SchmEthan here:
So, it was late one Saturday night, and frankly, I was bored. So I thought, I'll write something. So naturally, I wanted it to be about Star Fox, and have Falco in it. THEN I thought to myself, what if Falco actually did something respectable?
And so, I wrote this one-shot. I may use it in later works, so any praises/criticisms/thoughts/comments/cheeses would be grately appriciated. (see what I did there? lol)

Ahem... joking aside, please enjoy this little piece and give good ol' Falco a round of applause at the end.

Lols, SchmEthan.

Krystal's sea-green eyes flickered open as she sat up in her bed. I can't get to sleep. she thought. The vixen had a lot on her mind at the moment, even if everything was all concentrated around one thing. Fox. She thought, Fox, Fox, Fox, Fox, Fox. You saved me from a fall, when you could have left me. You let me stay with you and let me join the team, even though I probably hold you back. And yet you blush every time we are close. You look away, and try to avoid me. Are you ashamed of me? Or is it something else? I just don't know! When I try to sense your feelings around me, I get hit by every emotion there is. I just can't bear it!

Krystal gracefully stepped out of her bed and into the guest bedroom's en suite. She was wearing one of Fox's old shirts and a pair of his old shorts held up with a belt. These were the only light clothes Fox could find that came close to fitting her. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. Do you really want me here Fox? I need to know! She splashed some cold water over her furry face and left the bedroom. It was dark in the hallway of the Great Fox, but she managed to squint through the gloom and feel her way along the walls to the kitchen. She felt the need to eat something; her stomach had a funny sensation swirling around in it. She guessed that it was hunger, but it felt different. It was a strange sensation that she had never experienced before, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Krystal touched a panel on the wall and the door to the kitchen slid open without a sound. She tapped another control panel which softly illuminated the room. She tiptoed inside and made her way towards the fridge. A bright light bathed her as she opened the large, white fridge and she was faced with a humungous choice of food to eat. She was still becoming accustomed to the taste of the strange 'eating plants' (as they were called on Cerinia) that Fox and his friends called 'vegetables'. However, she had taken a liking to one particular tangy fruit: tomatoes. She had often heard Falco comparing this particular fruit to Fox's face when he was around Krystal. Everyone seemed to laugh at the comparison, but Krystal couldn't see the humour behind it. She lifted a few of the fruits from the fridge and made her way to the dining table, where she pulled up a chair and began to nibble at the tomatoes.

But Krystal was too busy pondering her current situation to eat anything. She put the fruit that she was holding down on the table and let out a soft whimper. I need to talk to someone about this! Let it all out, even get some advice. But who? I can't ask Fox, and he probably won't care anyway. Peppy's fairly close to Fox though... but he's away with that General Pepper. And when he comes back, he'll probably want to go straight to sleep. That thought brought a sliver of a smile to Krystal's face. She was fond of Peppy, and he was beginning to turn into a father figure for Krystal.

Slippy... No, I wouldn't want to interrupt him. He's busy enough as it is. A prototype of an Arwing II had been sent to the Star Fox team as a token of loyalty, since they had exclusively used the original Arwings since the team's formation. Slippy had promptly dismantled the gift and was examining the various parts, as well as adding modifications of his own. He had been practically living in the on-board garage working long into the night on his Arwing project. Krystal was far too kind-hearted to disturb him from what he loved.

That leaves one person. And I can't see him being any help at all. He'd probably just go and laugh at Fox some more. Ha!

As if on a whim, the kitchen door slid open for the second time. Krystal looked up from her pensive state and saw the very dressing-gown clad figure she meant.

"Oh! Heya K!" greeted Falco, "Are you a bit peckish too?"

That was Falco's nickname for her. 'K'. It made her feel good to have her own special name. She felt part of the team, part of the family. It was the one good thing Falco had ever done for her (although inadvertently, she guessed).

On the other hand, Falco was the main leader of all the harassment Fox received about his attitude towards Krystal. Even still, Krystal had some respect for the bird. If ever Fox needed a hand with something, Falco would at least consider helping him. Well, it's something...

"Well, sorta. I just couldn't sleep, and I thought I might be hungry, but I don't think that's it."

Falco had retrieved a loaf of bread, some thin slices of turkey and lettuce. "You haven't seen the tomatoes anywhere, have you?"

