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~Chapter Four~
Sober Thoughts
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"Lucas... you have blond hair."
"Never could've guessed it myself."
"You know who else has blond hair? Meee!"
Ness staggers around like a drunken fool, so I firmly pull him back before he can faceplant into another wall.
"Hehe. Thanks, Lucas."
I sigh. "How much did you drink?"
Beaming, Ness jabs four fingers into the air. "Twentyfleventeen!"
He's wasted.
"Come on, you," I mutter, poking him in the back.
During the time Ness had left to do who-knows-what, I made myself cozy and immersed myself in another volume of Sherlock Holmes. It was a page-turner too, a murder mystery, and I was just getting to the good part when someone started rapping on my chamber door.
At first, I ignored it, in no mood to answer anyone at this hour, but when the sound persisted, I regretfully closed the book and slipped out of bed. Hopping over Ness's messy assortment of boxes, I'd barely twisted the lock aside when an unexpected face stumbled in.
"Luigi," I said, surprised.
Luigi tipped his hat. "L-Lucas," he stammered.
A tall, timid man in contrast to his short, authoritative brother, Luigi was no native speaker of English. Suffering from a perpetual stammer, he had a tendency of tripping and stumbling over each word as if it was foreign to him. He was a good-natured man with a big heart, and was such a doormat that he let other people walk over him, to the extent that he's dismissed as a public ridicule. With his speech impediment, the poor man was often the butt-monkey of the media, but I liked Luigi. He was considerate and kind.
But out of all people, I never expected to see him on my doorstep in the dead of night.
"You sh...should-" Luigi stammered again before slumping forward in defeat. "It's-a Ness."
Those words alone chased away the last of my surprise.
"What happened?" I asked, but Luigi nervously glanced in the direction of the open hallway. Immediately, I followed him out, terrified that Ness had gotten himself seriously hurt and injured.
When I saw him throwing up on Luigi's bathroom floor, everything clicked.
As reckless as he was, Ness should've known better than to drink himself stupid. For one, we're underage. It might not have bothered some of the other smashers like Popo and Nana, whose culture revolved around alcohol, but his mother was a good woman who had raised her child well, and the lessons she had invoked into her son has saved him the trouble of potentially winding up in countless public scandals as a smasher.
For all we knew, anything could show up on the front page.
His sudden lack of judgement is worrying. Did something happen at home? Sure, Ness thought with his heart first, but it didn't necessarily mean that he had no brain.
Maybe I should've checked on him sooner.
I eye his unsteady gait. "Maybe you should take it easy for a while."
Ness hiccups, then shakes his head. "Nope! I feel great. Grreaat." He enthusiastically grabs my hand and cuts off all circulation. "I'm never letting you go!"
I grimace. "Ness, too tight."
He tightens his grip and promptly crushes my fingers. How drunk is he?
"Fuck you," Ness slurs, poking my side. "I thought you were my best friend."
Here it is. An opening.
I lower my voice. "What happened?"
"You happened, that's what."
"Ness, what did I do," I prod. A part of me can't help but feel betrayed by his blunt accusation. I've upset him one way or another, and he's refusing to tell me. I think about all the times Ness has gotten into trouble for talking first and thinking later.
This is very much unlike him.
And it frustrates me, because while I don't want to push him, I can't help him if he insists on acting immature and denying that there's a problem.
Ness leans closer on his tiptoes. "You really wanna know?" A hiccup. "I'm surprised tha you haven't... haven't figured it out, Lucas. You being all smart and... smart."
When Ness stumbles over his own shoes, I make a grab for his shoulders, but I'm a second too slow, and Ness ends up colliding face-first into my stomach. The impact knocks all the breath out of my lungs. I double over on my feet as Ness throws himself on me and scrabbles around for a hold. He manages to hook his fingers into the back of my shirt, and we awkwardly sway in place with Ness hugging me and me trying to balance our combined weight with my shoes. He's heavy, and while I'm tall, I'm a walking toothpick. So when his legs go dead, I grunt under his sudden weight and struggle to hold him up.
