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Í̯̮͎̍ͮt̉͐͌͐ͯͭ͝'̖̥͚̳̔̅ͭͣ͊ͣs͍͚̹͖̖̐̌ ̷̰̞̼̭̙̅̓ͦ̓ḥ̯̮͞ẹ͖̙̬̹̟͋̽̓̓̍͆̃́r̳̘͓̈ͪ͘e͖͖̫͝
̳̖͓I҉̟̤̹͚ͅt͎͚'s͚͔̳ ̙̭̪͍̘̗̙h͉̬̲̬̻͚̙e̢̻͔̪r͘e ̯͔̩I̪̻͎̪̲ͅt̻͚̟͚̕'͏s͓̬ ͔̭̠̯̝h̲̬̞ͅe͔̤̰͈r͢e͚̰̱ ̙̪̦̥̫
͇̭͉I̶t͍̜̮̟̣'͍̮̜̞͔ͅs ͕̟͇h̙̟͍̗e̴̲͎͎r̙͙e̹̺̪͈̟͠ͅ ͖̥̳I͠t̡̜̘̘̱͉͉'̰͖̲̲̻s ͖̟he̟re͏̗͕̖̤̖ ̲̱̙̳I̹̟t̙͚̺͇͔̳'s̞ ̰̫̯̠̰̀h̸̭̰̻͙̱̲̤e̹̥̳r҉e
͏͈͉͉I͞t̶̻͖̥̦͙'̫s͜ ̴̳̜̝̪h̥̰e̹͔̝̮͈̰̻͘ṛ̖̫̖̭̳e̪͕͚̠̰͢ ̥̭̯I̳͘t̗̣͞'̬̳͚͙̰̼s͎̪͙̥̯̟ ͉h̘̹͇͎e̠r̴̠͚e̫̜͞
̶͓͓͍̼I̸̩̱̙̫͔t'͚̘̲̱̘̰͡s͙̗̩ͅ ̹̳̞͔ͅͅh̡e̠͇r̜͉̳ͅe͇͇͕
̳
̘͓͡H̜̭̠̹̞͠ͅ
͏͎̯̻É̫͈̩̥̱͓
̮̹̦̗̞͓Ļ͍͇̠
̫͉̦͓P̙̤͕̦̥̬
̛̪̭̮̱̘͇
̛͖̟̝̞̱̥U̙͝
̴͔S̥͈̗
The shadows of two lone men flickered against the dying candlelight.
A fat ring-studded thumb flipped the bloody Queen of Hearts onto the aged wood. "Darling, can you be a dear and hold back the tortured cries of your condemned souls? They're giving me a nasty headache."
Across the poker table, his tall comrade spoke. "I can't control them. They're growing restless, Fassad. Mani Mani knows-"
"Oh hush," the Magypsy bopped him in the nose in rebuke. "Excuses, excuses! Are you blathering to yourself again? Be careful, sweet. You might accidentally kill one of your precious students before we spur your plan into action. Why, if I didn't know better, I'd say that your insanity is positively showing, my dear~❤" The Magypsy pinched the cigarette between their manicured nails and heaved a deep exhale. A funky smoke streamed past their lips. "Stop blathering. Pass over the roll book, sweet."
A thin hand slid the the triple-hole punched binder onto the poker table.
Magypsy's eyes widened at the ID photos. "So your nephew's now-"
"Yes."
"How time flies!"
"Yet every second must not be wasted."
The Magypsy bopped him on the nose a second time. "Relax, darling. You're about to witness a legend. A myth beyond which mortals can wish for!" A finely manicured fingernail raked across the smiling portraits of the new highschool freshmen. "If your nephew is really whom you think he is-"
"He is, without a doubt."
"Then a new generation of psychics is finally on the rise. High school students... and supposedly, one of them is the fated Needle Puller." The Magypsy clapped their hands together. "Ohoho, how exciting this is~❤!"
"Your visions have brought us this far. How much longer do we wait?"
"Wait? Oh, no, sweetie. I'd say that the time is now," The Magypsy said softly. Ash dripped from the end of the cigarette, trickling into a ghastly grin onto the cracked marble floor. "Stay strong, sweetheart. The game's in the bag."
