You thought the fluff train was out of steam? Guess again.

So if you haven't noticed, I have rekindled a love for Star Fox. And not surprisingly, Fox/Krystal is my favorite pairing.

And it''s slightly painful to love this series again, what with the fact that there hasn't been a new original entry to the series in a while. Come on, E3 2014...

Please read and review. Writing is something I am seriously pursuing, so any constructive criticism is much appreciated. Please, don't be afraid to utterly destroy this. My ego needs to be pounded into the ground and shot to smithereens with Awring laser fire. And as always, I hope you enjoy the story.

Have a good night, and God bless.

Tenderness

She noticed it the first night after she returned to the Great Fox II, once the two of them had promised to try again.

Despite the fact that he was no longer alone, despite the fact that they had each other once again, Krystal could see that something was still bothering Fox.

Every morning during breakfast was when she could see it. And it was only during mornings that she could see it clearly. Something behind his eyes, something that still looked hallowed. He would of course act like nothing was wrong, greeting her warmly and offering to make breakfast himself, doing everything he could to make her feel at home. And as the day went by whatever lay behind his eyes would gradually vanish, until the next morning when it would rear it's ugly head again.

She had opted to not question him about it for two days after they had left Macbeth. But now, sensing that whatever was hurting Fox was deeply troubling, Krystal set out to find out what exactly that troubling thing was.

"Fox?" she asked, on the third morning since they had come together again, "You don't look well."

Fox was startled by her question. He looked at her from his spot at the kitchen table, and replied, "What do you mean? I'm fine." Then he smiled. "I'm with you again, aren't I?"

Krystal smiled warmly in reply. "Hmm, and I'm very happy to be with you again as well, but I've noticed something. During these last few mornings you haven't looked well. As if something was bothering you."

Fox stopped eating, and looked down. "It's...it's nothing. It's actually kinda stupid, anyway. You don't need to worry." And again he smiled at her reassuringly.

Krystal sighed inwardly. Fox was someone who tried very hard, all the time, to never let his problems burden anyone. It made sense why he saw this as a positive quality. He felt that if he took care of his problems on his own, everything would be fine. Nobody needed to troubled by his troubles. But it was frustrating, especially when someone only wanted to help him.

Krystal sat up from her chair, and moved to the one next to Fox's. Gently she took his hand in hers, and look into his eyes. "Fox," she began, "we said we would protect each other. Let me protect you now."

Fox only looked at her, looked back at his food, and then back at her. Then he sighed and stared at his lap.

"Nightmares..." he whispered.

"Nightmares?" she repeated.

"Some time after you left, and after everyone had gone, I started having them. I...really had trouble sleeping. Now less so, because I'm not alone anymore, but..."

"They still happen," she finished for him, rubbing his back.

"Yeah...yeah, they do," he muttered.

It was easy for Krystal to understand why he had nightmares. Fox had always had people beside him. Peppy, Slippy, Falco, her...being alone was not something he had experienced often. So when everyone had gone, in a time when Fox was really well and truly alone...Krystal felt pity and concern flow through her. It must have been awful for him. She began to caress his cheek, and he leaned into it.

So not all shades of darkness had vanished from her beloved.

"What happens in them?" she asked gently, "When I was a kit my mother told me talking about nightmares made sure they didn't really happen. Talking about it would be the best thing."

For a moment Fox didn't say anything. He only looked at her.

"I...is it okay that I don't want to talk about right it now? We can talk about it later, I promise."

And she could see that he meant it.

Krystal gave him the warmest smile she could offer, before giving his cheek one final caress. "Of course Fox. I will be there for you, when you are ready."

"And I will be there for you too, if you need anything." he replied, clutching her hand tightly.

She nodded.

The day was uneventful. They received two calls on the holo-screen that day, one from Slippy and one from Peppy. The two of them were glad to see they were doing just fine, with the both of them urging the two of them to call if they needed anything. They reassured them that everything was fine.

