It was an unusual assignment, cold, and isolated. The Star Fox team had been sent to the icy sandy planet of Titania on a special mission to protect a secret Cornerian team of scientists, a team conducting research that wasn't legal on Corneria herself.

Fox didn't have any qualms about this. It would be far from the first time they were doing something that wasn't exactly within all ethical bounds. And here, they were only "assisting."

The planet of Titania is on an outer orbit in Lylat, millions of miles from Corneria, and at this time of the year it was passing near the turbulent region of Sector Z, bathing the planet in violent and disruptive radiation. The planet was in communications silence and it would last for nearly three weeks. The underground labs and all those within were well shielded by rock and metal and concrete so there was no need to worry.

To Fox, three weeks was an eternity.

"Isn't there a way we can get through it?" he asked Slippy as the toad worked at a computer station. It was late at night, and the lab was shrouded in only the blue glow of the computer screens. Insomnia was a new pal for Fox.

"For the second time Fox, no. We've dealt with this radiation before; it's not going to let anything through." Slippy was not his usual cheerful self.

Fox folded his arms and watched Slippy work. A lab technician, a young deer in a white coat with numerous pens in his pocket, approached Slippy from the other side and handed him a computer disk which the toad took and slid into the computer's slot. He typed away more.

Fox was unsatisfied and sighed.

Slippy's shoulders made a slight rise as his webbed fingers worked. "You know Fox, you don't have to be down here in the labs. Perhaps you could check in with… Falco, where is he anyway?"

There was a deep rumble of thunder, deep enough to be out of range of most people's hearing, but Fox's attentive ears stood up from it. He could hear the unimaginably violent storms on the surface even a hundred meters below the ground. The effect was unsettling.

"I don't know. I guess I could find him. I just wanted to see what you were up to."

"I'm up to no good," was Slippy's reply with a smirk. "But," the smirk faded, "for me to continue I need some space."

Fox didn't say anything else as he made his way out, the double doors sliding ajar for him.

Falco studied the half naked Fox as they sat on their beds in their sleeping quarters.

"I don't know why you're complaining," the bird said. "It's an easy job. We're getting paid to do nothing but sit around and watch people work."

Fox rubbed the white fur on his neck absently. "I think I'm getting cabin fever."

"Cabin fever," Falco echoed dryly.

"Yeah, there are things I want to do. I want to fly, or get on the Lylat network and browse sites or something. I don't know, something to stop the boredom. We're cut off from everything."

"Well, this was sort of planned," Falco said picking up a ball and tossing it at the wall. The ball came right back to his hand and he repeated. "The military wants these scientists completely protected and isolated. They knew Titania was entering the Z region. What better time." He scratched his bare feathered chest with his talons.

Fox got up. "I'm gonna walk around."

Falco didn't answer, he just tossed his ball.

Slippy turned when Fox entered. Seeing who it was he turned back and continued with his work.

"Put on a shirt," was all the toad said.

"Don't feel like it," Fox remarked, pulling up a chair close to Slippy's, facing him at the computer station. He plopped down in the seat and slouched with his legs apart. His shorts rode up to his inner thighs. The plumes of orange and white fur ruffled out.

"Bored again?" Slippy said as he typed. He turned to the left and leered at Fox.

"Yup. Mind if I watch?"

Slippy tried to not glance down at Fox's shorts. "No, I guess not. I've asked you to give me space before and you still come back," he said quickly, turning back.

Fox chuckled. "Someone's cranky."

"I've been working for five hours straight with this experiment. Half the values are in the wrong sequence and I have to manually fix it."

Fox put his hand in the brim of his shorts over the tuft of fur that went down his navel. Slippy heard the motion and his shoulders made a slight rise again. Fox knew this bothered him. Slippy was always a touchy person behind the computer.

Fox also suspected Slippy liked it too. He felt something funny; the thought of Slippy liking it made him curious. He liked having that effect on someone, even if it was Slippy. Being cooped up in this lab for such a long isolated period was making Fox antsy and maybe even a little mischievous.

"Aren't you cold?" Slippy asked drawing figures on the touch screen before going back to typing.

"Nope, I got a nice fur coat here."

