You never notice just how much you like the heater until it's busted, Ness reflected as he pulled the blanket closer to himself, shivering. The young psychic curled up, in an effort to conserve warmth. It was unseasonably cold this month, dipping into the single digits at night. It was only November! But maybe it gets colder earlier in this world, he mused. Even so, it was a very bad time for the heater to give out. They were lucky it hadn't snowed, at least.
Currently he was in the living room with several others, all huddling on the couch. Link took the far end, completely covering himself with the blanket he was sharing with Yoshi. Ness himself sat in the middle. Huddled on the end was Jigglypuff. Normally, four of them never sat on the couch at once, but it was warmer this way. The recliners sat vacant.
Fox walked into the room a moment later. "Bad news. The repair guy can't come until tomorrow." He muttered. "And it's getting even colder now." Loud groans came from the couch.
"Even colder? You gotta be kidding me!" Ness grunted. Honestly, how was it that no one here knew how to repair it?
"Puff. Jig-puff." The pink Pokemon squeaked, which Ness roughly translated to mean "We need more blankets."
"Then someone go get some." He muttered in reply, earning him a look of annoyance from the puff, who wasn't keen on leaving the couch.
"Move over." Fox ordered, getting on the end of the couch. With a number of mutters of irritation, the four grudgingly shifted to make room for the canine.
"You coulda at least brought another blanket." Ness groaned. "Five people on this couch and it's still freezing. And awkward."
"Too close for comfort." Fox agreed, but made no motion to leave, propping his feet up on the couch as well.
"Seriously. There's two open recliners. Move." Ness said, rolling his eyes.
"No. Now share the blankets." With that, Fox pulled part of the blanket away from Jigglypuff, who squealed in annoyance.
Pikachu wandered in, fur fluffed up. Warily eying the group, and circling for a moment, he finally jumped up on the armrest, curling up under Link's arm. The Hylian allowed the electric type to stay there, likely warmed by his fur.
"We have half the people in this house on the couch now." Ness noted. "It's kinda cramped."
"Why are you complaining? It's warm!" Fox replied. Link grunted his agreement.
"That is true." Ness sighed, burrowing into the fleece of the blanket. Although cramped, the heat was nice. This huddling on the couch actually reminded Ness of his family. Tracy and him would sit with their mom, watching movies with King at his feet. He shut his eyes and smiled a bit under the blanket. Mario was always referring to them as a family. Moments like these...they reinforced that. No matter how crammed together they were, it was kind of nice to be together and not arguing or fighting. Even in a fighting tournament, one sometimes just wants peace.
Ness was half asleep in the heavy silence when the tranquility was broken by someone flopping directly onto him.
"Ge'off!" He yelped, flailing under the body. A mass of confused, flailing limbs came from all sides as people struggled to make room for the newcomer. Ness managed to get out from underneath, practically in Fox's lap. "Falcon!"
The racer smirked. "Didn't see you there."
"Get out. There's no room." The psychic grumbled. Seven people crammed onto one couch was ridiculous. Especially since this couch wasn't exactly new, either. The poor furniture was groaning under the weight of this many people.
"Nah." Falcon replied. "I'm not really feeling up to it right now."
A muffled "Puuuuffff..." came from between the couch cushions, where Jigglypuff was wedged. Ness did his best to pull the disgruntled Pokemon out. After a bit of shifting, everyone was on the couch, albeit rather uncomfortably. Link was now sitting on the armrest, Pikachu in his lap. Yoshi took up most the room next to him, Falcon wedged in between him and Jigglypuff. Ness sat close to Fox, who was almost on the armrest. The couch sagged from their combined weight.
"Seriously, someone needs to leave." He said more adamantly this time.
"You could leave." Fox suggested, grinning. Ness scowled, crossing his arms.
"No! I was here second, just after Link. You or Falcon should leave. You came last."
"What? Pikachu was here after me!" Now it was Fox's turn to scowl.
"He weighs way less, Einstein. We don't have a problem with him. Plus, he's keeping Link warm." Ness pointed out. Link nodded in agreement.
"It's fine, Ness! Seven people isn't much greater than six. As long as we don't get an eighth person, I'm sure the couch will be fine -" Falcon was cut off as someone entered the room, clinging to a blanket.
"Hey-a guys, can I-a join you?" Luigi, seemingly oblivious to their discussion, sat down as everyone collectively screamed, "Luigi, NO!"
