Fan Fiction ❯ Not My Idea ❯ Part Two ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

PART TWO
CHAPTER THREE

*You thought that I would never see.

What was meant for you was meant for me.

I was distracted at the time.

Forget about yours now what about mine.*

Katt sniffed, a muffled whimper escaping her lips as she jabbed at the burning remnants of what was once a pancake. It was smoking slightly, thick tendrils of black rising from the pan and curling into the fan where it was sucked out into the open air. She never could cook.

She bit her lip, refusing to cry. She was stronger than that. Falco had left, what seemed like ages ago, or perhaps only a few minutes, to fetch Fox and bring him back so that they may have a civil, merry breakfast together. Sweet Fox, heroic Fox. How sharing a simple breakfast with him disgusted her.

She shook the dark thought away before it could take root, dumping the now cold and rather forlorn looking clump of blackened batter into the trash can. But she'd get over it right? Get over him? She had to, some time....

But hadn't it been at least three years now? From a simple infatuation to the stabbing love that burned her throat and stomach? How sad.

She'd been skipping along beside him, like a happy little school girl, young and naive, waiting for him to return the affections because deep down in her heart, she knew he someday would. After all, it was in the story books, right?

Katt exhaled sharply, her throat locking up. To hell with it. With everything. Sudden anger rose up inside her, and her tiny fist trembled in rage. God damn Fox. God damn him. To steal the only man she'd ever loved, take away that hope, wish, and dream, that special someone whom she'd been waiting her entire life to meet, how could he?

She shook her head, white tresses flying, another stifled sob slipping from her mouth. It was stupid, she knew it. She'd gone through it a thousand times since last night. But the look on Falco's face....

How happy. How sweet. How revolting.

Slamming the pan down angrily into the sink to let it mingle with the other long-forgotten dirty dishes, she tore through the kitchen, ripping the white satin robe off her shoulders with so much vehemence it nearly severed at the seams. She tossed in on her bed, nightie following quickly, and blindly groped in her closet for a half-decent sweatshirt and a pair of pants.

She was being irrational, of course. But love always did crazy things to people.

She didn't want to be around Fox, have a friendly breakfast with him, chat about the good ol' times. Didn't want to see the love glowing in his face, the sweet shy blush creeping up into his fur. Didn't want to be civil, didn't want to be sweet.

Didn't want to see Falco.

She grabbed her car keys, returning to the kitchen to jot down a hastily-written note on the notebook hanging from the fridge (which was used primarily for grocery lists, but this being of a rather odd situation...) She dropped the pen after a curt scribble, whereupon is sung freely on the little silver chain that kept it secured to the tablet. Pulling up her hair into a loose ponytail she silently left, the door closing behind her on squeaky hinges.

She didn't look back.

Falco stepped over the threshold, mildly shocked when he didn't see Katt sitting at kitchen table. Fox, who was still happily attached to his arm, looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Falco?"

Falco shrugged, not sure what to do either. Katt wasn't there, no breakfast of the table, the trace remnants of smoke in the air...

Perhaps one of her friends had called with an emergency. But he hadn't heard the phone ring, did he? Or her car pull out of the lot? However, he did admit, that being with Fox made him lose track of his surroundings, which included phone calls and cars.

Letting go of Fox's paw, he walked over the refrigerator, instinct telling him to check, just in case. There was a hastily scribbled note, written in quick, flowing script:

//Had to go. Forgot I had an errand to run. Breakfast is burnt, keep fan on.

I'm sorry.

Love, Katt//

Falco cocked his head, scratching the soft feathers atop it. An errand? This early in the morning? What did....

"What'd she say?"

Falco nearly jumped out of his feathers, suddenly feeling Fox's paws on his shoulders and his lips on his ear. When did he sneak up? Falco grunted softly, as Fox kneaded his stiff and tense shoulders. He groaned appreciatively, leaning back as Fox's paws did some wonderful, wonderful things to his muscles.

"Falco?"

"Nm?"

"Where's Katt? What happened?"

"Nn, she had an--nng, right there-- an errand to run."