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~ARC I: NAME THESE CHILDREN~
~Chapter One~
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"If you love something, you have to let it go."
~Anonymous~
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It was the first day of high school. An intimidating, yet strangely exciting thought.
In rising anticipation, Claus tugged on his khaki pants and turquoise striped shirt. He took surprising care to select clothes that weren't wrinkled or disheveled. First impressions were everything, and as hasty as he was, Claus had no intention of making a fool of himself in front of everyone. There was a good reason why Freshmen were also called Freshmeat.
That did not, however, explain why his brother had wanted to spend a full thirty minutes in the bathroom.
Glancing impatiently at the wall clock, Claus danced on the balls of his feet. "Lucas, we're going to be late!"
As if on cue, his brother burst out of the bathroom, half-dressed and wild-eyed. "Socks!" he muttered dazedly, then started digging through his pile of neatly folded clothes.
Such was Lucas - a sleepyhead who could barely function at all in the morning.
Claus pressed his lips together to smother a snort, trying not to laugh as a now fully-dressed Lucas fretted over his school bag.
"Do you think I should bring one notepad or two?" he asked, and Claus rolled his eyes.
"It's the first day of school. Teachers won't care."
Lucas bit the corner of his lip. "But I care..."
"You checked like three times yesterday," Claus said, exasperated, and pushed him out the door. "Now hurry, let's move!"
"W-Wait!"
"What now?"
"You forgot something."
"I did?"
Lips threatening to curl into a smile, Lucas threw his brother a knowing glance. "Think again. You missed something important."
Puzzled, Claus came to a halt. "I don't think I did-"
"We've always done it on the first day of school."
Claus's face blanched with realization. "No!"
"But it's mom's good luck tradition-"
"Lucas, we were like, five when we started this. Don't you think it's about time we grew up?"
Apparently not. Lucas plastered a pathetically hopeful expression onto his face.
Claus narrowed his eyes. "Lucas, no."
Lucas continued to plead at him with those pitifully sad eyes. Oh no. The kicked puppy face. No one could say no to that face.
Claus averted his eyes and determinedly stared at the ceiling. "I know what you're trying to do, Lucas, and it's not going to work."
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
"...Fine," Claus caved in. "Let's get this over with."
As if those words had flicked on a light switch, Lucas dashed away without a second to waste. There was the rough sound of wooden drawers opening and slamming, then Lucas danced in, tossing him a spare hairbrush. Within a minute, Claus found himself combing through his brother's feathery-soft hair. He heaved a sigh as Lucas mirrored his actions, feeling the teeth of his brother's comb prickle his skull.
When he deemed his younger brother presentable enough, Claus threw the plastic hairbrush aside. "Okay, done-"
"Sit still." Lucas stuck his tongue out at him through the mirror, then gave a wordless exclamation. "Claus, what did you do to your hair last night? It's completely knotted!"
"Who cares? You know how messy my bed hair is - Hey, watch the - OW," Claus yelped, recoiling from the sharp yank of pain. "Are you trying to pull my hair out?"
"Sorry!"
Entirely fed up with his brother's antics, Claus attempted to rise, but Lucas pushed him back onto his seat.
"Lucas," Claus groaned. "We're gonna be late for school-"
"Five more minutes."
With an impatient sigh, Claus rested his head on his elbows, drumming his fingers against the wardrobe. He humored his neat-freak of a younger brother for a little longer before bolting to his feet. In one fluid motion, Claus gently, but firmly, set Lucas aside.
"Claus, your hair-"
"It looks fine," Claus shook off his brother's pleas and rushed outside. His yell rapidly faded off into the distance. "Lucas, hurry up! Or else we'll really miss the bus!"
Lucas frowned but this time, didn't object, slinging his own bag across his shoulder. Stealing a glimpse at the ticking clock, he sprinted after his older brother, only for a stray thought to seize his mind. Lucas lurched to a halt, hesitating just over the threshold before uneasily turning his head back around to shoot a look of concern at the man sprawled eagle-spread on the couch.
