(Headmaster Hand)

When I used to look out of my bedroom window, when I surveyed the Onett scene, there was chaos. There were people, bustling to work. There were horses, carts, parades. The rings of a bell. There were beggars crying, stray dogs whining, mess, shouting, fear, pain.

But at least there was life.

Now, there's nothing but desertion. As I look down from the top storey of our townhouse, I can only see emptiness. Lonely pavements. Piles of litter, drifting in the wind. The beggars, no more. The cries of children disappeared, into the air.

Everyone's gone.

It's testament to the hope of the people, that the house we found was empty. There's no belongings - no possessions - no valuables - the residents must truly have believed that they would start a new life in New Pork City. They must have truly believed in freedom. Happiness, away from this hell.

And now they're dead.

Our situation is good, relative to before. We've landed a three bedroom property; Pusher's family took one bedroom, Caroline, Tessie and Angie another, and the rest of us got the other. And it's not too bad, either - they're nice bedrooms. The bed is comfortable enough. The wardrobe has plenty of space. The windows are clean, letting the light in. Downstairs there's a kitchen, even a bathroom. We have all the amenities we need.

I set up my desk in the drawing room. I do like a good desk, and the one I locate doesn't disappoint - mahogany, with all the elaborate wooden spirals that one could ever want. I lay out paper and maps all over it, scrawled full of notes, full of plans, full of chaotic ideas that I have.

The others go about themselves as normal, of course. On day 2, Ollie manages to sniff out a box of Roman coins in the attic, which he promptly goes out and sells, for some cold hard cash - one thousand pounds, to be precise. Money is just what we need - money is good. Money is what we need to sustain ourselves, whilst we work.

Which is why a row breaks out, when Elmore goes out and spends it all on a new handbag.

"You don't even need a handbag!" Tessie exclaims, gesticulating wildly. "We needed that money for food - and water!"

"Don't you tell me what I do and don't need, thank you very much!" Elmore snaps.

"It's useless! How can anyone even spend all that money on one bag?!"

"It's designer!"

"And we're going to starve to death!"

But the arguing is interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Everyone, hide in the parlor," I command, taking charge. "I'll get it. I'll see what they want."

There's bustling, as everyone pushes to cram into the room. I move down the hall in trepidation - who could it be? Were we Seen? Could it be Porky?

My worst fears are confirmed, when I open the door, to reveal two police officers.

I gulp. "Hello, how can I help you?"

Policeman one adjusts their hat. "Well well well - uh, good evening, sir. We are looking for a criminal."

I try to keep my face completely neutral. "A criminal?"

Policeman two nods, harshly. "That is very correct. Very, very correct."

There's a slight awkward pause.

"Well uh - who's the criminal?" I ask.

"Well, well, well," Policeman one says, thrusting a poster into my face. "Uh - this one. Wanted for arson, and murder."

Okay, thank goodness. They're not looking for me. I take the poster, relieved. "I haven't seen any criminals around here, sir."

Policeman two nods curtly. "That may be very true, but keep a very good look out. The criminal is likely very dangerous. Please come down very quickly to the station if you see him! Or anyone else for that very good matter! Remember, report all crimes you see! Very fast!"

"Uh, yes, I will keep my eyes peeled," I say, as if I haven't literally stolen the house I'm in now.

Policeman one rubs his hands together. "Well, well, well - we're also looking for a man called Headmaster Hand. Have you any idea what he looks like? Or where he may be?"

"Headmaster Hand?" I reply, with feigned innocence. "I'm not sure, he sounds like a big troublemaker. I can't say I know him, though."

Policeman two grumbles. "Fat lot of good it is, to be told to look for someone, but not told what they look like. Very helpful. Well, we'll be very quickly off now, sir! And remember, you wouldn't steal a horse and cart. Literature piracy is a crime. Goodbye!"

"Uh - goodbye-"

I hastily shut the door, as the two men bumble off to the neighbours house. That was close - if those two had been more competent at their job…

Out of interest, I look at the wanted poster in my hand. It's a police sketch - a rough one at that - but I think I vaguely recognise the person in it. Which of my distant cousins has committed tax fraud this time? Has Crazy Hand finally cracked? But as I look closer, I realise, it's not one of my distant cousins at all. In fact, the words below the image are a big giveaway that it isn't:

Wanted dead or alive, charged with the of murder of Dr Andonuts:

Ness.

£1000 reward.

Well, that messes everything up.

.

.

.

~~o00o~~

Chapter 46: A One-Track Mind

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

.

.

.

I stand there, silent, by Ness's front door. My head throbs, echoing all around.

Ness has been kicked out of his home, and me with him.

He can't be taking it well.

I turn to my boyfriend, who's just staring - staring at the door. Blank as anything. Claus is repeatedly prodding him with a stick, but Ness shows no sign of noticing.

He just looks empty.

"Ness?" I try.

His mouth falls open, before falling shut again.

I come a little closer. "Ness? Are you ok?"

Suddenly, he turns, forcing a smile onto his face. "Your house, did you say? Let's go. Great idea. I've only seen it once, I've always wanted to look around it more."