"Yeah, I've got them here."

"Oh, right." The bird sat down at the table opposite Krystal and began to prepare his midnight snack.

"So you can't sleep huh? What's the matter?"

Krystal looked up at the bird. She wasn't sure just what was happening. Falco's forte seemed to be creatively insulting Fox, Slippy and Peppy, rather than helping people. He was also an ace pilot, but often he didn't stick with the plan or indeed his team. Falco had left Star Fox several times to pursue a solo career, but it seemed that he always came back in the end.

"Um... well..." the vixen hesitated.

Falco realised what was going on and chuckled. As he removed two slices of bread from the packet, he said "I know what you're thinking, 'Falco actually cares about someone'? But seriously, I might be able to help you out if you tell me what the problem is. It's just a 'might' now, so don't expect anything."

Krystal smiled and said "It's worth a shot I suppose. I've just been thinking about everything that's happened recently. I lost everything. My planet, my parents and all the other Cerinians. While I was searching for the reason behind all this, I picked up a distress signal, went to Dinosaur Planet, and ended up getting stuck in a crystal above Krazoa Palace. And who should come to get me but Fox." Krystal paused for a moment "Why do you think he did it?"

The avian stopped his buttering and looked confused. "Did what?"

"Saved me. I mean, for all he knew, I could have been the bad guy, just waiting to kill him!"

Falco smirked. "First up, it's his job to save people, he does it all the time. Natural instinct I suppose. Next, he wouldn't just let someone die, he's not that stupid." At this point, Falco withdrew his mobile com unit from his pocket. "And finally, you wanna hear what he said when he first saw you! It's priceless!"

"Huh? How do you know what he said? You weren't even there!"

"Had a quick look through the mission log on Fox's wrist commy, and copied all the juicy bits onto my mobile!"

"I take it by 'juicy' you mean things that you can use to annoy and/or embarrass Fox?"

Falco peeled a slice of turkey from the packet and placed it deftly on the bread. "Pretty much, yeah."

"Are you sure he won't mind?"

"He's a good mate of mine, he won't."

"Hmm..." Krystal wasn't so sure. "Go on then, play it."

Falco smirked again. "Brace yourself." He pressed a button on the mobile. Fox's voice was instantly heard, and the words seemed to slice through the all the thick, gooey thoughts in Krystal's mind.

"Wow! She's beautiful!"

Krystal's jaw plummeted. "I... I... he really... he really said that?"

"Yep. Looks like he took a fancy to right from the start."

"But he avoids me!" Krystal protested, "He can hardly bear to look at me!"

Falco couldn't help but laugh at this remark. "If Foxie had his way, he'd do anything but avoid you. The only reason he does is cause he blushes when you're near him, right?"

Krystal cast a curious look at Falco. "Yeah..."

"So, when he blushes, we take the piss. He doesn't want to look stupid, so he avoids blushing in the first place. I guarantee that if I took the other two out for a bit, Fox would feel much more comfortable around you. OK, he'd still look like a tomato and lose all ability to speak, but he'd never take his eyes off you."

Krystal gazed at Falco in amazement. "But how do you know?"

After sprinkling some lettuce onto the sandwich, Falco pressed another sequence of buttons on his mobile, but this time there were two voices. One belonged to the avian, but the other belonged to Fox.

"So, what's the whole deal with Krystal then?" asked the recorded Falco.

"Uhh..." muttered Fox, "Uhh... i-it's none of your business Falco."

"Aww, come on Foxie! You can tell me! I'm not gonna go and blurt it out to everyone. Don't you trust me?"

"Last time you said that, a picture of that rash on my back I told you about somehow appeared all over the internet!"

Krystal scowled at Falco. "That wasn't very nice!" Falco was too busy laughing to notice the comment.

"No, really. Look, I don't even have my mobile on me!"

"It was in my top pocket" Falco noted, while Krystal rolled her eyes.

"OK, OK, fine. She's just... just..."

"Spit it out, furry!"

"She's brilliant. Too brilliant. Well, not too brilliant. Just the right amount of brilliant. But, y'know, she's perfect. She's like the personification of sweetness! She's kind, caring, gentle-"

"Sexy..." the recorded Falco commented.

Krystal would probably have slapped the bird for that remark, but she was listening too intently to Fox's confession.

