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~Chapter Six~

Stand Up Strong

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The first thing Ness does is to drag me to the phone booth. He grabs my arm and is almost pulling me along, and I stumble, trying to keep up with his shorter height.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Ness babbles as if I have a choice, but the terror in his eyes is unmistakable. He's afraid of coming out. He wants someone to be there while he's calling his mom.

And I understand.

Curling my fingers around his hand, I give it a careful squeeze, hoping that he can understand the words I don't say. That this is okay, this is all right.

Ness gets the message. He squeezes my hand back. "Thanks," he says quietly.

We get to the phone booth in no time. Ness's fingers are so shaky that he keeps missing the coin slot, so I pick up the quarters and insert them in for him. With his left hand on the phone receiver and his right hand squeezing mine as hard as the day he got drunk, both of us wait in excruciating silence.

It doesn't take long for Ness's mom to pick up.

"Hi, mom, are you- oh... did I wake you up? Right. Different timezones." Ness hunches over the phone. "Yeah, Lucas is here too. He's doing fine. No, I didn't get sick. My voice sounds croaky because I woke up late. Yeah, I'm okay. But I need to tell you something, it's the news - oh, you heard? Oh. Uhuh."

An excruciating silence.

Ness's shoulders shake, and he begins to sob - but this time, it's a sob of relief. "Mom, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't call home. A lot of things happened, and I didn't want to worry you after dad left-"

His dad left? I recall a kind flustering man in a trenchcoat. Did his parents get divorced? If so, is this the reason behind his sudden aggression? Come to think of it, Ness has been calling Paula more often instead of his mom.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay." With a sniff, Ness wipes his eyes with his sleeve. I pretend to look the other way. Ness has a huge pride. It must have killed him to have been rejected yesterday. To top that, with everything that's happened lately, he's got a right to have a moment to himself. Carefully, I try to pry my hand out of his, but Ness squeezes my wrist tighter. A clear indication - Don't leave. "Yeah, love you too. Stay safe. Call you later. Bye."

It isn't until he hangs up when he realizes how pale my skin has turned in his tight grip.

"Sorry," he says, letting go, and I rub the circulation back into my relieved hand. "My family's gone into hiding," he admits. "Apparently they were getting bombarded by the media and all sorts of crazy weirdos, so they're staying at the local hotel until the chaos dies down."

I recall Ness's mom and sister with a jolt of alarm. "Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine. They should be able to return home soon. Master Hand's sending in help." He hesitates with one hand still on the phone handle. "Thanks for tagging along."

"It's nothing." I study his face in concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, everything's okay. Well, it isn't now. But it will be." Lowering the handle of the phone onto the receiver with a click, Ness stuffs both hands into his pockets. "Lucas, we're still friends... right?"

I nod again, this time more slowly. I'm unsure of where this is headed. I'm not sure if I want to know.

Ness takes a deep breath. "I think it's best... if I move out."

I blink. "Move out?" I say slowly.

Ness scratches the back of his neck. "You know, move out of our room. If the media knows that I'm gay and that you're rooming with me, well, I don't want you to get dragged into it..."

"You don't have to leave," I say suddenly, surprised at how upset I am at his words. When I woke up to Popo's frantic knocking and spotted Ness's spare keys by his pillow, it scared me more than I wanted to admit. I don't want to lose Ness as a friend. "I don't mind rooming with you."

"I know you don't." Ness suddenly finds his shoes interesting. "It's just... I mind. I need time to get over you."

My cheeks prickle. "...Oh."

While I'm touched that Ness has feelings for me, a part of me can't understand the reasoning behind his attraction. I'm awkward and antisocial. I'm just me.

I shuffle in place. Despite Ness's earnest words, I know that I've inadvertently caused him stress. I didn't expect my rejection to affect him so seriously. I knew Ness well - or at least, I thought I had. Growing up together, he's always been quick to point out a pretty girl or other, and I haven't been blind to his chemistry with Paula. Paula is a fierce marshmallow - tough enough to keep Ness in line, yet soft enough to shower him with the attention and affection he craved. And in the case Paula turned him down, Ness has decent looks and a confident charisma. I'm sure that many other teens would jump at a chance to date him.

