Count it Up

by Readyforteddy

It's the 1800s, and Ness and Lucas are ready for the Winter Term at Onett Boarding School. But when a variety of horrifying, unexplainable events start to take place, will they be drawn closer together, or further apart? (Ness X Lucas present, but not necessarily the main focus) (Dark Elements) Enjoy!

48. Chapter 48 - Red Lights

The bravest heroes, in the land,

Are Ness and Lucas, and their band,

That's gentle Villager, and Red so proud,

Toon Link and Pit, make you laugh out loud,

And then, there is one more of course,

That's Lucas's dear brother, Claus.

…

One day cruel Porky claimed the land,

Spelling trouble, for Ness and Lucas's band,

The brave heroes, what did they do?

They fought old Porky through and through!

And so they fight, the long good fight,

Swords ablaze, all through the night.

...

Though they have sparred, wrestled and raged,

When all's said and done, they get on most days,

They've won so much, and lost much more,

When you're with them, you know the score,

But as the day ends, all can attest,

This group of friends, they are the best!

...

So, the bravest heroes, in the land,

Are Ness and Lucas, and their band,

That's gentle Villager, and Red so proud,

Toon Link and Pit, make you laugh out loud,

And then, there is one more of course,

That's Lucas's dear brother, Claus!

---

(Toon Link)

---

Do you ever get that feeling, when all you've ever known, collapses?

Bleak, I know. But when I found out about George and Electra, all those years ago, that they weren't my real parents, that is how I felt.

And now, it's happening again.

I find my mind fixating, on the woman in the bakery. My supposed mother. Her hair, how it was the same colour as mine. Her face shape. Her character. Everything about her just screams of me. Deafeningly.

But hey, at least my gay crush is supporting me through it.

Thursday night is a funny one. Tomorrow morning, we're boarding the train, the wilderness survival week is over, we're going home. Which means I'll be far, far away from the bakery. But then, maybe that's good. Maybe I can forget about it! Think up some more crazy ideas instead, focus on saving the world. All that jazz.

...It's pathetic of me, really. Especially given that eleven year old me devoted practically an entire summer looking for my parents. But now that I've found them, or, one of them, I'm all frozen up. Young me would kill, for this opportunity.

And yet, I'm not ready.

It's deeply frustrating.

Villager finds me curled up under the covers.

I feel the mattress press down besides me, as he sits down. "You holding up alright?"

I shrug. There's nothing much to say. He's heard it all before.

"Does Pit know?" Villager asks, quietly. "About - recent developments."

I roll over, turning myself upwards to face him. Usually I'd be all too happy to have a deep conversation with Villager, but I'm in a weird place now. "Not unless Ness has told him."

"Ness wouldn't tell," Villager says, easily. "He wouldn't even tell Lucas. We can trust him. I do."

"So do I."

Villager takes a pocketwatch out, checking the time. It's the one we found in Lucas's dad's place, (Lucas said that Villager could keep it.)

"It's not too late to go visit," Villager murmurs, quietly looking up again. "The bakery is still open. I'll come with you, if you like."

I shake my head. "I don't want to. I'm not ready yet."

Villager pats me gently on the shoulder. "That's ok, mate."

Ignoring the casual friendzoning, I give a weak smile. "Thanks."

…

Dinner is a stress reliever. It's a nice dish of shepherd's pie (I laugh at Ness and Lucas having to force down mashed potatoes to be polite) and veg, an old British classic. I do wonder to myself why it's called a pie when there's no pastry, but that's just semantics, really.

Mother - Electra - declares that Ness and Lucas and Flint and Claus should stay 'one more night!' before school begins, and after some pestering, Villager and Red are allowed to stay too (result!). It'll be a nice, quiet night in, I decide. Before we get back to the chaos of exams, and studying, and avoiding death.

"Do you think there'll be some new professors?" Villager asks us, curiously. "Y'know - because Ryu and Wario are… gone."

Ness looks darkly at the floor. "Anyone that Porky hires will be horrible. I hope not."

Pit shrugs. "I just want to see Porky and Bowser get into an argument, if I'm honest."

I grin. "Imagine that. Both of them just yelling - I hope one of them finishes the other off."

"What if Porky converts Bowser into a Future Human?" Lucas shudders horribly. "We'd be doomed."

"Nah, just try to explain a metaphor to him, and he'll collapse from the mental strain."

Villager laughs at my joke, and I feel immensely pleased with myself.

Lucas yawns, suddenly. "I'm tired…"

Ness gives him a cuddle. "Let's go to bed."

I look at Villager, with puppy dog eyes. "I'm tired too…"

He snorts. "Nice try."

"You're mean."

Villager turns to me, a devious grin on his face. "Yep."

I smile right back at him, trying to look as passive aggressive as I can. "Well… you suck."

He's unfazed. "And you're scared of mice."

"And you look like one!"

Villager snorts. "Well, you're certainly not scared of me."

I fold my arms, "That's what you think."

"You know," Villager chides. "You should treat mice the way you want to be treated yourself."

"So, kill them without hesitation?"

"Screw you."

Claus looks worriedly between us. "Don't fall out. Be friends!"

"Or more than friends," Pit whispers to me.

I glare. "I'm literally gonna kill you-"

Claus puts his hands to his head. "No!"

"Don't worry, Claus," Lucas says quietly, giving us all a dirty look. "They're not being serious. Come on, let's go to bed."

"Ok Lucas…"

Lucas looks at Ness. "Coming?"

"Oh - sure."

The trio file out of the room.

Pit sighs, sleepily. "Red, shall we take the sofas downstairs?"

I frown. "I didn't think you two got on?"

Red glowers. "I tolerate him."

Pit quickly stands, going towards the door. "We're the best of friends. C'mon, Red. Let's go."