"Bye, dad," Lucas said softly.
Doubling back to fetch his brother, Claus caught the look and gave a contemptuous snort. "I doubt he heard you. He's passed out."
"But-"
"Ah crap, we can't be late on the first day of school!" Panicking, Claus dragged his brother along by the arm. "Let's go, go, go!"
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~oO0Oo~
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The Onett city bus was historically ancient.
Caked in a millennium of rust, the wheezing hunk of metal smelled like old grease and sour copper. The floor bumped with every rickety crick in the concrete road, roughly jostling passengers and suspending them in air for half the ride. The only upside the bus had, it seemed, was the catchy tune filtering out of its black, feebly-flickering speakers.
There was good reason behind Claus's earlier panic.
The twins lived far from downtown. Because the school charged an exorbitant amount of money for parking permits, to head to school, the twins had to rely on public transportation. The city bus had several stops in downtown Onett - one of which dropped them off in Podunk Estates - from where they would walk all the way to the nearest school stop. The first city bus passed through Rural Tazmily at five O'clock in the morning; the next city bus wasn't scheduled to come for another three hours.
Which meant that missing the bus spelled DISASTER.
With a cheerful twinkle of automated chimes, a woman's cool voice announced, "Next stop: Podunk Estates."
Claus poked his dozing brother in the cheek. "Hey, sleepyhead. That's our stop."
Stirring against his shoulder, Lucas blearily fluttered his eyes open. "Hmr?"
The impatient shove almost pushed Lucas clean off the tattered seat. "Honestly, why do I have to do everything?" Claus grumbled, half-carrying, half-dragging his younger brother down the stairs. With a gasp of smoke, the bus rattled off. "I feel like I'm chaperoning a kid."
Lucas yawned again. "I'm not a kid-"
"Then what are you?"
"I'm tired."
Tired? All righty then, Claus had just the cure for that. Grinning like a lunatic, he darted forward, scooping Lucas's satchel off his shoulders in an act of mischief.
A delayed response.
Lucas blinked, registering the sudden lack of a heavy weight on his back before his sleep-deprived brain finally caught up to the present. Betrayal dawning in his eyes, Lucas whipped around.
"Hey, give back my bag-"
"Never," came the swift cackle. Hopping backwards on one foot, Claus playfully dangled the two backpacks like bait, then blew his exasperated twin a raspberry. "Better catch me first, slowpoke."
With a wild whoop, Claus tore through the sidewalk like a speed demon on steroids.
Lucas flailed his arms. "Not fair! You had a head start."
"Nothing's fair in life, lil' bro!"
Clawing at empty air, Lucas doubled over to steal a breath. "Claus...! Ugh, too... much... effort."
But Lucas wasn't giving up by long shot. Pride of becoming the Alpha Twin was at stake. If Lucas so much as lost, Claus was gonna rub this in his face for a good week.
And nothing was worse than dealing with Claus's inflated ego at home.
"I'm gonna regret this," Lucas groaned, but kicked off, chasing after his twin brother.
At the end of the block, another silhouette rounded the corner.
A thud. Two yells.
Lucas had tangled his legs over another pair of shoes. Gravity took effect, and Lucas plowed face-first into his half-asleep victim. The unfortunate victim stumbled backwards, now wide-awake thanks to the rude wake-up call.
"Ow! What the-" Rubbing his head, Ness winced as his fingers brushed over a sensitive spot right above his eyebrow. "What's the big rush?"
"My bad, Ness," Lucas stammered, dropping to his side to pick up Ness's fallen lunchbox. "We were in a hurry not to miss the bus, and I didn't see you coming from the side. Are you-?"
Ness waved his apology off. "It's cool. Claus again?"
Lucas nodded.
Ness cracked a grin. "Why am I not surprised? He can't stand still for a single second, can he-"
"What happened?!" Claus popped his head out of a hedge. Shaking the leaves out of his hair, he took one look at their sprawled figures, then groaned, instantly deducing what had transpired. "Lucas, you complete goofball-"
"I'm not a goofball. You stole my stuff," Lucas mumbled, snatching his bag back. Much to their amusement, his cheeks began to glow a faint pink in growing mortification.
