “W-what?!”

 “Being on your team would make James so annoyed if he were around,” reasoned Wolf. “I could completely tear his little idealisms apart because I’m a great pilot, and working with you instead of against you would be something he’d never expect, nor anyone else, and yet, it would be the best possible solution to everything!”

 “…Oh.” Fox blinked and shook his head again. “I don’t know—”

 “Also, I’ve stared at you enough times to realize that I’m pretty much attracted to you.”

 “Wait, you what?!”

 “Yep, you heard right,” taunted Wolf. “So, how about it, Fox? Want to get to know this Wolf better? Want to…try turning a new page for us, once and for all?”

 “That sounds completely ridiculous and totally out-of-character,” contended Fox. “But I kind of feel the same way. Who had this terrible idea, anyway?”

 “Both of us.” Wolf picked up Fox’s hands. “Let’s start, here and now. Star Wolf is no more, and I, Wolf O’Donnell, hereby announce my loyalty ties to team Star Fox!”

 “Wolf, that’s a little—”

 “And my loyalties to my new potential boyfriend, too.”

 “Wow, ok, that’s very over-the-top,” determined Fox.

 “Yeah, probably,” admitted Wolf. “But hey, I’m bored and I mean it. Plus, Leon’s kind of doing his own thing right now, but if this works out for me, he wants to join too. Something about wanting to get with that annoying bird or whatever.”

 “Seriously?”

 “Right? I thought it was weird too, but I guess they could be a thing.”

 “I meant about…oh, forget it.” Fox shook his head. “Fine, Wolf, you win. You’re on the team…for now. Betray that trust, and I’m making sure that you go directly to jail.”

 “No chance to pass Go?”

 “This isn’t a joke.”

 “You’re right. And the other thing?”

 “What other—?”

 Before he could finish his thoughts, Wolf’s lips, pressed into his, interrupted Fox. He paused and shuddered, but slowly lowered his guard, allowing Wolf’s arms to wrap around him, as Fox pressed back into him. They parted from their kiss after another minute, and gazed at one another.

 “So…how about more of that, Fox?”

 “…That was good, I’ll admit.”

 “You think?”

 “But I’ll get back to you on that one.”

 “What?! But…don’t you want more?”

 “Maybe, we’ll see.”

 “But…but…”

 “Come on, Wolf. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, if you really mean it.”