Ness takes this the wrong way and squeezes my waist even tighter. I'm learning the hard way that a very drunk Ness is a very affectionate Ness. He lets his head fall forward like a limp sack of potatoes, poking his nose into my stomach. "You smell good," he mumbles into my shirt.
Raising an eyebrow, I glance down at him. "You're drunk."
"I like you."
He's much more intoxicated than I thought.
I groan. "I'm bringing you to the hospital ward."
"I like you."
"I like you too," I say absentmindedly, struggling to pry his arms off. "Now let's try to stand on your own-"
"I like you more than a friend."
My hands stop over his shoulders. I feel myself gape, my mouth frozen open halfway.
With a happy grin like he's won the fucking Nobel prize, Ness peers up at me. There's a hint of strange mischief in his eyes. "I love you."
I love you.
It's been a long time since I've heard those words. My family had never been wordy people in general. Even before Mom's death, Dad rarely spoke more than a curt syllable. He was a man of few words, and I quickly learned to read people by their facial expressions, by what they didn't say. Actions spoke louder than words. There was no need for words when we understood what was implied. I knew that my parents loved me the same way that I knew that the sky was blue. Even with his last breath, my twin brother only said sorry. Not I love you. Just sorry.
But when Ness expectantly stares up me, looking so hopeful after so easily dropping those three words... it unhinges me more than I want to admit.
Everything shatters before my eyes. This is a joke. This all has to be some cruel joke, because how long has Ness kept up his best friend facade? A month? Longer? A sinking feeling in my gut says otherwise. Is this why Ness was trying to avoid me?
Despite my unsteady hands, I'm able to get a good grip of Ness's shoulders and pry him off.
"Y-You don't know what you're talking about," I stammer, but I'm shaking like the AC's on full-blast. "You're drunk."
Ness squirms around in my grip, then drops his head with a sigh. "You're right," he says sadly. "I'm drunk."
I don't remember how I dragged him to the hospital ward on the 3rd floor. All I know is that I'm sitting in a chair by his bedside, propping my head in my hands, and staring blankly at my best friend as if he's grown two heads.
I love you, Ness had said.
I close my eyes.
I love you.
Stop it, I want to say, but what's said has been said, and no amount of wishing will ever take it back. A part of me's telling me off for being dramatic, but my mind's falling apart, too bothered and confused by the words Ness has said.
Ness is my best friend. He's like a surrogate brother to me, and with his reckless confidence, if I squint just the right way, it's not hard to imagine Claus in his shoes. Saying that I have feelings for Ness is almost like announcing that I have feelings for my older brother. Disturbed by the thought, I shudder, then watch Ness with uncomfortable eyes.
Just like Claus, Ness is a light sleeper, even moreso because all that alcohol has shut down his brain. He's dead to the world, save for the slow rise and fall of his chest.
I relax. Ness is drunk, I reason. There's no way that Ness would have feelings for me. For one, I'm a guy, and for another, I know that Paula's crushing on Ness. I'm an oblivious person when it came to feelings, but I haven't been oblivious to the number of times Ness has called Paula back over the past year. To think that Ness likes me in the same way is almost laughable.
So when Ness admitted that he liked me more than a friend... he'd meant that he liked me like a brother too. At least, it's the most likely conclusion I could draw.
The thought warms my heart.
I exhale. My mind wanders freely, my breathing more at ease now that my logic is back. I don't know how much Ness has had to drink, but he'll be all right. He'll be okay.
With an overwhelming sense of relief, I wait for the crack of dawn.
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~oO0Oo~
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Ness meant it.
As soon as his lips brush against my hand, I feel my breath hitch in my too-tight throat.
"I love you," he says timidly. Meekly.
His words sound sober, but there's no way Ness is sober. He has to be drunk. He has to be.
I open my mouth, but only a strangled sound comes out. "N-Ness..."
