Missing

A/N: Any Smash Bros. fans still out there? I don't know if anyone remembers me, but it's me! PitFTW! Hi, hi, hi! I've missed you guys. I hope that this poor contribution can be a bit of a "sorry I was gone for years and years" letter, haha...

Halloween at the Smash Mansion was certainly no ordinary event. Aside from the fact that the Smashers were allowed to pull any prank they wanted (provided that the mansion stayed intact afterwards and that no one touched Crazy Hand's "special lotion"), this was also the night when heroes and villains alike would be able to don anything from glittering robes to horrifying masks, in an attempt to outdo everyone else in the mansion. Legends were still being told about the year Link had shown up as every incarnations of himself at the same time (even, for some odd reason, an especially ugly one that seemed to be obsessed with wondering what Ganon was up to), the year Olimar and his Pikmin formed together into an enormous Pikmin Mech, and of course, the year when everyone thought that Zelda had gone missing, but it turned out that she had been Sheik the entire time.

Naturally, with so many costumes that dazzled the eye and baffled the mind, there would have to be a competition of sorts as well. With so many Smashers living in the sprawling estate, it was nearly impossible to tell who would win each year. With only four categories to win in and over forty Smashers, the odds of anyone taking the top prize were slim, at best, and winning in more than one category was impossible, something that had never been accomplished before. Many had resorted to attempted trickery or bribery to achieve such a feat, but thus far, nothing had worked. One particularly memorable year, Falco attempted to bribe Master Hand with cleaning up after Crazy Hand for three days in exchange for being named winner in the Most Original and Scariest categories (he had wanted to upstage Fox). It was rumored that, after merely one hour of cleaning, the Sky Claw pilot had dashed out of the room screaming his head off.

There was the Most Original category, which celebrated those costumes who stood out from others in either their intricacies or form, that were truly unique and had something about them that made them special. The Scariest category spoke for itself, rewarding those Smashers whose goal was to terrify the living daylights out of those around them, who tapped into only the deepest reaches of the collective denizens' fear and unleashed them in a truly unique way. The third category, Funniest, celebrated the comedians of the mansion, those whose one goal was to chase away the fear with laughter and who brought a smile to everyone's face.

The fourth and final category, the Pairs category, was new this year. It had formed after Ganondorf and Bowser had teamed up and formed a truly terrifying demon, but quickly began squabbling over who rightfully earned the prize. After the mansion ended up being burned down for the fourth time that week, Master Hand had announced that the following year would feature not three, but four categories. The pair who won in the Pairs category would both take home an equal share of the prize.

Each year, Lucas had quietly chosen not to participate in such festivities, choosing the quiet and comfortable corner or safety of his room over front and enter stage. In fact, he had intended for the little tradition to continue even to this year, thinking that a fourth category suddenly being added to the contest changed nothing. He was, after all, still not the most outspoken of boys, and surely, the Smashers would not miss not having him up on stage.

But then, someone had asked him to be their partner.

That was how, on this Halloween night, Lucas found himself in front of the mirror, tugging on the hem of his costume for the umpteenth time. It was one thing to break the norm and put on something else, but another thing entirely to be displayed on center stage in it. He had dreaded this for weeks, stressing out over it even when he was amongst friends. He had wanted, more than anything, to say no, to walk away, and never, ever have to be put in such a position.

But when the time came, he couldn't.

It was impossible to say no to his partner, because his partner was everything he wanted to be and more; he was strong everywhere that Lucas was weak, cool where he was reckless, confident where he was hesitant. His partner's every step, every word, every action, was always executed with perfect, graceful ease. His partner was a truly amazing person, but perhaps what seemed to capture Lucas the most was his reaction when Lucas said yes.

To say that the reaction was beautiful would have done it a great injustice. It was as if his partner's very core had lit up, springing life to already lively eyes and summoning a smile that seemed to illuminate the whole mansion. His partner had walked forward, grasped Lucas' hands, pressed them close, and rambled and threw back his head and laughed, practically singing in glee as he thanked Lucas over and over again. It was the sort of happiness that seemed to radiate from his very being, ensnaring Lucas like some venerable drug; he wanted, nay, needed to see his partner happy again.

Even now, he could still feel the warmth of those hands upon his.

A knock on his door snapped Lucas from his thoughts. He glanced at the clock: thirty minutes until the contest officially began. Fifteen minutes after the start of the party. Biting his lip, Lucas took one last long look in the mirror before moving towards the door. He could fuss over this later.

He barely had time to reach the knob and pull it open before a blur barreled into him, sending him to the floor. Lucas let out a cry, while his partner let out a laugh as they tumbled down to the carpet in a heap, wrinkling the very shirt that Lucas had spent what felt like hours ironing today. In spite of himself, he found his annoyance evaporating away immediately as his partner leaped to his feet and offered his hand, which Lucas gladly took. Once again, the warmth from their touch seemed to radiate all over him, filling his entire being and settling- quite a bit- on his cheeks.