But I'm not Paula. I'm not many other teens. I'm his best friend, and I'm not willing to risk our friendship for an obvious train-wreck. Simply put, I'm not interested in a relationship, and Ness deserves someone who is emotionally invested.

I avert my eyes to the ground. Is Ness keeping our friendship out of obligation? I hope not.

As if afraid that I've gotten the wrong impression, Ness suddenly grabs my hands in both of his. "N-Not that we can't be friends! Once I get over it, we can hang out like normal! Think of this as a hiatus. A break."

"A break," I echo.

"Yeah." Ness looks straight into my face. He's always worn his heart on his sleeve. I can tell that Ness is anxious, and that he doesn't want to lose me as a friend any more than I do.

I nod. "Sure."

Relief washes over Ness's face. Had he feared another rejection? Ness's eyes flicker up to my face before he hesitantly opens his arms. "Is this... okay?"

Obliging, I shuffle forward.

Ness's arms protectively curl around me, and I breathe out, trying to resist the involuntary urge to shrug him off. My personal discomfort can wait; Ness has always been there for me when I needed him, and I want to return the favor no matter how small.

But even after years of our friendship, I don't like to be touched. I don't like hugs - I don't like the way I feel trapped and constricted, I don't like how uncomfortably close his chest is to mine - but Ness squeezes me once, warm and reassuring, and slowly, I relax, lowering my guard. For several seconds, we sway in place, one of my hands awkwardly patting his back and both of Ness's arms wrapped around my neck. When the hug's lasted long enough, I gently take hold of his arms and pry him off.

Or try to.

His head buried into my chest, Ness squeezes me tighter like he's never going to see me again. Like I'm about to walk out of his life. The fact that he's never brought up his parent's divorce sends a ripple of concern through my mind. I know that Ness is close to both of his parents, especially his dad. It must have killed him from the inside, wanting to but unable tell anyone about it.

"This isn't goodbye," I say quietly.

That seems to do the trick. Ness shifts against me and digs his fingers deeper into the back of my shirt. His voice sounds oddly thick. "I can't let go... Why can't I let go?"

Slowly, I rest my head atop his.

Jerking back, Ness pushes me away, then tugs the brim of his hat down to cover his face. I catch the hidden meaning behind the gesture. Ness doesn't want me to read his expression. He doesn't want me to see him upset.

My heart sinks like a stone.

"Well..." He turns on his heel. "See you."

"Bye," I echo.

Such a simple word had never sounded so cold before.

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~oO0Oo~

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I haven't always seen Ness as a brother.

There was once a time when I saw him as something more. I admired his strength, I admired his courage, I admired his ability to say whatever was on his mind - even though it usually led to disastrous consequences. Ness was so real, so genuine that he intrigued me - in a world where everybody hid their real intentions, I had never met anyone who looked more comfortable or at ease with himself. At first, the blind adoration I fostered for him confused me, and I began to suspect that my feelings for him were stronger than those for a friend.

But over time, I quickly came to my senses. It didn't take me long to realize that what I had for him was a one-sided puppy love, an old childhood crush. As my first friend and role model, he was everything I wasn't, and a part of me just wanted to be more like him. I wanted to be brave, I wanted to be strong, and Ness happened to be the embodiment of both.

The feelings quickly died after that.

But I've never seen Ness the same way since.

Uncertainly, I glance to the side. True to his word, Ness is moodily stabbing his potatoes at the very far end of my table. There are other vacant tables in the cafeteria, but he's chosen to sit in the same one. I don't blame him for the involuntary force of habit.

I absentmindedly flick over my broccoli. It's a little lonely not to hear him goofing off at my side. We're battlefield buddies, partners inseparable to the point that other smashers have grown accustomed to talking about us like we were one. Where's Ness and Lucas, they'd ask. Not Ness, not Lucas. Where one of us is, they assume the other is too.

But from the looks of it, everyone is giving us both a wide berth. They might not know exactly what's going on, but even the dimmest lightbulb sparked. Ness has feelings for someone, and we're avoiding each other. They can put two and two together.