Of course, his older brother wasn't one to let this moment slide.
With a wide smirk, Claus poked his twin's face. "Heh. You look like a tomato."
"I'm not a tomato!" Visibly flustering, poor Lucas buried his face into his hands as a deep crimson flush crept up his neck.
Classic Lucas.
Ness decided to spare his best friend further embarrassment. With a huff, Ness replaced his cap on his head; his dark bangs rose before settling down to frame his now-frowning face. "I can't believe it. I walk all the way from downtown Onett just to catch this stop, and the dolt who actually lives here is nowhere in sight. Where is he?"
"Watch him miss the bus right when it leaves," Claus sniggered.
An indignant exclamation erupted behind them - the final member of their party had arrived.
Ninten doubled over on his knobbly knees. "Not. Late." Gasping for breath, he straightened his back and stretched out his arms. "Phew, I'm beat!"
"About time," Ness added, thumping him in the back. "Where were you?"
"Thank my twin sisters. They're the devil incarnate," Ninten groaned, throwing him a desperate look. "Ness, I can't take it anymore...! Here, I'll trade them for Tracy. Just for a day? Come on, come on, come on-"
"Sorry, 'Ten. Your sisters, your problem." Ness cracked a grin. "What did they do this time?"
"Minnie thought it'd be funny to hide my bag under the stairs. Dad chewed me out and gave me a ten minute lecture."
"Heh. Loser."
"Shut up, Claus." At Ninten's disgruntled expression, Ness held back a snicker, but not one to hold a grudge, Ninten brightened back up again, bouncing back to his usual optimism. "Hey. Hey, Claus." Ninten danced around the taller boy like a waddling space penguin in orbit. "Claus. Claus. Claus-"
Claus elbowed him in the side. "Stop embarrassing me," he said, flashing a scary smile that threatened death, and Ninten tumbled to the ground like a rolly-polly.
Immune to Claus's murderous expression, Ninten waved up at him. "Hey. Guess what?"
"You finally acknowledged your own stupidity?"
Ninten laughed. "Nope! you wish. My mom bought a new pack of Oreos today. And it's the seasonal edition that comes out, like, once a year!"
"..."
"Shut up, Claus."
Claus looked highly affronted. "I didn't say anything!"
Ninten's eyes narrowed. "You look like you're judging me."
"Really? Well, maybe because I am."
"Oh yeah? I-"
"Woah," Ness interrupted, pushing them aside. "Guys, I know we're glad to be bus buddies again, but no more bickering. Remember what happened last year?"
They gave a respectful moment of silence for the lost silly putty.
The moment didn't last long.
"He started it," Ninten and Claus yelled in sync, pointing at each other. Lucas stifled a laugh. Claus's hair was tussled up from a neat duck tail into a shocking red explosion, and Ninten's hat had been knocked off his head during the fray. Noticing the cap resting near his feet, Lucas picked it up and returned it to its rightful owner. Ninten gratefully took it just as the yellow bus pulled over by the curb.
"Thanks, Lucas. I don't understand how someone as nice as you has this demon for a twin brother-"
Claus jabbed a finger into his chest. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK. I bet you're still stuck on Level five in Drago Quest IV-"
"Level sixty-nine!"
"Liar!"
The two ended up bickering all the way to school.
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~oO0Oo~
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The lunch bell rang.
Students filed out in a babbling sea of voices. Finding his own locker, Ness punched in the correct passcode and dumped his textbooks in. Just as he did, a familiar voice caught his attention.
"Hey there."
He turned around. His eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh! Hi, Paula. How was your summer?"
"Ahh, you know, same boring three months as usual." A lazy smile played on Paula's lips. "You know, I'm actually glad that we started school. Talented Drama sounds pretty interesting."
"You're taking Talented Drama? I thought you were taking piano II," Ness said, surprised.
"Ana is," Paula corrected. "And I was going to too, but yeah... last-minute schedule problems."
Ness grimaced as an unpleasant memory resurfaced in his head. "It could've been worse."
