Ness woke up in a cold sweat, silently screaming as he sat up in bed. He gasped for breath, clawing out of his blanket. Most of his bedding was strewn on the floor. The clock displayed the time as 3:26 A.M.
It had been a long time since his last nightmare of Giygas, but he still got them. Feeling sick from the mere memory of the horror he was forced to relive in his dreams, he got out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He barely got the door closed and the light on before he heaved into the toilet, shuddering violently.
Every part of him felt sick. Ness seldom was truly afraid, but he was completely filled with cold, undeniable terror. He could still hear that voice, Giygas calling his name again and again as he was forced to deal with something no one, let alone a young teenager, should ever have to witness. That unholy being had scarred him mentally, and though he did a good job hiding it behind smiles and an upbeat attitude, Ness knew his dreams were going to be haunted for the rest of his life.
For as strong as he acted, for as well as he hid it, he had to break down sometimes. These breakdowns usually occurred in the middle of the night, after the dreams got particularly violent. Usually his mom would calm him down. But here, he didn't have her.
As he heaved once again, he thought of how he hadn't had these dreams since he first came to this tournament. Maybe that's part of the reason he enjoyed being here so much.
Drawing himself away from the toilet, Ness fell to the floor and sobbed. He chastised himself internally: "You have a match in the morning! Stop crying and get back to sleep so you won't be tired!" Even as the psychic thought this, he knew he wasn't getting back to sleep tonight.
He flushed and exited the bathroom, flicking the lights off. He didn't want to wake anyone up, but didn't intend on sleeping himself. Quietly moving through the halls, he crept down the stairs and wandered through the halls. The house felt too confining, and much too quiet. Ness was used to hearing it bustling with activity - someone vacuuming, laughter, arguments, cooking. In the dead of night, no one was up save for himself. The most noise he heard was soft snores from the bedrooms, the quiet noise of the heater, and his own muffled sobs as he tried to get a grip and stop crying.
Ness wasn't really sure where he was going, walking in circles around the hallways of the house, but he eventually found himself walking towards the front door. He silently passed Master Hand's office - the light was on, but the door was shut. Did the giant limb even sleep? - and the basement door, past the stairs and into the hallway leading to the door. Turning the knob, he stepped out into the cold night air with a shiver. Ness closed the door softly, and walked off of the porch.
He didn't know what he would do now. The raven-haired boy wasn't wearing a coat or even shoes, and his pajamas weren't terribly warm. But the idea of going back inside seemed insufferable. So he paced the front yard, feet freezing from the cold grass.
After roughly 10 minutes of this, he stopped and gazed upward at the Smash House. It was strange how this place felt like home after only living there a few months. There was talk of possibly expanding the house sometime - the tournament was pulling in a good amount of money now. People were moving to the town nearby more and more to see the twelve duke it out in intense matches. Master Hand seemed quite pleased with the growth. And yet as much as it grew, the house still maintained a home-like look. Luigi had planted flowers in the front yard, which were just beginning to peak up. There was a chip in the paint on the side of the house from when Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon got into a rather intense version of catch. A lone strand of Christmas lights still hung on the porch, which Mario kept asking someone to take down but no one ever did.
It was strange. Focusing on these little things was calming him down. Ness approached the porch and slowly took down the strand of lights. That would make Mario happy, at least. Most of the bulbs were broken. He carried the lights down to the trash bin and set them inside.
Was he being watched? It was strange, but Ness felt like he could sense someone watching. Turning around, he saw no one there. Surely it was too early for anyone else to be up. The sun had yet to rise.
Ness's feet were cold and tired, but he still didn't want to go inside. His violet eyes fell on the roof. It seemed strangely alluring to him. He decided to find a way up and sit awhile.
Walking up to the side of the house, he mentally focused and took a deep breath as his feet left the ground. His concentration was shaky - although he was calmer than before, a lingering sense of paranoia was haunting his mind. Nonetheless, he managed to levitate, slowly ascending higher into the air. Ness knew he was being reckless - a fall from this height would hurt, and his powers weren't at their best right now, but he honestly didn't care. He slowly managed to ease himself onto the roof.