I gulp. "Uh - yeah - yeah, that's, yes. But-"

"I'm okay!" Ness assures me, his voice far too bright to be believable. "It's not like Father ever cared - I never have to see him again now, right? Let's go!"

"I-" I know better than to press him any harder. "Alright then. Let's go."

We go.

Claus tugs at my sleeve. "Are we going to see Father?"

I pat him on the back. "That's right Claus. We are."

He grins, boyishly. "Hooray!"

At least one of us is happy.

…

When we finally arrive, I can't help but notice just how much shabbier the place seems.

It was already dismal enough. Tucked away in a dark enclave in the First Residential District, just another one of the mess of properties in the area, nobody would even think to pay it a thought. But now it's practically an eyesore - the brickwork is cracked, the paint of the door is peeling, moss has captured the guttering, and ivy spills out of every hole.

I can't help thinking bitterly to myself, Mother would never have let our home get like this.

With as much strength as I can muster, I step forward, to the front door. We sincerely have to hope that Father is even home, for one. For another, we have to hope that he actually lets us in.

I knock.

Silence deafens.

I knock again.

There's silence again for a little while, and I move to knock for a third and final time, but before I can, there's a sudden little scuffle, and a dry exclamation. "Porky! I've told you enough times, I'm not paying no more of your debt, no more, I tell you-"

"It's Claus!" Claus exclaims suddenly, and the voice inside falls dead silent.

The door is wrenched open.

There before me, stands my father.

He stares at us, the three of us, as if he's seeing a ghost. His hair is completely unkempt. His shirt is untucked from his trousers, his eyes are grey and harrowed. He's not even wearing his hat. He doesn't look like himself one bit. He fidgets nervously with his hands, as his eyes pierce through my skin.

"Cl-Claus?" He croaks.

"Father?" Claus cocks his head to the side.

Father blinks. But suddenly, he surges forwards, and I can't help but beam as he pulls Claus into a rushing hug.

"Claus! You came home!"

Overwhelmed, Claus tries to hug back, but Father holds him back, holding him out, having a good look at his face. "It's really you - it's really you - where have you been - where on earth have you been?!"

Claus looks up at our father, an urgent expression in his eyes. "Porky took me away. I is very sorry."

Father freezes for a second, before waving us forwards. "Don't stand there then - come in! Lucas, you too - Ness, you as well! Everyone come in!"

He disappears into the house. Bemused, we have no choice but to follow, as Claus races inside, like an excited infant.

But it's a dismal sight.

In the main room, the first thing I notice is the bottles. They're high in all corners, making the room reek of strong alcohol. God - Father never used to drink. Never. Is this what he's turned to, to cope? Horrified, I notice waste, rubbish on the carpet. Old packaging. Newspapers. Mould and dry rot pile up the walls. He's hardly been looking after this place at all!

Father makes himself busy, lighting a fire. I notice there's nothing on the mantelpiece anymore, no ornaments, not even Mother's wedding ring. There's just a thick coating of dust.

Ness gives me a worried look.

We sit, on the now threadbare sofa, pushing aside a pile of old rags and sheets. Claus looks at me confused, as if he doesn't recognise the place, at all.

"Lucas - I can't believe I let you stay here," Ness whispers, worriedly. "I should've got you out - Lucas, I'm so sorry-"

"I didn't know it was this bad," I mumble.

"Didn't know? But you were here just a couple weeks back - over Christmas, right?"

I gulp. "I uh, wasn't, no."

Ness looks horrified. "You mean, you were on the streets?!"

Thankfully, I'm saved answering, as Father turns back around to us. "Sorry, it's been a bit messy here, lately..."

I look around at the mess. "A bit? Father, what have you been doing?"

"Nothing much," he replies, vaguely, turning, and sitting down next to Claus, looking intensely at him again, as if he can't believe he's truly there.

"Where's mother's wedding ring?" I ask, trying to keep accusation out of my voice.

"Porky took it," he answers, a bit too quickly. I can sense the lie in his words, but it doesn't matter. Wherever it is, we don't have it anymore.

Claus looks bemused, at me, and then at Father. "This home... it isn't very nice. I like Ness's home more."

"I'm sure…" I visibly watch Father deflate before me. "Ah, I'm sorry, Claus. I'm really sorry."

"Why?"

"I gave up looking… oh, Claus, where were you? What happened? Where did you go?"

Claus hangs his head, sensing the melancholy atmosphere. Even with his now clipped hair, there's still something off about his appearance.

"Went looking for Porky. Porky found me, Porky took me away."

"That man…" I can see Father's eyebrows sear, with momentary anger, but they collapse. "I should've known." He takes a deep breath. "You speak the same as you did before, Claus. Exactly the same. What did he do to you?"

Claus falls silent, at that. It's clear he doesn't want to answer - whether he's embarrassed, or ashamed, or anything else, it's impossible to know. But he looks sad.

I speak. "It's probably best not to ask."

Father looks down at the floor again. "I'm really sorry."