Fox had contacted the former members of the team shortly after she had come back. Slippy was absolutely estatic to see her, and he told her all about how happy he was with Amanda. Peppy had welcomed her back like a father seeing a child return from a long journey, saying how glad he was to see her safe.

Falco had been hailed, but he hadn't responded. Fox figured he must have been busy with some mercenary work.

Soon the day-cycle of the Great Fox II headed into night, and Fox opted to head to bed early, what with having some systems he needed to check up on in the morning. Krystal opted to stay up late; she wanted to spend some time in the ships gym, and spend some time reading.

After an hour or so she was walking down the hallway that held the cabins. Fox's was three doors down from hers; it was her old room, and for memory's sake she decided to use it again.

She was passing Fox's door when she heard a sound.

Not being able to define it the first time, she stood by the door listening carefully, her mouth fixing into a frown.

There it was again. And now Krystal could identify it. It was a moan, a painful one. And within another minute she heard the sounds of tossing and turning.

As much as she knew she could trust Fox to talk to her about this later, right now it wouldn't feel right to just walk away. Not when she could find out what exactly was bothering him in the night. So, very carefully, she opened his door.

The lamp on the bedside table was off, so it took a few seconds for Krystal's eyes to adjust to the lack of light. When she could see she saw Fox, sleeping on his side with his face toward her, his mouth in grimace, breathing heavily.

Very slowly she crept over to his bed, and sat down. Thank goodness he hadn't woken up.

She might have to apologize for this later...

Focusing her mind she prodded his, and grimaced herself when she could hear his pained thoughts.

Please...don't leave me...

I'm...sorry...

She's with me...again...no, she wouldn't come back if she...

...no..stop...

The dark room, with only a chair, which he sat on, was becoming painfully familiar to Fox. Even after Krystal had come back, he still wound up her every night, like clockwork. Sure, the nightmares weren't as horrible now that Krystal had come back, but they persisted. And every night was a battle with his own mind. And he had no Arwing, no blaster, to defend himself. Only his own words. And those always failed him here.

He did not know how big the room was. Only that it was pitch black, and that a single light shown down on him from the ceiling. This light only illuminated him, inexplicably. Everything else was unfathomable darkness, that may have stretched only to a wall a few feet away from him, or maybe stretched endlessly.

"Hello, Fox."

Oh god.

It was her voice, and not her voice. Her tone, but not her tone. It was...seductive, purring, but the only thing it stirred in Fox was fear and sadness, not desire. It was distorted, and wrong. It was a voice he had to live with, ever since he had ruined everything.

"All alone~. Poor, poor Fox. Did you really think that I would go away?"

And he loved this voice. That was the worst thing. At least a part of it sounded like her, and therefore, he...

"If you don't answer, I'll leave you in the dark, with the lights off. We both know how scary that is," she crooned.

"No…don't leave me..." It was insane. She had come back. Why was he still saying things like this? And then it hit him. The last time the light's had gone out, he had screamed, and had woken up screaming, drenched in sweat.

"Then why aren't you answering?"

"I'm...sorry..." he murmured.

"No, your not. It's because you think I'm back again, right? Hah! Do you really think that I would come back to someone like you, after what you did?"

"She's with me again..."

"And she will leave you."

"No…"

"Please," the voice drawled out, "Who could love you, after what you did? She, I, will leave you again. And you can cry about it all you want, and it will change nothing." He could practically feel the cruel smile she must have right now. It shook his bones and made his heart tremble.

"She…you…you wouldn't...come back...if-"

"Do you really think eveything was going to be okay again?"

"No, stop..."

"Never. So please, cry Foxie!" And here the sound of her horrible laughter shook the room, shook the chair, shook his very soul, and in a loud and hysterical voice she continued, "Because that's the only-!"

"That's enough."