Ness was, in every way, nearly unrecognizable. For this night, he had changed his clothing, trading in blue for red and a baseball bat for a branch. His famous hat was gone now, as were his raven locks. He had dyed them instead, and now they sat atop his head like spun gold, gleaming in the dim light of Lucas' room. But no matter how different he looked, there was still a quality about him- a spark dancing in his eye, a quirk in his smile- that told everyone else that, without a doubt, this was indeed Ness.

At first, Ness said nothing, merely taking a step back and giving Lucas a once-over. Lucas swallowed as he bit his lip, knowing that his shirt was wrinkled, that his shoes were untied, and that there was no possible way that he had done the hair dye he was provided justice. Despite everything, Ness seemed to approve of his appearance, as he was soon nodding and laughing.

"You look great! We're going to win for sure," he said as he walked over to where a baseball bat leaned lazily against the side of Lucas' bed. He picked it up, swung it about a bit as though testing its weight, then handed it over to Lucas. "But you know, there's still something missing…"

"Missing?" Lucas asked, unable to hide the slight tremor in his voice. How could he have been so stupid? He was missing something, and had ruined the costume! He had made lists upon lists, always checking and double checking and quadruple checking to make sure that he had gathered everything they needed to make this costume a success, but to have something turn up missing was-

Ness walked over and pulled something from his pocket, offering to Lucas with a small smile. Lucas blinked, then looked down, realizing for the first time that the item Ness was handing over was, in fat, his famous red baseball cap. This was an item that was more precious to Ness than anything else- and here he was, handing it to Lucas as though it were merely a toy.

"Ness…" he hesitated. "Thank you, but… I can't accept this. I can just grab another one, and-"

Ness shook his head. "Sorry, Lucas, but I'm gonna override that request."

"Are you sure? Because I have a ton of ones just like that, and I know that one is special, and-"

"And so, only special people should wear it, right?" Ness interrupted, a small smile settling on his features as he reached forward and settled the cap atop Lucas' head. "And there isn't anyone in this whole mansion that is more special to me than you." he paused.

The cap fit perfectly, as if fitted to be there, and settled easily on Lucas' locks. Once again, Ness was looking at him again, but not merely as a once-over; he seemed to be staring right at Lucas, as though drinking the sight of him in, impossible though it might be. Unconsciously, Lucas lowered his gaze, not comfortable with being so openly observed. But then, Ness' hand shot out and cupped his cheek, tilting his head up so their eyes met.

"You're my closest friend here, you know that?" Ness asked, smile unwavering as he spoke. "We travelled all the way through Subspace together and helped defeat Tabuu. When we work together as a team, we're completely unstoppable on the battlefield. You share a world with me… even though yours is so much further away from mine." he lowered his gaze briefly and let out a small chuckle. "And… And you're just an amazing person to be around. You're funny and strong when you need to be, and always know how to keep calm in the worst situations. You always try everything you can to make us laugh and give us a shoulder to cry on when we need it. You're…" another pause. "You're so much more than the best friend anyone can ever ask for, you know?"

They were close, much closer than they had ever been. Lucas suddenly found himself short of breath, realizing for the first time that they were close enough that Ness' breath mingled with his. He was so close, in fact, that he could count every single freckle dusted upon Ness' nose, and trace the story of every scar upon the other boy's face: some of them were acne scars, mere momentos of what it meant to grow up. Others were from shenanigans around the mansion, where the younger Smashers often ran around with some of the less mature older Smashers to play pranks on Master Hand. Still more were from battles long ago, against creatures beyond the nightmares of the world where Ness and Lucas hailed. Each and every one of these markings told a story, one that seemed to only continue to shape itself with time. A million stories, told in hundreds of markings, all combining into a single unique, wonderful, perfect Ness.

Neither of them knew who initiated the kiss, but it had happened, and it was as chaste and sweet as anything could be. Lucas had at first reacted with shock, but soon enough, melted into it, his lips gently molding into those of Ness and holding them there. They parted not a second later, faces flushed, hearts racing, chests heaving. The spark in Ness' eye had settled; it seemed to be almost dreaming now.

Unable to help himself, Lucas smiled as he offered his hand. His heart fluttered, his stomach turned, and his mind short-circuited, but somehow, he managed to keep his voice from shaking. He was growing weak in the knees but, for the sake of his own dignity, he took a deep breath and steadied them. He was going to make sure that neither he nor Ness made fools of themselves up on the stage; Ness deserved so much more than that.

"Come on. We're going to be late if we don't leave soon."

Ness blinked, seeming to shake himself out of his trance as he took the offered hand. The dream-like quality of his gaze was still there, but a large chunk of it had given way to much more than simply that: a hope, it seemed, and some sort of great happiness. These were the exact feelings that seemed to be flitting about Lucas' chest as well. After making sure that he had his cap and bat with him, Lucas quickly began to run out the door.

Ness never let go of his hand.