"Can we stay here?" I ask. "Us three - for a bit. Can we stay?"

Vaguely, Father nods. "Yeah."

I feel a twitch of concern, but I bury it down. Everything is fine. Everything is ok. It has to be

"We can help you clean up this place," I offer. "It's - we can make it nice again. It's okay."

The man before me looks around at all the bottles, all the newspapers, as if only noticing them for the first time, before burying his face in his hands again. "I'm so sorry."

I look to Ness, who can only give a sort of half-shrug.

"Look," I say, trying to get somewhere. "How about I make dinner? Have you had dinner yet?"

Father shakes his head.

"Alright. Then - I'll get started, okay? You and Claus, you can catch up, yeah? Does that sound nice?"

Claus nods.

"And Ness - you can help me out." I give him a pointed look.

"Yeah, I can."

"Is that okay, Father?"

I look at him, his hands over his face. But he inclines his head slightly, just enough to be interpreted as a response.

I nod. "Alright then." And so, Ness follows me out, into the mess that we call a kitchen.

It's even worse than the lounge.

There's a pile of broken glass on the side, seemingly from the window, which has developed a great, gaping hole. Cupboard doors hang off their hinges. There's mouse droppings on the floor.

I push my way over to a surface, worrying about what state the pantry will be in - who knows if there'll even be any food to cook? It's as if Father has forgotten how to clean, or forgotten how to take things outside, or, I don't even know what. How can he be living like this? And - none of his friends, from the coal mines, didn't they think to even check on him? Or, most likely, he wouldn't have let them in, but...

"You're okay with helping sort this all out, right?" I turn to Ness.

He nods quickly, seeing my expression. "Oh - yeah, 'course! I'm not great with cleaning, but I'll help, of course."

Relieved, I open the pantry, but my face falls as I look at the bare shelves. "There's nothing here - what's he been eating, this whole time?"

"More like drinking," Ness says sadly, opening a cupboard to reveal a copious amount of bottles.

It's a distressing sight.

"I can't believe he'd drink - I can't believe he'd turn to that. He never drank, Ness. Never! What the hell happened?"

My boyfriend's voice comes out quiet, and sad. "I don't know."

I stare, silently at the floor. Where on earth are we even going to start with all this? Maybe that's Father's problem - he let it all accumulate, it was easier to ignore the mess, but then, when it got bad, he got stuck, overwhelmed. I have no idea. All I know is that this isn't okay.

Ness pulls out a chunk of greened bread from a cupboard. "I think this is the best we've got."

I look at it, horrified. "That's not even edible, Ness. We can't eat that!"

He turns it over, revealing a mass of ants, causing him to drop it with a yelp. "Agh!"

I sigh.

Ness, noticing, comes over to me, laying a hopeful arm around my shoulders. "It's okay, Lucas. We'll go shop tomorrow, get some food, and we can start to work on this."

I wring my hands. "But what about Porky? And we can't shop - there's no money - it's so hopeless-"

Ness takes my hands in his. "Seriously. Screw Porky, right now, we need to help your dad. We'll get Toon Link and Villager round - our plan is off anyway. We need to go back to school, because that's where Porky's gonna be. So we'd only be waiting around, wouldn't we?"

"I guess… but still, Ness, there's no money."

"Well, actually that's where you're wrong!" Ness grins, suddenly pulling a bag of coins out of his pocket. "See? I stole this from Father, ages ago, and hid it in my room. Just in case. I grabbed it before we left."

I stare at him, agape.

He grins. "Great, right?"

I don't think I've ever hugged him tighter.

…

When we head back into the main room, empty handed, I can't tell if Claus and Father have exchanged any words at all. Claus still just seems confused, as he looks around, and Father has hardly moved at all.

"We're out of food," I inform them, as I sit back down. "But we've got some money. So tomorrow, we'll go out, buy some, and then start cleaning the house. How, does that sound?"

Father looks up at me, his expression unreadable. "Money? Where did you get money?"

"Ness has some," I explain.

Father's gaze flickers onto Ness. It must've been years since he saw him last, but no doubt he remembers him. Luckily, his expression remains neutral. "Ah. Right."

"Sorry about my Father," Ness blurts out suddenly. "Sorry he uh - gave you the sack. I hate him too."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

Father's shoulders relax slightly. "Alright."

"So - that's all good then?" I try.

Father nods.

"Great."

An awkward silence falls over us. It's late - it feels like too much to start clearing up now. But then, if we want to sleep anywhere other than the floor… perhaps we should. I feel a twinge of guilt for dragging Ness here. I never would've dreamt of it, had I known it was like it is. I was ashamed enough of our house before - but this takes it to a grand new degree.

"I got your letter," I try. "About Porky, and mother."

Father nods, and I see regret, as he speaks. "Mhm."

"We've been trying to track him down."

"Oh, right."

"We've not had much luck."

"Give it up."

I look at him, surprised. "Huh?"

"There's no point. What's gone is gone. Revenge is - I shouldn't have asked you to do that, Lucas."

"It's okay," I say, timidly.

"It's not. I'm sorry."