"Really now?"
"I was almost placed into Ballet."
"...Ah."
There was an uncomfortable pause as both of them tried very hard not to think of a Ness clad in pink tights.
Then Paula broke into a laugh. "Well it would've helped you with your flexibility-"
Ness shuddered. "No. Please, no-"
As dramatic as ever, Ninten chose that moment to burst out of a nearby classroom. He laughed, stretching out his arms to the glorious heavens above. "I'm free! Ah, Lunch time, Our Almighty Lord and Savior-"
Ness knew a gift horse when he saw one, and gratefully took the opportunity to change the subject. "Freshman English?"
Instantly, Ninten's face fell. "Dreadful," he groaned. "I thought I was going to die. SAT prompts are stupid-"
"We're starting SAT prompts today?" Ness grimaced, resigning himself to another boring class. "Fun."
Ninten nodded, sympathetically slapping him on the back. "I know, right? Share the pain, Ness. Share the pain."
"I can't see why you're complaining, Ninten. Writing an SAT prompt's like arguing for your own case." Paula mischievously cocked an eyebrow. "And every time I see you, you're always squabbling with Claus over one thing or another-"
"Not always!"
"You were bickering with him this morning," Ness pointed out.
Paula's grin widened in triumph. "I knew it."
"Today was an exception. We only bickered a little," Ninten said feebly.
"That's nonsense, and you know it. At least take pity on Ness and Lucas and tone it down a notch-"
"All right, mom."
Paula threw him a grin worthy of a feral shark. "What did you call me?"
"Mom... nomnom. Haha! I'm super hungry-" Ninten hastily changed the subject again. "Ness, when's first practice? I heard that you're team captain this year. Now that's dope," Ninten said, trying (and failing) to ignore Paulas's gleaming eyes flashing in his direction. "And as a freshman too. Rising the ranks a little too early, don't you think?"
"Co-captain," Ness corrected, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I was lucky. The coach happens to know me. He's in charge of the Youth baseball camp I coach for over the summer, and he wants me to gain some leadership experience off the bat-"
"Ayyy, bat. I see what you did there."
"So yeah. Our first game's at the end of this month. Baseball season's starting earlier because of budget cuts." Catching Ninten's bewildered expression, Ness gave him a helpless shrug. "I don't control politics. Blame the Eagleland government."
Ninten gave a contemptuous snort. "When is it never the government?"
"Sorry to interrupt y'all, but I'd best be going," Paula said, lifting her rucksack onto her back. A hint of her Southern drawl had crawled into her voice. "I promised to meet Ana for lunch, so I guess I'll catch you both later. And Ninten," Said teen began to sweat bullets into his shirt. "I haven't forgotten about what you called me. We'll have a nice chat about that another time."
"Yes ma'am," Ninten squeaked.
Smirking, Paula turned her attention back to Ness. "Friday at five?"
"Cool. See you later," Ness called out. Paula broke into a genuine grin and waved them off a final time before disappearing down the hall.
"Man, Paula's scary," Ninten noted, wide-eyed.
"She's pretty mellow unless you touch her berserk button. Paula absolutely hates nicknames. And you did technically call her mom."
"It was just a joke!" Ninten whined.
"Everything's a joke to you."
"Not everything. I do take some things seriously." Flipping his bangs to the side as if the gesture bought him +1000 cool points, Ninten gave into his trademark vampire grin. "So... hey, hey, hey. What's the dealeo between with you and Paula?"
"We're study buddies," Ness sighed, reaching for his tattered copy of History. "Working my ass off with Paula saved my chemistry grade last year. But physics to her is like the plague. She's even looked up the syllabus in advance so that I can help her study for the first exam-"
"Study buddies? Ness, you sly dog."
"Don't give me that. Out of us all, you're the hopeless romantic-"
"Not true!"
Ness rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that, Casanova. It's so obvious that the entire school pretty much knows."
"I don't have a crush!"
