I LOVE ALL OF YOU! As you should well know by now. c':

Here's another update about our favorite vixen. :3

I'm always so happy to hear what you guys think! Can't wait to hear what you think about this! *nuzzles*

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( ... Fox and Krystal get a bit more intimately acquainted. )

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Krytal's Adventures

Tales of the Cobalt Vixen
A Collection of Cornerian Shorts

Chapter Sixteen: "Nightcap"

Fox and Krystal paused outside the door to her room, looking bashfully at one another.

"Thank you," she said softly, her tail flicking. She squeezed him closer with her arm, still looped through his. "It's always lovely to have a gentleman walk me home," she murmured. Her eyes twinkled up at him, utterly gorgeous. "Especially when that gentleman's name happens to be Fox McCloud."

He blinked down at her, feeling his cheeks heat up. "Can't be nearly as lovely as having you on my arm," he mumbled, the words rolling awkwardly off his tongue.

Oh god. That sounded so stupid.

She didn't seem to think so. Instead, she smiled, snuggling closer to him. "I hate bringing this night to an end," she sighed, nuzzling her feather-soft cheek against his shoulder. Her sweet, light scent wafted up to him, making his head spin. "But I do have an early morning tomorrow."

Fox's heart fell, and he hated himself for it.

What were you thinking, asshole? She was gonna just invite you inside? What a dick move.

"You wouldn't happen to care for coffee, would you?"

The sound of her voice distracted him from his thoughts. "W-What?" he asked.

She looked down at the floor, suddenly shy. "I asked if you cared for some coffee, perhaps. Before you leave."

Fox's heart thudded. "Uh, sure," he muttered, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Coffee sounds nice."

He followed her inside, strangely terrified. This was the girl he wanted more than anything. Loved more than anything. She'd just kissed him at the bar, for god's sake. But that wasn't quite the same as being invited to her room …

"I hope you like my brew," she murmured, disentwining herself from his arm. He watched as she stepped into the kitchenette, light and graceful on her feet. As always. "I know my favorite might not be your favorite," she said, her voice slightly teasing.

Fox grinned, scratching his ear. "I'm sure I'll love it," he mumbled. He stood awkwardly in the foyer, debating whether he should take a seat at the table or head for the couch. Torn between the two, he hovered in the middle of nowhere for a long moment.

She noticed.

"You are allowed to sit down, you know," she giggled, expertly measuring coffee grounds into a filter.

He bit his lip, walking across the room. Couch it was.

The coffeemaker gurgled to life, the sound of it drifting across the room. Krystal left it to brew in solitude, joining Fox on the couch. His heart pounded as he felt her body sink down beside him, scooting a bit closer. "I found it so interesting when I learned Cornerians drink coffee," she was saying, fiddling with something on the coffee table. Coasters. "Back home, we treasured it."

Fox turned to see a tiny smile lifting her lips. It was strangely sad.

"That is pretty cool," he said, trying to keep the subject light. "I mean, who knew coffee was intergalactic?"

That made her chuckle. "Indeed," she said, turning to look at him with big bright eyes. "Coffee, of all things." Now the smile was genuinely happy. "It makes me wonder where else it happens to be. Perhaps many millions of light-years away, in galaxies we'd never think to explore."

Fox grinned, feeling a silly idea forming. "We could make that our new mission," he suggested. "To discover all the coffee-growing planets in the universe."

"And divide them between drinkers and non-drinkers!" she finished, her eyes sparkling.

They both laughed.

Right on cue, the coffeemaker beeped, making their eyes go wide. Then they laughed even more.

Fox smiled at Krystal as she stood from the couch, her tail swishing as she crossed the room.

"Do you take your coffee with sugar?" she asked, pulling two mugs from a cabinet.

"No, just a little cream," he said. Then he was curious. "How to do you take yours?"

"A touch of cream and sugar," she said, grinning as she fixed their cups. "I know a purist would disagree, but I like my sweets."

She carried the mugs back over to the couch, setting them onto the coasters she'd pulled out.