Reluctantly, Red follows Pit out of my bedroom door, leaving just Villager and I.

Oh yeah, Of course. Pit's a legend.

I sling an arm around Villager's shoulders. "Well, well, well. Are you tired, yet, then?"

Villager shrugs. "Not really. You?"

"A little... Guess we're gonna have to share a bed then, huh?"

Villager rolls his eyes. "Well, that doesn't sound creepy at all. How about I sleep on the floor, just to spite you?"

"Hey!"

Villager grins, knocking his leg against mine. "Simp."

I sigh. "I hate how I can't deny that accusation, in any way."

He laughs again, prompting butterflies to have a dance party within my stomach. "Well, at least you're honest."

There's a comfortable silence.

I grin. "What would you do if I climbed on the roof of the train, tomorrow?"

Villager laughs. "What kind of a question is that?"

"What's your answer?"

Villager replies in a heartbeat. "Well, I'd have to slap you, for being so stupid."

I give him puppy dog eyes. "Would you save me? From falling off"

"Of course, I'd come up there, just for you." He smiles like the devil. "Just so I could kill you myself."

I laugh. "Oh yeah?"

"Absolutely. I've actually been planning to kill you all this time."

"Oh no!" I mock-exclaim. "I'm terrified."

"You should be. I've planned out your death, in graphic detail."

"And when have you been doing that, then?"

"Oh, everytime you've told a joke."

We just fall into fits of laughter, drunk on tiredness, and each other's presence.

"Do you need to borrow some nightwear?" I ask, after we've calmed down, somewhat. "I've got some spare."

He nods. "Oh - yeah, that'd be great."

I head on over to my chest of drawers, trying to pick out my least embarrassing outfit for him to wear. I eventually settle on a modest, jet-black pair of pyjamas.

"Emo look, then?" Villager raises an eyebrow. "So be it. I'll go get changed."

I wave. "Have fun!"

"Who has fun whilst they get changed?"

"Hey! I was trying to be nice!"

Villager laughs, before turning the door handle and cutely leaving.

...

Waiting for him to return feels like an absolute eternity. I swear - I like him so much. Too much. It's probably bad for my general health, but he makes me feel so alive. He's just all round fantastic.

When he finally does come back to me, it's head to toe in black, cotton pyjamas, and as always, it's looking incredible. I make some room for him, and he lies down next to me, raising an eyebrow.

My heart pounds.

I wrap a nervous arm around his body. He doesn't object. In fact, unless I'm imagining it, he leans into it.

"You've got a nice bedroom," Villager says, breaking the quiet and looking around. "Lots of stuffed animals, I see."

I blush, slightly embarrassed. I have way too many, all layered up on my shelves, but I'm far too attached to them to give them away. "Thanks. What's your bedroom like? I don't think I've ever been round."

Villager shrugs. I feel his warm body move, beneath my arm. "It's pretty normal, really. Books, clothes. I wish I had yours, all full of stuff and things. It's got character."

I laugh, nervously. "Yeah. Or perhaps I'm bad at clearing stuff out."

"Memories are cool, though."

"Well, I hope you enjoy the memory of me climbing on the train's roof, tomorrow."

He rolls his eyes. "I swear, if you actually-"

I smile. "You'll have to wait and see!"

Villager sighs. "You're impossible, you are. Impossible, and evil."

"But those are my best qualities!"

He laughs.

We fall back into a comfortable silence. Slowly, I feel Villager's arm slipping around me, mirroring my own. My nerves all begin doing the quickstep.

"Did you know, this is how Lucas and Ness sleep," I blurt out.

Villager laughs. "I'll bet. Have you seen them? They can't get their hands off of each other."

"It's good, though." I smile, despite my slight envy towards my friends. "It's time they got together." I give Villager a gentle nudge. "You still owe me that 5 quid, by the way."

"Oh, Goddammit…" He shakes his head. "I'll pay you tomorrow. Now, I wonder what they're doing now?" He turns to face me, and my heart skips a beat.

"U-uh, who, Ness and Lucas?"

"Yeah…"

I bite my lip. "Probably like, kissing, or something."

"Oh, yeah, of course…"

The tension is palpable. Villager raises an eyebrow - our faces only inches apart. I can feel his hot breath on my cheek - my fingers twitch with nerves, hyper-aware of Villager's body under my arm.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" I whisper, faintly, not meaning to sound as if I've not had any human interaction in years.

I hear Villager's breathing pause momentarily, as his eyes bore into mine. Our faces are so, so, close. I think I'm going mad.

"I haven't kissed a girl," he whispers. "And I've definitely not kissed a guy."

I breathe, shakily. "Neither have I."

There's another tenuous silence, both of us unsure to my head.

Villager snakes a hand around, to the back of my head. "Do you wanna fix that?"

"H-Huh?"

There's a slight smile on his lips. "You know what I mean. Do you wanna kiss?"

I exhale, sharply, shocked by his daring. "Oh God, Villager... I do."

I close my eyes. Hungrily, our lips crash together, instincts completely taking over I move my lips in rhythm with his, feeling his movements, and there's heat, and there's touch, and warmth, and we're so, so close together-

And suddenly, we burst apart, red faced, breathing heavily, staring each other down, ravenously.

"Does - does that mean you like me?" I manage.

Villager gasps for air. "I do. So much."

"D-Do you wanna do that again?"

He closes his eyes. "Hell yeah."

We collide again, ravenous, meeting in mid air, tangling our limbs around one another, so desperate for each other's touch. I kiss him hard, feeling our hearts beating together, feeling his hands slipping up the back of my shirt - I offer my tongue, and he accepts, our appendages twirling together, fighting for domination. He pushes me down against the bed, and I feel a gasp escape me. I wrap my arms around him, and he moves his hands forwards, and-

A sharp knock at the door sounds. We rapidly break apart, as my mother bursts in.