That was it - the straw that broke the camel's back, or rather, the Smasher that broke the couch. With a loud groan and sharp crack of wood, it shattered. Flailing limbs and broken wood was everywhere, bits of material clinging to it, and stuffing all over the place.
Everyone was silent for a moment, aside from Luigi's soft "Oh, no..." Jigglypuff squeaked after a minute.
"Puff, jig-jiggly!"
Ness groaned. "It doesn't matter he was considerate and brought another blanket, Jigglypuff, the couch is ruined!"
"You-a did WHAT?!"
Mario's normally calm voice went at least an octave higher as he found out what had happened. "Oh, no...we-a can't let Master Hand find-a out. He'll be-a so mad!"
"How are we going to keep it from him?" Fox asked, pacing.
Mario sighed, rubbing his head with gloved hands. "We're-a going to have to replace it before-a he gets back." Master Hand was currently out getting groceries for the twelve. How a giant, floating glove went shopping, no one was sure. The mere mental image of him floating through the produce section with a shopping cart made him want to laugh, though the psychic managed to keep a straight face.
"But we're-a not allowed to go to-a town without his permission." Luigi said with a frown. There was a town nearby the Smash House, about fifteen minutes away by bus. Strangely enough, it seemed to have no name, referred to as only "the town." They were going to have a formal vote to name it in a few months. Its population had been growing recently due to the tournament. The Smashers could only go there with permission. Although the locals has been requested not to mob the Smashers, Master Hand wished to be cautious.
"We're-a gonna have to-a break the rule, Weegee. Master Hand can't-a afford anything else going wrong-a currently." Mario sighed. "Everybody who-a was on the couch must-a chip in for a new one."
"Won't Master Hand notice it's new?" Falcon asked.
"Just-a get the same colour. We'll all pretend it's-a always been that way." Mario replied. "Also, only a few-a people should go. The rest-a will clean debris. Those who-a go, disguise yourselves. Master Hand can't-a see you, no-a matter what!"
Ness, Link and Falcon all sat on the bus, thoroughly disguised. Ness and Link had removed their trademark hats, and Falcon his helmet. They wore thick coats and scarves. Ness wore a hoodie under his with the hood up, hiding his face. Link hid his pointy ears behind his hair. They all wore casual clothing. The psychic was fairly certain no one recognized them - no one on the bus did, at least.
Stepping out of the bus at the stop, they walked into the frigid air. Ness shivered under his coat. "Right. We need to find a furniture store." He muttered, breath visible in the air. "Where do we find that?"
"Just ask someone." Falcon replied with a shrug. He raised his voice as an older woman walked by. "Ma'am! Do you know where the furniture store is?"
The woman turned around. "Hmm, let's see..." She clicked her tongue, thinking. "Go straight down this road and turn at Mayella Drive. Three buildings down...or is it four? I think it's three. You'll find it there."
"Thank you, ma'am!" Ness called back, the three already sprinting as soon as they heard the directions. The lady scratched her head.
"I know I've heard those voices before...maybe they're related to me somehow...Jimmy's kids maybe..." She mused, watching the three sprint away.
"Hurry!" Falcon said as they ran through the cold air. Finally slowing down as they reached the store, they huffed, looking in through the slightly dirty windows.
"Right. I think this is what she was talking about. 'Danny's Discount Furniture.'" Ness murmured. "Let's go." Link grunted his agreement and the trio entered.
A small bell dinged as they entered. The entire store was dimly lit. Dust was settled on everything, making it look unclean. A musty smell hung in the air.
"Nevermind. This can't be the place she meant, can it?" Ness muttered, sneezing from the dusty atmosphere.
"No worries on the couch looking too new, though." Falcon reasoned.
"But are you sure this place is even open?" The psychic replied. Tentatively, he took a step towards where the couches were.
"Oi! I think I hear customers!" A wheezing voice spoke up. From behind a desk, an ancient looking man hobbled out, clinging to his cane. "Course, I can't hear much of anything these days!"
"Oh, uh, yes sir, we're here to buy-" Ness started, but was interrupted by the old man.
"Huh, what's that? Speak up, son!"
"WE'RE HERE TO BUY A COUCH." He almost yelled.
"Well, ok, then! Come along!" The old man started moving towards the chairs. "My name's Danny and I have the finest selection of items in all of town. Now-"
"Sir. A COUCH." Falcon shouted, stomping his foot down.
"Oh, dear me, I'm sorry..." Danny stumbled towards the couches. "Any colour or style you're looking for, now?"
"Brown." Ness said loudly as the three followed Danny, their steps making clouds of dust fly up. The psychic's eyes were watering.