"I love you," he insists. "I love you a lot."
The intensity of his eyes scares me.
My ears ring with his words. My mind goes blank. "I..."
I love you.
I need space.
I love you.
I need air.
I love, love, love-
"I hope you get better soon."
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~oO0Oo~
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"Honestly," Nana mutters, giving her newest victim a scathing look. "I can't believe that you broke curfew to go out drinking."
"I thought she loved me," Popo moans pitifully from the corner of his dorm. Suddenly looking green, he pokes his head back into his pail. I wince, hearing chunky liquid slosh against the sides.
While pacing back and forth, my feet have somehow led me to the end of the suite hall. Upon hearing my foosteps, Nana popped her head out of her room, spotted me, and all but dragged me over to help her groaning brother.
Popo has finally staggered back from the bar, and Nana's not pleased.
"Can you believe it, Lucas? Dragging a minor out to drink in the middle of the night of all things-!"
I watch her dunk a towel into warm water. "How is he?"
"My brother? Yeah... He'll be okay." Nana wipes her brow, then folds her arms at her brother with an exasperated noise. "Serves you right, taking Ness out to drink. What on earth were you thinking? We're turning eighteen next month, Popo. You should've been more responsible!" She angrily attacks the sweat on her brother's feverish forehead. "Do you know how worried I was when Nina called me? Popo, I was worried sick!"
Popo mutters something under his breath.
"Ugh, you're impossible." But Nana's voice loses some of her ice; her angry frown has melted into an expression akin to exasperation. "This is why I'm glad that I'm the older sister."
"We're... twins..."
"Hmph. No, I'm definitely older, all right." Nana tosses me a worried glance. "Speaking of which, how's Ness holding up? Popo told me that they didn't go easy on the drinks..."
"Ness is a real lightweight," Popo says, and when Nana gives him a well-deserved glare, he hastily adds, "Wait, Nana! I switched his glasses out for water towards the end, I swear!" Nana clips him on the ear anyway. Recoiling from her hand, Popo sounds rather scandalized that we won't believe him. "Dude, I only wanted him to get lit. I wasn't going to watch him drink until he got liver failure-"
"He could've gotten himself arrested. You could've gotten yourself arrested," Nana snarls, slapping the wet towel into the basin with such vicious force that water sploshes over the edges. "Back to Ness. Lucas, how's he doing?"
I love you.
"He's doing all right," I manage to say.
Popo coughs. "Did he say anything strange?"
I love you a lot.
My heart clenches.
"I think that he's still drunk," I say, lowering my voice. "He wasn't thinking straight..."
"Of course he isn't thinking straight!" Popo says enthusiastically before going down with another round of violent coughing. Nana thumps him in the back, unclogging his windpipe, and Popo heaves a loud, watery gasp of breath. "Dude, isn't it obvious? Ness is so gay for you-"
"Don't be rude!" Nana snaps.
"I mean, he is-"
"Don't make fun of him," I say firmly, meeting his eyes until Popo fidgets and looks away. "You guilt-tripped him into drinking last night."
"Yeah, but only because he looked bummed out." Popo shakes his head. "Man, Lucas, you are really dense. Just how long are you planning to play hard to get?"
"What are you talking about," I say, exasperated. "I didn't know that-"
"-he's got the hots for you?"
A hot spike of warmth shoots up the back of my neck.
Catching my expression, Popo cracks up. "Holy shit. You really didn't know?!"
Nana blanches and turns to her brother. "What? Ness is gay? Since when?" Popo throws her a smug I-told-you-so, but she ignores him, instead rushing over to crush my arms in her iron grip. "Wait so, hold on. Does this mean... Did Ness come out to you?"
I nod, puzzled by her rising panic.
Nana's voice rises by a wavering pitch. "And you just left him?"
"Am I not supposed to?"
Nana groans and buries her head into her hands. "Nooo. Lucas, leaving him alone was the worst thing you could've done."