"Toon Link! I've got your clothes for tomorrow here, all washed and dried. I hope they're alright, I could've gone for your pink bunny shirt, but I decided against it…"

"Mother!"

She looks over, frowning. "You boys look very red. What have you been up to?"

"Mother - nothing!" I protest.

She frowns, suspicious.

"Telling embarrassing stories," Villager explains, quickly. "About ourselves."

"Ah! That'd explain it," Mother says, cheerily. "Oh well. I'll leave you to it. Sleep tight!"

"G'night, mother…" I say, disgruntled, as she leaves the room.

As soon as she's gone, I sigh. "Sorry about her."

Villager blushes, putting a nervous hand to his neck. "It's okay."

I bite my lip. "Does all that mean - well - a-are we boyfriends, now?"

Villager's face becomes uncomfortable, as he scratches his head. "Well… My mother wouldn't like it, if-"

"She's not here now though, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Villager sighs, rolling disappointingly out of my arms. "Sorry. If she found out I'm seeing a guy, she'd kick me out of the house, and disown me. It's not you..."

I protest. "We could keep it a secret-"

"I can't." Villager hangs his head, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry. It's selfish of me to be doing this - we shouldn't have done that, just now - I shouldn't be messing you around, teasing you with hope, and..."

I frown. "C'mon. You're not messing me around. You've been perfectly clear about how you feel."

"Yeah, but… we're still doing things like that."

I feel my heart plummet. "Didn't you like it?"

Villager puts his head in his hands. "I did. But… it was sorta, spur of the moment, you know?"

I touch his shoulder desperately, almost as if I'm trying to reclaim him. "C'mon, I like you, you like me. We could just give it a try?"

Yet Villager still shakes his head. "I'm sorry. It's not going to work."

It's as if my world plummets away, out of existence. "Vil-"

"I'll move on from you, I have to." Villager's forehead creases. "I'll stop messing with your feelings. And you can find another, better, guy, one without closet case issues."

I grab his shoulder, tight.m"There are no better guys!"

But he still shakes his head. "I'm sure there's loads - I can help you find them, if you want."

"No!"

I screw up my eyes. How can we go from our first kiss, to all that - to him telling me it won't work?! How the hell has that happened? Was my kissing that bad? I'm not good enough - that's what it is, what I've always feared, I'm just not good enough for him. I'm going to die alone, and hopeless.

Villager looks distraught. "I'm sorry, Toonie. Maybe we should just go to sleep, for the night. Discuss it tomorrow, or something."

I face the wall, miserable, resigned to my fate. "Okay, then. Sorry"

He touches my hand. "Goodnight, Toonie."

"'Night."

We don't speak again until the morning.

---

.

.

.

~~o00o~~

Chapter 48: Red Lights

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

.

.

.

---

I wake up, in my favourite place. Nestled up and safe, in Ness' arms, in a nice comfortable bed, with bright sunlight pouring through the window.

Ness smiles, seeing me awake. "Good morning, treasure."

I wave him off with a groan. "That's cringey. Don't ever call me that."

"Alright, my sweet pudding."

Shaking my head, I roll out of bed, the events of yesterday coming back to me. We cleaned the house. We cleaned Father's house. My spirits soar.

"School today," Ness complains. "I am not ready to have a mass murderer teaching me the important life skills I need to go forwards."

I laugh. "Me neither."

We get up nice and quickly. Ness disappears off to have a quick wash, and I give Claus a rapid wake-up call, before bringing myself downstairs. I think we've silently agreed that Claus will be coming with us to boarding school - we can hardly leave him alone, especially given Father isn't at his best. It'll be no problem, really, I imagine Porky will be too busy concocting evil plans to check the register and discover that a mysterious new student has arrived.

I think I've got his subjects sorted, too. He won't be registered for the exams, so he can just sit in on lessons, and take things down. Then, I can explain anything he doesn't understand, no problem. And as for his room, I had a fantastic idea, I'll take down all of Meta Knight and Olimar's lewd posters in their old room, and I'll let him sleep in there. Easy peasy. What could go wrong?

Aside from everything, that is.

Breezily, I head into the kitchen, where the benevolent and constantly awake Electra greets me with a smile. "Good morning, Lucas! What can I do for you today?"

"Anything's good, thanks." I collapse into a chair, before noticing my Father sitting directly opposite me, a hard expression on his face.

I gulp.

"I want to say thank you, Lucas," he begins, seriously. I notice his hat is back on his head, and his facial hair has been trimmed down - promising signs.

I shrug, meekly. "It's no problem."

"No - it's every bit a problem. I've been a terrible, terrible father. But I'm going to change, Lucas."

I give a polite smile, not sure what else to do or say. "Oh - that's good."

He continues. "I don't expect you to forgive me, for all the years I've failed you. But I want you to know, I think you've grown into an incredibly strong young man."

I feel my cheeks colour. "Thanks, dad."

"It's no problem, my son. Now, I understand Claus is to come with you, to school?"

I nod. "That's right."

Father lowers his head. "Take care of him well. And tell him, too, that I am sorry."

"I will."

"And…" Momentarily, Father's expression turns to one of pleading, of need. "Keep in touch. Send letters."

"Grandad Alec sent a letter," I say.

Father looks up, quickly. "He did what?"

I explain. "Amongst all your mail, there was a letter from him. He's been sending letters to the wrong address all this time. I left it on the side, in the kitchen."

If he's troubled by this news, he doesn't show it. "I shall reply as soon as I am able. Thank you, Lucas."

"Thank you, dad."