Fox picked his up and took a sip. Hot, bitter, and ever-so-slightly creamy. Pretty fantastic.

Krystal sighed as she took a sip of hers and sank back down onto the couch. "Wonderful," she murmured. "Nothing like a good cup of coffee to round out the day."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Fox agreed.

They sipped in comfortable silence.

Fox noticed that even this, sitting with her on a couch doing nothing but drinking coffee, was one of the nicest moments he'd had in a while. He glanced at Krystal. She looked so wonderful beside him; effortlessly elegant. He leaned into the cushions, sighing. He could get used to this.

She nuzzled against his side, cradling her mug in both hands. "I love the warmth of it," she said softly, looking down at her slightly steaming cup. "How it spreads from your fingers, to the tips of your ears." Fox glanced down at her as she closed her eyes, smiling.

She was quiet for a long moment, but the smile never left her lips.

"What are you thinking about?" Fox asked. He shifted on the seat cushion, lifting his arm. Krystal snuggled underneath it, making it loop around her shoulders. He blushed, frozen for a moment. Well, she just did all the work for him. He didn't even have to "yawn."

"The last time I had a mug of coffee with someone special," she said quietly. She didn't look up at him.

This must have happened on Cerinia, so he didn't push the topic. It always made her sad to think about her home planet. He struggled to think of a way to change the subject, but kept coming up empty-handed. He stared down at her. Would it be totally inappropriate to kiss her? Especially since she was thinking about someone else?

"He wasn't my real father," she continued. "But I loved him like he was."

Oh, thought Fox. So it wasn't someone special. Not the kind of special he was thinking about, anyway.

Does she think of me the way she thinks of her father?

He shuddered.

Strangely, she giggled.

Fox looked down at her, wide-eyed. "What?" he asked. Why would she giggle while she was talking about her dead father? He was a little shocked. He knew Krystal was pretty well-balanced … But no one was that okay with death.

She glanced up at him, and he noticed she looked oddly embarrassed. "O-Oh … Nothing," she muttered, looking away quickly.

He blinked. He tried to think of something to say, but he couldn't.

She bit her lip, obviously debating whether or not to say something, too. "Okay," she finally mumbled, steeling herself. "I suppose I should confess something to you." She looked up at him through her long dark lashes. Her eyes were worried. "Please don't hate me."

Fox blinked again, even more confused. "Uh … okay?" he said, worried about what she might say.

She took a deep breath. "On Cerinia … Well, things are different on Cerinia. Were different," she corrected, quiet. "Life there was woven close together. Closer even than it is here on Corneria."

"Closer?" Fox asked, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Krystal thought about how to word it. "There were no barriers," she murmured, struggling with the words. "We could communicate with every living creature. Mentally." She paused for a moment. "At least those of us who were in touch with that side of ourselves," she added.

Fox was still confused. "Communicate… mentally?" he muttered, thinking about it.

"Think of it like telepathy," Krystal suggested.

"Telepathy?" Fox's eyes widened. "Like reading someone's mind?"

Krystal bit her lip again. "Well, less reading and more sensing," she explained, not meeting his eyes. "Sensing strong feelings, which illustrate thoughts. I believe your people refer to it as being an empath."

"You can feel thoughts?" he asked.

A flood of embarrassment washed over him.

"It's okay," said Krystal quickly, looking up at him with earnest eyes. "I've turned it off for the most part, because I realize that here on your planet, your thoughts are private." Then she turned her eyes away, and Fox noticed she looked embarrassed, too. "But sometimes, if the feeling is strong enough…"

Fox's heart thudded. "Wow," he muttered.

What did she know?

"Please, don't be offended," she begged, looking up at him again. "I wanted to tell you sooner… But I didn't know how."

It wasn't that he was offended, really. But he did feel a little violated.

Invaded, almost.

"It's fine," he mumbled. He sounded like he meant the opposite.

Krystal looked very uncomfortable. Her body was stiff now, completely different from how relaxed it had been a moment ago. "I'm sorry, Fox," she murmured, shifting a bit on the couch. Now they weren't touching anymore.