For once, the cafeteria is deathly silent. All the smashers are goggling at us as if we're the newest zoo exhibit. We all know how much Master Hand frowns upon Interdimensional relationships, and no one knows how to deal with the sudden possibility that one of our number may potentially hold feelings - genuine feelings - for another. To even speak of the thought is taboo.

Ness is staring determinedly at his food, but his nerves are starting to leak out. His mental control is slipping, and I can tell from the way his silverware is becoming agitated. His fork shakes like a wind chime in his hand, breaking the silence with a shrill ringing tinkle - the only source of noise in the cafeteria. Occasionally there's the low whisper, a hiss of gossip aimed in our direction before it's hurriedly shushed.

I'm contemplating about making a hasty escape out of the cafeteria just to avoid the unwanted staring when Ness's telepathic waves suddenly go haywire with anxiety.

Peach has stood up, her eyes blazing with pride. Her dress flutters in rising emotion. "Why aren't we talking?! Oh bollucks, I'm going ahead first." She takes a deep breath, but despite her motherly facade, I know that she is feeling just as unsettled as everyone else. "Ness... you did it. Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you-"

Evidently, Ness looks as stumped as I do. "I did what?"

"It was so very brave of you, dear, but I always knew that you had it in you."

Catching her drift, Ness gives a long suffering groan and tilts his head back. "Yes, I'm gay. Why is this such a big deal?!"

"Of course it's a big deal," Peach says kindly. "I know I speak for everyone when I say that we approve." She tenderly inches a hand over his shoulder as if Ness were a fragile piece of glass about to explode into a thousand gay butterflies. "It's normal, dear. You're growing up. During puberty, you might start crushing on your best frien-"

"Crushing?" Ness squeaks. His face turns red. "Wha-Who said anything about a crush?"

Peach lowers her voice, but the cafeteria drops to a hushed silence. All of us can still hear her. "It was Lucas, wasn't it? You moved out because you liked him-"

"Peach, we're just friends."

Dabbing at her watery eyes with her handkerchief, Peach pats him on the head. Her voice sounds tremulous. "It must have been so hard..." Behind her, Wolf coughs into his French Onion soup, clearly trying not to laugh, but Peach only tears up more. "I told Mario. I told him that we needed a sex-ed class. We needed to teach you kids that it was all right to be different, but we didn't, and look at you now, confused over your poor feelings-"

Burying his head into his hands, Ness is wearing the expression of someone dying painfully on the spot.

"-we should all take a leaf from your book, dear. Encourage talking about our feelings. Let's break out of social norms, people! It's the twenty-first century!" Peach cranes her head into my direction. "What did Lucas say? Has he come out of the closet too, sweetie?"

My face burns, and I drop my head, pretending that I haven't heard her. I can feel everyone's eyes on me.

Ness sounds like he's constipated. "He... He's not..."

"Feel the burn," Wii Fit Trainer adds, doing another yoga Pilate.

When Ness stammers off into awkward silence, Peach motherly fusses over the wrinkles in his clothes.

I turn away.

After calling his mom, Ness has taken the news surprisingly well into stride. The extra support has boosted his confidence; whenever anyone brings up the dreaded question, he owns up to the truth with barely the blink of an eye. Ness can easily stand up for himself. I don't have to worry.

"Wahaha!"

My neck turns stiff. I poke my scrambled eggs.

"Hey-a, if you don't minda me asking-" Wario presses in, his black bushy mustache quivering with glee. "When's the big day?"

This man disturbs me. Something about his bulk and corporate greed make all the hairs on my neck stand on end.

Not catching my drift, Wario flits back into my line of sight like an annoying fly. He slumps down into a chair across the table and stares at me. "So... how did you two DO it?" he says suddenly.

There's a collective gasp from the smashers.

Looking furious, Peach hoists up her frying pan. "Wario, I will not have you acting so vulgar and crude around the kids-"

"Kids? They're-a old enough to handle this," Wario snorts, picking his nose with a stubby pinky. "Anyway, the lil brat hasn't answered my question-"

Peach slams her pan onto the table. She's about two seconds away from going on an angry Cooking Mama rampage. "You know very well that they didn't do it, so move it and get back to your table!"