Ness stumbles sleepily into the kitchen, swiping at a croissant, and messily stuffing it into his mouth. He freezes in place, upon noticing Father's judgemental expression. "Uh - GoOdth mOrNinG-" He manages, through his mouthful of pastry.

"Good morning!" Electra cuts in cheerily. "I see you've discovered the croissants. One for you, Lucas? Flint?"

"Yes, thank you."

Throughout the next hour, the others all emerge one-by-one, looking zombie-like and as if they've had no sleep at all. Gerald and Flint go off to work, eventually, which leaves the rest of us ready to go off to the train station.

"Have you got your clothes?" Electra asks sternly. "Your books? Your paper? Toothbrush?"

"Yes, mother," Toon Link sighs, sounding uncharacteristically tense. I frown. I'll have to ask him what's up later.

Standing on the station is unpleasantly cold, but we don't have to wait long, as a high plume of smoke appears in the distance, and the crimson train rolls in, only a couple minutes late. We all board, giving the conductor a polite smile as we do.

"Every time we've taken the train this term, our life ended up in severe danger," Red clarifies, which really doesn't ease any stress. So much so, that when loading Toon Link's suitcase into the luggage compartment, a wheel falls off and knocks Ness on the head. I console my boyfriend with kisses and cuddles, but Toon Link huffs off into another compartment, muttering something about 'never getting anything right'.

I give Ness a worried look.

We sit, just us two and Claus.

The train starts rolling off nice and quickly. I imagine we'll be making a good few stops, to pick up all of the wilderness survivalists. I do have to wonder what state everyone will be in, after a week of sleeping wild. I can't say I'm looking forward to the smell of 7-day old sweat.

Ness interrupts my train of thought. "Y'know, Paula, the girl Father set me up with? She's coming to school, this term."

"Well, that sounds wonderfully awkward."

"Father paid for her tuition," Ness chortles, looking out the window. "She hasn't got much choice."

I have a nervous thought. "Do you think she'll spread the word about - us? Bayonetta's bad enough..."

"Is it bad that I forgot that Bayonetta exists?"

I laugh. "Try telling her that."

Claus looks between us, quietly confused. Truth be told, I sometimes forget he's there, and I let my mouth slip. I feel guilty, but he's like a silent ghost, absorbing everything he hears, storing it away. Just yesterday, he remembered the blueberries, and mentioned them to Ness. That ensued chaos.

"You excited?" I ask Claus. "We're going to school!"

Claus puts a nervous hand, to the metal and electronics that shroud the right side of his face. "Yeah…"

"We'll learn loads, and loads. It'll be great, I promise."

But Claus still looks doubtful. "Lucas - will people be mean - to me?"

Ness cracks his knuckles. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

"Look," I begin. I'd been worried about this. "You'll be okay, Claus. It's alright to be nervous, but we'll make doubly sure you're safe, all the time. We won't let anyone hurt you."

His worries seemingly melt from his face, replaced with a big, glowing smile. "Thank you, Lucas."

That's one plus about Claus. He's easy to console.

To our surprise, suddenly, Professor Rosalina knocks at the compartment door.

I open it. "Hey."

"Hello there." The science professor looks pretty rushed about, and exhausted. "Thanks for your letter, Lucas. Hopefully everything's okay with your dad. Good to see you're here safe, as well."

I nod. "You too."

"I assume you'll have heard about the new headmaster?" I notice Rosalina's lips visibly tighten.

Ness nods. "Porky."

Claus pales suddenly, and he nervously begins biting at his fingers.

Rosalina folds her hands together, looking down at us. "That's right. Now, I know all about Porky, and what he's up to. Ryu left me instructions - well. You'll see. He also left you two a couple bits and pieces."

"Oh?"

She looks up and down the corridor, and seemingly noticing something, she tenses. "I'll have to tell you more later. Come to my office, after the feast."

"The feast?"

"Porky's holding a feast, to celebrate his new position. And, I imagine he'll be making a speech. Oh, and, listen closely, to it. Anything could be information. Okay?"

We nod. "Okay, Professor Rosalina."

She smiles. "Great. Now, have a safe journey - where are the rest of your friends?"

"Next door," Ness replies.

"Alright. I'll let them know about everything. Thank you."

She leaves.

"That was Professor Rosalina," I explain, under Claus's questioning look.

"The nice one?"

"That's right. The nice one."

"I like her," Claus decides, immediately. "Very much."

"She's lovely," Ness enthuses. "Shame that science sucks, ain't it, Lucas?"

I give him a well-earnt prod.

Claus looks worried again. "Porky…"

"We'll keep you safe from him," I say, with conviction. "I won't let him take you away again."

But Claus, far from satisfied, shivers in place, looking down at the table. "Porky."

"He won't even know you're there," Ness says, with an air of confidence. "You won't have to worry."

Claus looks up, and to my discomfort, I see his eyes are wet. "Porky."

I give him a stern look. "I know. He's hurt us too, Claus. But we will beat him, just you wait and see."

"P-Promise?"

I lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I promise."

Claus nods, not looking quite back to his best, but looking somewhat better. "Okay. Porky makes me sad, still."

My voice is quiet. "He makes me sad, too."

It's in dangerous moments like these, where my mind starts swimming through what Claus has been through, under Porky's rule. Eight years, of experimentation, of submission, of isolation. Where anything could have happened, where he could have been forced to do so many awful things, that no child ever should have to do.

I can't afford to know. I can't afford to dwell on it, to know the details.

I don't think I'd survive them.

Instead, I give Claus a hug, which seems to relax him, a bit. I notice Claus responds well to physical contact, and I have to wonder if Inkling hugged him a lot, when they were trapped in there together. Maybe it's a comfort for him.

I gulp, thinking of Inkling. There my mind goes, again.