"The worst?" I flashback to Ness's face. I'm ready to pretend that his drunken spiel never happened, and it's a mercy that I gladly would've taken had the tables been turned.
"Why?" Popo echoes. If it's any consolation, he sounds just as confused. "Isn't it a good thing to like, give Ness some space? For him to chillax and embrace his hot flaming gayness or whatever?"
"No!" Nana incredulously looks back and forth between us. "Are you both serious?"
"Well, yeah," Popo says.
Between us, I'm not sure who's more immature. Popo knows how people tick, but has too much fun poking his nose where it doesn't belong. He thrives in gossip, decides fuck it, and chooses not to learn from his mistakes.
In contrast, I'm helplessly clueless when romantic feelings are involved. I'm not emotionally intelligent. I might catch onto something, but I tend to be oblivious to how other people feel about me until they tell me outright. Even then, it's a struggle; being sentimental sounds so stressful and overwhelming. I just want a quiet life. A nice, quiet, boring life.
When neither of us react favorably in response, Nana slaps herself in the forehead. "Fine, I'll explain. Say that Ness's been hiding in the closet for days. Maybe months, I don't know. Normally, as close friends, he probably would've told you everything, Lucas, except that this time, he had a problem. A huge problem. And it was that he liked you. He liked you, Lucas; he liked you more than a friend, but that posed an even bigger problem - how would you react? He loved you, but didn't want risk losing your friendship. So he kept his mouth shut. He was careful enough not to let anything slip, and now thanks to this moron-" Nana shoots Popo a withering look. "He got himself drunk. All of a sudden, everything's gone south and he's tumbling out of the closet with his feelings for you. Then in that exact moment, you ditched him. How do you think he'd feel?"
A chill crawls up my spine. "Oh."
With a whistle, Popo throws his sister a look of appreciation. "How did get all that in one go?"
"Intuition," Nana says, looking quite pleased of herself.
"Dude... respect."
"I didn't ditch him. I just..." I try to search for something, anything to object to Nana's words. How suddenly I left the room, unsettled and unable to understand the words coming out of Ness's mouth. How I must have left Ness hanging, confused and horrified after he'd bared his heart in a rare moment of vulnerability. Just because I can read other people easily doesn't mean that Ness is able to do the same. Ness thrives on words, and I left him without a single explanation to boot.
Horrified by the implication, I close my mouth.
Nana lets go of my arm. "I know that you didn't mean to ditch him on purpose," she says kindly. "But at the very least, you should head back. Whether or not you accept his feelings, he could really use your support right now."
"But hey, think on the bright side," Popo says with a knowing nod. "You just played someone without realizing it-"
"Not now, Popo," Nana hisses, tugging back his hoodie.
"What? It's a compliment! Who knew Lucas could be such a heartbreaker- ow!"
Nana withdraws her hand. "Idiot," she snarls, clipping her brother a second time on the ear. "Don't pay any attention to him, Lucas. He's being a moron again-"
"I'll go check on Ness," I mutter, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Thanks, Nana."
Now anxious, Nana watches me leave. "Good luck..."
Popo eagerly sticks his head out of his room. "Oi, Lucas. Next time you get chance, show me your moves- ow! Nana, ow, okay I'll stop!"
"God, Popo, you're so insensitive! And don't think that you're off the hook yet! Mister, what were you thinking, getting Ness drunk in the middle of nowhere, and ooh, I am so disappointed in you-"
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~oO0Oo~
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"He's not here."
"He left?" I say in disbelief.
Peach purses her lips. "Ness left the hospital ward not ten minutes ago, sweetie. You just missed him."
I blankly stare at the empty bed. Ness's imprint is still there. He can't have gone too far. "Did he say anything?"
