After visiting a foreign kingdom to do King Stuff, Dedede and Meta head back towards Dream Land. Unfortunately, they hit a sort of snag...
Friendship/Hurt/Comfort/Sort of Sickfic
Rated Teen for graphic depictions of injury and poisoning. You've been warned.
While none of these stories are canon to my primary timeline or characterizations, or necessarily in order, they are canon to each other!
"Urrrgh, stars! Damn, can you believe that!?" Dedede swore, something of a rarity, "I still can't believe it!" He paced back and forth in his quarters onboard the Kabula, arms waving furiously as he did. "The gall of that guy! Who tries to just murder somebody for no reason?"
Meta Knight was leaning against the adjacent wall, cape wrapped snug, looking extremely tense; his eyes flickering an irritable golden-orange.
"It was barely fifteen minutes ago, sire; I can believe it just fine. And generally there is a reason, we just don't know what it was." And they couldn't go back to ask, because Meta Knight was fairly sure he killed the man. Not that it bothered him.
"We came all the way down here and that drip actually assaulted me!?" Dedede exclaimed, throwing up his hands in disbelief.
"...He assaulted the both of us, thank you." Meta Knight muttered darkly, pulling his cape tighter with a sort of wince, shifting his stance.
Dedede didn't seem to notice.
"No, you just jumped into the fray like ya always do," Dedede turned, looking back at the hunched figure of his friend, almost-but-not-quite accusingly.
Meta Knight managed to offer a near-sarcastic look in return.
"...Did you think I was going to let him hit you?"
"Well o' course not!" The king waved him off. "But this hammer ain't for show! I woulda be fine on my own; you didn't gotta take a hit for me!" Dedede puffed, looking somehow annoyed and stricken. "There's no need for you to get hurt when I can fight myself!"
Meta Knight emitted a sound not unlike an undignified snort, though there was little amusement in it.
"No, and you can, but simply letting it happen was still not an option."
The king sighed heavily, falling back into a chair, his gloved hands gripping the arms as if to force himself there and keep from wearing a hole in the floor of his airship.
"...Thanks." He said after a moment, looking over at the knight as most of his anger finally burned out.
"Mn. You're welcome." Meta Knight shifted a little, looking uncomfortable.
It wasn't like Dedede didn't expect Meta Knight to have his back as soon as it became clear that it was going to be a fight. Fighting was kind of Meta Knight's entire thing, after all; he'd have been lying if he said he didn't think some part of the man just enjoyed every battle he was ever in, at least a little, so of course he'd leapt into the fray.
The fact that he was extremely protective of his friends made it all the more likely. And probably some mush about knighthood and duty and whatever else.
Dedede wasn't really angry at Meta Knight, anyhow. Dedede was just frazzled.
Who wouldn't be? The pair had essentially been maneuvered into a trap, which Dedede certainly wasn't familiar with, and Meta Knight was almost never caught off-guard by; it was an unpleasant experience for the both of them.
Not to mention the part where, you know, someone tried to kill them.
At least, Dedede figured as much, anyways.
He wasn't as practiced as Meta Knight at understanding when a blow was meant to be lethal, but some things were kinda hard to miss, even for an amateur.
Like a bunch of tiny blades being whipped at your face.
And even if it wasn't, he'd seen the way Meta Knight had fought. The aggressiveness to the knight's movements that only tended to appear when he took something seriously.
Meta Knight was not often required to take his opponents seriously.
But he had, and the guy had been grinning like a snake. Total maniac. So Dedede was pretty sure he'd wanted to hurt them for real.
Thankfully, he hadn't seemed prepared to deal with a king with a jet-equipped mallet, or a swordsman with some breathtakingly uncanny speed. The pair might have been caught by surprise in the beginning, but they turned the tables very quickly, and then got the heck out of dodge.
But… now that the adrenaline had worn off and Dedede was thinking back on the scene a bit more calmly… not before the creep had managed to do some damage.
"...Hey."
Meta Knight's gaze, which had drifted away, unfocused, flicked back to him.