"Well, she's beautiful, that's how I'd put it. Really beautiful. But all those things, I could never equal that. She's way out of my league. And anyway, we've barely had a chance to get to know each other. And I turn bright red every time I'm near her. She probably thinks I'm keeping clear of her... I... I could never be good enough for her."

"No... it's not true..." gasped Krystal under her breath.

"Fox, you saved her life and Sauria in the space. On top of that, you let her stay with us. She has a home now, a family. I'm pretty sure she's in your debt by now."

Krystal was astounded. Everything that the recorded Falco had just said was true. She was indeed eternally grateful for everything that Fox had done. In fact, she had started to like him for it.

"Since when did you care about things like that?" continued the recorded Fox.

"I just notice these things, that's all."

"Hmm. Y'know, it would help if you didn't take the piss every time I see her. So much has happened in her life, and in mine. I... I just wanna make her feel good. And you haven't really helped so far."

"I'll tone it down a bit in the future. Just for you, Fox."

"Thanks, I suppose. Well, I'd better get going. See ya later dude. Oh, and if I hear this conversation again, I may accidentally pick all your tail feathers out in your sleep. Got it?"

Both Krystal and Falco chuckled at the remark as the bird stopped the recording. "So you see, Fox doesn't want to avoid you. My guess is that he's getting feelings for you. It's a relatively new experience for him, since he's never really had a girlfriend before." Falco eyed the delectable sandwich on the plate in front of him.

Krystal just about caught the main words in that sentence. The confused thoughts in her mind had been replaced by new, happy, strange, musing emotions. Fox likes me! He actually likes me! But do I like him? Hmm... Yes. Yes, I like Fox McCloud. He likes me and I like him. She gave an audible sigh. Oh, Fox. You saved my life and the lives of others, you allowed me to live with you, to join your team. Your family. I knew you weren't avoiding me really! She grinned at the revelation and was truly happy for the first time in years.

I LOVE you Fox McCloud. A surprised look shot across the vixen's face. Did I just think that? Did I just admit my love for Fox? So that what it was! I love him, I love him, I love him, I love him, I LOVE him! Krystal looked down towards her abdomen. My tummy feels the same, but it's... different. It's better. It's a nice feeling. Oh Fox! I'm so happy, Fox. But then Krystal calmed her thoughts down for a bit.

I'm thinking too far ahead. Even if Fox does have feelings for me, he won't love me just yet. Not yet...

She looked up from her thoughts and remembered that Falco was still sitting at the table. He was enjoying his sandwich too much to notice any of Krystal's altering facial expressions.

Krystal felt much bouncier now that she had admitted her own secret to herself.

"Enjoying it, are we?" she playfully asked Falco

"Yesh. It'sh loffley!" came the mouth-filled reply.

Krystal giggled. "Glad to hear it. And thanks, by the way. Who knew that you actually cared about all this lovey-dovey stuff?"

Falco swallowed and said "Just one of my many hidden talents." After a few more mouthfuls, he had finished his sandwich. "Ya think you can sleep a bit easier now?"

Krystal smiled and nodded. "Thanks again, Falco."

"It's what Fox would have done for me if I ever had trouble with Ka..." he uttered a nervous chuckle and Krystal laughed.

"Yes, well. Heh... that's a story for another time. You not goin' back to bed yet?"

Krystal shook her head. Within all the events of the past ten minutes, Krystal had completely forgotten to eat her tomatoes. "I'll just stay here for a bit longer."

The bird shrugged and said "Suit yourself. Night, K. Check ya later!" the bird disappeared through the kitchen door and it slid silently shut behind him.

Krystal sighed a happy sigh. One name was ringing through her thoughts: Fox.

Tomorrow, she thought, I'm gonna make sure Fox and I get some time alone. We need a serious talk. Even the thought of it excited her. Oooh! I can't wait to see the look on his face!

Her ears twitched as the door opened again. A familiar figure stepped through the door. When he saw Krystal sitting at the table, he was slightly startled, and she was equally so.

"Uh... hi Krys."

Looks like she wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow after all.

Awww! What a lovely ending! I tried to make Falco do something good, yet bad at the same time. Wouldn't want to completely destroy his reputation now would we? Remember, that big, green, juicy review button is your friend! Give us a shout with what you think about the wee story!

Thanks for reading (I'm surprised that you were able to!)

SchmEthan.