A/N: Am i just unable to make longer chapters anymore? I dunno. Well enjoy if you wanna heheh...

Chapter 6

Coming To Terms Part 2

Greg floated in everflowing darkness. He slowly opened his eyes to the expanse of space.

"Great... Here again."

"I'll bring you here as many times as it takes to get the message drilled into your thick skull." A bright flame suddenly lit the darkness and revealed that they were in a small room similar to Greg's bedroom, yet it was devoid of furniture, posters and any sign of someone living there. The flame seemed to be sentient and held a stern, yet seemingly warm tone.

"Pyros... What'd I do this time?"

"Must I tell you every time you're dragged here?" The flame grew until it was about Greg's size. It slowly seemed to take on the shape of the grey koopa.

"My mind is a complete blank besides the pain all over my face. Thanks for that."

"When I decided to lend you my power, you made the pact with me of your free will. The Bond Of Flame doesn't take pity on those that break its rules." Pyros crossed his arms. "You should know them by heart."

Greg rubbed his arm unconsciously. "Use the flames regularly, don't use the flames to kill unless your life is threatened, and never deny your true self..."

"You've broken the pact for the second time. The third time, the flames won't stop until you're nothing but ash on the concrete." The flaming doppleganger snapped his fingers and a pillar of fire spawned next to Greg before fading.

"I get it! I... I won't do it again."

"My goal isn't to kill you, but if you don't follow through with our pact then I will do what I must." Pyros gave Greg a look as best as he could with no solid eyes.

The teen scratched at his neck. "So what now?"

"Now we sit here awkwardly until you awaken."

"As blunt as ever." Greg rolled his eyes. "And you wonder why I don't like talking to you much."

"I'm only a thought away." Pyros smiled. "And I'm only blunt when need be, you blockhead."

"Flamebrain."

"Funny. I was never really fond of name-calling until I met you." The fiery essence used his host's face to smirk at him.

"I still remember how we met." Greg chuckled. "One of the girls Wendy wanted me to 'date' dragged me to the fight club one day and they mistook me for a new fighter."

"I was dormant inside you when I suddenly felt you reach out to me for help." Pyros picked up the story.

"The guy they put me up against in my first fight could grow plants in seconds. I freaked out and ran in panicked circles before he tied me up in some oversized Venus Flytraps. I just wanted someone, anyone, to help me."

"Then I asked you if you wanted to make the pact. You agreed before I could read off the terms."

"After I got out of the fight and you actually told me what the terms were, I couldn't just stop going to the fight club when it was my only way to exercise the power regularly."

"And thus, Flamin' G was born." They both spoke the last part and chuckled.

Greg began to feel the room dissipate.

"Looks like it's time for me to wake up."

"Do try to keep the pact in tact so I don't have to... Y'know."

"I'm trying." The grey koopa held his hands up in surrender.

"Do try harder. I'd prefer not to lose another vessel to the pact."

~ ~ ~ ~

Roy has skipped the rest of his classes that day to sit by Greg in the nurse's office. After going through a dozen different quizzes, he'd heard about Greg being admitted. He might've had to abuse his standing in the school and the kingdom, but it didn't seem like the nurse cared much. If anything, she seemed to enjoy Roy's company more than anything.

"You like that boy, don't you?" She chimed from her seat, her voice soft and soothing.

"I... I might. I'm still not sure yet." He blushed. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Oh please, child. You're not the first kid I let sit in here because their crush or significant other was knocked unconscious." She chided him. "Your secret is safe with me, but you really should tell him."

"And ruin our friendship?"

"I'm sure that's the last thing that would happen. From what I heard from the boys who carried him here, he's really fond of you."

"Really? What'd they say?"

"You should ask them yourself." She let her lips curve upwards into a smirk. "I'm sure they'll tell you."

The bell rang as she spoke.

"I'll be back. Don't let him leave until I get back. I'm walking him home."

"Can do, dearie."

Roy walked out the door calmly, then dashed towards where he knew his friends would converge after school.

A few minutes later, Greg's eyes cracked open. "Ugh... Wh-where am I?"

"Nurse's office. You've got quite a fire burning inside you, kiddo."

"How'd you-"

"Your friends mentioned that the walls of the stall they found you in were scorched up pretty badly." She explained.

"Well..."

"It's none of my business." She dismissed his response. "Now you wait here for your friend and I'll let you go on home."

"Friend?"

She explained that Roy had been there and told her not to let him leave.

"Now stay put and don't strain yourself."

Greg laid back down. Of course Roy was there. The reason he was lying there has been sitting right next to him and he wasn't awake to enjoy it.

"Can I at least use the bathroom?"

She nodded and he went to go relieve himself.

Roy returned as Greg exited the private bathroom.

"I'm glad you're up." The prince smiled.

"I'm feeling alright. No need to worry about me, Shades."

"Let's go."

"You two stay out of trouble, ok?" The nurse waved them off then went back to her papers.

The two made their way out of the school and on their way to Greg's house. There was a comfortable silence between them both, yet Roy felt the need to shatter it.

"So how'd you get knocked unconscious in the third floor bathroom? The guys just told me they were joking around with you and you bolted."

"Did they tell you what about?"

"No, I didn't bother asking actually..." He knew damn well what about, but he wanted to see if he'd bring it up.

"It wasn't important." Greg exhaled.

"Whatever it was had you knocked clean out for 2 hours. I'm sure you can tell me."

"Roy, please drop this." He didn't want to break the pact again so soon.

"Greg... Do you-"

"I said fucking drop it!" A trash can they happened to be next to burnt to a crisp.