"Figures. Any girl would be too good for Ninten." They whirled around, and Claus sauntered towards them, twirling his car keys around his thumb. Slipping them into his pocket, Claus fixed Ninten a flat look. "Denial's like, the first step to acceptance. It's been years. You should find yourself a better hobby than hitting on every hot chick in school, or even better yet, get yourself a girlfriend, because whining about how love-sick you are about Ana to us isn't gonna solve your problem."
Clamping his mouth shut, Ninten's face colored up. Claus smirked, taking vast enjoyment in his discomfort.
Claus was right again. As usual.
Composing himself, Ninten smirked back. "What if I feel like whining anyway?"
"I will hurt you."
"No hurting in this holy discord. Let's find seats, guys. The cafeteria's starting to pile up," Ness pointed out. Students were pouring out of the classrooms for lunch, and yet, a certain blond had yet to appear. "Where's Lucas?"
"He's not with you?" Claus asked sharply, turning around.
"Nope. Ninten?"
"Nay, captain."
A frown creased Claus's forehead. "What the hell, I thought he was hanging out with you guys..."
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~oO0Oo~
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"-and in the corner, we have the one and only widdle cwybaby wimp."
"Leave me alone!"
"Aww. You're no fun."
Lucas tried to snatch his music sheet out of Pokey's hands, but the bigger boy shoved him back, sending Lucas sprawling into the concrete floor. Around them, oblivious students mingled in the courtyard, carrying their lunches outside to enjoy the summer sun.
Pop.
Snap.
Pokey cracked his knuckles. "Had a good summer? I hope you did. Because I've been looking forward to this all year." His small piggy eyes glinted with triumph. "Not feeling so tough without your friends? Ha, I can fix that so you'll have NO friends-"
To his own self-disgust, Lucas could feel his tears springing into his stinging eyes. "P-Please, Pokey," he stammered. "Give back my music sheet. It's not mine. I borrowed it-"
"Oh." Pokey dangled the wad of paper in front of his face. "You mean this ratty-tatty thing?"
In front of Lucas's horrified eyes, Pokey slowly tore a corner off, all the while watching him with a wide, gloating smile. In a last-ditch act of desperation, Lucas darted forward, hoping to seize his precious paper out of harm's way.
But this open opportunity was what Pokey had been waiting for.
A cry of pain tore through Lucas's lips as Pokey slammed his shoulder against the brick wall. Lucas squirmed around, trying to wriggle himself free, but Pokey had already pinned his arms to the side.
"Can't fight?" Pokey jeered, twisting Lucas's right wrist for a good measure. "You're pathetic."
Not two minutes ago, Lucas had been minding his own business, waiting for his friends to finish class.
This was not how he'd expected the first day of highschool to start.
Above him, Pokey seemed to be mulling over an "interesting" thought, and Lucas felt dread seep into his skin. Anything Pokey found "interesting" most likely equated to "torture" and "suffering" on his own part, and terrified, Lucas clawed against the rough ridges of the brick wall for traction, but the unforgiving concrete only scraped against his exposed elbows.
Pokey's grip was too tight.
"You know what?" Pokey said, cocking his head. "It's our first day back. I think I'll be nice. Kneel."
Lucas's eyes widened. "But-"
Pokey twisted his wrist into a sharper angle, cutting off Lucas's protest in another yell of pain. "You heard me, pipsqueak. Kneel."
Tears swam in his eyes, and Lucas squeezed them shut, trying not to cry.
Unfortunately, Pokey had interpreted his continued disquiet as defiance. "The silent treatment, huh? Is the crybaby feeling bwave without his big, scawy bwother?" Pokey slammed him by the shoulder against the brick wall, and Lucas winced, feeling another spasm of pain spike through his arm. "I asked you a question, runt. Answer me."
"I don't-"
"Kneel!"
"Sorry, I'm sorry-"
Pokey's face churned a tasteful shade of prune purple. "I didn't ask to hear your stupid apologies. Are you deaf? Do you want me to punch you black and blue until you can't stand?"
Lucas twisted around his tight grip. "I swear, Pokey, I won't get in your way again," he rasped. "P-Please, stop-"
"Oh boohoo, look at me. I'm a pathetic crybaby!" Pokey said in a mocking, high-pitched warble. "You and your stupid twin brother are always in my way. You little-" Porky calmed himself down. When he spoke again, his voice sounded dangerously quiet. "Kneel. Now. Or your precious property gets it."