Silence falls once again.

I do wish, I could just give up the chase for Porky. But it's more than just revenge. It's the world that's at stake. Even so, sometimes I just want to quit - but every time I think of doing so, I am reminded, it is my fault, and my responsibility to deal with it. I pressed the button in Porky's hideout.

Claus stretches. "Tired…"

Father nods towards the bedroom door. "It's nicer in there."

Claus nods. "Okay. Lucas, bedtime story?"

"Yeah, I can read you a story," I reply quietly. "That's okay. Father, can I go?"

Father looks up, momentarily surprised at that, but then he looks back down again. "Alright."

Claus heads on into the bedroom, and once Ness has assured me that he'll be okay, I follow.

Father's right - the bedroom isn't as bad. But it's still not great. The bed isn't made. The carpet is grubby in places, and littered with clothes and tissues. There's a strong odour of damp and mould, and the wardrobe is probably rotting. But at least it looks somewhat inhabitable.

Claus rolls himself carefully into the big bed, and I cover him with the blanket. It's still weird, seeing him like this. Having to put my former role model to bed. But I steel myself. It's okay.

"Father is different," Claus says in a worried tone, once the door is shut. "Sad."

I sit down, besides my brother. "Yeah. He is sad."

"Why?"

"He misses our mother." I don't know why the words roll out, but I do know that they're true.

Claus frowns. "So do I."

"Me too, Claus. Me too."

There's a pause, as the redhead closes his eyes. I almost think he's gone to sleep, before he speaks again.

"Why was the man angry?"

"The man? Oh, Ness's dad?"

"Yes."

I sigh, miserably. "Well, he was angry at Ness, and he kicked him - us - out of the house, Claus. So, we're going to be living here now, until it's time for school again."

"I liked Ness's house."

"So did I… it's a shame that Ness's dad is so mean."

Claus frowns again. "I don't like this house. This house isn't nice."

"We'll make it nice again," I promise. "Villager and the others, they'll hopefully come round tomorrow, and we'll clear out the rubbish, paint the walls, get some tasty food. It'll all be okay."

Claus makes an inquisitive noise. "Will there be Toon Link? Toon Link was funny. I like Toon Link."

I smile slightly, impressed, that he remembered Toon Link's name. I hadn't got the particular impression that they'd really spoken - but I'm glad. That's promising. "Yes, he'll come, Claus. Him and all the others."

"Yay!"

Gently, I tuck him into bed. He smiles toothily at me, and I smile back. "Now, how about that story? What do you want it to be about?"

He thinks. "Hmm… about... you! About big school!"

"Big school? Well, okay then. What do you want to know, Claus?"

"Everything, Lucas!"

He looks up at me, excitedly, under the covers. It's a look I certainly can't refuse.

"Well… how about I tell you about the teachers? The professors?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay…" I begin. "Well, there's professor Rosalina. She's really nice - she's the nicest of all of the teachers. She teaches science - which is a subject about studying the world around us. She's the one who makes sure Ness and I are happy at school."

"I like her."

"I like her too. Her lessons are good as well - even if Ness disagrees, hah, Ness isn't very good at science, sadly. You know, there was this one time, Claus, we were doing an experiment, right? Ness, being the goof that he is, he added magnesium instead of sodium to water by mistake - and it created an incredibly bright light - like the sun! He got detention for that one…"

Claus laughs. "Silly Ness."

"He really is, isn't he? Very, very, silly. But very nice too. You know, he actually used to really like science, when we were much younger. He wanted to be the first person to land on the sun. I told him that would be impossible, the sun is far too hot to land on. But he said - he said he was going to land on it at night!"

Claus frowns, puzzled. "But - the sun - it's still there at night. We just… can't see it!"

I laugh. "And that right there is proof that you're much smarter than Ness is."

Claus beams, pleased with the praise. "Tell me more funny stories about Ness, Lucas!"

I think. I want a good one - Ness really has had some immense goof moments, now I think about it, but…

"Oh, there's the one with the blueberries!" I laugh, in spite of myself.

"Blueberries?"

"Yeah. So, we were at school, and it was dinner time, and Ness decided to tell us all that he really hated blueberries. That of course, gave the rest of us an idea - and so, Toon Link and Villager snuck into the kitchens, and gathered as many blueberries as we could. I distracted Ness by chasing him with some, whilst Toon Link swapped all of his things for blueberries! Can you believe that? Ah, the look on Ness's face when he saw…"

"That's mean… but also funny," Claus decides. "You have lots of fun at big school."

"Oh, we do. When we're not being attacked by Porky."

"Ew, Porky!"

I chuckle. "Ew, Porky."

Claus looks up at me with a grin, all blue eyes and red hair, and for a moment, I think I catch a glimpse of him. I really think I do. Being home, maybe it's good for his sense of self, his vocabulary. But maybe he just likes talking about me.

"Can I go to big school now?" Claus asks.

I stop, momentarily. I hadn't thought of that - will he be allowed? Will it be safe? Surely… Well, we could hide him upstairs, couldn't we? In the dorms? But no - Porky could get to him…

I just have to shrug. "I hope so, Claus. Ness and I will try and work it out that you can."

