It was dark now in Corneria. Fox and Wolf were sitting on a bench together in a park that was somewhere near the center of the city. They were sitting in silence now over the short outburst that the vulpin had earlier.
Fox was feeling like a total wreck over this situation. He felt really lonely for not opening up to anyone else over his sexuallity and being afraid of what others might think. It felt like he was in a nightmare that he couldn't wake up from, that he was doomed to live in a web of lies for the rest of his life with nobody to turn to…
Wolf sat next to him with his hand on Fox's shoulder, holding his grip so that he could comfort him somehow. His mind was starting to flash back to many years ago back in High School.
He remembers the day of his parents' funeral. He was sitting on his knees in front of their grave with their names carved onto the stone: Mark and Amelia O'Donnell, Devoted Husband and Loving Wife when no one else could be. Rest in Peace. He was shedding a large amount of tears from his eyes while looking at the tombstone, feeling a wave of sadness and loneliness began to flood his heart which eventually led him to feel nothing but an empty soul.
Fox gave a small breath for a second, looking back to earlier when he told the guys about him and Krystal. He remembered the expressions of surprise and shock on their faces, how he was actually able to find comfort in Wolf for being there for him, and how he felt guilty for letting him break down in front of them like that. A lot of things have happened today, and it seems like it's not going to stop there and then.
"Sorry," he said. "I got a little carried away with my emotions back there."
"Don't be sorry, Fox," Wolf told him. "You had every right to feel upset, and it was a good thing that you told us what happened."
"Well...yeah, but...I said it in public. People might begin to spread rumors about that."
"Are you really afraid of what other people would think of how you act?" asked the lupine.
"It's not that!" said Fox. "It's just...I'm afraid of being hated if some people ever knew my secret."
He paused for a moment, realising what he said to his ex-rival.
"Your secret?" the lupine asked in a worried and curious tone.
Fox sat there looking at Wolf with wide eyes for almost letting something slip. He knew what the topic was about, but he's too afraid to tell.
"I-it's nothing. Nevermind."
But, Wolf wasn't convinced.
"Pup. If you don't want to tell me, then don't. I understand if you don't trust me enough to underst-."
"I do trust you!"
Wolf blinked for a moment.
"You...you do?" he asked.
"Y-yeah, I do" Fox shuttered when he started to hug Wolf again. "I'm just...scared. I haven't told anyone this in a long time. The only person that ever knew about this was Peppy, and some other guys I've met years ago after my father died, but I never told anyone else this secret about myself to anyone else. Not even Falco or Slippy, and they're my best friends."
"Is it really that bad?"
"Not to some people," he replied, "but there were some...narrow-minded people that would be against it."
The word 'narrow-minded' was what got Wolf to understand what his problem was being. He was surprised that he had fears about that specific topic, he always believed that Fox was not afraid of anything.
"Fox," he said, getting the vulpin to look up at him, "I am aware that you are... gay."
Fox's eyes widened. Wolf already knew about his secret! He felt like screaming right now…
"How...how?"
"I know how that feels too."
Fox felt speechless. His ex-rival knew he was gay, and found out that HE was gay too! He was starting to cry again, but they were tears of joy this time. He was feeling happy! Someone else has finally accepted him for who he is, and has the same interest that he has! He continued to hug Wolf's neck and he began to laugh with joyous tears still secreting from his sockets.
"I...I'm gay" he breathed.
"I know."
"Hahaha. I'm gay, Wolf! I can finally say it to others!"
"Don't go telling everyone yet. You've still gotta take it slow, remember?" he pointed.
"Alright, alright! I'll take my time on telling the others" Fox said.
"Glad to hear." the lupine chuckled.
They both giggled for a few minutes before it got darker out. Fox checked his comm device to check the time. 9:25 PM.
"It's late. My team must be worried by now" Fox wondered.
"Are you ready to go and see them?" Wolf asked.
Fox thought for a moment and realised that he needs to talk with his team. He felt bad about walking out on them and for ditching Krystal. Maybe it's about time for him to open up to the others about his sexuality. He's been hiding it for long enough.
"You know what?" he began,"I think it's about time I tell them the truth."
"As long as you're sure…"
Fox started to feel bold and confident again.
"I think I'm sure enough. Thanks for being here Wolf."
"Heh. You're welcome."
Fox opened the contacts of his comm.
"Hey, do you wanna exchange numbers? In case we could hang out again and catch up on some lost time?"
"Sure. We might as well become friends, right?"
Wolf showed Fox his phone number from his own cell phone, at which point he knew that Fox was about to discover something about him in a few seconds. After Fox typed the phone number in his to add his contact, when he pressed "enter", the screen said "The contact already exists."
"Huh? I've...already got your number?" he asked in confusion.
Fox pressed the link to where the existing contact led to, and he couldn't believe what he was reading right now: 'Lupine T-Bone'.
He looked up at Wolf with complete shock.