"You-a don't know for sure, princess-"

Feeling a stupid flush crawl up my face at the insinuation, I do my best to ignore him. Wario isn't worth my time. He's only shooting out baseless insults in the hopes of intimidating me, and I'm not going to show him that he gets under my skin.

His voice quickly turns irritated. "Wa! Don't give me that look when I'm a-talking to you!" he snaps, then smacks the back of my head so hard that it leaves my ears ringing from the blow.

Bemused by his antics, I spare him a slow blink. Catching sight of my detached expression, Wario's face falls. He likes getting a rise out of people, all for the expense of fun, and my lack of interest instantly turns him off.

Sulking, he gives me a lousy shove in the shoulder. "Loser-"

"Pick on somebody else your own size!" Ness yells, rising from the far end of our table.

Everyone stares at him.

Of course. I should've known that Ness would've risen to the bait. Even while trying to avoid me, Ness doesn't plan to let any insult towards me slide.

"Waha...?" Turning to face him, Wario grins, baring his uneven teeth like a serrated shark. "Well, if isn't our resident gayboy-"

"Yeah, I am," Ness says angrily. "You got a problem with that?"

"Oh, no. No problem at all. Wa. Wahaha!" Wario dances over, then slaps him hard on the back. Infuriated, Ness flings his empty milk carton after him, but the fat man runs off, still cackling, "Just-a wait til the shipping starts! It's gonna be golden!"

Cursing under his breath, Ness bangs his head against the table. "I hate Italians," he mutters loudly.

Luigi, who conveniently happened to be passing by, throws him a hurt look, then inches away.

"Crap, Luigi! I didn't-" Luigi hurries out of the cafeteria, and frustrated, Ness slams both of his palms against the table. "Damn it!"

Don't take Wario seriously, I say.

Yeah, well at least one of us has to take him seriously, Ness snaps back.

Lowering my eyes to my plate, I return to picking at my food. There's no point in trying to convince Ness if he refuses to see the truth. Ness means well, but with each passing day, it's growing harder to endure his mood swings.

Then as if remembering that he wasn't supposed to be talking to me, Ness lets out another frustrated noise, slams his tray onto the table, then stalks off.

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~oO0Oo~

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Later that night, the repercussions of our agreement begin to hit me. Unable to sleep, I crack open the window to let cold air into the room.

Ness is staying over at Popo's for the time being until Master Hand has an open room.

The temporary separation had been mutual. Ness wanted to get over his feelings. I had agreed to give him space.

But now, seeing the second twin bed devoid of a familiar figure shoots no small pang of pain into my chest. It brings back familiar memories. Sad memories. Unhappy memories.

No matter how much I want to believe, Ness isn't my twin brother. Ness has a mom and a dad of his own. Ness has a sibling of his own to look after, a younger sister to play the role of Big Brother for. In the end, Ness is a different person from Claus, an entirely different person with different desires and different needs.

I've done the unforgivable. I've replaced Ness for someone he is not.

Ashamed, I clench the edge of the windowsill with rigid fingers. It's unintentional, I know. Somewhere, deep down, a part of me has accepted that my runaway twin brother isn't missing, but gone. That he's already passed on. I wake up from dreams that I can no longer remember, dreams that I can't understand. A dying body in my arms. A last breath. A final promise.

All smashers are invited to the tournaments on account of their famous deeds. They are accomplished fighters, skilled mages, brave warriors, sly manipulators. In my case, Master Hand approved of me himself. An exception.

"Your adventure was a difficult one," he said. "Strange. Funny. Heartrending. But difficult."

And that's the worst part. I can't remember anything about my adventure. As far as I can remember, I've gone on no adventure. I've lived in Onett most of my life. Even when my mother passed away. Even when my brother ran away. I was born near Onett, raised in Onett, and grew up in Onett. I haven't done anything remotely hero-worthy, or villain-worthy, or even noteworthy for that matter. While Ness went on a quest to save the world, I was just another kid with psychic powers.

My skin crawls.

What am I forgetting?

I wish I could remember.