There was nothing else for it. His pride wasn't worth getting into trouble. Lucas screwed his eyes shut, and slowly slid his arms down-
Suddenly, the force pinning Lucas to the wall vanished, sending him sprawling unceremoniously against the floor. Gasping as the impact pushed all air out of his lungs, Lucas raised his head, staring numbly at the familiar set of sneakers protectively planted in his vision.
"Get your filthy hands off my brother, Porky."
It didn't take rocket science to realize that Claus was furious. His entire face was as crimson as his fiery orange hair; his eyebrows, a dangerous V.
Taking this as the cue to intervene, Ness and Ninten rushed to Lucas's side, pulling him back up.
"Well, if it isn't crybaby's twin." Pokey laughed, pointing at him. "Hey crybaby, good thing your brother's here to save the day. How is it like to feel so weak and pathetic?"
"Shut up, Pokey," Ness gritted.
Pokey's eyes lit up. "Ness," he said pleasantly, stuffing his hands into his own pockets. "How are you, old friend?"
"You're no friend of mine."
"Pfft, don't say that. We used to be like, best buds until those two losers came along." Pokey's features soured. "Then you betrayed me."
"Uh, what?" Ninten snapped his head up in retort. "I think it's the other way around, jerk. Who sabotaged our baseball game in seventh grade?"
"Fine, I used to be a jerk. I admit it." Pokey opened his arms magnanimously. "But that's the past. Ness! I can still be a good friend to you. At least, a better one than your present company. The twins, Crybaby and Lunatic. They make a perfect match."
Sharp shadows etched a murderous expression on Claus's face, and Ninten shivered. if Claus ever shot that death glare towards him, he would've fled the opposite direction screaming for his life. "I dare you. Say one more word-"
Clutching his bulging belly, Pokey laughed harder. "Just listen to him, Ness! Their mom died from a freak accident, so they live alone with their dear old dad. I bet it's all a lie too. My dad says that no one's seen your dad around this school for years. I bet he's dead too-"
Letting loose a draconian howl, Claus dragged back his fist back for a punch, but before he could take another step, Lucas and Ninten had each grabbed an arm, digging their heels into the ground. But even with two against one, Claus persisted, trying to yank his arms free in wild abandon.
If possible, Lucas looked even more terrified. "Claus, don't! You'll get into trouble-"
"He's not worth it," Ninten added grimly.
"Lemme at him, just this one time," Claus exploded. "D'ya hear me, Pokey? One day, I'm gonna take my bare hands around your neck and-"
Ness stepped in. "You've done enough damage for one day, Pokey," he said in a low voice. "Leave. Don't think that we won't make you."
Smirking, Pokey searched his face, about to call Ness's bluff, but his expression soured like spoiled milk when Ness looked deadly serious about carrying out his threat. Stealing a last glimpse of Claus, who had torn himself free, and then of Lucas, who was trying to calm his furious brother down, Pokey caved into an unpleasant scowl. With an angry swipe of the hand, Pokey hurled down the music sheet, spun on his heel, then stormed off without another word.
Lucas quietly picked up the fallen sheet. The paper was crumpled, tattered with the rip in the corner, but to his relief, very much salvageable. He wouldn't have to pay Duster back for his undamaged score. With careful hands, Lucas smoothed out the edges, then slid it back into the appropriate music folder.
As soon as Pokey had disappeared, Claus fell limp, panting from exertion. "I swear, three years. Three years! If he tries to pull four, I'll-"
"That's enough, Claus," Ness said tiredly. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah," Ninten said, scrabbling for something in his pocket. He dug out an inhaler. "Just give me a breather..."
"I'm okay." Rubbing his sore wrist, Lucas avoided their eyes, withdrawing into his impenetrable shell. Pokey's sudden assault seemed to have shaken him soundly.