Fox continued with his work, fingers prodding at a rather stubborn knot. His looked up at Falco, blue eyes peering over one shoulder. "An errand? Where?"

"Don't know."

"Doesn't that seem, I don't know, a little odd to you? I mean, this early in the morning?"

Falco sighed, giving his shoulders a good roll after Fox had finished. "Fox, whatever it is, it's Katt's business. She can take care of herself."

Fox blinked, taken slightly aback by the subtle anger in Falco's voice. He'd hit a soft spot, that was for sure. Smacked it, more likely. Although he was concerned for Katt, he bit his lip, wisely so, letting whatever that had happened between Falco and Katt that morning stay between them.

Gently, Falco slipped his wings around Fox's shoulder, burying his beak in the silky-soft fur atop his head. Breathing in Fox's slightly musky wild scent, he whispered into red-orange hair.

"Let's go to breakfast, ne?"

CHAPTER FOUR

*This is not my idea of a good time.

This is not my idea of a good time.

This is not my idea of a good time.

This is not my idea.*

Late afternoon, Falco and Katt's trailer

Falco ran a hand through the feathers atop his head, mind stumbling over what he was going to say when Katt got home for the umpteenth time. Fox had gone to work, Falco had dropped him off after breakfast. He'd looked a little better after a hot shower and a warm meal, and although Falco didn't wish to part with him, Fox had his duties to do, just as Falco would have tomorrow, but for now, he had the day off.

He leaned back against the ratty couch, hand closing around his perspiring glass of cold lemonade, taking a small sip before idly tracing a finger around the rim. Katt had been gone for a while, for far too long. Falco berated himself again, knowing that as he pursued his relationship with Fox, he was destroying Katt.

She was tough, sure, but emotions were a bitch, and if anyone knew how she felt, it was Falco. He'd had his share of shitty times, and it scared him to see Katt this way, his Katt, the slowly dying sparkle in her eyes reminiscent of his own when he had been young and innocent and naive.

Falco sighed, shifting against the reddish-brownish undefinable colored couch, the heat making him uncomfortable. He and Katt had been saving up for an air conditioner, but the car had decided to act up, and all of Falco's hopes of a cool summer had nearly literally gone up in smoke. He flipped through the TV channels, but as always, it seemed as if there was nothing good on.

It was late afternoon by now, sunlight blaring through the window blinds at full blast. Falco rubbed the back of one of his hands over his forehead, grimacing at the feel of body-heated sweat. He was reaching again for his glass of lemonade when he heard the door squeak, and Katt stepped over the threshold.

Before Falco could say a word, she dropped her keys on the coffee table and made a beeline for her room, arms already pulling at her sweatshirt. It had been cold this morning, and obviously she hadn't expected to have been gone so long.

She came back dressed in a tank top and shorts, hair pulled up in a loose bun. She plopped down on the couch next to Falco, closing her eyes for a minute as she collected her thoughts, mind sorting out what she wanted to say. Falco kept silent, allowing Katt to do what she wanted with the situation, not wanting to rush her.

Katt finally blinked her vivid blue eyes open, eyes that were only a few shades lighter than Fox's, and smiled.

It was a real smile, an honest to goodness real smile, and Falco was awash with relief when he saw the light flicker in her eyes again. Her face was still clouded with pain, that sad tinge to her clear eyes, but she was okay, she still hurt, but she was okay.

"Falco," Katt trailed off, still not sure what to say or where to begin. She licked her lips, eyes squinting for a moment as she struggled to say what wasn't quite clear in her mind. "I, uh... I'm sorry I ran off."

Falco slimed slightly, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear, still keeping silent, waiting for Katt to finish her piece.

"I... needed time to think. I mean, well," she shrugged, biting her lip slightly. Falco held her paw, rubbing reassuring circles over her knuckles. "Falco, you know how I feel about you. It hurt to see you with Fox. I mean, I'm glad you're happy, but it still hurts. For so long, I thought that, well, I thought we'd end up together."