Letting out a small gasp at the mental effort he had used, he moved toward the middle of the roof with careful steps. Finally, Ness sat on the worn shingles, feet dangling over the edge. Staring out at the yard, still mostly lit by moonlight, was relaxing as well. He felt almost like nodding off again after a few minutes, as dangerous as that sounded. He could easily fall off the roof if he rolled off in his sleep, but he just didn't care as his eyelids began to droop...
"...Ness!"
Ness's eyes snapped open to find himself slipping over the edge, falling. He didn't even have time to scream, however, as he was caught almost as soon as he started to fall - by Master Hand.
"What were you thinking?!" Master Hand lectured as Ness sat up in his palm. The oversized fingers steadied him, and Ness lowered his head, embarrassed.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep." He mumbled shamefully. "I just wanted to sit up there."
"You weren't asleep very long." Master Hand said dryly. "Only about a minute, which was all the time you needed to fall." Gently, the hand sat Ness down on the roof again, farther away from the edge. "I've been watching you since you walked past my office." Quieter, and in a much softer tone of voice than Ness had ever heard him use before, he asked, "What happened, Ness? Why are you awake this early?"
Ness turned away, heat rising to his cheeks in shame. It was bad enough Master Hand caught him falling off the roof. To learn he had been watching him cry all that time was embarrassing. "Nothing. It's nothing."
"Clearly it's not nothing. You're upset enough to be wandering around at this hour, so something is wrong." The glove chided gently. "You can tell me, Ness. I know you get homesick frequently. Is that the issue?"
Ness's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know that?" He questioned, before shaking his head. "No. That's not the problem this time. I don't get homesick here too often anyway."
"I know a lot of things." Master Hand said simply. "I certainly know all about all of the Smashers' journeys." The psychic tensed as he mentioned that, and the limb seemed to understand something by Ness's body movement. "It's something about that, isn't it? Your journey."
Ness lowered his eyes, staring at the yard below. "Yeah." He quietly admitted. Tears pricked at his eyes once again, and Ness silently cursed them. "I had a nightmare, ok? About Giygas. I couldn't sleep, so I came out here."
"Ness. Look at me." Master Hand ordered. Ness turned his head farther away. "Look at me." He spoke again, firmer this time. Slowly, the psychic turned his head to the glove. "There is absolutely no shame in having nightmares. Especially when you've gone through something like that. Quite frankly, I'm shocked you don't have them more often. If anyone thinks it's shameful to be afraid, they are fools. Fear is natural."
Ness shook his head. "I can't look weak. It's over with. I shouldn't be afraid of my dreams!" He spat out, clenching his fists.
"Fear does not equal weakness." Master Hand said firmly, twitching a finger as if to wave away the statement. "You need to learn that. No one here thinks you are weak, Ness. And I assure you that you are not the only one still wrestling with the horrors you've faced."
He slumped over. "I know." He softly said. A stray tear slipped down his face, and he wiped it away. "I don't know why I feel like I have to prove myself over and over. I tell Samus she won't be judged for being the only woman and that she shouldn't care what the others think anyway, but I'm just a h-hypocrite, aren't I?" A sob shook his shoulders, but he didn't try to stop it. The young psychic was too tired to care anymore. "I tell myself over and over again that no one judges me for my age, but I'm constantly thinking about what they think of me!"
"That's natural." He responded quietly. "And I'm aware you're trying to get yourself out of that mindset. You should start by acknowledging that it is absolutely alright to have nightmares. Tell me that, Ness. Try saying it out loud."
"Why?" Ness asked. "How will that help?"
"Saying something - actually speaking it - helps you remember."
Ness took a deep breath. "Ok then." He muttered. "It is absolutely alright to have nightmares."
"Again."
"It is absolutely alright to have nightmares."
"One more time."
"It is absolutely alright to have nightmares!" Ness spoke more strongly now than before.