"I want to do lessons - just like you!"

"I really hope you can, Claus." I resolve not to mention the fact that he might be a bit behind, on subjects. That would be unkind.

A dreamy expression settles on his face. "Yay… I sleep now."

"Oh - well, goodnight, Claus."

"Goodnight, Lucas! Love you."

My heart tugs with a sudden wave of emotion. "I love you too, Claus."

He smiles, as he closes his eyes.

…

When I'm calm, and ready to face the others again, I head on out. Ness and Father sit, in awkward ambience - both looking up in an instant, as if waiting for my return. I join Ness, collapsing down next to a pile of paper, and I exhale.

"Is he asleep?" Ness asks.

"Yeah."

"Took you some time, must've been a gripping story you told…"

"I told him about the blueberries."

Ness's eyes widen. "Oh no. Not the blueberries."

I give an innocent smile. "How about we buy some tomorrow, when we go out?"

"NOo-"

Father gives a mournful sigh, interrupting the moment. "Look at you. You've grown up so fast, Lucas."

My smile fades, as I look back over at him. Fully taking in his crumpled appearance. It's clear that drinking has won him over, and it's truly as if he no longer cares about anything else anymore. He'd always brush his hair, before. Always wear his hat. Shirt would be tucked in. He'd come home, filthy from the mines, but he'd go wash off, as soon as he could.

But now, there's none of that.

That scary man, who pushed me down giant's mine? He's devolved into a mere shell.

Father meets my eyes for a second, before he quickly looks back down at the floor. "Lucas... What really happened to him - to Claus?"

It feels like I've been asked that a lot, lately. "He found out what really happened to Mother. But when he went out to seek revenge, he was captured, and experimented on, by Porky. I found him in the forest - well, he found me. A few days ago."

"He speaks like a little kid. He still acts like a little kid."

"Mmm. He couldn't really learn, or develop, whilst locked up, I guess. So he's just - stuck."

Father gives a long groan, before burying his face in his calloused hands. "I failed him. I failed him like I failed you."

"You didn't…"

"I've hardly talked to you for years, Lucas. I've just moped around, whilst you slaved away, making money, making dinner. I made you grow up so fast. I failed you, completely."

My chest hurts. I want to tell him he didn't. But I can't - not when everything he's saying is true. It's so true it hurts, and hearing him admit it, feels impossible.

Ness nudges against me again, soft arms slipping around my middle.

Father looks up at my boyfriend, his eyes hollow. "And you - you've done a much better job of raising him than I. You must hate me so much - especially after I've badmouthed you to no end. I owe you a debt I can never pay."

Ness shifts, unsure what to say. "It's okay… he deserved looking after. I was happy to."

He turns back to me. "What must Hinawa think of me now?"

"I - I'm sure she loves you still.."

"No… No, I don't imagine she would. Not after everything I've failed to do."

I look down at the ground. "She'd understand."

Father is silent, at that, before he just buries his head in his hands again. "I'm sorry, Lucas."

"It's okay."

"I'm so sorry."

...

It's a while of misery later, before I decide it's time for bed. There's no good waiting around for something to happen - we need to be well rested for tomorrow, if we're going to start the operation. And so, I bid a quick goodnight to my Father, and Ness and I creep into the bedroom.

"Where do we sleep?" Ness whispers to me.

"We'll have to clear a space on the floor," I whisper back. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

In quiet unison, Ness and I set about moving piles of clothes from what looks to be the nicest area of the carpet. I get out a rather dirty and moth-bitten blanket from the cupboard, laying it down to try and soften the situation up, just a little. There's really not much more to say about it, as I lie myself down, and Ness lies softly beside me.

At least I'm not alone. At least I'm not fighting through all this by myself. I have a wonderful boyfriend. I have friends - I have a place in the world. I'm needed. Somehow, that makes me feel better - that Father needs me, for once. Perhaps, says my inner optimist, if I sort this out, then, finally, I'll be good enough for his attention?

'I failed you…' he'd said.

He didn't seem all that excited, to see Claus again. Sure, he was at first, but he mellowed out almost instantly. As if Claus hadn't been missing for 8 years. As if this wasn't the Claus he held in such regard, the Claus who he wished survived over me. What state must his mind be in, to respond so emptily to that? And the house - how bad must his thoughts be, if he can let it get like this?

I feel another pang of guilt. I didn't check at all. I wasn't nearly persistent enough over Christmas. If he'd let me in - if he'd just let me help sooner…

I knew there was a reason. I knew there'd be a reason for him not opening the door. I'd selfishly told myself - convinced myself, that it was my fault. That I was the one who wasn't good enough. It gave me reason not to try again, not to be disappointed again, but that wasn't the case at all.

He was just ashamed.

Seeing my stricken expression, Ness pulls me close. He's warm, comfortable, and so, so good. Such a contrast, from everything else. He lets me rest my head on his chest, and he runs his hand through my hair.