Dedede nodded to where he'd seen the knight favoring his left side.
"He didn't get you good, right?"
Meta Knight twitched.
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
Dedede frowned.
"Meta Knight, don't start with that; I'm not in a very good mood right now," Dedede raised an eyebrow, actually feeling serious for once in a great while.
Sighing irritably, the knight allowed his cape to loosen, almost fidgeting with it for a moment, and then let half of it fall away, exposing-
"Meta!" Dedede jumped back up, making the knight flinch, stepping away on reflex and sighing in clear irritation.
"Your majesty, please, don't-" The knight practically snapped.
Dedede winced at the use of his title. Not a good sign.
"Meta-" He stepped forward slowly, remembering how to move; slow, gentle, predictable. Because an injured Meta Knight was a defensive Meta Knight; one who didn't take kindly to advances against his personal space, one who was leery of being cornered, and would only react badly.
But that was blood. That was kind of a lot of blood, actually, oozing steadily from beneath the knight's gloved hand as it pressed against the wound, stemming the flow.
Dedede knelt down, trying his best to get on the knight's level, trying not to loom and make himself look like a threat- Stars, why was his friend so touchy? He just wanted to help him, he was hurt-
"Meta, you're bleedin'..."
An unimpressed huff.
"Yes, I am aware," The knight twitched again, his free hand balling the other edge of his cape into a fist, twisting it like a distraction, though his eyes were trained only on Dedede.
"Then ya gotta let me help you!" The king insisted, worry written over his face, feathers shrinking tight like they did when he was nervous. "Were you really gonna hide this from me? The whole time? You weren't gonna get help?"
"Of course not," The knight practically snapped, tensing even more. "I have no intention of letting myself bleed out all over the floor, thank you, but I don't need help. It's fine. Now that we're safe on the ship I can treat it myself."
"...Were you really gonna hide this?" Dedede asked again, feeling hurt.
Meta Knight's gaze slipped away, making Dedede cross his arms in something like betrayal, which was exactly what he realized he was tempted to call the feeling.
"I… I was going to wait a few minutes longer before excusing myself." Meta Knight admitted, his voice resigned. "Then I'd have taken care of it. Despite what you may think," He looked back up at the king, "I actually do not take deplorable care of myself. If that were true, I wouldn't be alive right now… Nor do I always reject another's aid-"
"You were gonna hide this." Dedede stated, feeling sort of crushed.
"...Yes. I was. But only because you already seemed so shaken," The knight insisted, something in his words genuine and… almost soft. "I didn't wish to worry you further; you've had a rather stressful evening as it is."
"Says the guy who got stabbed!"
"I can manage on my own! Besides, I wasn't sure how you'd react to the blood."
Dedede practically rolled his eyes, despite the absurdity of it all. Or because of it.
"Meta, I've seen blood before-"
"Of course, but I doubt you've seen any injuries more gruesome than a papercut or a bruise or maybe a slice from a kitchen knife," Meta Knight laughed humorlessly again, somehow managing to make light of the situation, "I didn't want to make you ill."
In all fairness, Dedede guessed there were a lot of prissy royals out there that probably did feel that way, and would faint at the sight of blood or something.
"Well I'm a bit hardier 'n that," He scoffed, then any sense of a smile fell away and he shook his head brokenly. "Mety, you shoulda told me-"
"That isn't-" Meta Knight almost snapped, but he caught himself, Paused for a breath. "...That isn't my name."
Dedede winced apologetically.
"Meta… Meta Knight. I'm sorry. But that ain't even important right now; we gotta get you cleaned up, an', an' bandaged or something-"
"It's fine, sire," The knight interjected tiredly, forcing himself to stand straighter, his hand clutching unconsciously at his wound, "Forgive my… rudeness,"
King Dedede was already shaking his head again.
