There was nothing wrong with admiring one you love from afar, Ness thought to himself with a quick bite of his mustard sandwich.
Perched atop the willow tree in his garden, the boy kicked his legs along with the swaying branches, mimicking their movements almost perfectly. His pale legs blended stealthily with the wide, discoloured trunk whilst his usual outfit had been swapped for more earthy tones. All completed with a brown cap, Ness felt as though he was a genius, a mastermind in the act of camouflage. Either that or he had been hanging around Dave - Er, um - Snake too much.
"13:00 hours... No movement yet detected..." He stated in a low breath, being sure to only speak once the wind had picked up, enabling the tree beneath him to howl over his words. "There remains to be a pitcher and cups on the patio table... but no person to drink from it..." The darkened crusts to his snack were promptly stuffed into his awaiting mouth with an audible chomp, a satisfied smile covering his lips. "Suspicious..."
Camouflage-covered binoculars were taken from the boy's lap and held up to his eyes with a hum of curiosity. The lenses focus upon the next garden's back door, regaining its clarity by focusing solely upon a single object. Of course, it was not the object he wished to focus upon, (Ness was not spying on the door, that would be insane) but watching and waiting for its owner to reveal themselves.
It was just as Snake had said... 'If snipers didn't wait, they would never obtain their target. This is your battlefield, Ness. You are the sniper. Camouflage, wait and shoot.'
This, however, was also somewhat unnerving. Having the situation be explained as a 'battlefield', it triggered him to remember something he had overheard.
'Snake, do you think that love can bloom on the battlefield?'
'I don't know... I'll tell you once I find out.'
Did that mean... Snake was using him to test the theory? It was absolutely plausible, given his current position and motivation. Was the help he receiving to better his feelings or for a simple test, a test on which his heart would depend?
A shiver of fear traced its icy path along his spine. His thoughts shouldn't be clouded if he were to complete his mission for today before dinner.
"1... 2... 3..." He muttered under his breath, counting every second as it passed. "44... 45... 46..." His youthful eyes slowly began to glaze over to daydream, until a loud creak was heard from his target door, followed by a small laugh.
It was them! They were finally out!
Ness immediately perked himself up and sat to full attention, trying to keep the binoculars steady in both hands. He gasped in awe whilst he watched, curling his toes at the sheer elation he wanted to scream about.
Everything about them screamed cool, adept and... pretty. From the silken teal locks, brushed to perfection down to each painted nail, completely without mistakes, Ness could never get enough.
He would never speak up or tell of his crush, but he was fine that way. When he sometimes drove him to school, picked him up or even invited him around for breakfast, Marth would never acknowledge him in the way he'd wish. For now, Ness would simply watch and wait.
Love could bloom on the battlefield... But for him, he just didn't want it to.