Author's Note:
Hello there. This here is probably one of the very few fanfics focused on Ness/Ninten out there. I usually don't write slash fics, but I noticed a marked lack of content for this pairing and I think it's cute enough to warrant at least ONE multi-chaptered fanfic. Someone had to do it lol
Anyway, I'll shut up and let you guys read. Please don't forget to rip on me for shit writing- I mean, share your thoughts on this story. :)
Chapter 1
It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon when Mom took me to the playground today. I could tell because I could now read the small clock on the car's dashboard. For a while now, Mom started taking me out to the playground to play after kindergarten while she spoke with some man in a dark suit and a grim expression. I didn't like that man very much — Mom always argued and pleaded with him and looked tired all the time, especially with her tummy growing so big.
Dad wasn't around lately and didn't come home for a few weeks. Usually he'd be busy all the time with work, and Mom always complained about it. The last time Dad called, I could her arguing with him from my room.
"Where's dad?" I asked, tugging at the hem of mom's skirt.
"Daddy can't come today honey," Mom said. I wondered why. I missed Dad so much.
"Go play sonny," the man said before I opened my mouth. "Your mom needs to deal with grown-up issues right now."
"That's right, sweetie," Mom said. "Play with the other children, will you?"
I bit the inside of my cheek. I knew Dad would make it all better. On the phone, he sounded confident and cheerful. Sometimes when Dad was home, Mom would talk to him with a fond smile on her face. I don't know why she wasn't interested in what I had to say.
Maybe Mom thought I was too chicken to play with the other kids. Of course I wasn't afraid to face other children my age.
That's right. I am the most confident five-year-old in this playground!
I turned around, only this time the playground was swarming with rowdy kids. I felt my budding confidence waver, then spotted a familiar chubby boy in overalls sitting by the swings. It was our neighbor, Pokey Minch, who lived in a huge villa right next to my house, so I saw him almost every other day.
Pokey lifted his head when he noticed me approaching. His overly long bangs obscured his beady eyes, but I could sense the sour expression on his face.
"This park sucks," Pokey said in distaste once I came in earshot. I frowned at the bad word but gave Pokey a curious look. Pokey continued, "It's on the bad side of town."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "What bad side of town?"
"Look at it," Pokey waved a hand around. "It's run-down, it smells… I don't know why my parents dropped me off in this stinkhole to begin with."
I didn't feel convinced. I liked the playground but didn't want for Pokey to know. "How do you know it's on the bad side of town?" I asked, confused.
"I'm - um, I'm older than you," Pokey said. "So of course I'm right. You and I are living in the nice part of town. This park is on the bad side of town, and that's why it's terrible."
I looked away halfway through Pokey's speech. I noticed a pair of huddled little heads near the corner of the playground. Pokey noticed and followed my gaze to the two. He made a face at their simple clothes and the dirt on their faces.
"Oh, those look like they're from the bad side of town too," Pokey said. He tugged at my arm. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."
I ignored him and walked over to the two. Save for the stark contrast of hair color - one was golden blond and the other had fiery red hair - the two boys looked exactly alike, which piqued my curiosity.
"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to get a look at whatever the twins were looking at. The redhead looked up and placed a finger in front of his lips.
"Shhh. You'll scare it," he said in a whisper. I tilted my head in confusion.
"Scare what?" I said, also lowering my voice to a whisper. The blond placed his hands in front of a large, bushy looking caterpillar. It was black with a reddish-brown band in the middle.
"That's a woolly bear caterpillar," the redheaded boy explained, watching intently as the caterpillar creeped towards the other boy's outstretched hands. He nodded at the blond, "Lucas says its colors tell you if next winter will be really cold or not."
"Nuh-uh," I said, my eyes growing wide. "Really?"
"Yea-huh," the redhead replied. "Tell him, Lucas."
The blond boy, Lucas, let out a small squeak when the caterpillar crawled into his hands.
"Claus, it prickles!" Lucas giggled and stood up, carefully cradling the bug in his hands. The redhead, Claus, looked over his twin's shoulder with a grin already missing one of its front teeth.
"So?" he asked. "Tell me, does it say we'll have a snowy Christmas or not?"