Peach gets a troubled look on her face. "Not that I remember. Oh, heavens, I didn't think that I was too harsh on him. Nothing beyond the lines of oh, you boys are too young to get your lives ruined by binge drinking, and yet, Ness didn't say a single word in his defense. That boy, I swear!" Shaking her dress, Peach gives a feathery huff, then pats my head. "Well, sweetie... we're all very lucky that he's got you to watch his back."
My heart sinks like the Titanic. Ness always has a retort or two in his arsenal. He is never quiet.
Shying away from her hand, I force a smile. "I beg to differ. Ness can take care of himself."
Much to my chagrin, Peach erupts into a big fuss and starts smoothing down my shirt. I squirm, because as nice as she is, she's getting a little too touchy-feely. "Oh dear, you're too kind," she says tearfully, misinterpreting my honest answer as some sort of philanthropic endeavor, and it's all I can do not to cringe because she couldn't have been farther from the truth. "Take good care of him, will you, Lucas? Poor boy was awfully quiet when he left. I'm glad that he has a good friend like you in the Mansion. You should've seen him back in N64 and Melee. He used to ramble about his pen pal all the time. It was always Lucas this and Lucas that-"
"Peach," I desperately interrupt, because I do not need to hear another rendition of how "Saint-like" I am, especially after I've possibly alienated my best friend. "Did he say where he was headed?"
"No, dear. Oh, I hope you can find him."
Then the guilt finally crashes in, and the back of my neck begins to burn. Why Ness thinks so highly of me is a real mystery. "Thanks, Peach. I hope so too."
Despite Peach's well-wishes, my search doesn't go too well. Out of options, I stop by the baseball field. The trophy room. Even the library. It's early evening when I trudge back into the lobby, clutching for straws.
A stray thought seizes my mind. The cafeteria. Of course. Ness likes food. Where there is food, there is Ness. I race over to the cafeteria doors and fling them open, but when curious heads turn my way, I hastily shut them.
Right. There are people inside.
I grimace. I don't want to attract attention by aimlessly wandering around the cafeteria, but I don't want to leave without searching for Ness. This is a situation that requires strategy. This requires telepathy.
This also means that I end up standing in front of the cafeteria doors like a glazed-eyed idiot.
Ness isn't inside.
Disappointed, I stop looking for stray thoughts and retract my mental probe. By this point, I've pretty much resigned myself to picking a corner inside the cafeteria, sitting in an empty table, and repeatedly kicking myself until Ness decides to show up when a familiar scaly snout welcomes my arrival.
"(Lucas.)"
"Hullo, Charizard," I mutter, scratching the spot between his horns. Voicing his satisfaction in a low rumble, Charizard puffs out a continuous stream of smoke from his nostrils, and I smile. I like to pet him and watch him secretly enjoy it in turn, though Charizard would deny it. Red tells me that Charizards rarely warm up to people, only allowing a select few to touch their scales. After the Subspace Emissary, Charizard decided that my presence was "worthy," and from then on, demanded free pets on sight. He's a magnificent creature, and an even more formidable opponent on the battlefield.
"You haven't seen Ness anywhere, have you?"
Charizard snorts and draws back his draconian head in a dignified manner. "(Maybe.)" He nudges my hand. "(More petting, and I might talk.)"
Cracking a grin, I vigorously rub the soft scales in the groove of his shoulders. Rolling his eyes in pleasure, Charizard gives a deeper rumble that can pass for a purr. His scales vibrate under my touch. "(Mmmm...)"
A sudden tap on the shoulder stops me in my tracks. Looking down at me, Red cracks a small smile, then shakes his head slightly to the left. The message is clear - Don't spoil him.
I reluctantly withdraw my fingers from Charizard's warm scales. Agitated from the lack of attention, Charizard lets out another puff of smoke. He gives a forlorn look at my fingers, but sighs in relief when Red takes over.
"Have you seen Ness?" I ask.
Red furrows his eyebrows.
"It's a long story," I admit.
He nods and gives me a gentle push away from the cafeteria. Go, he seems to say.
I don't need to be told twice.
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~oO0Oo~
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Ness is still nowhere in sight.