"Hey, that's okay. Neither of us is doin' great right now thanks to that asshole. Just… just let me help you? Pretty please? We got a pretty nice little medbay-kinda place on this ship, ya know! An' you don't gotta let the Dees poke at you if you don't want to; we can just be alone! Or-or you can be alone, or whatever; just… please?" The avian looked at him desperately, his eyes trailing back to the dark stain on his side. "That's gotta be hurtin' you…"
"...Well it doesn't exactly tickle." Meta Knight replied flatly, glancing at it himself.
Wordlessly, Dedede reached out a hand, and after a pause Meta Knight took it, allowing the monarch to lead him a few slow steps away from the wall.
"Okay, then let's get you all patched up then, huh?" Dedede tried to smile, gently letting go of his hand.
Meta Knight quickly had himself wrapped in his cape again.
"...I do find the idea agreeable," He managed, shooting the king a look that wasn't nearly so harsh, some of the lingering orange bleeding out of his eyes.
Dedede grinned weakly.
Thankfully, the Kabula wasn't a huge ship, and the trip to the infirmary wasn't a long walk. If it had been, Dedede knew it would've been much harder to fight the urge to simply scoop the smaller creature up in his arms and carry him.
Which was realistically a death sentence, though the king had probably done dumber things before.
…The king had definitely done dumber things before-
But Meta Knight was not in the mood for it. That much was clear.
It wasn't obvious that he was in pain; he always hid that well. But the regular smooth fluidity of his gait was hampered by a sort of limp, and what Dedede could make out of the wincing expression behind his visor left little to the imagination.
When they finally arrived, the limp becoming only more apparent in what Dedede assumed was anticipation, he politely ordered the few Dees staffing the place out, knowing full well there was a good chance that Meta Knight wouldn't even want him there, himself. He was expecting to get the boot, actually, but it never came. Meta Knight simply dropped his cape once the door was closed, and to Dedede's absolute horror, moved his hand away from the wound, and pulled a small blade out from his side.
"Meta Knight!"
A soft grunt of pain was the man's only response, and he placed the bloody metal down on one of the shorter countertops with an unceremonious clink.
"Get me some antiseptic, please." Meta Knight ordered calmly, pulling off his soiled gloves and tossing them into one of the sinks.
"That's been there this whole time!?" The king yelped.
"If I removed it earlier I would have bled all over your floor. You're welcome."
"That's-! You-!" Dedede blustered, trying not to panic as more fresh blood began seeping out of his friend at an even faster rate, the little shuriken-like thing no longer in place to staunch the flow.
"I know." The knight sighed, cutting him off briskly. "Trust me, I'm aware of your thoughts on the matter. Now please, if you want to help, I'll need an antiseptic." He glanced at his hand distastefully. "I hope those gloves aren't ruined…"
After a few seconds of Dedede fussing over what exactly antiseptic was and Meta Knight resolving to teach the king some actual first aid when he was in a better mood, the king was dabbing at the spot as best he could with gauze soaked in something that smelled awfully funky as far as he was concerned.
Given the little twitches and slight hisses the knight was emitting quietly beneath his hand, it didn't feel too great, either. And Meta Knight was bleeding all the while. Slowly, but bleeding.
"Isn't that… a lot of blood for somethin' so small?" Dedede had asked in concern, trying his best to clean the wound.
"It's deep," Meta Knight had answered distractedly, "It's going to bleed more."
"Is that bad?" The king paused.
"Well let me put it this way; it isn't good." Came the flat response, and Dedede realized it was the closest to his usual humor that Meta Knight could get in the moment, and he forced a weak laugh. Meta Knight had almost smiled. "How does it look?"
Dedede wanted to say awful.
Because it was awful, as far as he was concerned, but he knew Meta Knight probably wasn't asking that.
"Uh… bloody?" Dedede tried unhelpfully, knowing full well he was out of his depth. "What… what'm I lookin' for exactly?"
Another small grunt of pain made the king stay his hand.
"Sorry," He said quickly, wincing.
Meta Knight waved him off.
"Don't concern yourself," Came the brusque response, "You're looking for… well. Is it clean? Is there… anything in the wound that shouldn't be there? I don't feel anything that shouldn't be there, and the blade is intact. But any debris will get trapped inside when we bandage it, and that may well cause infection, which… I'd rather we didn't have to combat."