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~oO0Oo~

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Wednesday morning passes without incident. Boisterous laughter tells me that Ness is leaving the gym with Popo, so I quickly duck out of their way into another corridor. The fewer the bump-ins, the less awkward. And the less awkward, the better.

However, fate doesn't seem to be on my side. Because by the end of the day, I've encountered too many "almost run-ins" for them all to be coincidence. No matter how hard I try, Ness would miraculously happen to stumble across me. As a psychic, either I'm horrible at avoiding him, or he's trying to find me.

Neither of which makes sense.

So when Red gives me a lucky save by distracting Ness in the cafeteria, I make a break for the loneliest floor in Smash Mansion: the second floor library. Reading takes my mind off of things, so I gladly take this opportunity to my advantage. Perching atop of one of the taller bookshelves, I nestle into my secret hideout against the frowning face of Oliver Twist, and begin to read.

Needless to say, it fails.

A gentle cough catches my attention, and surprised, I spot someone lingering in the doorway. Ness shuffles forward, rubbing the back of his neck.

I sigh, closing my book. "Ness, if you're here to apologize again-"

"I miss you."

Stunned, my voice trails off.

Ness is staring determinedly at his shoes, but a red flush is beginning to color his cheeks. Mortified, he quickly pulls the brim of his cap over his face. "Lucas... I-I miss you. I miss hanging out with you, e-even if you might not feel the same way-"

I can't stop the sad tone from escaping into my voice. "Ness."

"Fuck. Fuck, I can't-" Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, Ness whirls on his heel. "Nevermind, forget I said anything-"

"I missed you too."

Ness halts in his tracks.

Unable to catch his expression, I lower the book into my lap. "I missed you too," I admit again, suddenly feeling shy. When's the last time we've struck a decent conversation? I don't remember hanging out with him since Sunday.

As if not daring to believe, Ness slowly faces me with wide eyes. He coughs. "Um, you want to go blast some aliens? O-Or we can read," he adds quickly, looking around the library. "Wow... books. I love books!"

I can't help but crack a small grin at that. "I thought you hate reading."

"Not true!" Ness insists, picking a random book off the shelf. "Thirty Ways to Bake Mashed Potatoes. Man, I've always wanted to read this-"

I let out a quiet laugh under my breath. "Ness."

His shoulders slump over. "Yeah, okay."

"Aliens?"

"Aliens."

In no time, we're lying on the floor of our room with Ness's legs sprawled over my back. Flashes of color wash over Ness's face as he jams the joystick, peppering the silence with a series of rapid-fire pewpewpews.

Emitting a wordless exclamation, Ness slams down his PS2 controller and throws me a look of disbelief. "What the hell? You shot me!"

"Sorry," I say, not sounding sorry at all. I don't bother stifling the grin, knowing that it'll blow my cover anyway.

Ness quickly catches on. He rolls his eyes and resumes the game, blasting another alien out of the way. The alien gives a nasty screech as its purple guts explode onto the screen.

Turning my head over, I watch him play. Resting on his elbows, Ness doesn't notice me, his eyes glued faithfully to the television screen, but despite the look of fierce determination burning in his deep frown, his shoulders have relaxed. In the heat of the video game, Ness is de-stressing, returning back to his old confident self.

I'm glad for the reprieve. Gaming's a welcome break to forget about our worries for the time being. Satisfied, I return my attention to the screen.

Half a second later, the game spews out a sad doo-doo-doo.

I blink. "Huh. We died."

Ness punches me on the shoulder. "You were distracted."

I stretch out my arms, feeling the bones in my shoulder pop. "Mm."

His legs still draped over my back, Ness rests his head into the carpet. "I smell cheese."

"Don't rub your face into the carpet. You have no idea who last stepped on it."

The carpet vibrates from his muffled voice. "Lighten up, Lucas. This is our room." He pauses. "No, wait... it's yours."

And just like that, the heavy tension returns.

As if realizing our close contact, Ness quickly withdraws his legs from my back. A part of me can't help but feel disappointed. The lack of warmth is a little disarming, so I lean forward and flick the game console off. "So, what now?"

"I dunno," Ness mutters, uncomfortably tugging the bill of his cap down. "Whatever you wanna do, I guess."

