Heartwarming / Storm Hawks

• The Storm Hawks standing together as a team in defiance of the Sky Council's ruling at the end of "Age of Heroes", and the fact that Starling is standing right there with them. The head of the council does, however, support them in secret.
• Finn's hilarious attempt at trying to cheer up Piper after "Best Friends Forever" was actually pretty touching.
  Finn: So, I was wondering... Since you're a girl and all... Do you wanna braid each other's hair, or something?
• The end of "Absolute Power", where Starling puts the retrieved shield of her squadron under their memorial flag, then stands there a moment smiling before flying off.
• Finn acting as a true Domo to the people of Terra Vapos. Yes, the kid's egotistical and selfish but when the time calls for it, he's a bonafide hero through and through.
• Whenever we see Finn and Junko's friendship shine through such as in "Tranquility Now" when Finn, after accidentally losing his best buddy's prized knuckle-busters, he clearly braved some dangerous odds offscreen to get them back.
• "Storm Hawks Seven":
  • Starling gets included in the head count.
    Aerrow: We'll be gone before Ravess even knows she was hit by the Storm Hawks Seven.
    Starling: Um, there are only six of you.
    Aerrow: [smiles] Not today.
  • Starling's reaction really sells the moment. She stays there a moment, absorbing what he just said, before looking up with a grin and following them.
  • The fact that they prepared a room for her, complete with personal touches.
• The ending of "Five Days".
  • In short: Master Cyclonis went through all the trouble of raiding the Condor, on her own, to retrieve the Nil Crystal, in order to fix another crystal that projected an image of a young!Cyclonis and her Grandmother, the previous Master Cyclonis.
  • In more detail: Aerrow and Piper worry what she will use the Nil Crystal for; Aerrow says he hopes they never find out, and Cyclonis' ominous theme plays as it switches to her returning to her room. Then, it goes quiet as she stands over the broken crystal, looking at it with genuine heartbreak. Carefully, tenderly, she begins to repair the crystal, a Nostalgic Music Box playing as the pieces come together. Then, it's fixed, and she looks upon the image with fond eyes, smiling warmly, looking at her young self and then her grandmother, then softly closes her eyes.
• Any time when Aerrow shows concern for Piper, or does something thoughtful for her — whether you see it as a case of platonic friendship or subtle hints of something more, these two have quite a few moments together. Notable examples include:
  • In "Best Friends Forever", the team is caught in a storm and everyone but Piper makes it back to the Condor safely. Aerrow insists on waiting a little longer before closing the ship hatch, and even tries venturing out to look for her, only to get blown back inside.
  • In "Storm Warning," when Piper pulls a 10-Minute Retirement out of frustration with her less-disciplined teammates, Aerrow's the first to get worried about her, and probably would have taken off looking for her if the Cyclonians hadn't attacked.
  • In "The Forbidden City," Aerrow saving a rare crystal that he found in the inner keep of the Forbidden City for Piper after the treasure chamber collapses.
  • Piper embracing Aerrow in a Big Damn Hug when he manages to escape from a falling carrier ship in "Second Chances."
  • Aerrow assuring Piper he trusts her and her abilities despite her miscalculating the path he was supposed to go to destroy the Exopod in the Exosphere, which could have effectively cost his life in the process in "Stratosphere".
  • After Piper's breather is taken by Domiwick and the Condor is sinking in the lake of Terra Aquanos, Aerrow gives her his breather so her safety would be guaranteed in "Dark Waters".
    • Piper's reaction when Aerrow comes back alive on top of a giant whale monster in a Little Mermaid fashion just adds bonus points.
  • When Piper's Binding magic is revealed to have a downside in "Cyclonia Rising, part 1", Aerrow tries to convince her not to use it, even though it turns him into a superhuman warrior.
  • The most implicit moment, however, comes in "Cyclonia Rising, part 2." Both Aerrow and Piper are hanging from a precarious ledge, with Cyclonis and Dark Ace moving in for the kill. Piper, weakened by her inexperienced use of the Binding, whispers an apology to Aerrow before starting to fall. But Aerrow grabs her at the last second, and tells her gently:
    Aerrow: If we gotta go down, at least we're going down together.
    • For bonus points, when their Heroic Second Wind kicks in, they both rise into the air with their hands clasped together.

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