The voice was new, and it pierced the darkness, and his heart. All around him the darkness seemed to melt, and faintly he heard the cruel voice scream, scream in agony. The light from above faded, and in it's place was a blinding light that made visible the endless white landscape he now found himself sitting in the midst of. All the fear, all the self-loathing, that had been there before had vanished. Now, he felt utterly content. He was confused as to what had happened, yes, but overwhelmingly he felt…soothed, and safe.

"Shhhh..."

His body shivered. It was her. Really her. Not the fake and horrible thing that his mind had created, but the real and gentle voice of the vixen who had actually come back to him, willingly.

"I'm here..."

Caressing every fur on his body, the voice washed over him, and Fox felt a profound peace, an inner quiet that he hadn't felt in a long time. And he felt tired, comfortingly tired.

"I'm here..."

For the first time in ages, Fox slept peacefully.

Awakening came to Krystal slowly. As she opened her eyes and saw the fuzzy, blurry figure lying close to her, she smiled. Blinking away the morning fuzzies she saw that the figure was Fox, her Fox, sleeping right next to her, holding her tightly. And of course, she herself was holding him tightly in her arms.

Their first nocturnal cuddle. Truly a monumental moment.

She was truly happy she had come in to his bedroom last night. Hearing his conversation with whatever dreadful, nightmarish apparition of her he had conjured up in all his self-hatred had made every protective instinct in her body flare up, and she quickly and mercilessly quelled that beast. And in the next moment, she poured her love for him into his mind, comforting him, and when she had seen that he was sleeping peacefully, she opted to sleep with him in his bed. Just in case the night terrors decided to rear their ugly head again.

Her smile grew wider as she looked at him. He looked so adorable while he was sleeping.

She saw his eyelids flutter, and the next moment his eyes opened. They saw her, and those emerald eyes blinked again.

"Good morning, Fox." she said warmly.

Krystal knew that she wanted to be with Fox again, once all had been forgiven, and she had figured they were going to make many, many memories with each other. Some of happiness, some of sadness, perhaps some of anger and difficulty that she knew they had a chance to brave. One moment, a moment she would remember happily throughout her life, she knew, happened right then and there.

"Kry-Krystal!" he yelped, scurrying back in surprise before falling of the bed with a thump. He did all of this with perhaps the brightest and cutest blush she had ever seen him have.

She laughed, fully and happily, and laughed harder as he poked his head up from the ground to see her. She could tell Fox was trying really, really hard to look deadpan at that moment, but that blush was utterly destroying that effort, a vertible nova bomb to a squadron of hapless enemy craft.

"You should really see your face, Fox!" she gasped out.

"There's teasing, and there's this, Krystal!" Fox replied.

Krystal calmed down. "Ah, Fox I wasn't teasing you." She explained. Her face grew serious. "I heard you...struggling in your room last night. I entered your room and saw you in the midst of a nightmare. I decided to do something."

Fox looked confused for a moment, but quickly his expression changed to one of realization. That was Fox, connecting the dots with amazing speed. "You mean...that soothing voice? That was you." he asked.

"Yes. Fox, I understand you wanted to tell me later, but after hearing you and seeing you like that...how was I expected to leave you? I couldn't do that. You know I couldn't of."

"Krystal..." Fox murmured. "Then you saw...that, right? You used your powers?"

"I didn't see it, but I knew what it was. I heard it. Fox, why didn't you tell me earlier? You must of known I would help you, especially with getting rid of a nightmare version of myself."

"I thought for sure they would go away, since you were back, but it seems those nightmares couldn't do me that courtesy," he grumbled. "I thought I could tough it out. With you by my side, Krystal, I can get through anything."

Now it was her turn to blush a shade a red. Her cheeks grew hot, and her stomach fluttered.

"Krystal...thank you. When you spoke in my mind like that I felt so...peaceful. That was best sleep I've ever had in a long time. I don't know how to thank you..."

"Just you feeling better is enough, Fox." Though she said that, she could see that Fox wasn't entirely convinced. "Really, Fox, it was nothing," she urged.