"T-Bone?"
Wolf looked back.
"Yes, it's me, Mic-Mac?"
Flashback…
A few years ago, shortly after James' death, Fox found himself drowning his sorrows in a bar that he would soon discover was a gay bar.
But, despite everything, the guys he met there were very nice to him and helped him through that hard time. Even these guys had bought a few drinks of wine for him, but only one of them stayed talking to him the longest was a wolf who called himself Lupine T-Bone.
There was something interesting about this man, but he never asked him back then because he didn't want to be rude, and besides, he had just met him. It was a little strange that he was wearing a black mask on his face, he wondered what he was hiding under it. Either that something had happened to his face, or was it for something else? Despite that fact though, he was a good guy and he felt safe being able to talk to him.
What Fox didn't know is that this lupine was nothing more and nothing less than the man who was unjustly accused for the death of his father and that he would become his main rival in the following years: Wolf O'Donnell. At that point, he was wanted by the Cornerian army, so he always put that mask on to hide his identity, and he made a false name on it because when someone has pissed them off, he's got a bone to pick with said person.
On that night, Wolf didn't realise that Fox was the son of James McCloud! Although he knew that James had a son, he never met him in person once. Not till that night, at least. Therefore, he had no idea that he was conversing with him, nor was he suspicious about it, since Fox had told him his name was Mic-Mac. Turns out, Fox called himself that so that nobody from the bar would spread the news that the son of the recently deceased Star Fox team leader had been seen there in the first place.
For that reason, no one, not even Wolf, suspected who he was.
Although Fox had just met T-Bone, not knowing that he was actually Wolf, he had started to develop feelings for him. It was very different from the feelings he had for his girlfriend, at that moment, Fara. But growing the fear of being treated badly by other people, he had to stop those feelings and keep them deep within himself.
To forget those kinds of thoughts, T-Bone started another conversation and they got lost in it for a long time. When he saw that it was almost getting late, he told him that he had to leave. T-Bone gave Fox his phone number to call him in case he wanted to chat with him again, and Fox wrote down the number on his cell phone and saved it.
After that, it was only on instinct that Fox gave T-Bone/Wolf a kiss on the cheek as a thanks for listening to him, leaving the lupine in a flush, then he was gone.
Flashback end…
"This can't be…", breathed Fox. "So...we met long before we formed our respective teams, but then you did know who I was from the beginning?"
"No," replied Wolf, "At first, I didn't know who you were. I found out when you became known as the new leader of your own team."
"But you did know then, and you never even mentioned anything in front of me or our teams that you already knew me", Fox pointed out.
"That was not the problem," Wolf said. "Apart from the fact that if they knew where and when I met you, the army would know all the places I frequently go to and pick an opportunity to arrest me, which I couldn't allow."
"Oh, now I get it," Fox said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "I am still very sorry for what you had to go through these past years."
"Don't worry about it." Wolf said with a small growl. "But, there's something that I still have to know; why did you never call me after the night we met at the bar?"
Fox began to chill a little more before answering, "A lot happened; I had to end my relationship with my girlfriend after I realized that I was gay, then came the moment when I formed the Star Fox team, then Andross appearing, and a lot more that kept me busy all the time! And...you know the whole Aparoid thing."
"Oh," Wolf said, feeling a little guilty for pointing at Fox for not calling, "I'm sorry. I understand all that. I was just...busy as well. Although, you probably know all the illegal things that I had to do in order to survive".
"Oh, Wolf…" the vulpin trailed off, feeling bad for Wolf again.
"But, let's not talk about that." The lupine said to cheer him up. "That's all in the past now, and we should focus on the present right now."
Fox nodded.
"For the moment," Wolf continued, "I think you should talk to your friends and confess the truth about yourself. If you want to, that is."
"Yeah. Might be a good idea by now." Fox slowly stood up from the bench before showing Wolf his phone screen. "By the way, this is my phone number, so you can call me at any time."
"Thanks," he said, getting up as well. He wrote Fox's number on his own phone and saved it. "Guess I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, unless I see you first," Fox replied.
They both went their separate ways and left.
Before heading back to the Great Fox, Fox ran into Dash one last time, who had just finished a conversation with Leon and Panther.
"Are you leaving now, Fox?" he asked.
"I am," he replied. My teammates will be worried about me missing this afternoon."
"So, I guess this is... goodbye?"
"Just for the moment," he assured the monkey, "but don't worry, we'll see each other again."
They both traded phone numbers to keep in touch.
"It was nice to meet you." said Fox.
"Equally." replied Dash in a jokingly sophisticated manner.
They both shook hands in dismissal, and then left. Fox returned to his Arwing, got inside, turned on the engines and finally took to the skies to leave Corneria. He sets his course to the Great Fox where he would meet his team and finally open up to them.
'You know what?' Fox began thinking. 'That trip in Corneria really helped me more than I thought.'