"And no one thinks any less of you for having them." The glove said, his voice kind, but firm.
Ness sat quietly for a moment before speaking again. "Thanks, Master Hand."
If he had a mouth, Ness was sure Master Hand would have smiled. "It is no problem, Ness. Now, you need to come back inside. You have no coat on, and it's still cold out here."
Ness sighed. "I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep tonight. Even though I dozed off up here, it wouldn't have lasted."
"You don't have to return to bed. It is still several hours until the others usually rise, though. If you wish, you are free to join me in my office, but you will come inside no matter what you choose to do." Master Hand responded. Ness raised an eyebrow. The Smashers usually were not permitted to be in Master Hand's office, which was quite understandable considering how destructive they were.
"You mean it?" He questioned.
"Yes. I will be in there and see no harm in you being in there as well as long as I am there. Now, let's get down from here." Ness tensed as Master Hand picked him up once again and lowered him to the ground before setting him down. The two entered the house, and headed towards the hand's office. The door opened as though by telekinesis - not Ness's, however.
The office was lit by an old lamp. Many bookshelves lined the walls as well as filing cabinets. A red velvet couch sat in the middle of the room on a rug covered in elaborate symbols. Towards the left side, an extra large mahogany desk sat, papers strewn all about it, and a lone picture frame occupying the right corner. Ness recognized the photo as the one taken at Christmas of the twelve of them. Master Hand gestured for Ness to sit with a flick of his finger. Taking a seat on the velvet couch, he relaxed.
"I apologize for the mess. I'm afraid I've recently received an influx of paperwork. However, I can't tell you about it... yet." Master Hand's voice almost sounded gleeful. It was clear whatever that paperwork was for, he was excited.
"It's fine." Ness said. Only the hand's desk was cluttered, the rest of the room was quite clean.
The pair didn't talk much. Ness was more than content to just sit quietly and listen to the godlike being work. Despite his earlier remarks, the young boy found himself falling into a peaceful sleep.
He awoke a few hours later, curled up on the couch in an almost catlike position. A blanket that hadn't been there before was draped over him, and he yawned and sat up. An old grandfather clock against the wall showed it to be 7:01 A.M.
"It appears you slept after all. I take it this one was peaceful?" Master Hand questioned from his desk.
"Yes. Yes it was." Ness said with a small smile. Stretching, he got off the couch. "Since I'm up, I'll go ahead and take breakfast duty today after I shower. I don't think Link will care."
"Very well." Master Hand said. As Ness opened the door to leave, he heard th hand speak once more. "And Ness?"
"Yes?" The psychic turned around.
"You are always welcome to come to me when you have a problem. All the Smashers are. No matter the time of day. After all, seldom do I sleep."
"Thank you." Ness said softly, before leaving the room.
I know this different than my usual writings, but once I got this idea, I couldn't get it to leave! I also wanted to flesh out some characterization for Master Hand, so two birds, one stone I guess!
I believe him to be an almost father figure for the Smashers. He may get irritated by their antics and wish they'd just behave, but he cares about all of them. He is a godlike being- whenever he battles the Smashers, he is only using a fraction of his power. He is a firm believer in order, and sometimes wonders why he's hosting such a chaotic tournament in the first place.
Ness, particularly after this event, respects him deeply.
Also about Ness: he constantly sits on the roof when he wants to be alone and think. This habit gets more dangerous as the tournaments go on and the building gets taller, but no one can talk him out of it.
He also, like I showed above, has violent nightmares.
I just wanted to show Ness's more vulnerable side. As strong as he acts, he's not indestructible and he has a hard time accepting that.
I hope y'all liked this!
Now, MeltingCandle had a question in their most recent review I figured I would answer here. "Are there going to be more POVs in the future besides Ness's?" Currently, I'm not planning on that until maybe the Melee-based sequel I plan on writing to this until after it's finished. Even then, I'm not sure. But I might do it sometime in the future if I get inspiration!
Is there anything y'all would like to see in this fic? Questions, comments, suggestions? Leave a review and tell me! Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
-EBC