Orion From the Street
They say twins can feel it when they're near.
They say they can feel it when they're not, too.
It was another cloudless Christmas Eve. Stars glistened above, lighting the path for the nightly festivities of the nocturnal creatures - foxes, scurrying after mice, owls calling softly in the distance. A manor was silhouetted by the moon, draped in red and green ornamentation, merry clouds of smoke arising from a towering chimney, little scenes of delight playing out through candlelit windows. Bowser grumbled and huffed, hanging stockings for several manic Koopalings. Mario and Luigi watched the moon, distant expressions of appreciation upon their faces. But one window was dark; one window was empty.
Ness trudged disconsolately through the snow. Lucas was skulking again, wandering through the towering stalks of the sunflowers. It was a wonder, thought Ness, that they were still so bright, considering the metric ton of snow that had plummeted down in the last few days, but he supposed Master Hand controlled these things. In this little world they'd been thrown into, Master Hand controlled everything.
He didn't like to spy on Lucas, usually letting him go about his business however he saw fit, but it was Christmas Eve, for goodness' sake. Who spends their Christmas Eve wandering around a load of old flowers? Ness shivered, longing for the heat of the magical flames of a wooden fireplace, or the warm blankets piled messily at the foot of his bed. Anything but the icy cold of another winter's night.
Ness winced as his feet crunched through a frosted stick, but Lucas didn't seem to hear. He crouched down, watching momentarily, watching Lucas take the sunflowers by the face, staring into them one by one. It was quite strange behaviour, thought Ness, but Lucas was akin to being strange. When they'd first met, for example - Ness had never imagined that a boy could carry so many burdens with him. They'd all come flowing out on one lonely night by the Onett City arena. They were shared, now. Ness preferred it that way.
Lucas shattered the silence.
"I know you're there."
"Hey," Ness said awkwardly, stepping out from behind his hiding-place, an old oak stump. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best disguise, especially considering how obvious his cap was. "I know you're there too."
"You followed me," Lucas said. It was a statement, not a question. Ness found himself moving forward, standing beside his friend, in an effort to see what he was seeing, perhaps.
"Sorry about that." Ness touched one of the sunflowers, noting its fleeting delicacy, its slightly crimped petals. Damaged, he thought. Yet, it was beautiful.
Lucas's voice is quiet, quieter than usual, barely audible over the whispering winds.
"You didn't have to. There are parties to go to, aren't there? Toon Link said he was hosting."
"Then come along," Ness said. "It's cold outside."
"It's Christmas Eve."
"Even more reason to celebrate!"
But Lucas's expression was blank, lost amidst the field, and Ness felt his resolve slipping away.
"Come on, Lucas. What's up?"
There was a moment of pause.
"Everyone hopes their Christmas will be perfect," Lucas said quietly. "It is in all the fairytales, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Ness replied, not sure where Lucas was going with this.
The blonde sat down on the nearest boulder, the wind cutting through his unkempt hair. His jumper, Ness thought, looked particularly soft today, coloured by knitted red and yellow stripes.
"Christmas will disappoint," he said. "Christmas can never be perfect. How could it be?"
Ness sat down next to his friend, feeling a familiar sense of worry flitting through him. Lucas got like this sometimes; if something wasn't perfect, sometimes Lucas decided it wasn't worth doing at all.
"It can still be fun," Ness said, putting a comforting arm around Lucas's shoulder. "You'll have loads of presents, and loads of food. Luigi is roasting the turkey. You know how good he is at that."
"Why doesn't Master Hand do it? He could summon it from thin air."
Ness gave a sort of half-shrug. "It wouldn't be authentic, I guess. I dunno. Master Hand does what he wants."
Lucas was quiet for a little bit, and Ness shifted in place, unsure what to say next. Unsure how to make things better.
"It won't ever be authentic," Lucas said, his lower lip quivering. "Not without-"
"I know."
"I miss them. So much. I miss my home, Ness. I want to go home."
He sounded so plaintive, so boyish, that Ness had no choice but to pull him into a close hug. He felt their empathy link ripple - and Lucas let it happen - and then Ness felt everything. Mosaics of love and hate, stretched endlessly over formless fields. Impressions, past and new, assembled inexplicably. It all passed through Ness's vision, and he shuddered, absorbing it, taking it in. Taking in the feelings of loss, of being lost, of being so far away from what Lucas knew. Ness returned the feelings; his own worries, Tracy, his mother, Paula, Jeff, all so far away from this endless battleground.