The journey continues, in peace. The train stops occasionally, to pick up someone from the forest, and slowly, the silence of the carriage is replaced with a calm lull of speaking, and the emptiness, replaced with people, real people, going about their lives. It's soothing, in a way, to see so much normality. But worrying, how they all know so little, about the dangers to come.

Toon Link tumbles into our carriage, looking exhausted. "Hey. There space for one more?"

I nod. "Of course."

He sits down next to Ness, looking thoroughly burnt out. "Sorry to interrupt whatever you're doing, here. I just couldn't take a minute more, next door."

"Howcome?"

He sighs. "Red decided to start recounting the entire history of pool cues. I think if I ever hear anyone mention chalk again, I'm going to break a window."

Ness grins. "Not for the first time."

"That was a special case," Toon Link complains. "Bowser was being really annoying."

I raise my eyebrows. "So you figured, why not punish yourself, by getting a bunch of glass stuck in your hand?"

"I specialise in punishing myself," Toon Link sulks. "And that wasn't how it was supposed to go."

I frown. "Toon Link, what's up? You've been acting rough, all morning. Did something happen?"

Ness glances quickly to the window. I sense he may know something, but I suspect it could be private. Not for my ears.

Toon Link huffs. "Everything's just a mess."

"Is it to do with Villager?" I ask, remembering breakfast.

"Yep."

Ness turns back, in surprise. Apparently that's news to him. "What happened with Villager?"

Toon Link closes his eyes. "We kissed. A bit. Well, a lot."

Ness jumps up. "What?! Isn't that a good thing?"

Toon Link looks emptily at the table. "Well, it was, until he told me that we'd never work out. Because of his mother, or something."

"He what?" Ness stands up, suddenly. "He kissed you - then said - that's it! I'm going to talk sense into him, right now!"

"No - wait!" Toon Link calls, but Ness is already out of the door.

"I'd better-" I hastily follow, praying that Ness doesn't do anything stupid.

Ness throws open the door to the neighboring compartment. "Villager, can I have a word?"

Villager looks taken back by Ness's sharpness, but he stands up, and comes out of the compartment. "Of course. What's up?"

Ness forcefully closes the door behind him. "Right, what the hell is this about you, all like, messing Toon Link around?"

Villager's expression suddenly darkens. "God - 'Messing him around!?' What has he been telling you?!"

Ness glares. "Apparently, you kissed him, and then chose that very moment to say that it wouldn't work out."

"Well - of course when you say it that way, it sounds bad! But why exactly is this any of your business?"

"Because Toon Link's been feeling down," I cut in, hastily trying to diffuse the tension building between the pair. "And we're his friends."

Villager sighs, irritably. "I'm his friend. Look, I explained it all to him, perfectly clearly. If he didn't get it..."

Ness points a finger. "You explained it all, right after you kissed him! That's just cruel, leading him on - that's messed up!"

Villager steps forwards, angrily. "Well, it's not my fault, that my mother would kick me out of the house, for dating him, is it?!"

Ness sees red. "And my Father did kick me out of the house, for being with Lucas! But did that stop me? No!"

Villager glares at him for a moment, before stepping back, seething. "Well, congratulations. You're more selfless than me. Are you proud of yourself?"

"Stop fighting…" I plead, but my voice is lost over the testosterone.

"I'm not more selfless!" Ness exclaims. "Don't be so stupid!"

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Yeah, I am!"

Villager turns bitterly on his heel, wrenching the door of his compartment open. "Then I'll go and be stupid by myself! At least I'm smart enough to still have access to my own house!"

"Fine!" Ness shouts furiously, as he disappears. "Come on, Lucas. Let's go back to the better compartment!"

We're greeted with aghast looks.

"Ness, what the hell was all that?' Toon Link demands.

Ness glares. "Don't you start, too. I was defending you!"

Toon Link glares back. "Did I ask to be defended? Thanks to you, any chance of even staying friends with him has gone out of the window!"

"Well, that's just as well, because he turned out to be a massive dick!"

Toon Link stands, shaking. "No, he didn't! Just - screw you! I'm going!" He rushes out of the compartment.

Ness glares at me. "Great. And I suppose you think I'm being irrational too, huh?"

I back hastily into the corner. "No!"

"And you!?' Ness turns to Claus.

At Claus's frightened expression, I feel anger pool in my gut. "Ness, leave Claus out of this!"

"I knew it!" Ness jumps up, his eyes watering. "That's right - you all hate me, and maybe that's for the best! Goodbye!"

And just like that, he storms out of the compartment.

Leaving Claus and I alone.

In the silence.

I'm in shock. My mind swims. What the hell was all that? Where's he going? How has our group of friends been destroyed - in a matter of seconds? This is a disaster - and I feel pathetic, hot tears starting to fall down my face. I failed to stop any of it from happening. It's all my fault. Again.

Claus flaps, anxiously. "Lucas…"

But I can't cry in front of Claus. I can't. I simply refuse to.

"Were Villager and Toon Link boyfriends?" Claus asks me, sounding worried.

I look down at the table. "Well - not really-"

Claus looks down, distraught. "They should be boyfriends - like Ness and Lucas."

I'm so taken aback that I stop crying. "You know?!"

Claus frowns. "Huh?"

"About Ness and I?"

Claus nods. "You said - many times."

"And you're - okay with that?"

Claus nods again, insistently. "Yes! Homo-sexual," he stammers over the word. "Home-o-sexual rights, and Trans rights, are very very important, Lucas."

"Absolutely! But where did you learn about those?" I ask, in bewilderment.

"Inkling said it." Claus's expression turns morose.

"Oh…"

"But," Claus immediately cheers up again. "Lucas has a boyfriend! Yay!"