Floundering for something to do, I awkwardly rest a hand on his shoulder. It's a strange, but strangely exhilarating feeling, having to initiate contact on my own. "We can... nap."

Ness snorts. "Great idea."

"Naps are great," I decide, curling up against the cheese-smelling carpet.

From the corner of my vision, Ness throws me an incredulous look. "Wait, here?"

"Yeah."

"Weirdo."

"Good night."

Something soft lands on my face. I open my eyes to a fuzzy ball of white fluff. "If you're gonna nap, then at least take a pillow with you, you lil shit," Ness says fondly from above, but through the pillow it sounds muffled like he's underwater.

I swat it aside. "Now you're getting germs on your precious pillow."

"Not today. I vacuumed the carpet," Ness announces. He sounds very pleased of himself, like he's done us a service by doing the chore he's supposed to do for the week.

So I decide to knock his ego down a notch, and roll over to ruffle his hair. "Good boy."

Wriggling away, Ness bats my hand off. "Urg, you... Augh!"

"It's okay. I know my jokes fly over your head-"

"Don't you dare-"

"-and that you have a very short temper-"

"That's it, you asked for it!"

Ness ferociously pummels me with his puffy pillow, and I roll over onto my back, my sides threatening to split from mirth. While I tend to avoid jokes that genuinely make Ness upset, he knows that everything else is up for grabs. Between pauses in his playful pillow-assault, I watch him in growing amusement. "Do you have Napoleon complex?"

"God, I hate you so much-"

"Height jokes are too fun to pass up-"

"Fine, let's see how much you like it," he shoots back, disgruntled. "How's the weather up there?"

I pause, gauging his tone. I've made a mistake. Ness doesn't look like he's having fun, and I should've known better than to have cracked height puns when he's not in the best of moods. "...sorry," I say, this time remorseful.

As predicted, Ness's irritation ebbs from eyes. His shoulders sag, and he lets out a light sigh. "Fuck." Staring at me, he rubs his eyes with a free hand. "Fuck," he repeats. "You can't just... Stop looking at me like that, you're making me feel like an asshole."

"Okay."

"-and stop stealing my taunt."

"Okay."

"..."

"Accident. Won't happen again." I crack a small grin. "...Okay?"

Puffing up his cheeks and feigning disinterest, Ness crosses his arms. "That's it, we're not friends anymore."

"Right after I bailed you out of reading about mashed potatoes? Wow Ness, I'm hurt."

"Ha, you better be. I officially declare war on you."

I muse over making a peace treaty. Too much effort? Too much effort. I lay back down. "Okay then, goodbye forever."

Ness never backs down from a challenge. And I speak from firsthand experience, because as soon as I close my eyes, the sneaky git lunges over and dive-tackles me around the stomach. The playfighting's almost routine. We wrestle and squirm about, Ness trying to trap me in a headlock, me trying to pin him down by the shoulders.

Today, I let Ness take the victory. He laughs, trying to catch his breath. "Ha, who's laughing now?"

"You clearly. I never laugh."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," I wheeze, because he's crushed the air out of my poor lungs. "Now get off, you idiot, I wanna nap."

Ness's grin doesn't falter. "Well go ahead. I'm not stopping you."

"That's awfully generous of you-"

Then Ness tickles my sides.

I almost jump out of my own skin. "Stoo-ooppp," I gasp through helpless laughter. "No- Ness-that's cheating-"

Knowing all my weak points, the traitor lunges for my ticklish neck, but expecting the low blow, I kick him off and press my hands into his face. Cracking a smirk, Ness grabs my shirt as he falls, forcing me to topple over, and while we're roughhousing on the carpet, he quickly changes tactics and seizes me by the ankles.

"No, no, no, mercy, have mercy-"

Ness drags me into the bathroom then rearms himself with his trusty pillow. "You've been exiled. Sleep is no longer yours," he says sternly.

"This is a travesty. I'm telling you, a travesty-"

"Travesty, my ass. Any last words before I overthrow the Bourgeoisie?"

"I-" I start, before slipping on the carpet and falling flat on my face.