"Ok ok..." The silence returned, but it was a lot more strained and awkward than before.

As they reached the junction, Greg kept walking without saying goodbye to his friend.

Roy didn't blame him. He couldn't. It was entirely his own fault.

His feelings for the grey koopa felt real, his new friends, after extensive research (a dozen quizzes), thought he was in love, but he thought to seek council from one last source. Alone, he made his way to the castle he called home.

~ ~ ~ ~

Greg sat in his dressing room at the fight club that night. He didn't have any matches, but he hadn't trained in quite a while.

The TV in the room clicked on and the commissioner's face filled the screen. "The training field is clear. You're free to use it to your heart's content, champ."

"Thank you, sir." The face faded away and he stood up to leave the room. He adjusted his fight shorts and clicked his wristlets on.

He made his way through the halls to a room next to the commissioner's office. Inside was a near soundproof room that functioned as a sparring room or an augmented reality training facility for the fighters. The walls were extremely white and sterile. The floor was more of a dingy silver, but still sleek and shiny.

He turned to the panel on the wall that controlled the AR and began plugging in specific instructions.

A knock came from the door. "I thought I had this place booked."

Greg went to open the door and was met with a green bear in black fight shorts. "Oh, I'm sorry to bug you, but Stanley said I couldn't come train with you."

"I'm not in the mood for a training partner."

"Humor me. I'm sure I'll be better practice than any bot."

Greg thought it over. "I'm not responsible for anything that happens... Umm..."

"Chow."

"Right."

"Also, you won't have to be."

The two stood on opposite sides of the room. It gradually morphed into an abandoned warehouse with crates stacked around them.

"So Flamin' G, let's see how you deal with me." The bear dashed at him, arms extended behind himself.

Greg held his own hands out, letting pillars of fire coast towards his opponent.

Chow seemed to be swallowed by the flames, but he was in fact unaffected entirely and landed a swift kick into Greg's chest.

The grey koopa reeled back, then threw a punch, Chow barely dodging then flipping over him.

Chow moved his arms in an awkward yet rhythmic fashion before shooting lightning at Greg, stunning him.

"You're not trying, are you?" Chow flipped over him once more and kicked him over on the ground. "I've seen you deflect weaker blasts heavily injured."

Greg hopped up and shook the excess static from his shell. "I'm just a little... tilted." He went back on the offensive, cloaking his fists in fire before throwing a few punches at Chow, each one barely missing the mark.

"A little? This feels like a lot more than that." Chow swept Greg's legs, then pointed and electricity loaded fist at his face. "Who's the girl? Or guy? Or person?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said you were tilted. Very few things tilt guys like us. I'm just taking shots in the dark and assuming you're mad at someone." Chow backed off and the room returned to normal.

Greg sat up and stared at nothing in particular. "His name is Roy."

"And you like him."

"I love him more than I should, but he's so... frustrating to deal with sometimes."

"Oh, you're preaching to the choir, buddy. Yet, unlike you, I got my man."

"How'd you do it?" Greg looked up at him.

"Simple. I told him I liked him on top of a 10 story building then kissed him in the back of my friend's car while running from the cops."

Greg stared for a second. "I don't think that's gonna happen to me."

"Hey, I'm just sharing my story. I thought he was straight at first, but he does not kiss like it."

"I doubt my story has a happy ending like yours."

"There are some happy endings you just have to fight for." Chow sat next to the koopa.

"How do I know when to fight?" Greg tilted his head towards Chow.

"The moment someone tries to take it from you." His tone reflected a tender bitterness. "Don't let it get to that point.

~ ~ ~ ~

Bowser was lifting weights in his private gym when Roy walked in to have a word with him.

"King Dad? Can we talk?"

"Sure, one sec." He finished his set before docking the heavy metal bar on its rack and sitting up to address his son. "What's up, Roy? Everything ok?"

"Yeah. I just need some advice."

"Please tell me it's not homework."

"You know I'd go to Greg for that." Roy rolled his eyes behind his shades. "It's... something else."

"Then spit it out. I got reps to do." The king flexed his arm muscles as to emphasize his point. If not for his pudgy belly and rounded pecs, you'd believe he was a king's guard an not the king himself. He was truly the definition of a final boss.

"Well... I have this friend. And my friend is starting to grow feelings for another friend of mine, but he doesn't know if he should tell him."

"I think the friend should tell the other friend. If they don't, it'll eat at their insides. And if the other friend is a true friend, they'll either return the feelings or let them down easy."

"My friend will be happy to hear that."

"Son, I've been around the block too many times to believe that 'friend' shit. It's you, isn't it?" Bowser leaned in close.

Roy stiffened. "Y-yes sir."

"Ok then. Is the other friend Greg?"

"Yes sir..."

The room was consumed by an eerie silence. Then the older koopa chuckled.

"To be completely honest, I thought you guys had already been dating."

"Dad!?" Roy hopped back.

"I'm sorry son, but every girlfriend you've ever had has taken a backseat to that kid. Can you even remember the last one you actually brought home?"

Roy thought it over. He could barely remember their names. "Ok, you might have a point."

Bowser stood and walked to his son. "Gay or not, you're my son. It's not like back in the day I didn't kidnap a prince or two and took them to my dungeon if you know what I mean."

"TMI Dad..." Roy recoiled from the older man. "Not trying to think about you getting some."

"Hey, you're probably gonna do stuff with Greg soon under my roof. You think I wanna picture my son getting his V-Card stamped?"

Roy made his way to the door. "Well this was... A conversation."

"Yes it was. Sleep tight, son.",

'"Good night, King Dad."

Roy left, allowing Bowser to continue his reps.