Pokey saw the caterpillar in Lucas's hands and recoiled in disgust.
"Yuck, he's holding a worm!" Pokey said, pointing at the caterpillar. He slapped it out of Lucas's hold, causing it to disappear into a bush nearby. Lucas stared incredulously at his empty hands, then at Pokey, before he burst into tears.
"Pokey, no!" I cried out.
"Look what you've done!" Claus said. He shoved Pokey forcefully enough that Pokey lost balance and fell backwards.
"Aaah. Mom was right, you're all nasty!" Pokey wailed, then struggled to pick himself up. "Ness, do something!"
My gaze flicked between Pokey and a sobbing Lucas, then took a step away from Pokey, who threw me a scandalized look.
"You suck," he said, then stomped away from us. "I'm telling my mom!"
"Yeah. Go away, Porky!" Claus called after him. My lips curled at the nickname. It fit so well! I remembered the caterpillar that fell from Lucas's hands.
I searched through the woody bush where it fell. I winced when a sharp twig pricked my finger but sighed in relief when I found the caterpillar nestled below the branches, curled upon itself. Carefully, I picked the creature up and cradled it in my palms then turned towards the crying blond, whose twin placed a hand on his shoulder, seemingly at a loss.
"Come on, stop crying," Claus said. "It was just a stupid caterpillar."
Lucas only cried harder. I felt a twinge of guilt because Pokey followed me and disturbed whatever the two were doing. I approached the twins, presenting the insect in my hands.
"…I found it," I said. "It's alive."
The pair looked up. Claus's eyebrows rose up while Lucas wiped his eyes with the heels of his palms.
"You did?" Lucas hurried towards me and looked at the caterpillar. He grinned, despite his red nose and tear-stained cheeks. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"
My chest swelled with pride. I hated seeing Lucas cry, especially since it was kind of my fault.
"Thanks kid," Claus said. "What's your name?" he asked as Lucas carefully took the caterpillar from my hands into his own.
"I'm Ness," I said, extending a hand. Dad always said gentlemen shake hands with people they meet. Claus shook it. "Nice to meet you," I added.
"Er, nice to meet you too," Claus said, giving me a tight grin. "I'm Claus, and this crybaby here is my little brother Lucas."
"I'm not!" An indignant flush tinted Lucas's cheeks as he stammered. I chuckled at the two. We played until Mom decided to pick me up and go home. I waved goodbye at the twins and promised to meet them later at the park.
When the phone rang in the evening, I shot out of the sofa and made a mad dash to the end table where the phone rested. 'DAD!' I screamed while Mom watched with a bemused expression. I fumbled with the handset and almost dropped it, before lifting it to my ear with both hands. True to my expectation, Dad spoke on the other side.
"Hey kiddo," I heard him say with a chuckle. A grin crossed my face. Whenever dad called, he'd ask me if I've been doing my job as the 'man of the house'. I felt proud he trusted me to take care of Mom while he was away, but I didn't want to ask why he didn't come home, especially with Mom watching. I told him instead about the twins I met today, and how Pokey made Lucas cry. I asked him if I should stay friends with Pokey or befriend the new twins.
"I can't tell you what to do," Dad said. "You have to decide that for yourself, Ness. Who do you think you want to be friends with?"
I paused, thinking briefly before I answered, "Lucas and Claus."
"Right," Dad said. "It's your decision, so own it and trust your instincts."
Mom gently tapped my shoulder and gestured for me to hand over the phone. Her mouth fell into a thin line when she lifted the phone to her ear. I quietly ducked under her elbow and trudged to my room.
'Trust your instincts.'
Huh. I think that is actually a good idea.
The day after was the last time I saw dad at home.
Mom and Dad made me sit on the couch between them. Mom took my hand and Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. They kept it simple: "Mommy and Daddy have been thinking," they began, and explained that Dad will live on his own from now on, but I could see him every now and then. I was naïve enough not to fully grasp the whole concept of 'divorce' until much later when Tracy was born and Dad never showed up to see her until a whole month afterwards.
Nevertheless, I followed Dad's advice to the letter.