After a moment, Fox nodded. Though she could still a since of trepidation in his mind. She gave him warm smile, and felt that trepidation fade away gradually.

"Now then..." she purred, giving him bedroom eyes "are we going to make breakfast, or would you like to keep cuddling in bed for a little bit longer~?"

Fox just stared at her, and then stood up as professionally as he could, and walked out of the room as fast as he could manage, probably hoping that she couldn't see the blush he had on his face.

Oh, but she could.

"Fox," she murmured lovingly, "you are just too easy to tease, aren't you?"

The day passed relatively peacefully for Fox. All his effort in the morning was poured into not fixating on the image of him and Krystal cuddling next to each other, but he wasn't entirely successful. He felt so warm and…content, whenever he thought back to that image.

It was also during that day that he decided to do something in return for her. Something nice, and something lovely. Though Krystal had said she was fine, Fox was dedicated to making this relationship a reciprocal one. They would help each other, and that was the end of that.

So what to do?

Eventually the idea did come to him. It was something simple, in comparison for what she had done, but it was something.

Thank goodness he had the necessary supplies on board! "Be prepared," as Peppy had once told him. He owed the hare plenty of times over.

Krystal, that night, insisted that the sleep together again. Fox was immediately against the idea, as he did not want to take advantage of the situation. But she would have none of his excuses, claiming that she trusted him and was far more worried about making sure those nightmares didn't come back. And Fox had to admit, she had a point. He didn't want to imagine what a resurgence of those nightmares would do to him.

So he relented. And as they snuggled on up next to each other, Fox noticed too late that this was going to make repaying Krystal in the morning a tad more difficult.

Well, he would just have to be very, very careful waking up in the morning. It wouldn't do to spoil the surprise.

Krystal awoke the next morning, yawned, felt that her arms were not grasping a furry body, and sat up.

Where was Fox? She reasoned that he must have untangled himself- nervously, of course- and gotten up early to check up on some systems on the Great Fox II. That was sweet of him, to make sure that he didn't wake her up.

Then she heard a knock on the door. Speak of the devil. She smiled.

"Come in," she said melodiously.

And in came Fox, opening the door with one hand and carrying something in the other. Looking closely she saw he was carrying a tray, which in turned carried what looked like a glass of milk and a steaming pile of pancakes. Pancakes that smelled absolutely amazing.

"Good morning!" Fox said cheerfully, carefully carrying the tray in. "Just woke up?"

"Mmmhmm. What's the occasion?"

"Oh, this?" He pointed towards the tray. "It just a 'thank you' for what you did last night. And I know what you are going to say, that I didn't need to do this. But I wanted to do something in return. We help each other, remember?"

Krystal just stared at him. He went through the trouble of doing this, because he didn't feel good about not reciprocating a favor freely given. She smiled widely, shaking her head. He really seemed too good to be true at times. And the amazing thing was, he wasn't.

"That is what I was going to say. What can I say now?" she said mirthfully.

"Say, 'are those blue berries in the pancakes, my favorite?' Because I know you like blue berries." He replied, smiling in turn.

He walked over and leaned down, setting the tray on her lap. Before he could pull up, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and she saw him flush red. When he looked at her, she batted her eyelashes at him.

"What? Can't I thank you, too?"

Fox was giving her that adorably confused look again.

"Uh...sure," and he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, tell me when you're finished, so I can clea-"

"Fox, I can take care of it, don't worry." she reassured him.

Fox stood up straight, and smiled and nodded. "Okay. And…thanks again, Krystal. You have no idea how much that helped me."

"Fox, Fox," and she grasped his right paw in hers, "It was nothing."

He nodded again, and started to walk out of the room.

"But I will say one thing."

Slowly Fox turned around, looking confused.

"You really like to cuddle, don't you?" she murmured amorously, fixing him with flirting eyes.

She nearly doubled over laughing when he turned bright read and hurried out of the room, sputtering all the while.