Upon noting his brother's change in posture, Claus's throat prickled with guilt. He had been so caught up in his fury that he had forgotten why he had lost his temper in the first place. Briskly striding over, he ignored his younger brother's exclamation of shock, then began to scan him for any tell-tale signs of bruises and scrapes. Seized by panic, Lucas scrambled to his feet, only to yelp as Claus pushed him back into the ground.
"You can let me go now. Really, you don't need to poke - ow!" A flash of pain flashed through Lucas's eyes. "Please Claus-"
Catching the wince, Claus tugged down the collar of his brother's shirt. His heart twinged at the angry red skin over his brother's shoulderblades. "...You're hurt."
"It's only a scrape-"
"Only a scrape."
"Just one! See, I'm fine. I can handle things on my own, Claus-"
Claus snorted skeptically. "If you're fine-" He pointed at Lucas's bruised wrist. "Then what's that?"
"...Accident," Lucas said lamely, discreetly shifting his sleeve over his injury.
Ness gave a deep frown. "Lucas, what did Pokey want from you?"
Lucas swallowed hard, averting his eyes from their eyes. There was a pregnant pause; the uncomfortable gravity of what had could have possibly transpired weighed heavily on their minds. "Nothing. Really. Pokey only wanted me to see me beg... and I almost did," he added in an inaudible whisper from shame.
Hot, prickling shame.
"It's not your fault, Lucas. That no-good jerk," Claus muttered, throwing another distasteful scowl into the courtyard. "I can't believe that he was once your childhood friend, Ness-"
Ness winced. "Pokey has... issues."
Claus threw him a terribly unimpressed look. "Uhuh. No kidding."
"No, I mean... nevermind." Ness's gaze turned dark. "Lucas, don't listen to him. You're not a coward, and you're not stupid. You're a better person than Pokey will ever be. Don't let him get to you."
"Ness is right. Talk about being the World's Biggest Loser." Ninten shot Pokey's retreating back a nasty look. "I bet that fatass is just jealous because he has no friends." When Lucas still seemed troubled, Ninten tried to lighten up the mood by changing the subject. "Hey, you guys wanna hang out at my house after school? I need players for Brawl."
Claus rolled his eyes. "You have four gamecube controllers. Play with your sisters."
"My twin sisters don't understand the importance of video games," Ninten sniffed, clearly insulted. When Claus didn't look sold, Ninten upped the ante. "Ugh. If you're going to be so stubborn, Claus, then I'll let you try out my stash of seasonal Oreos. Happy?"
Claus's eyes brimmed with suspicion. "What's the catch?"
"No catch. I'm just a very generous person." Ninten mock-batted his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Thank you Ninten, you're so awesome how can we ever repay you? Oh you guys, you don't have to bow down to me and my awesomeness-"
"How are you so addicted to that stuff?" Claus asked, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "I swear, Oreos are like your version of crack-"
"That's right," Ninten said smugly. "They're my G-rated drugs. So are you coming or not?"
"I don't see why not." Claus thew Lucas a questioning look, to which Lucas nodded.
All eyes flew over to Ness, who shrugged in response. "I guess I'll stop by. I've got nothing better to do."
"Great! Now, let's get lunch," Ninten exclaimed, pushing all of them towards an empty cafeteria table. "I'm so starving that I could eat an entire picnic lunch-"
"But you're always starving-"
"Shut up, Claus."
None of them noticed the lone figure watching them in the courtyard.
Author's note:
Hello! I'm actually new to the Earthbound/Mother series (never played the game although I desperately want to), and it's something I fell in love with after playing SSBB. Correct me if any info I use in the story is wrong. On the other hand, this is an AU! Ana, Paula, Ness, Ninten, Lucas, Claus, and Pokey are all highschool freshmen. Unless stated, family backgrounds will remain the same as canon.
The first few chapters might start off a little pointless and shallow, but the story will develop more tone as it continues to reach my current writing style.
I do not own the Mother/Earthbound series, Oreos, and Brawl.
Thank you for your cooperation.
[EDIT 6/1/18] Based on a personal anecdote. My brother was almost placed into ballet, but managed to snag a free spot in soccer at the very last minute.