My dread grows with his absence. Did he leave the mansion for good? My mind races a million miles an hour as I double back to our suite. I can't teleport. If Ness isn't here, then there's no way I can track him without running out myself.
Ness doesn't have any practice matches today. I should regroup back in the apartment before jumping to any conclusions. He can't have left already, not after what happened last night. I rest my cardkey against the keyhole, and when the lock beeps, snicking open, I push myself inside-
Only to halt at the pile of blankets on Ness's bed.
The lump in my throat refuses to go down. "Ness?"
He doesn't respond, but I can tell that he's awake. The sheets have shifted ever so slightly.
My brow knits together in hesitation. Now that I've found Ness, I'm not sure of what to say.
Talking's not a skill in my department. It's always been Ness's forte.
I exercise caution. "Do you... want something to eat?"
The blanket fortress shuffles away. A hoarse voice escapes from its confines. "Not hungry."
At least he's responded this time. Awkwardly, I glance at the clock. It's barely six. "Are you going to bed?" I try again.
The blankets shiver.
My hand fumbles for the lamp. "If you want, I can... turn the lights off."
"Okay."
"..."
"..."
"Are you awake?" I whisper.
"...yeah."
"Ah. Are you-"
"Lucas, what are you trying to say?!" Ness explodes, tugging the covers off his disheveled hair. His eyes are swollen and red.
"I want to talk to you," I say, steadily holding eye contact. I can't waver now. Not when one wrong movement can potentially destroy our friendship.
The windows dim.
I blink into the dark. Ness's eyes glow faintly like a cat's - another trademark of our psychic powers. When Ness speaks, his voice sounds all croaky, like the time he'd gotten a bad strep throat, and I start feeling like shit because I know that he's struggling not to cry.
We can't avoid the pink elephant in the room forever.
Drawing a deep breath, I open my mouth, but both of us end up speaking at the same time.
"Are you-" I begin.
"I'm gay," Ness blurts out.
Unsure of how to respond, I close my mouth. "Cool" and "Good for you" don't sound like good answers. "Congratulations" fits the bill even worse, and "Happy birthday" is out of context. I'm still mulling over what to say (leaning on the lines of a simple 'It's okay'), but Ness beats me to the punch.
"Isn't it funny...?" Ness manages to gasp, drawing his knees up to his chest. A strange laugh escapes from his lips, but it's not a laugh, doesn't remotely sound like one at all. It sounds more like a broken sob. "I can't believe it... I have feelings for you. I have feelings for my best friend." Ness is crying openly now, tears flowing out of his eyes and dripping onto his sheets, and the sight of him breaking down makes my chest feel all constricted and tight. "I'm disgusting."
"You're not disgusting-"
"Yes, I am!" Rising up in a sudden hysteria, the hurt flaring up in Ness's voice can't be mistaken for anything else. "Don't lie to me, Lucas. You know it's disgusting-"
"When did I ever say that," I say sharply, and Ness falters. Ness is upset, and knowing this makes me feel a lot calmer than usual. "You're gay. That's fine. I don't mind, Ness."
"I thought I was straight."
"I'm sure everyone thinks that the first time round."
"I don't want to be gay..."
"I don't mind what you are. You're my friend," I say firmly.
There's another rustle of sheets. "So you don't mind that I-" Ness cuts himself off and averts his eyes. "-that I like you?"
I shake my head.
A muffled sniffle leaks into the room. Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Ness slowly raises his head. His stare intensifies. "Why did you run?" he whispers.
The back of my neck burns with shame. Suddenly, I feel exposed standing before him. "I was scared," I admit.
"Scared of what?"
"No one's ever said that to me before."
"Said what?" Ness presses, his voice this time much softer.
I swallow. "You know. I love you." The hot feeling now prickles across my neck and down the back of my arms. "I'm flattered."
I can't make out Ness's face in the darkness, but I can tell that he's flushing too. "I mean, it's true. I do. Like you, I mean," he mumbles. "Don't be stupid."