"Don't leave me," Ness said quietly. "You're my only friend. The others are all just, well. I don't know. Loud."
Lucas nodded, the need for words long gone. The faintest flakes of snow began to fall, dusting the sunflowers in another layer of cold.
"Why are you out here?" Ness asked again. "It's no better here than in there. We can get an early night if you want. Hang up our stockings, and share our last advent chocolates."
"I was talking to the sunflowers," Lucas said, a stray hand placed nervously on his neck. "It's weird. You wouldn't understand."
"Tell me anyway."
Lucas sighed. Ness was secretly glad that Lucas gave in so easily to these things - it made communication a lot easier. Lucas sometimes underestimated him, he thought. Especially in social matters.
"It's like I'm talking to Mother," he said. "Or Claus. It's stupid, I know. Over Christmas, it's just, well, hard."
"That's understandable."
"He's so far away," Lucas murmured, looking up at the sky. "But I don't know where. If I thought he was anywhere, then I would be there too."
Ness gave his hand a comforting squeeze.
"He's spirited away," Lucas said, quietly. "Wherever he is now. Somewhere separate, magical, I think. Recognisable, but foreign, like the distant past or a far-off world. Like Orion from the street."
Ness looked up, seeing the constellation flicker under his gaze. It seemed so distant, like tiny pinpricks of light, and yet he knew it was enormous. So much bigger than himself.
"I'm here," Ness said, because it seemed important, important that Lucas knew he wasn't alone. That he was never alone.
"That's why I want Christmas to be good enough," Lucas said, turning to face him with honest eyes. "Good enough for you, for him. I want to be good enough for him this Christmas."
"You are," Ness stood, looking down at his friend. "You are so, so good. You're the best thing about being here. I hate everything else. I wish I'd never signed that contract."
"Me too." Lucas stood as well, the snow falling from his hair to the ground, where it melted into a teardrop. He opened his mouth to say more, but he didn't. He just looked up into Ness's expression, his face pink with cold.
"Are you ready to come inside?" Ness asked, shivering again. "Luigi made cookies. They're warm."
Lucas smiled at that. "Yeah. Just - give me a moment."
"Of course."
Lucas stepped through the field, meandering towards the nearest sunflower, the one that had been calling his attention all night. It was pretty in a way, petals bright and flecked with a glimmer of orange. Lucas touched them; they felt as if they would dissipate beneath his fingers.
"Hello, Claus."
The flower did not reply.
"It's been a while. I hope you're happy, wherever you are. You always loved Christmas."
Ness watched from afar, taking in the scene.
"I miss you, Claus. You were really brave. I'm not scared anymore - were you? Did you know it was coming? When the hour to leave was nearing, and the hour to leave me too?"
The wind picked up, and the sunflower swayed in Lucas's hand. Lucas steadied the stem, holding his breath.
"I know you're waiting for me, Claus. I'll be with you soon. But not yet - I have a lot left to do on this Earth." He smiled momentarily at Ness. "It's Christmas. It won't be perfect, but it will be good enough. I've got an entire life ahead of me, but I won't forget you."
The clouds covered the moon, and the wind reached a higher velocity. Lucas thought he might have heard a voice, felt another hand, but he couldn't be sure. He turned away.
"I'll remember you Claus."
And it was true. The memories would fall like rain, but they would be there for a very long time. Lucas came to Ness's side, smiling, and then they headed towards the manor.
The wind rippled, candlelight gleaming in all of the merry windows. The Koopalings were fast asleep, and Bowser crept through the hall, stuffing each of the stockings with sizable presents. Mario and Luigi were talking quietly, planning every intricate detail of tomorrow's many festivities. Another window was awash with colour, two boys eating chocolate-chip cookies, laughing over someone's stupid joke, and enjoying each other's friendship.
Because perhaps Orion was closer than they thought.
A/N
Orion From the Street - Field Music
Good Enough for you This Christmas - Warm Digits
Thank you for reading. Feel free to check out my other Mother/Smash Bros Christmas one-shot; 'It's Christmas! Let's be Glad!'. It's a little more lighthearted than this one!
Editing of old Count it Up chapters is going well. After I have finished editing chapters 21 and 22, I'll get to work on chapter 57.
Have a glorious holiday period, full of everything you wish for!
~ReadyForTeddy