It all comes down to first impressions. I liked to put everyone I'd met into a tidy little mental catalog. I took solace in the idea of slapping a label or two onto the people I knew. Lucas and Claus? I like them, so we became inseparable friends ever since. Pokey? (Everyone calls him Porky now) He weirded me out, so I distanced myself from him as I watched him become an all-around unpleasant bully.
I'd say that now that I'm 13, my intuition, however judgemental, worked well so far.
But whenever I saw that kid, so many strange, unflattering and downright unsettling thoughts swished within my mind. The idea of not having a particular label for that one person made me feel uneasy. I eventually interpreted those thoughts as hate, and I acted upon that.
It first began on the first day of school after winter break.
I've had a thoroughly rotten morning. I walked into class, late and already seething after hearing an earful from the teachers for oversleeping. I wanted nothing but to sulk and look out the window from my familiar seat at the back of the class next to Lucas. Instead, I saw a new student sitting on the desk that I had already claimed for myself last semester, while Lucas was nowhere to be seen. I stood at the door with my mouth agape. My stomach twisted unpleasantly as I furrowed my eyebrows at the lookalike of me sitting in my desk.
As I walked towards the occupied seat, I began to pick out the obvious differences.
For one, that kid wore a blue-and-yellow rugby shirt and a red baseball cap similar to mine, but the hat looked ratty and a size too big. He had the same inky black hair, although choppier and much straighter than my own curly locks. I found myself looming over the new kid's seated form.
While I was tanned and stocky, the newcomer was stick-thin and pale. The boy looked up, mahogany eyes locked with my own cobalt ones.
I couldn't shake the weird feeling in my chest as the boy gave me an unsure smile. I suppressed the sudden emotion and frowned.
"Can I help you?" The boy said after a brief silence.
"That's… That's my seat," I finally said, pointing to the desk. I inwardly cringed at the squeaky way my voice came out.
"Oh. My bad. No one told me it's taken already," the boy said, smile turning into a smirk. It started to get on my nerves.
Luckily, the boy stood up and gathered his things off the table. I noticed that the new kid was just a tad shorter than I was despite being one of the smaller kids myself. I ignored the thought, choosing instead to glare after the other boy as he walked towards the only other empty seat at the front, next to a white-haired boy nobody talked to. I plopped down on my reclaimed desk and dropped my bag with a sour expression crossing my face. For some reason, I absolutely hated that smirk. It felt condescending, and I couldn't shake the impression that it was mocking me.
The new kid was called Ninten. Apparently his actual name was Ken, but his sisters used to call him Ninten when they were little and he insisted on going by the pet name. I won't admit paying particular attention when Ninten said that during roll call, but I kept that detail in mind anyway.
To everyone else, he was a plain, uninteresting sight. The collective attention span of the classroom practically gave him a few minutes at most, before it shifted to other topics. After all, he was just a new addition to the dozen other kids in the room. I, however, practically fed off the sight of him. I spent the entire first period watching intently as Ninten chatted up a storm with the reclusive nerd next to him. I didn't acknowledge someone's attempts at getting my attention until a hand waved in front of my face.
I snapped out of my trance-like state and looked up towards the worried blond next to me.
"Oh. Hey Lucas," I said. "When did you get here?"
"Just now," Lucas said, then tilted his head to the side. "What's up? You were totally spacing out. Are you okay?"
I nodded and waved him off halfheartedly with a grunt. Lucas shrugged and busied himself with his notebook, while I resumed watching the new kid. It seemed that Ninten's nerdy seat-mate (Lloyd, if I remembered right) was already warming up to him. I felt bad for Lloyd for not having any friends, but I disliked Ninten's friendliness to him. A small part of me recoiled at the bitter thoughts, but then justified that Ninten's budding friendship with the nerd had an ulterior motive. Maybe a way to slack off while the poor nerd did his homework.
It took little time for my unfounded dislike of Ninten to morph into absolute, unconditional loathing. Soon, I had learned ways to make that hatred known. Whether by pushing, hurling insults, name-calling or spreading rumors.
Putting Ninten down gave me an intensely addictive rush of power. That rush was followed quickly by a rapid comedown, and an overpowering craving for more. It didn't help that Ninten never took abuse lying down. For every remark I made, Ninten always had an equally biting reply in return.