Fox was quiet. He might as well ask it. "What… I mean, what have you… heard?" he asked. "In my head."

"Not much," she confessed, and he could tell she was being sincere. "But if your feelings are strong enough, and you're near me… I can sense a hint of them."

He closed his eyes. "Alright," he mumbled. "I mean, it's not like I have bad feelings about you," he added, trying to lighten things up.

She laughed. "No," she agreed. "They're always quite warm. And," she continued, as an afterthought, "I most definitely do not think of you as a father."

Fox blushed. This was a lot to take in.

He looked at her.

Still gorgeous, as always.

But now that he knew she could feel his strongest emotions…

He put his mug down on the coffee table, feeling awkward. "I think…"

"Do you want to go?" she asked, looking a little disappointed. "I understand if you do."

He sighed. "I don't want to … Not … completely." He looked at her again, trying very hard to keep the longing out of his eyes. And voice. And thoughts. "But… It's just a lot to process, you know? That you can feel the things I'm thinking sometimes."

Krystal looked down at the mug in her hands. "It's okay, Fox," she said quietly. "It must be hard to fathom. I really am sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. I mean, it's a part of you," he added, and he couldn't help but smile. "Anything that's a part of you has to be amazing." He blushed again.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking up at him. She was silent for a moment, then smiled. Her eyes sparkled. "I hope this won't stop you from joining me for coffee again."

"Nothing could stop me from doing that," he said, honest. But he did need some time to think about this. Realizing the girl of his dreams was a telepath wasn't something he'd really expected. Or something that really happened. Ever.

He was distracted from his thoughts by the feeling of her arms encircling his neck. "I had a lovely evening with you," she murmured, her breath tickling his ear.

His cheeks grew hot as he slipped his arms around her, hugging her close. "Me, too," he said softly. He couldn't help but nuzzle against her cheek, burying his nose in her fur.

His heart swelled and he tried to tamp it down.

She pulled slowly away, looking deep into his eyes. "See you tomorrow?" she asked, slightly uncertain.

He stood from the couch, nodding. "Of course," he said. "I think we've got trainees to deal with."

She got up, too, and grinned. "That should be interesting," she said, cocking an eyebrow. She walked him to the door, considering it. "New students?"

"With any luck," said Fox, mischievous.

Krystal opened the door for him, but before he could step out, she grabbed his arm.

"I should have told you sooner," she said, her eyes sad.

He hated seeing her like this.

"I swear," he said, adamant. "It's fine."

But the sadness didn't leave her face. "If you're sure," she murmured. She started to turn back into her room, looking solemn.

Now he grabbed her arm, gently spinning her back to face him.

"I promise," he said softly, leaning close. "It's fine."

Their noses were a breath away.

She shivered. "Okay," she sighed.

Her eyes half-lidded as she looked into his face, begging him to make a move. At the bar, she'd been the one who started everything. On their date, he'd had the chance to do something; sweep her into his arms, kiss her, god knows what else.

But he hadn't. He hadn't taken any of the chances thrown at him.

So this time, he did.

Slowly, he closed the distance between them, until he could feel the warmth of her breath on his lips. And then, with a shudder of pleasure, he felt her lips touch his. A soft sound sighed in her chest and she slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

He wrapped hesitant arms around her, holding her soft, feminine waist. He could feel her melt into his hands, letting him pull her close. His heart fluttered as he pulled away to look into her eyes, breathless. "Krystal, I …"

She cut him off by kissing him again. "Goodnight, Fox," she murmured, slipping from his arms.

Then she disappeared into her room, leaving him speechless.

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Oooohhhhhh, things are getting a bit interesting! c';

And poor Fox, so worried about what Krystal's "heard" ... *sigh* ... that's what happens when you fall in love with a telepath!

Any suggestions as to what should happen next? I'd love to hear from you! You're my favorite people in the universe! *huggle*

Comments, suggestions, questions?
Review please! I'll listen to your words!