Slippy pulled his jacket together more, thinking about zipping it up. "A luxury I don't have," the toad said.

"Yeah that sucks. My fur is getting pretty shaggy though." Fox brought his knee up to his chest, resting his foot on the edge of the chair. He brushed the thick fiery fur on his leg puffing it out and then matting it down again. "I should probably get it trimmed."

Slippy carefully watched out of the corner of his eye.

"See, feel it," Fox said.

Slippy noticeably ceased typing. The toad contemplated this in silence. He stared at the cold heartless figures on the screen to drown Fox out. Group A had a 35 percent correlation. Group B had a 61 percent correlation.

It was no use.

Without speaking Slippy turned away from the computer and carefully brought his cold webbed hand to Fox's shin.

Fox kept a straight face as he did this.

"Ah, I see," Slippy said plainly, rubbing back and forth.

"It's not as thick there, I'm talking about up here," Fox scooted forward bringing his thigh closer. Slippy stayed with the shin for a moment until he mustered the courage to move his hand up. He traced his smooth knobby fingers slowly around Fox's strong calf muscle, up to behind his knee. The fur was getting thicker. Slippy blinked and with a concentrated look traced gently to Fox's thigh.

"Yeah- yeah, I guess you're right."

Fox was surprised at this. He liked the feeling. He felt a pulse under his shorts. This was having an effect.

Fox edged his thigh even closer, enticing Slippy to move down even more, but the toad jerked his hand away.

"I have to work."

"Take a break."

"I said I have to work."

Fox reached forward and grabbed Slippy's hand and brought it back to his thigh. "I dunno if you really got to feel this. I mean it's really thick."

Slippy froze there until he melted and dug his fingers into Fox's thigh. It felt wonderful, the warm soft fur.

Fox didn't smile. He just watched Slippy's hand knead at his thigh with a determined stare. The effect was growing until his shorts were feeling a little tight.

Slippy saw this, but stayed at his thigh. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his throat went dry. He was terrified by what was happening. He had thought of this happening so many lonely nights before going to sleep, but he had rationalized it down to just a fantasy to be tucked away. He didn't want to stop.

Fox took his foot off the chair and rested his leg across Slippy's lap. Slippy's chair was the kind that swiveled and he turned and faced him, edging his fingers further down Fox's thigh, under the waves of warm fur, until they started to slip under his shorts which were already riding close to his crotch.

Fox sighed and closed his eyes as the toad's gentle fingers rubbed closer and closer. His ears perked up at the thunder far above and he smirked.

Slippy brought his free hand to the same leg at the shin and this new set of fingers started making their way up the other side. Fox tilted his head back.

His hand ducked under the edge of Fox's shorts and then slid out to the exposed thigh, and then back under, a little further, then back out. By the fourth repetition he went all the way in and carefully cupped Fox's sack, sliding his hand up to the hard shaft, taking a firm grip.

Fox's muzzle opened just a little at the electric touch and he took a breath, his chest puffing out. He throbbed a little and Slippy responded by slowly pumping, up, then down.

The computer suddenly screamed a series of beeps and Slippy recoiled. Everything came crashing down and the toad jerked back to the computer, Fox's leg still across his lap. Slippy typed frantically.

"I'm logged in the terminal and was inactive for too long," he said in a light weak voice that almost cracked. He typed clumsily.

Fox stared as Slippy worked. No no, this will not do. He would not allow himself to be left hanging like this. He felt a longing ache in his shorts. He'd gotten blue balls from someone before and it pissed him off. He wasn't going to allow Slippy of all people to give it to him.

He took his leg off Slippy and got up. He walked to the control panel by the doors and locked them. The metal beams inside the doors slid into place and snapped together. Slippy heard, and felt a chill run down his spine. Everything was secure. They were alone and isolated. His skin crawled as he heard the sound of Fox slipping off his shorts, fabric rustling over that thick fur, feet making two steps in place. He gulped and his heart raced. He didn't want to turn around. He heard Fox's muffled padded steps coming closer until a pair of strong paws found his shoulders and swung him around in his chair til he was facing Fox and his taut erection.

Fin?