"Ness."
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad that you're my friend."
Ness's lips twitch up. "Do I sense another gaydar going off?"
I let out a quiet laugh. "Can't get any gayer than this."
"No shit. We're talking about feelings and gay stuff, literally." Ness's eyes flicker to my face. "Lucas, I... I know, I screwed up, I shouldn't have gone out drinking with Popo, and I'm-" His shoulders begin to shake. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I freaked you out, and I regret everything-"
Hesitantly, I step forward and pat him on the back. "It's okay," I say quietly. "I'm sorry too."
Fisting my shirt, he pulls me closer. This time, I don't resist, letting him hug me. Ness shakes so badly that he can't stand. I train my eyes onto the threaded carpet between my feet and try to pretend that he's not crying into my shoulder.
"I'm so stupid," he chokes out.
"You're not stupid."
"I scared you-"
"You were scared too."
"Shit." Ness wipes his eyes on my shirt. "Shit, this is so gay-"
"You are gay."
Ducking his head, Ness laughs, a softer, gentler sound. His eyes peer into my face. "Lucas, this is why you mean a lot to me. I like you... I like you a lot. Hell, maybe even more than a friend. That's why... I need to know. I want to know."
His gaze burns into my skin.
I avert my eyes. My throat suddenly feels too dry.
"I'm not ready for a relationship," I say honestly. It's a true statement. I'm not interested in a romantic relationship with anyone, and as a smasher, I want to be careful with any aspect of my personal life.
Anything can be publicized.
My skin crawls with goosebumps. Last year on one of our photoshoots, a rabid shipper managed to take a picture of Ike and Marth play-wrestling. Nothing unusual. Both of them had been roommates and good friends. The problem had been the timing of the picture. From the camera's point of view, it looked like Ike had been kissing Marth.
The "scandalous" picture quickly went viral.
Once the fans had proof of shipping, the media never let it go.
Ike and Marth had been hounded by reporters for months on end. It hadn't been a pretty sight. They began arguing wherever they went - in the cafeteria, in the dorms, in the bath house. Whenever I'd heard either of them bellowing down the hallway, I instantly doubled around in the opposite direction. They used to drag other smashers into team battles, then insisted on taking opposing sides, but anything they tried only added fuel to the fire of "Forbidden love."
Their friendship met a nasty end. Eventually, Ike moved out, leaving Marth to room with Roy. Neither of them has spoken to each other since.
The media would've eaten up Ness's confession like flies. They would've been happy to make his life miserable.
I have to protect our friendship.
"But if you could... would you give me a chance?" Ness presses. His cheeks have turned bright red again, but he looks straight into my eyes. He's nervous, but he's refusing to show it. He's confident. He's trying to be confident.
I carefully word my response. I can't give him any semblance of false hope.
"No," I admit. "I see you more like a brother."
He fails to hide the crestfallen expression on his face, but to his credit, takes it well into stride. "I expected it, but it was worth a shot."
"I'm sorry," I say, feeling sympathy. With his huge pride, it couldn't have been easy for him to handle rejection right off the bat. When Ness hunches over, exhaling a deep breath, and I watch him in concern. "Will you... be okay?"
Ness clutches his chest. I feel the heavy ache. "Heartbreak hurts like a bitch," he admits.
My chest twinges with guilt. "You deserve someone better-"
"Don't worry. I'll man up and get over it." Despite himself, Ness cracks a lopsided smile. It's sincere. "You know, it's not so bad having you as my first gay crush."
The hot feeling surges back up into my cheeks. I can never get used to Ness's blatant honesty. "Thanks...?"
"Wow. That was gay."
"Nothing wrong with that."
Ness takes a deep intake of breath. "Thanks, Lucas," he says gently. "You know, I'm really glad that you're my friend too."
Something warm stirs my heart.
Author's Note:
"Lucas felt something inside his heart." -Mother 3