"Certainly, young man! How about this beauty?" Danny gestured to a couch that was distinctly blue, despite the dust. "Brown is a nice, earthy tone. I bet you're redecorating-"
"That's a blue couch." Falcon's voice was strained, and his face showed irritation.
Danny chuckled and shook his cane, thumping it against the carpet. "Oh, dear me! My sight isn't as good as it once was. Terribly sorry, young men. You'll understand when you're 97!"
"A bit of a fossil, isn't he?" Falcon muttered. Thankfully, Danny didn't hear.
Link had wandered away from the group, and had found a brown couch. He grunted and gestured for his companions to come see. The psychic and racer pushed their way past, and looked at Link's selection. It looked fairly similar to the one now in pieces on the floor of the living room, and was roughly the same shade of brown. Ness nodded in approval.
"WE'LL TAKE THIS ONE." Falcon yelled at the elderly man, who slowly inched his way over to meet them.
"Alright, lemme ring you up then." The three Smashers watched in agonized silence as Danny slowly made his way over to the register and began to add in their total. "That'll be $50.99. Would you like to become part of our rewards program tod-"
"NO!" Yelled all three Smashers collectively, even Link, who had not said a word on this whole expedition.
"Alright, alright. Maybe next time. Have a nice day!" Arthritic hands passed their receipt to them as they payed. Falcon shoved it in his pocket and they went to go pick up the couch, Link and Falcon with their physical strength and Ness aiding with his telekinesis. Danny didn't bat an eye, as he had leaned back into his chair and was now snoring.
"Right. Let's get out of here before he drops dead or something." Falcon grunted. The three staggered out the door into the frigid air.
"How are we gonna get this home, exactly?" Falcon asked as reached the outskirts of town with the couch.
"I...didn't think of that." Ness admitted, scratching his head. "I don't think they'll let us on the bus with this."
"We won't make it back before Master Hand if we have to walk!" Falcon growled.
"We'd probably die of frostbite before we got halfway there, anyway." Ness muttered, kicking a stone. The rock flew along the road, before disappearing on the other side.
Disappearing...
Ness snapped his fingers triumphantly. "Guys, I have a plan - but you're going to have to be able to run with the couch."
Ness almost crashed into a tree as they teleported within walking distance of the Smash House. He gasped from expending that much energy teleporting this big of an object and three people.
"If you could teleport, why did we have to take the bus in the first place?" Falcon asked, regaining balance.
"Takes a lot of energy." Ness grunted. "And I can't teleport within the boundaries of the House except for going into matches. Now, let's hurry."
The three managed their way to the house. Mario, who was watching in the window, threw open the door for them.
"Hurry!" The plumber gasped. "He'll-a be home soon!"
With much effort, the three got the couch through the doorway. Stumbling through, they delivered the couch to the living room, completely clear of debris. They sat the couch down and collectively sighed in relief.
"Now-a go and-a get cleaned up." Mario shooed the trio out. Ness raced up to his bedroom, hardly noticing the cold from running so much. He changed into what he was previously wearing, throwing the dusty disguise in the hamper.
Sprinting back downstairs, the psychic grabbed a blanket and flopped onto the couch with Falcon and Link, as well as Jigglypuff. Wisely, the others sat in the recliners or the floor.
Master Hand floated in a moment later. "The heater is still busted? I thought you called a repairman, Fox."
"He did. Can't come until tomorrow." Ness spoke from under his blanket.
Master Hand sighed. "At least it's only one day. You'll just have to bundle up until then." With that, the glove left the room.
Several people sighed in relief. He hadn't noticed the couch switch. Ness allowed himself to relax, leaning back.
At least, he relaxed until Fox spoke up. "Hopefully he doesn't look in the backyard."
Ness sat up. "Why?"
"Because that's where we dumped the debris pile."
The psychic groaned and buried his head under the blanket.
Hey y'all!
I'm rather pleased with this chapter, unlike last time. I've been working on this all month.
And yes, I did the math. Their combined weights could break a couch, especially an old one.
Danny is completely based on my math teacher, haha. He can't hear anything. No matter what you say in his class, he just assumes you said the right answer.
Link can talk in this story, he just chooses not to.
I swear, if I can get my lazy butt to write more often, that'd be great. That said? Expect a extravagant Christmas chapter or two next month. Pikachu will get redemption, I swear.
Honestly, last chapter wasn't good. I hope this is better! Your reviews give me motivation, guys - I love every one of them.
Thanks for reading!
-EBC