"Not for much longer," I say, worriedly. "I think he's angry at me…"

"Let's find Ness, then!" Claus decides.

"Wh - are you sure-"

Claus nods insistently, standing up. "Yes! Come on! We find him, right now!"

My breath on tenterhooks, I follow.

But instead of finding Ness alone and crying in a compartment, like I expect, I see he's with Bayonetta. I frown, in confusion. What could they be doing? Bayonetta, seeing me, waves frantically. "Hey! Lucas! Get your skinny ass in here!"

Nervously, I enter their compartment. "What's going on?"

Ness looks up. But before he can speak, Bayonetta cheerily replies. "Oh, I found Ness outside, crying his eyes out, can you believe it? Then I found out that you and him finally got together, but I put two and two together - I figured you'd fallen out, or something, so we're just having a lovely chat about it all!"

"I'm sorry," Ness mumbles.

"He is pretty sorry," Bayonetta repeats, happily.

I sigh, miserably. "No, I'm sorry."

"Nuh-uh!" Bayonetta wags a finger. "You ain't done nothing wrong! None of this self-deprecation round here! Good vibes only!"

Claus frowns. "What is vibes?"

Ness sighs, miserably. "Lucas - I got overwhelmed, again. Now I've messed everything up, with everyone."

I sit besides him. "No you haven't-"

"Oh, yes he has!" Bayonetta exclaims. "Don't kid yourselves!"

I fold my arms, giving her one of my signature expressions of disapproval. "That's not very helpful."

She appears unfazed. "No, no! Point is, Ness messed it up, but he can go fix it! Ain't that right, Ness?"

Ness looks only at the floor. "I suppose..."

Bayonetta claps her hands together. "Great! So why are you still talking to your resident lesbian heroin addict? C'mon! Clear off!"

"But-"

"No, really, there's a new girl on the train, and she's hot!"

I turn, seeing a confused looking Paula outside. "Uh, I think she's straight."

"Dammit! They always are. But still, go on, go!"

Ness finally heaves himself up. "Alright…"

We quickly leave the compartment, entering the corridor, and I embrace Ness in a tight hug. "I forgive you."

"I'm sorry…"

I smile. "Don't be. Nobody's perfect. Now, let's hope the others are just as forgiving as me."

And so, armed with Bayonetta's encouragement, we trek down the carriage, hoping to find some sign of a wild Toon Link. There's Link and his mates in one compartment (we duck down to avoid them), there's Hop, Victor and a mysterious girl in another, and the lost-looking Paula being vigorously chatted up by Bayonetta in one more. However, as we reach the end of the carriage, it seems, disturbingly, that there's no sign of Toon Link at all.

"He's probably jumped out the window," Ness moans. "It's all my fault."

"Don't be so dramatic," I scold, sounding like Electra. "He'll be somewhere."

Claus looks worried. "Toon Link gone?"

"No," I reply. "He's not. He'll be in here somewhere - you know what he's like. Always hiding."

The gas lamps flicker ominously in response.

I sigh. "We should check under tables, and stuff. There's no way he's not somewhere in this carriage."

Ness's expression suddenly becomes fearful, and he points up at the ceiling. "Lucas! Look! The skylight!"

My heart sinks, as I look up. He's right. The glass skylight on the ceiling, usually closed, is wide open.

Wide open enough to fit a certain blonde boy through.

"We need to get the others!" I exclaim. "Quick!"

"But Villager's-"

"Now!"

I dash off down the corridor, to the compartment. I wrench it open, seeing Villager talking to the others. Ness piles in behind me, and Villager's expression darkens.

"Oh, here to call me stupid, again?"

"No!" I exclaim. "It's Toon Link - he's on the roof!"

Villager is on his feet in an instant. "He's what?!"

"Come on!"

I rush back to the open skylight, flanked by Villager and Ness. Red and Pit follow rapidly behind, their faces whitening with fear. What the hell is Toon Link thinking, going up there?! It's dangerous, for one - and wholly stupid - he could fall off - we need to go get him!

"How do we get up?!" Pit exclaims.

Red instantly takes charge. "Lucas! You are the narrowest - you shall fit through the skylight!"

I pale. "But-"

"Act fast!" Red orders, over the pounding of my heart. "Villager, Ness, lift Lucas up there! Then, Lucas, grab onto the sides, and pull yourself through!"

In an instant, Villager and Ness grab my legs, lifting me up - I withstand the urge to kick out, and I frantically wave my arms, trying to grab onto the border of the skylight.

"It's not working!" Villager exclaims. "I can't believe he'd actually do this - Pit - help us!"

A third pair of hands quickly grab onto my feet, pushing me upwards - I swing my arms, the roaring of the outside growing closer, and I grip onto the skylight's frame. Panting, I try to pull myself up - but I'm not nearly strong enough, and my breathing quickens in fear.

"Toon Link! Lucas is coming!" Villager yells out, frantically. "I'm sorry, Toon Link - please, just come down from up there!"

"Yeah!" Ness exclaims, sounding equally panicked. "I'm sorry too! I got carried away!"

Any response is masked by the rushing wind outside. That, or he's already fallen off.

The thought drives ice through my heart.

Driven with fear, I pull harder at the skylight, Villager and Ness grunting with effort beneath me. I feel myself slowly moving up, but I find my hands growing numb with the cold and the strain - and they start to slip-

"Help us!" Ness exclaims. Hastily, the tall Claus comes over, and gives me a big boost - and I ascend rapidly, pulling for all I'm worth, face blasted suddenly with a plume of black smoke. I pull again, making some ground, as my head emerges. Rapidly, I blink, the rush of wind billowing my hair behind me, I squint through the smoke, trying desperately to make out any figures.