It was hate at first sight, and it was a thrill to know the hate was returned.
By now, our rivalry has become common knowledge. Frustratingly, despite my ceaseless efforts, it almost never turned physical. Whenever things got too heated, Ninten would simply back off and walk away no matter how I taunted him.
I got used to waking up to see Mom already on the phone arguing. Whether they may be lawyers, debt collectors, her boss or even occasionally a pissed Lardna Minch trying to get us to evict from 'her property' despite us having paid off that stupid debt in full with interest. Whenever a phone argument happens, I know that morning is ruined for certain. Even after Mom hung up and gave us a tired smile, a heavy, sour air lingered in the house.
Tracy sat at the kitchen table, munching her cereal. I sat opposite from her and emptied the cereal box into a huge salad bowl. I ignored Tracy's protest as I poured milk and threw her a brief glare when she muttered 'Fatty' under her breath. I love my little sister but when in a foul mood, a guy's gotta eat.
Mom took off to drop off Tracy to school on her way to work, while I dragged myself to school as if a raincloud hovered over my head. I made my way through the busy corridor, looking for a familiar lick of bright blond hair. Soon enough, a smile found its way to my face when I found it by the far end of the main corridor. Lucas sucked at being inconspicuous, thanks to his lanky height.
My smile instantly vanished, replaced by a scowl when I saw Lucas talking to him. It was easy to forget that Lucas could befriend the devil if he wanted, but that didn't mean I couldn't get possessive over him. I was his oldest friend, after all. I watched Lucas laughing while Ninten looked up at him with a warm smile.
That smile took my undivided attention as I approached them. It was stunning, and such a drastic difference from the usual sardonic expression he put on whenever I was in sight. I announced my presence with a feigned cough. Lucas turned to face me while Ninten plastered on that insufferable smirk.
"Hi," Lucas said, waving a hand timidly.
"Oh, speak of the devil!" Ninten said, then gave me a mocking half-bow while pointing at Lucas with an overt flourish. "I should go. He's all yours."
I watched him leave with a frown. I rolled my eyes then began to move towards my locker, but the tall blond fell into step beside me in one stride. I cursed being so short and befriending a beanstalk of a guy.
"Why were you talking to him?" I said, still glaring ahead. "You really don't want to be seen with that guy."
"Oh come on, Ness." Lucas crossed his arms. He leaned against the locker next to mine. "Ninten's actually pretty awesome once you get to know him."
"You think everybody's awesome."
"No, I don't. I really mean it, he's actually pretty cool."
"Cool? Please. He looks like a character out of a Peanuts comic," I said, turning the dial. "Not to mention the people he hangs out with. He became best buds with that recluse weirdo with a creepy obsession with guns."
Lucas blinked. "And you're 'best buds' with a farm hick from a hillbilly town in Nowhere," he said flippantly, pointing at himself.
"That's not what I meant!" I said, my cheeks reddening.
"Whatever. Actually, we were talking about you before you showed up."
"Yeah, figured as much." I pursed my lips as I stuffed my backpack inside the locker.
"Nothing bad, I promise," Lucas said. "He told me he's a fan of the San Francisco Giants, so I said that you're a big fan too."
"What does he know about the Giants?"
"Ninten's like, a huge baseball buff. He knows about baseball almost as much as you do."
"Uh huh. Any other juicy gossip?" I asked testily as I slammed the locker shut.
"He said he watched you play the other day," Lucas, bless his heart, rambled on as he followed me. "He said he's kinda jealous of how well you played. I told him about that time you—"
I tuned out Lucas as we made our way to class. I couldn't help but feel somewhat flattered. I wondered what Ninten thought exactly about my style of play. Eventually, my thoughts wandered to other topics, like what kind of food Ninten liked, whether he liked the same music or shared the same interests that I had. It was like a sudden urge to know as much as possible about him, just so that I could pick out the similarities and differences between me and the other boy. I felt guilty for my curiosity, vowing myself never to make an effort to find out any detail about him.
I think I'll finish up next chapter and post it by New Year's. Merry Christmas, everyone. Also review please. Reviews sustain me be they positive or negative. :D