Author's notes: This story's actually a lot like a mix of two ideas that I had before... So if I write those stories, I'll have to alter them so I don't have three fics that are alike. ^^; But anyway, if you have the song "Black Balloon" by the Goo Goo Dolls, or the song "Hopeless" by Train, I recommend listening to it while reading this. ^^
There he was, sitting at the window of our bunk, just as I thought he would be. I closed the door behind me, and he made no outer notice of my presence. He held his face up with his chin in his palm. His blank cerulean eyes were lost in the darkness on the other side of the glass. I took a step closer to him.
"Roy?" I called to him softly. "Are you all right?"
He didn't answer me, and still acted as if I wasn't there. He didn't really need to tell me; I already knew that he wasn't. I didn't see what happened myself, but it was the talk among the other fighters that told me. I tilted my head slightly and examined his face further. His features were expressionless, but I knew that it didn't show his inner emotions. His skin was flushed and his eyes looked sore.
I placed my hands behind my back and took another step. "Have you been crying?"
"Of course not," he hissed, still not moving. That was the first thing he had done to acknowledge me. I knew it would get a response; Roy was always trying to maintain an air of strength and maturity. I guessed that it had to do with the way the other fighters picked on his youthful appearance, among other things. But not only did I know that it would get an answer; I also knew that he was lying.
Roy's personal life was a mystery to the Smash Brothers; he kept to himself most of the time, and he rarely left the dorm for anything that wasn't essential. He was an excellent fighter, and that's all anyone really knew about him. But if there was one person who knew him best, it was me. Maybe it was because I shared a room with him, and that was where he spent all of his leisure time. I didn't have much more information about him than the other fighters, but I had a way of reading him, through his actions and expressions. He spent a lot of his time at that window. Perhaps he was longing for something from it... From the other side. What that was, I couldn't say. That mysterious aura that he held... It intrigued me. I wanted just a chance to break the shield that he hid behind and have him really talk to me... Even if it was only once, I wanted him to know that I was there, and that he wasn't just another opponent to me.
Of course, apparently part of his shield had already been shattered. And that was why I needed to talk to him. I knew that it would do no good to approach him directly, so I tried to get around his facade and find a way to him. I sat down in the chair beside the window, since he was kneeling on the floor. "I head what happened."
He let out a scoff, still fixed on the night beyond him. I'm sure everyone has by now. he replied flatly. "I'm the laugh of the whole place."
"But," I cleared my throat, positioning myself in the seat, "it wasn't meant to be funny, was it?"
He finally pulled his eyes away from the window and looked toward me. His eyes stayed on mine for a few moments; I kept my view on him, and was certain that the tone on my face was far from hostile. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I knew it was a bad idea to tell him. I knew it all along. But something in my mind made me," he shook his head and laughed bitterly. "I mean, why would he give a damn about me, anyway?"
"Why not?" I responded, knowing that he'd look right past the hidden implication.
He glared at me. "They all think I'm a joke as it is."
"You're not a joke," I insisted, my voice almost stern.
He looked back at me as if I was insane. "I scared him, Marth. I scared him I may as well not be human to him," he closed his eyes again and turned his head away. He inhaled sharply, and it seemed as if he was fighting back tears.
I wanted to console him. I wanted him to know that I didn't believe that of him, even if everyone else did. But I knew better than to do anything, and I didn't want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was. So I didn't even show any reaction to his struggle not to let me see him cry. But I still tried to think of something fitting to say to him, anyway. "You know, that could just mean that Link isn't gay. And I don't think any of us knew that you are."
"Yeah, well, they all know now," his eyes opened his eyes and stared back at the window. "That gives them another reason to tear into me," he mumbled, probably thinking that I couldn't hear him.
Unfortunately, he was right. When I heard about his confession to Link, it started when I overheard Falco and Peach, mocking him for just that. Once they told me what it was about, that was when I decided that I should try to talk to him.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," I stated quietly.
He turned back to me. The tone of my voice probably told him why I didn't think it was a bad thing. I was silently thankful that I didn't express my sexuality in the same manner that he had done it in. Then again, he was the one that they all enjoyed teasing to begin with.
After he looked back to the window, silence filled the room for a while. I studied his somber face, wondering what was going through his mind. Apparently, he didn't mind what I had subtly told him. Still I tried to tell what he was thinking about, until he finally spoke again. "I'll probably just leave," he uttered with a small sigh. "I'm not wanted around here, anyway."
The calm, collected front I had been putting on was destroyed with those words. I felt a bit of panic rise, and I replied once I could manage myself to speak normally. "You can't leave."
"Why?" his voice was hard as he stared blankly.
"I don't want you to. You're one of the only people around here that I actually enjoy being with," I explained. It was the only part of honest answer that I felt I could tell him.
"You'll survive," he muttered without moving his eyes.
My panic grew. I couldn't watch him leave... Not after I had just cracked the shield. And with so much that I hadn't told him. With that thought, I wondered if maybe I was already in the moment to do so. "Now or never," I sighed to myself.
That apparently got his attention, because he glanced to me. Before he could question me, I allowed my emotions to take control of my mind, and took his face into my hands, pressing my lips against his. I felt him mumble against my lips, but I continued to kiss him for another few seconds.
When I pulled away, he didn't say a word; the astonished and confused look on his face said enough. My eyes met his for a moment. With the fading of my stone facade, my calm expression disappeared. My exposed, longing eyes lingered on his. But my common sense quickly took over again, and I realized that I had just done what he wanted not from me, but from Link. Perhaps not anymore, after the way Link had crushed him, but I knew that he didn't want it from me.