Villager cries out. "Is he up there!?"

I pull myself up again, my legs breaking free of the others, toppling through the skylight. I feel myself start to tumble - panic sours through me, but I quickly grab onto a metal bar.

"Lucas!" Ness exclaims.

"I'm alright!" I cry out, towards the direction of the skylight. Ice cold winds tear at my clothes. I cough, my eyes streaming - but even through it all, I can't make out any people.

There's nobody here.

My heart sinks.

Ness's head bursts through the skylight. His hair flies madly behind him, as he pulls himself up - I reach desperately out, grabbing onto his hand, which he takes, collapsing into me as the train surges angrily forwards on the tracks.

"Where is he?!"

I shout for all I'm worth "He's not here!"

"What?! I can't hear you!"

"I said - he's not here!"

"No - he must be!"

Villager's head comes through next - Ness reaches out, gripping tightly onto his arm, and I grab the other, we pull, straining, as the train whines, and he suddenly bursts out, onto the roof.

"Toon Link!" Villager exclaims, blindly coughing through the smoke. "I'm sorry - I'm here - I didn't mean to upset you, I swear, I-"

"He's not here!" Ness exclaims, frightenedly. "Villager - he's gone!"

Villager's knuckles turn white. "No - don't be an ass, not now, he can't be gone! Toon Link! I'm here!" He tries to stand up, in panic, and I hastily grab onto his shirt.

"Villager! He is - he's gone-"

"No!"

"What do we do?!" Ness exclaims, frightened. "What the hell do we do?!"

Villager clutches tightly onto us. "Where is he?"

"Guys!" A shout comes from inside. "Come down! Quick!"

"Why?!"

The voice grows panicked "QUICK! There's a-"

But they're cut off, as the train's horn suddenly blares. I cover my ears in alarm - but I let go of my support, and I start to slip - Ness grabs me again, tight, as Villager throws his head down through the skylight.

"A WHAT?"

"A tunnel!"

In horror, I turn. There, a hundred yards away, a great, black mouth.

If we hit it, we'll be crushed.

"QUICK!" I yell, throwing Ness towards the hole, before diving frantically forwards. "GET IN!"

Ness slips, falling onto his ass, on the solid roof. "OW!"

"TOON LINK!" Villager yells. "WHERE ARE-"

"VILLAGER!" Panicking, I shove him towards the skylight - a strong hand reaches out, grabbing his foot, and Villager yells as he tumbles in.

"LUCAS!" Ness cries out, slipping towards the side. My eyes widen - I grab his arm quickly, but I start slipping myself, and Ness grips tighter, my heart in my throat - the tunnel is seconds away-

"NESS!" I yell. I give a frantic yank, propelling Ness into the hole - he shouts out, as he topples down. The darkness looms - I screw my eyes shut in sheer horror. It's now or never. My heart pounds.

And I throw myself towards the skylight.

The train screams, as it plunges into midnight black.

I scream, as I tumble through, into the strong arms of Claus.

"Lucas!" A voice exclaims. "Ness! Villager!"

I turn, dizzily.

A blonde boy stares at us, aghast. "What the hell are you doing?"

It all fades to black.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I wake up, cradled in Ness's arms.

The train is immersed in daylight. The ambient chatter of students fills my ears. Trees and fields rush by, outside. The roar of the wind is gone.

I'm safe. It's over.

"-I can't believe you think I'd actually go up there!" A voice exclaims, sounding hurt.

Weakly, I sit up, trying to make it out. I feel Ness's protective grip tighten, as I position myself on his lap. My vision focuses.

In front of me, Toon Link stares at Villager, incredulity in his face.

Weakly, I point. "Toon…"

"Where were you, then?" Ness asks, worriedly. "We couldn't find you anywhere!"

"Hiding under a seat!" Toon Link protests. "Bowser was after me!"

Villager shakes his head. "I'm just glad you're alive."

"Says you!" Toon Link exclaims, shrilly. "You were on the roof! You could've died!"

"Yeah, because we thought you were up there!" Ness argues.

"But why on earth would you think that?!"

"You said you'd go up there, yesterday!" Villager exclaims.

"It's my fault," I manage, miserably. "I saw the open skylight, and I just thought…"

There's an uncomfortable pause, before Pit sighs, easing the tension. "Look. Guys. You've all screwed up, today. Toon Link - you scared everyone, a lot. Villager, you really upset Toon Link. Ness, you fell out with half of the group, and Lucas, you jumped to some pretty bad conclusions. But come on, we're mates, right? We're nearly adults. We can just forgive, forget, and move on with things."

"Yeah!" Red chimes in. "Forgive and forget!"

There's a moment of silence, before Ness and Villager look up, begrudgingly at each other.

"Pit's right. Sorry mate-" Ness begins, but he can hardly finish his sentence before Villager tackles him into a hug.

"No - I'm the one who should be sorry. I was stupidly insensitive towards Toon Link, and you both have every right to be angry with me."

"What? I'm not angry with you?" Toon Link says, perplexed. "Why would you think I'm angry with you?"

Villager turns, in confusion. "Well, just, Ness said-"

"I think there's been some misunderstandings," Pit cuts in, calmly. "Let's not worry about them, okay? Look. Villager was a bit insensitive, it seems, but, Ness, they're on good terms, still. Toon Link's okay with Villager's position on the matter, and Villager's okay with Toon Link's."

Ness looks down. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault. I just explained it badly to you," Toon Link says, glumly. "Because I was feeling down."

"Which is okay, and understandable," Pit replies, leaning across the table. "Alright?"

He sighs, reluctantly. "Yeah. Alright."

Pit looks around, at all of us. "So, are we all friends again, then? Is this all over?"

"If everyone else says so," Ness replies.