It's the last straw. Both of us start cracking up like idiots. My balance has gone off the charts that when I wobble to my feet like a drunken cat, I stumble and face-plant again into the carpet. At the stupid sight, Ness cries with mirth, clutching at his sides in a desperate (but futile) attempt to breathe.

"I-" Ness rasps again in imitation, before he doubles over in a fresh outburst of wheezing, unable to continue. "I can't- stop it-"

"I," I say again, and unable to voice his protest, Ness drags himself over, reduced to socking me in the shoulder to stop.

Whatever's left of our sanity eventually returns. Shaking off the rest of the laughter tremors, I fall facefirst into bed. A nagging thought tells me that I've forgotten to change out of my sweaty clothes, but I ignore it. I have to wash the sheets anyways. Laundry later. Nap time now.

Except that I can't fall sleep. A certain somebody keeps shuffling back and forth by the bedside. Distracted by the bothersome noise, I crack my eyes open.

Ness gazes mournfully at my sheets.

I groan, "Please tell me you're joking."

"I don't know, okay?" Ness whines, all the while resembling a kicked puppy. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm not asking you to sleep with me."

"I know! But I want to! If you're okay with it!"

I frown. That hasn't stopped Ness before. Nightmares are fought best with a close friend at hand; I can't remember the number of times I've crawled into his bed after a nightmare and vice versa. Many times. Too many times to count, too many nights sharing happy dreams and whispered laughter until the other fell asleep. It may have sounded odd, but old habits die hard, and being psychic creates an intimacy beyond the usual friendship. We're like brothers, close siblings who go everywhere and do everything together. No wonder I'm surprised by Ness's sudden hesitation. I haven't given it a second thought until he brought it up.

Now that he has, I'm starting to wonder if it's normal for two friends to share the same bed. It's hard to say. Ness and I aren't exactly normal, not by human standards, and while some came close, no one else on the roster is a teenage psychic. I've seen all sorts of platonic exchanges in the mansion - Ike giving Cloud a bro-hug, Samus braiding Zelda's hair, Wolf fist-bumping Snake.

But sleeping together?

The back of my neck begins to prickle. For crying out loud, is Ness trying to blow everything out of proportion?

"Maybe this was a bad idea," I begin, pushing myself up. "I can nap later-"

"No, you should sleep," Ness says quickly. "I don't mind, it's just... awkward. Sleeping with you. I mean, fuck-" Ness looks ready to die. "Y-You know what I mean!"

"It's only awkward if you make it awkward," I say, feeling my own face burn. I don't know what to think of Ness's newfound awkwardness. Ness is never awkward. Ness was never awkward. Last year, Ness wouldn't have known the definition of awkward if someone tried slapping a dictionary into his face. Now, he's as awkward, if not more so, than I am.

Ness, awkward? Perhaps the world's finally gone mad. I rub my eyes. Well, Ness can do whatever the hell he wants, because I'm going to squeeze in a few winks before I wait too long and screw up my sleep cycle.

Ness watches me with worry. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No." Doubtful, Ness peers into my face, and I offer a sheepish grin. Guilt pricks my sleepy subconscious. I didn't mean to worry him. "Ness, it's nothing that I can't handle."

"Well, you don't look all right," Ness declares, making up his mind. "I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"Mm."

Ness's slippers paff into the carpet, and the mattress creaks under his weight when he crawls over the covers.

I make a soft noise of disgust. "Take your slippers off."

With a sheepish grin, Ness kicks them off. He takes several steps back, then a second later, dive-bombs into my bed, sending shockwaves across the walls as the bedposts skid across the carpet. Alarmed by the sudden momentum, I bump the back of my head against the headboard.

"Ow," I wince, rubbing the painful knot on my head. "Overkill much?"

Apologetically, Ness curls up beside me. "Oops. Couldn't resist."

Unable to stop myself, I stifle a yawn.

The bed creaks again. Crashing loud against my ears, Ness's heavy breaths break the silence. The tips of his warm fingers barely ghost over the back of my hand before they halt, tickling my skin.

"Is this okay?" Ness whispers.

He's pushing his luck. We both know it.

I don't respond.

Ness lets go of my hand.

Author's Note:

Good luck on your finals, everybody. :)