Dedede peered closer to the deep puncture, unable to suppress a grimace at the torn flesh. He hadn't lied about not having an issue with bloody stuff, but… Meta Knight was right; this was on another level for him, and he really didn't like it.
Good thing he'd never wanted to be a doctor growing up.
"...I don't see anything." The king admitted, not feeling confident. "But… I dun really know what I'm lookin' for. What if I'm wrong? And it hurts you afterwards-"
"We'll deal with that when the time comes. If you see nothing, there probably is nothing." Meta Knight assured him. "Now. Do you have a spray of that stuff?"
"Huh?"
"The antiseptic. If there's a spray somewhere, then… just use some of that liberally and we'll call it a night. Then you can wrap me up like a mummy or whatever it is you're planning, and I'll be 'right as rain', as they say, in no time." Meta Knight twitched, a faint flicker of sunset orange creeping back to his eyes for a moment, clearly displeased at the self-inflicted reminder of his infirmity.
"After I get you to bed to rest for a bit," Dedede corrected, trying to ignore his nerves as he sifted through the medical supplies in the room again. Thankfully he found a bottle. "Is this the stuff?"
Meta Knight nodded.
"That will do."
"Good," Dedede seemed to relax a bit, "So I just… squirt it in there, right?"
"That is correct," Meta Knight turned slightly to give him access, then yelped as the first spray made contact, stinging intensely, making his wings flare out from his cape on reflex. He did manage not to hit the king in the face with one, though he came close.
"S-Sorry!" Dedede ducked away from one of the claws. "Did that hurt?"
Meta Knight winced, his eyes a heightened pale yellow.
"...Somewhat," He replied, his voice a little off. "It's all right. Just… It merely caught me off-guard, is all. Continue," His wings, sort of shivering, folded back carefully.
Dedede finished cleaning the wound as quickly as he could; desperate to do a thorough job, yet still feeling awful that it involved hurting his friend more in the process. Afterwards, Meta Knight gently instructed him through the procedure of wrapping it, taking his mask off for ease of access, and letting the king catch a glimpse of his face.
He looked a little pale, and his eyes a little bright but that didn't really shock him, so Dedede didn't bug him by mentioning it. Even though he saw his wings quiver again and something about it struck him as… not right.
If he pried, Meta Knight was definitely gonna be annoyed with him…
Medical tape, bandages, and more gauze later, the nasty little wound was bound tight and snug, and the knight gratefully returned his mask to its rightful place, and, after securing himself a spare pair of gloves from within it, did the same to his cape.
"Right. Well, we gotta have some painkillers in here or somethin'," Dedede remarked, rooting around another cabinet while Meta Knight fixed his cape around himself comfortably and a small group of Dees returned to clean up the remainder of the mess. And the blood.
"It's… quite all right, sire." Meta Knight said, seeming a bit more comfortable as he slipped the white gloves on, yet discreetly edging himself into another corner all the same. "I can go without."
Dedede rolled his eyes.
"Meta you just got stabbed. I am not not giving you some kinda drug…" He rummaged through a collection of pill bottles of various sizes.
The knight seemed to shiver suddenly out of the corner of his eye.
"I've endured worse." Meta Knight replied. And after a pause. "...Much worse."
"Yeah, well, that's kinda bullshit," Dedede said frankly, "And now it's up to me, I'm gonna load you up with the good stuff so you don't have to feel nothin' else."
"Do you kiss your imaginary girlfriends with that mouth, sire?"
"Beak, thanks." Dedede chose one and looked it over. "...Good to know your crummy sense of humor survived that guy…" He glanced back at the little knight.
Meta Knight tilted his head in a way that made him appear suspiciously innocent.
"Why Dedede, I thought you said yourself I had no sense of humor."
"Hmph." Dedede tried to look haughty, but really he only felt… relieved.
Relieved because if Meta Knight was in a good enough mood to make jokes, it must have meant that he was okay. Or gonna be okay, at least. Soon, hopefully.