Katt stopped for a minute, smiling, eyes looking faraway for minute, seeing something Falco couldn't before she started again. "I guess it was kind of silly, but, you know. I guess what I'm trying to say, Falco, it that... it's okay. I... I can't ever really get over you, you're my first love, but.....I'll be okay."

Katt smiled meekly, shrugging, biting her lip once again. But Falco understood, what so many words wouldn't be able to explain. He pulled her into an embrace, Katt burying her face against his chest. She'd accepted them, the only person who's opinion really mattered to him.

They sat for a moment, simply holding each other, Katt trying to control her emotions, and finding it surprisingly easier. Not any less painful, but easier, and suddenly realizing that Falco would never truly be hers wasn't such a shock, and she sincerely was happy for him.

It was going to be okay. She was sure of it.

"Just remember that if he hurts you, I'll scratch his face off."

Falco's lips curved slightly, an odd and fairly disturbing image coming to mind. "I'll be sure to tell him that."

"You'd better," Katt whispered, playfully punching Falco in the shoulder. She pulled away from his chest, sitting up, grabbing the clicker from Falco to surf through the channels. Falco allowed himself to smile again, eyes narrowing slightly in mischief as he caught the undefinable glow imbibing her face.

"So, who is he then?"

Katt blushed, jumping fairly, white locks bouncing as she mockingly tossed her head. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

Falco pursed his lips, throwing an arm towards Katt to snatch the remote as she settled on some mushy-gushy romance movie. He wrestled it from her paws, flipping on a splatter flick before she took him by surprise, and with a self-satisfied smirk, the happy couple reappeared back on the TV screen. Falco rolled his eyes, but conceded to it, crossing his arms and bracing himself for the impending ninety minutes of sheer torture. Katt smiled, leaning against him, and he wrapped a wing around her.

"Just remember that if he hurts you, I'll peck his face off."

"I'll be sure to tell him that."

Later, Cornerian Air Force Base, Peace Keeper's division

Fox squeezed his eyes shut, fingertips rubbing at his temples. The harsh screaming pain from that morning had given way to a dull throb that pounded behind his eyes unrelentingly. His shift was almost up, Fox smiling when he realized what he now had to look forward to. His smile quickly died away, however, when he opened his eyes and stared down at the form looking back up at him.

He sighed, grabbing his pen and scribbling away at it again, the long-suffering bottle of white-out sitting within reach. Some people simply weren't made for desk jobs. I'll take the sky, any day, Fox thought as blinked sleepily and yawned, eyes sliding shut for a moment as he rested his head against a paw.

He was jolted back into reality when his normally faithful desk shuddered, and his pen went skidding across the paper. Fox snapped his eyes open and stared up at Bill, who had found it acceptable to take root on his desk. He winked back, paws folded innocently in his lap, maniac grin on his face.

"So, Hot Stuff, how was your date?"

Fox blushed, looking away, dabbing white-out on his report. "I fail to see how that is any of your business."

"If it's anything I can tease you about, of course it's my business."

Fox smirked, rubbing the white-off over the pen mark with calculated slowness, knowing that he had the upper paw. Bill shifted on his desk, squirming with anticipation. "So?"

Fox yawned mockingly, finishing up cleaning up his report. He grabbed his pen again, continuing where he had left off, ignoring Bill's presence for the moment. Bill pouted, pushing his sunglasses back up his muzzle (only Bill would insist on wearing shades indoors), and hopping off Fox's desk.

"Not gonna tell me, huh?"

Fox grinned, shaking his head.

"Fine, fine," Bill muttered, putting a paw over his heart, as if he'd been stabbed. He trailed off from what he was going to say next, a particularly long-legged girl catching his eye from the other side of the room. He turned his eyes back to Fox, if only for the moment. "You know I'll just get it out of you, anyways."

Fox rolled his eyes, coughing.

"Hey, Fox."

Fox looked at Bill again, tensing slightly when the all-too-familiar maniac grin resurfaced on his face. Bill leaned in close, both paws resting on his desk. "Rawr," he mewed, giving Fox's desk a good shake, sending his pen sailing across the page again before laughing and darting towards the crowd.

Fox took one look at his form before chucking his paperweight at Bill.