In no way does it fix everything, but it makes it feel a whole lot better.

I think there's no way this relationship can be wrong. Not if it feels so right. Nothing that feels this good can be bad. Not even if it's two boys. I could never see myself with another. I don't think there's anyone else that could ever begin understand me this deeply.

And we've had so little time to just be boyfriends, to spend time together, that when Ness kisses me on the cheek, I'm almost taken by surprise. But I welcome it, gladly.

I love him. So much.

"I really wish I'd known you were living like this sooner…" Ness mumbles, in his characteristically concerned tone. "I'd have done anything - I could've stolen you some money from Father, could've snuck you in…"

I shake my head. "It's ok. Like I said, the place isn't usually this bad…"

"What could've happened? Who lets their house become a ruin?"

"The debt," I say, heavily. "Porky's scams. He probably couldn't afford to fix anything."

Ness's forehead creases. "But there's things in his control - he can take out the trash, he can change the sheets, he can still do all that…"

"I don't think he cares enough to, anymore."

Ness falls silent for a little while, before speaking again, "Then, we have to make him care."

"Yeah. Yeah, we do. I just don't know how."

"Well… he was pleased to see Claus, wasn't he?"

I shrug. "For about a minute. Then, he realised what happened, and he just… faded again."

"Maybe he needs a hobby?"

"And a new job," I mumble.

Ness thinks, rolling over, inadvertently carrying me with him. He gives a slight snort at my alarmed yelp, but he soon falls solemn again. "And a friend. And perhaps some counselling - someone to open up to."

I sigh. "He's always kept everything inside."

"Gee, I wonder where you inherited that from, then?"

I give Ness a worried look. "But what is there? How are we going to find him a friend?"

"Well… maybe he just needs that job. With some nice people? Actually… I have an idea!"

"What is it?"

But Ness only smiles, putting a knowing finger to his lips. "I'll tell you tomorrow. But I promise… it's a good one."

I can't help but doubt. "It'll have to be..."

"It is… but, we should sleep, now. We've got work to do."

"Yeah…" I give him a small smile. "Thank you for helping with all this… you really don't have to."

He gasps, affronted. "You're my boyfriend! Of course I have to."

"Still…"

"Not like there's anything else to do, right? Plus, we'll have to practice cleaning for when we own a home together, of course!"

I blush slightly. "You goof."

"Goofy and proud. But now… I need my beauty sleep. C'mon." He pulls me near again, and I happily snuggle up to him.

"Night night, Ness."

He wraps his oh-so-gentle arms around me. "Sweet dreams, Lukey."

"Don't call me Lukey."

"Okay, Lukey."

I sigh, far too tired to argue. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The room falls into silence, and after a while, it dissolves to black.

.

.

..

~~o00o~~

I'm floating.

Floating in an abyss, of nothing. Black, and dark, but yet surprisingly comfortable.

It's pleasant. Pleasantly easy. Down here, nothing can hurt me. I don't have to worry about anything, so long as I can stay down here forever. Even though it's lonely, even though it's empty, it's okay.

Then, above me, suddenly, a little fissure forms. A little crack of white, and as light starts to streak in, I tear my eyes away. Behind me, the light silhouettes a dark peak, black and huge, towering enormously over my abyss. It scares me, for some reason. It's so immense - and so dominant, and there is no way to get rid of it. I cannot find the strength to wish it away, and I am deeply troubled.

I try swimming deeper into the abyss, but the peak doesn't get further away. I silently wish to myself that the light would disappear - so that I won't have to look at the peak anymore, so it would vanish into my darkness. I don't want to face it, even if the light may be better, even if the light is supposed to be nice. I can't face the peak.

But as I look, the light begins to brighten, and the peak begins, very slowly at first, to shrink. The beams dart all over it, destroying a little patch here, a little patch there. They wear it away, so slowly, but behind it, I just about begin to make out something green appearing. And as more of the darkness vanishes, the green becomes more bright - until it's dotted with colour too, and it becomes apparent that it's a garden.

I can't help but watch. Suddenly, the abyss seems evil - staying in the abyss seems so, so awful. And as the peak is vanquished, I can't help but swim over to the garden, the beautiful garden, where kind figures stand, a river of gold flows, and a rainbow stretches over.

When I finally get there, it's so much better.

~~o00o~~
..

.

.

I wake to the sunlight, trying and failing to stream through the dirty window. Instead, it manages to scatter little patches of light over the walls, over the floor, still enough to highlight the room, but not enough to be considered sufficient.

We'll fix that first, I decide.

I heave myself off of Ness, standing. I'm stiff - really stiff from sleeping on the floor, but it's okay. It's manageable. It's better than the pavement.

Ness is left sprawled out on the floor, hair a mess, and drool trailing down his chin. I grin slightly at the sight - I suppose not even he can be beautiful all the time. Claus too is sound asleep, under the bedcovers. I can get a better look at them here - coloured brown by stains, moth bitten holes - okay, they have to go qs. They're yet another thing that has to go. I put a hand to my head, perhaps considering the magnitude of this job for the first time. Will we be able to finish it, before school comes back again? Will we be able to get the right people in - and what will stop Father from relapsing?