But then he shivered again, which Dedede thought was kind of funny.
"...You cold?" He asked.
Meta Knight stared at him uncomprehendingly.
"...No? Why do you ask?"
Huh. Well.
"Uh… nevermind. Will this stuff work for ya?" Dedede held out the bottle of medicine, ignoring the knight's new weird quirk. Meta Knight squinted at it.
"...Should be fine."
"Cool." Dedede popped open the bottle and poured a bunch of the tablets into his palm, shoving it towards his friend. "Eat."
Meta Knight blinked at him, unimpressed.
"I do not need half the bottle, thank you; have you ever heard of overdosing?"
"Just. Eat 'em."
"...May I have a drink?" He asked in a way that was definitely almost impolite-
Sighing dramatically, Dedede had one of the Dees run out to get the knight a glass of water, but as soon as he did, he turned back around to the horrific sight of his friend simply popping what looked like three or four of the things into his mouth dry, followed by the villainous crunch of chewing, and the absolutely unholy action of him swallowing them.
Dedede stared, frankly aghast.
"Mn…" Meta Knight winced. "Would be nice if they tasted less like chalk."
"...You didn't WAIT FOR THE WATER AFTER ALL THAT?" Dedede exclaimed, making a few of the Dees jump anxiously, looking up from their work in brief alarm.
Meta Knight stared at him.
"It hurts." He said stiffly, daring the king to contradict him.
"You weren't gonna take anything at all!" Dedede blustered.
"...Touché."
Dedede shook his head, trying not to think too much about the fact that Meta Knight seemed to have shivered a third time, (even though there was definitely something weird about it), and gave the knight a dubious look.
"See, this is why I gotta take care of you."
"You aren't taking care of me; you're helping me take care of myself. That's quite different." Meta Knight insisted calmly. "I am a very capable person."
"Who just ate a bunch of chalk dust."
"Chalk dust with beneficial properties." The knight insisted.
"Chalk dust." Dedede said flatly, moving to leave the room.
"Healing chalk dust," Meta Knight replied, following with a wince and a slight limp.
The Waddle Dee that Dedede had sent for water met them just outside the door, and offering the glass to Meta Knight respectfully, wibbling something soft in its own language that the knight couldn't understand, but he nodded politely, accepting it, and managed to discreetly sip through his mask, which was a skill Dedede had seen him use many times and still didn't understand.
There was a faint clink as the rim of the glass jostled against the metal, and Dedede thought it looked for a moment like Meta Knight's hand had shook, but he must have just imagined it.
"Better?"
"Much, thank you." The knight allowed.
"Well, I'm pretty beat. Wanna head back?" Dedede suggested.
"Back to your quarters?" Meta Knight asked before taking another sip.
"Yeah. Just to hang out for a while. U-Unless you're tired; you can go back to your room, 'o course. You must be wantin' to rest by now, actually." Dedede realized with a small hint of disappointment. It was selfish, but he really wanted Meta Knight to stay with him… So he could keep an eye on him, and have someone to talk to, and… he still felt so weird about the whole event…
Like he was still nervous even though it was over.
But he couldn't force his friend. What with him being stabbed and all that.
"I wouldn't be averse to sharing your company for a while." Meta Knight replied, but Dedede caught an almost… hesitancy to his tone. He frowned a little.
"You sure? You still seem a bit… off." He admitted, hoping it wasn't rude or something that would get on the knight's nerves. "I know how much you need to be alone an' stuff; it's okay if ya need a break from me. Long day, an' all that. I'm tired too, but I figured it might be nice to just… I dunno."
Sit. Talk. Be quiet. Do introvert things, even though Dedede wasn't really an introvert himself.
Meta Knight hummed thoughtfully.
"No... I… I'd appreciate your company. For a while."
Something… definitely felt funny. But Dedede couldn't place it.
When they got back to his room, he noticed Meta Knight getting twitchy again.
It wasn't super obvious. But there were these weird little flicks and shivers and he seemed… flighty. Maybe anxious. Agitated, somewhat(?). Dedede watched as his cape billowed into wings and he shook them out like a bird before folding them back in and taking the fabric tightly in his hands again.