I nod. "I want to be friends."

Villager raises his hand. "Me too."

"And me," Toon Link adds.

"Good." Pit smiles. "Then, I'm glad we're all happy."

~~o00o~~

---

(Toon Link)

---

Villager and I sit alone in a compartment, as the train continues to roll along. It's time for lunch, at long last, but truth be told - I'm not that hungry. The others figured we needed some time to talk, rightly so, but as I chew slowly on a cheese and pickle sandwich, I'm not even sure what to say.

"Well, I told you I'd climb on the roof for you," Villager whispers, softly. From across the table, I give a nervous grin.

"Aren't you supposed to be slapping me, or killing me now?"

He rolls his eyes, looking at me rather like a parent looks at their disappointing child. "Well, given you weren't actually up there, I suppose I can't follow through with those

threats."

I laugh. "So, basically, you want to go up there again?"

"Not unless it comes down to it. It was horrible."

I run a finger down his shirt. It comes back black as soot. "Smokey, too."

"I'm probably getting lung cancer now."

"Please don't."

"Well, it's not in my control. But anyway…"

My stomach turns, as Villager looks at me. I internally curse. I'm going to need to get rid of that feeling from now on, I suppose.

"...I changed my mind."

I look up, in surprise. "You what?"

Villager grins. "I changed my mind, about my mother."

I eye him, warily. "In what way?"

He leans on the table, looking slightly guilty. "Well, I've decided: screw her. And like you say, she isn't here to tell me what to do, so..."

I'm taken aback. "That's a sudden change of heart."

"It was something Ness said," Villager shrugs. "About his Father. "

"Oh, right."

He smiles. "So…"

"So?"

He gives me a gentle look, taking my hand in his. "So, you dummy, I want to give it a go. Give us a go. Try some things out, y'know."

I redden. "Well - I think the school nurse still gives out free condoms-"

He blushes. "Not those kinds of things! Although... maybe. We'll see."

"I-"

"But, yeah." He squeezes my hand. "Long story short. Screw my Mother. You're far more important."

My stomach does a funny turn. "You flatter me. So… are we boyfriends now?"

He looks up at me, amused. "Well, I wouldn't go that far yet. I could still die in battle. And you could still turn out to be a terrible kisser."

"But we kissed already!"

"It could've been beginner's luck. You never know."

"So, you admit you liked it?!"

"I'll never admit it. Ever."

"Oh," I raise my eyebrow, seductively. "I bet I can make you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah. You bet."

"I look forward to that, then," Villager says, simply.

"So," I look up. Our discarded cheese and pickle sandwiches lay forgotten, in a pile at the end of the table. I have a feeling we'll be too busy eating each other's faces, to finish them. "If we're not boyfriends yet, then what are we?"

He smiles. "What do you want us to be?"

"Friends with benefits?"

Villager laughs, leaning his head on my shoulder. "If you say so. Sure."

My stomach does a happy dance, and I slowly wrap my arms around his middle.

"That sounds amazing to me."

---

The bravest heroes, in the land,

Are Ness and Lucas, and their band,

That's gentle Villager, and Red so proud,

Toon Link and Pit, make you laugh out loud,

And then, there is one more of course,

That's Lucas's dear brother, Claus.

…

Once Ness, one foolish dude,

Caused some chaos and was quite rude

Toon Link ran off, what did he do?

Said Lucas, "I think he's on the roof!"

But when they went up there to have a check,

A tunnel nearly broke their necks!

...

So they fell down, into the skylight,

And Toon Link stepped into the limelight,

All was okay, it did transpire,

Said Pit, "Let's put an end to all this ire,"

And so they did, the fight at rest,

This group of friends, they are the best!

…

So, the bravest heroes, in the land,

Are Ness and Lucas, and their band,

That's gentle Villager, and Red so proud,

Toon Link and Pit, make you laugh out loud,

And then, there is one more of course,

That's Lucas's dear brother, Claus!

---

A/N

Back to school, back to school, the bois are goin' back to school! At long last. It's high time to be out of old Onett, I've written enough about Family Drama for now… so why not some lovely friendship drama instead? Hooray!

I'll admit, some of the messaging was a little off, here. To you people with dangerously homophobic parents, I wouldn't necessarily risk pursuing a LGBT+ relationship, if it might be dangerous for you to do so. Of course it's to you, but I'd advise waiting, until you're independent from them. Don't pull a Ness!

It was good to finally get Toon Link and Villager sort-of together. It's time for some excellent antics - no smut though! That kissing scene is the closest we'll get, this fic is staying T rated, thank you very much.

Also, why is it that when i have vital life-altering exams, suddenly my productivity becomes amazing? Hmmm...

Claus says trans rights.

Notes:

The verses at the start and end are loosely based on the song Captain Beaky and His Band

Bizarrely, I made no more obscure references than that. A true miracle!

Thank you for reading, as always, and I hope to see you again in the next one. We're nearly at chapter 50! Current forecast is 69 chapters total (yeah, really) though it may end up being less. It's going to be time to push the plot forwards in some pretty big ways soon…

Also, my discord is Redted#7175, if you want to contact me. A commenter asked for it, and I realised I changed my name since linking it last - so here you go! Also…

The Super Smash Prose discord server! An active, 100+ member server for writers and readers of smash bros fanfiction to come together and interact. I've met so many great people there, and it's a fantastic place to find new fics to read, from all corners of smash fanfic, and you can meet some of your favourite authors too!

Link: /6W2DKGnf

Finally, check out my smash fanfic side project, The Cycle, if you want. It's the antithesis to this fic really, in that it's lighthearted, chaotic, modern day, and canon-compliant. Shorter chapters too, if that's your thing.

Thanks for reading!

~ReadyForTeddy