I push those thoughts back. Those are worries for another time. For now, we need to go out, get food, get started.

Ness stretches suddenly, sitting up. He hastily wipes the drool from his chin, and catches my eyes with a flicker of a smile. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Hey!" Claus says suddenly, also sitting up. "Is it the morning now?"

"Yep," I reply. "Did you sleep well?"

Claus grins. "Very, very well. Thank you Lucas."

"Great. Let's see if Father is awake then, hm?"

We head out of the bedroom, into the lounge, where Father is lying on the couch. He's asleep at least - but it doesn't look even remotely comfortable.

We'll sort that.

I turn to the others. "Ok, here's the plan. Ness, you go get Toon Link and Villager and the others from their houses, and I'll go out to the shops and buy all the food we need. Claus, will you be alright staying here, and looking after dad?"

"Ok!" Claus exclaims, pleased to have such an important role in operations. And so, relieved, Ness and I head outside into the day, laden with bags.

"Cold," Ness shivers. "Wish I'd thought to grab some more clothes before we left my house…"

I frown, concerned. "What do you think your father's going to do to all of your possessions?"

Ness shrugs vaguely. "He'll probably burn them. But that's not important. We can always buy more, right."

"What about James the Pot Plant?"

Ness's expression tightens. Leafy though James is, he certainly holds some sentimental value between us. "Tracy won't let Father burn him. I'm sure of it."

"I hope you're right…"

We reach the Onett high street after some time. I seriously hate living in the Eastside, not just because of the dereliction, but also because of how inconvenient it is to actually get anywhere. It's a pain when we have such limited time.

"Right then," Ness says, tossing me the bag of money. "I'll go get 'em. Meet me by the statue in an hour?"

I glance at the big statue of B.H Pirkle in the city Square. "You got it. Stay safe then, ok?"

"Will do. And you better too. See ya!"

He bounces off, and I can't help but watch him go. It comes to mind that we haven't actually been apart from one another at all since all of this began. To the extent of not even being in a different room from one another. I suppose we are both super clingy.

Anyway, shopping time. I head into the Onett bakery.

The old woman there looks almost furious to see me, as she looks up from kneading her dough. "Oi, you better not be here to steal, kid!"

Taken aback, I stammer nervously, "Of course not! I'm just here to buy some bread, ma'am-"

"Some bread? FELICITY! CUSTOMER! C'MERE!"

A harassed-looking 30-something year old woman hurries out of the back. "Yes, mother - I'm here-"

"Quickly, see what he wants. The gods forbid you let him touch nothin', hm?

"Yes - mother - of course-"

"Good." The older, sterner woman mercifully disappears into the back, as Felicity comes to take her place.

Felicity smiles at me, though I sense it's forced. "Hello there, dear. What can I do for you today?"

"Well…" I rub my arm, nervously. "I'm looking to buy some uh - bread."

She indicates behind her at the mound of loaves. "Ha, you've come to the right place. 12 pence for a bread roll, or 20 for a loaf."

I nod. "Okay, uh, can I take two rolls and a loaf, then?"

"Certainly. May I interest you also in a cookie? Just 7 pence each? Lovely, and made here in the store."

I suppose it'd be a nice treat for the others. "I'll take four."

"Fantastic, please hold on a second…"

Felicity withdraws four warm cookies from the woodstove, before dexterously wrapping a loaf in paper, slotting two rolls into a paper bag, and peculiarly taking an extra roll, anf throwing into the roaring flames.

She hands everything over in a big bundle. "There you go, dear."

"Thanks - uh, why did you throw a roll in the fire?"

She smiles politely. "'Tis for the gods, love. With every order we receive, we must give a roll to the gods."

"Oh, right-"

"Mother's idea though… and she wonders why business isn't booming, when she makes us throw half of our produce away…" There's a shout from the back, and she stops herself quickly. "Sorry, I have said too much. But, enjoy your day, dear."

I nod, politely, turning away. "You too."

She stops me. "Oh hold on! Ha, silly me. I forgot. That'll be 60 pence, please."

Oops. I hand over the coins, but as our eyes meet, I notice her expression furrow. My insides crawl - did I do something wrong? But as soon as I see it, her expression is back to normal. "Thank you, dear. Come again soon."

I take the goods. "Thank you."

I catch her eyes trailing me, as I leave. They're almost curious, almost recognising. But when I discover that the sky is now pouring with rain, my thoughts are instantly diverted.

Trying to avoid the wet, I move as quickly as I can into the neighboring greengrocers, where I'm greeted with a surprised yelp.

"Ah! Aha! A customer!"

Slightly taken aback, I approach the counter. "Uh, is everything okay?

"Yes!" The alarmed man exclaims. "Everything! Except - we don't get customers no more!"

"Oh? Uh - why's that?"

He bounces in place. "Virus! And everyone going off to New Pork City!"

"Right - well, uh, can I buy some vegetables?"

"Which vegetables!"