Learning about Roy would be a journey, which I was completely willing to take. But knowing that I wasn't desired to do so, I wouldn't press him to understand or accept me. Perhaps he was one thing that was just too good for me... And he would never realize how much he really meant. I raised to my feet without another word, and I headed back to the door.
There he was, sitting at the window of our bunk, just as I thought he would be. I closed the door behind me, and he made no outer notice of my presence. He held his face up with his chin in his palm. His blank cerulean eyes were lost in the darkness on the other side of the glass. I took a step closer to him.
"Roy?" I called to him softly. "Are you all right?"
He didn't answer me, and still acted as if I wasn't there. He didn't really need to tell me; I already knew that he wasn't. I didn't see what happened myself, but it was the talk among the other fighters that told me. I tilted my head slightly and examined his face further. His features were expressionless, but I knew that it didn't show his inner emotions. His skin was flushed and his eyes looked sore.
I placed my hands behind my back and took another step. "Have you been crying?"
"Of course not," he hissed, still not moving. That was the first thing he had done to acknowledge me. I knew it would get a response; Roy was always trying to maintain an air of strength and maturity. I guessed that it had to do with the way the other fighters picked on his youthful appearance, among other things. But not only did I know that it would get an answer; I also knew that he was lying.
Roy's personal life was a mystery to the Smash Brothers; he kept to himself most of the time, and he rarely left the dorm for anything that wasn't essential. He was an excellent fighter, and that's all anyone really knew about him. But if there was one person who knew him best, it was me. Maybe it was because I shared a room with him, and that was where he spent all of his leisure time. I didn't have much more information about him than the other fighters, but I had a way of reading him, through his actions and expressions. He spent a lot of his time at that window. Perhaps he was longing for something from it... From the other side. What that was, I couldn't say. That mysterious aura that he held... It intrigued me. I wanted just a chance to break the shield that he hid behind and have him really talk to me... Even if it was only once, I wanted him to know that I was there, and that he wasn't just another opponent to me.
Of course, apparently part of his shield had already been shattered. And that was why I needed to talk to him. I knew that it would do no good to approach him directly, so I tried to get around his facade and find a way to him. I sat down in the chair beside the window, since he was kneeling on the floor. "I head what happened."
He let out a scoff, still fixed on the night beyond him. I'm sure everyone has by now. he replied flatly. "I'm the laugh of the whole place."
"But," I cleared my throat, positioning myself in the seat, "it wasn't meant to be funny, was it?"
He finally pulled his eyes away from the window and looked toward me. His eyes stayed on mine for a few moments; I kept my view on him, and was certain that the tone on my face was far from hostile. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I knew it was a bad idea to tell him. I knew it all along. But something in my mind made me," he shook his head and laughed bitterly. "I mean, why would he give a damn about me, anyway?"
"Why not?" I responded, knowing that he'd look right past the hidden implication.
He glared at me. "They all think I'm a joke as it is."
"You're not a joke," I insisted, my voice almost stern.
He looked back at me as if I was insane. "I scared him, Marth. I scared him I may as well not be human to him," he closed his eyes again and turned his head away. He inhaled sharply, and it seemed as if he was fighting back tears.
I wanted to console him. I wanted him to know that I didn't believe that of him, even if everyone else did. But I knew better than to do anything, and I didn't want to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was. So I didn't even show any reaction to his struggle not to let me see him cry. But I still tried to think of something fitting to say to him, anyway. "You know, that could just mean that Link isn't gay. And I don't think any of us knew that you are."
"Yeah, well, they all know now," his eyes opened his eyes and stared back at the window. "That gives them another reason to tear into me," he mumbled, probably thinking that I couldn't hear him.
Unfortunately, he was right. When I heard about his confession to Link, it started when I overheard Falco and Peach, mocking him for just that. Once they told me what it was about, that was when I decided that I should try to talk to him.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," I stated quietly.
He turned back to me. The tone of my voice probably told him why I didn't think it was a bad thing. I was silently thankful that I didn't express my sexuality in the same manner that he had done it in. Then again, he was the one that they all enjoyed teasing to begin with.
After he looked back to the window, silence filled the room for a while. I studied his somber face, wondering what was going through his mind. Apparently, he didn't mind what I had subtly told him. Still I tried to tell what he was thinking about, until he finally spoke again. "I'll probably just leave," he uttered with a small sigh. "I'm not wanted around here, anyway."
The calm, collected front I had been putting on was destroyed with those words. I felt a bit of panic rise, and I replied once I could manage myself to speak normally. "You can't leave."
"Why?" his voice was hard as he stared blankly.
"I don't want you to. You're one of the only people around here that I actually enjoy being with," I explained. It was the only part of honest answer that I felt I could tell him.
"You'll survive," he muttered without moving his eyes.
My panic grew. I couldn't watch him leave... Not after I had just cracked the shield. And with so much that I hadn't told him. With that thought, I wondered if maybe I was already in the moment to do so. "Now or never," I sighed to myself.
That apparently got his attention, because he glanced to me. Before he could question me, I allowed my emotions to take control of my mind, and took his face into my hands, pressing my lips against his. I felt him mumble against my lips, but I continued to kiss him for another few seconds.
When I pulled away, he didn't say a word; the astonished and confused look on his face said enough. My eyes met his for a moment. With the fading of my stone facade, my calm expression disappeared. My exposed, longing eyes lingered on his. But my common sense quickly took over again, and I realized that I had just done what he wanted not from me, but from Link. Perhaps not anymore, after the way Link had crushed him, but I knew that he didn't want it from me.
Learning about Roy would be a journey, which I was completely willing to take. But knowing that I wasn't desired to do so, I wouldn't press him to understand or accept me. Perhaps he was one thing that was just too good for me... And he would never realize how much he really meant. I raised to my feet without another word, and I headed back to the door.