I think fast. I probably should've considered that beforehand. "Half a bushel of potatoes, uh, 8 carrots, 3 pounds of corn, some peas - parsnips - a couple onions too."

"Ah! So much!" The poor man seems practically like he's about to fall over, as he rushes about, gathering up my order, before thrusting it all into my arms, in a large sack. "Here!"

"Oof- Thank you sir-"

"Come again soon! Please! Support local businesses! Or we'll guilt trip you into doing so anyway!"

The butcher's is thankfully a much more tame affair. I get the usual, butter and lard and a dozen eggs, but I figure we have enough money to treat ourselves, so I happily pick up four plump, surprisingly inexpensive, beef steaks. The rain proceeds to picks up dramatically as I exit however, so I try to stay indoors as much as possible while buying everything else, from oil, to cleaning supplies for the house. I even manage to pick up a couple coats, shirts and trousers from a second hand store, that should last me and Ness at least some time.

My arms ache with carrying the load, though my pockets feel significantly lighter as I make my way to the statue to wait for Ness to return. I think I did well.

I'm pleased with myself - I've got the food we need, everything. Even some extras.

The rain mercifully slows, and bored, I read the inscriptions on the cold marble:

"Come up with a quote to put on the statue? That's too much responsibility!" - B.H Pirkle.

Heh. Strange man.

Twenty minutes later or so, I'm waving frantically as I notice Ness coming round the corner, flanked by the others. I didn't much enjoy standing there, looking very robbable, like a lost kid. Thankfully, Porky luring everyone to their doom has a positive side for once.

"Hey! Lucas!" Toon Link exclaims, running over first. "I heard about your papa's troubles - Father's gonna let you all stay at ours whilst you sort things out!"

"Oh - really?" I feel my cheeks colour. "You don't have to let us…"

"Nope, I insist! Ness said you had to sleep on the floor - but we have not one, but two spare beds."

"Ah - I really appreciate it-"

"And look at all those heavy things!" Toon Link instantly takes all the bags off of me, distributing them out to everyone else. "There we go, that's much better!"

"I-"

He puts a hand on my shoulder. "Now, are you okay, Lucas? You haven't inhaled any mold spores? Any insects burrowed into your ears? Any spiders?"

I laugh slightly. "You're even more paranoid than Ness, and that's saying something. I'm alright."

"Good! Because Ness was saying you didn't eat - or sleep - or nothing-"

I cast Ness a look. Dammit, he knows I hate people worrying! "I'm fine. Really."

"Good. You better be. Right then, gang, we ready to clean?"

"Yeah!"

"Great!"

I smile. I can't help but be buoyed by their enthusiasm. But just as we're about to set off home, there's a sudden ringing of a bell, and the few people in the street scatter to the side.

Ness frowns. "What's going on?"

Toon Link curses. "Looks like the police!"

He's right. Down the street come parading, a great array of police horses. And even worse, they look angry, and they're coming towards us.

Oh yeah, I forgot, we're on the run from the law.

The biggest one, at the front, tips their hat. "Ness, and associates! You are hereby under arrest, for the murder of Dr Andonuts!"

Godammit. We didn't murder him! But they'd never believe the truth. And so, I hastily draw the loaf of bread out, from my array of shopping.

We're not going down without a fight.

A/N

Aha! Look at me, super speed! I think I nearly took a week this time! Much better - that's the speed I need if I'm to finish this fic in 2021.

It was actually quite a personal chapter for me, this one. Heavily inspired by some things that have been happening in real life, with my grandma - we discovered that she's lost control of her house, that her house has become a mess, like Flint's. I wish I was exaggerating with some of the descriptions here, the mice, the piles of papers and unopened mail, broken things and unchanged sheets.

It just builds up. It starts as a feeling of I'll-do-this-later, but then the mess just piles up, until it becomes too much, and you can hardly live with it, but it's just there, and so overwhelming, and it becomes shameful. My grandma wouldn't really let anyone come over, she hasn't for at least a year, and perhaps this was why.

Thankfully, she hasn't turned to drinking. That was just Flint. And thankfully also, her house has enough beds, and she does buy and eat food. We have her over at our house now, and we're sorting through her place, getting cleaners, all that in. Hopefully everything will be okay. But please, check on people that you know are alone as much as you can at this time.

Anyway enough rambling about my personal life, time to comment on some of the references here:

I had to put some research into 1800s clothing, food and shopping again, as well as Onett's shops. I tried to merge the two somehow, especially with the Onett bakers.

It's been so long that you may not remember, but we've actually seen Felicity and her hot-tempered mother before…

The prices in the Onett bakery here were actually the same as in the game. Bread rolls are $12 and cookies $7. I decided to shift it to pounds, and then down to pennies, thanks to inflation and being set in England and all.

Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope to have the next one out equally quickly, I do have some ideas for it, and it's half term here. No school!

Finally, happy valentine's Day! I was tempted to write some sappy one-shot but decided I'd rather finish this instead. I know I sure didn't get any Valentine's cards this year, but I hope you did.

Hope things are groovy your end.

~ReadyForTeddy