"...You okay?" The king asked.
Meta Knight blinked at him as if remembering he was there.
"...Of course. Sore, but I'm used to it. And I'm sure the medication will kick in for me soon enough."
Dedede smiled weakly.
"Just makin' sure yer all right. You… I dunno, you just seem kinda… off." He said again, realizing that he had no better word for it.
"Well, as you eloquently put it, I did get stabbed today, which wasn't what I had planned on experiencing." Meta Knight remarked.
"Yeah but… I dunno; you're a knight. Don't you get stabbed a lot?"
"Less than I used to, given my skill," Meta Knight countered fairly, his grip on the cape tightening, though he didn't seem to notice it, "But yes, I suppose so. Comparatively to other people. That doesn't make it fun, no matter how accustomed I may have become to the possibility."
Then, without much warning, he shook his head-or, Dedede supposed, most of him-sort of like an animal would if someone had dumped a bucket of water over it.
Then they stared at each other.
"...I think I do… feel… rather out of sorts, admittedly." Meta Knight confessed carefully, glancing at the king somewhat from the side; his injury angled away from him again, stance growing defensive. "Just… I'm not sure. It's nothing."
"Sheesh, Meta," Dedede shook his head, "That must've really freaked you out."
The knight seemed to frown.
"Not particularly," He disagreed, and Dedede had to admit that he sounded perfectly relaxed. "We've both faced down far worse opponents in the past. And I've faced… things I'd rather not tell you about, frankly." He seemed to tuck the cape closer.
"Well, here," Dedede had turned to the little nightstand beside his bed, "We can raid my secret stash; I know that'll make you feel better."
As he turned back around, he realized that while Meta Knight would usually be eyeing him with a reserved curiosity at such a statement, he was looking more wary than anything. Almost distrustful, as if he was prepared to bolt.
Until he saw that the king had his hands full of candy bars. That reassured him.
Meta Knight's indomitable sweet tooth was a well known not-secret between them both, and given Dedede's own formidable appetite, there was never a shortage of less-than-healthy snacks for the pair to stuff their faces with, practically anywhere they went. In the castle, on the Halberd, (the rare times Dedede was permitted onboard), stored in the pockets of the king's robes and the magically-sealed depths of the knight's cape. Chocolate something or others of all kinds were kind of a given.
"Okaaay," Dedede started to sift through the bundle of plastic-wrapped goodness, "We got plain chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel-y chocolate, chocolate with nuts and stuff… uh…" He squinted. "Whatever's in a Gamble Galaxy-"
"I think that's more caramel."
"-An' that stuff in a 4 Musketeer-"
"A type of mousse- Actually give me that."
Dedede snickered as Meta Knight darted forward to grab it, but noted that the knight retreated instantly out of reach after claiming his prize.
"You love those things so much just because of the guys with swords or are they really that good?"
"Musketeers are guys with muskets," Meta Knight said a little too sharply. He didn't quite snap it, but there was an edge to his voice that wasn't there a moment ago.
"Well, yeah, but what about the book with the weirdos with swords runnin' around?" Dedede asked.
Meta Knight had his mask pushed somewhat up, enough to eat it, but his right wing hovered near his face, hiding most of him from view.
"...Hey, you don't gotta hide?" Dedede pressed, peeking a little closer.
But Meta Knight nearly jumped, fluttering, and instantly the mask was in place and he was wrapped tightly in his cape, totally inaccessible. And in the moment before the fabric closed around him, Dedede swore he'd seen the knight's glove twitching towards his sword.
They both stared at each other, looking equally shocked.
"...I…" Meta Knight's eyes went a sudden white.
"Meta-" Dedede reached for him, growing worried.
"I'm sorry-" The knight shivered, stepping back.
Only. He wasn't shivering at all. It was more of a shudder, or a tremble.
"I'm sorry," He said more firmly, relaxing a little though it was clear it took a lot of effort to do so. "I… I'm not… feeling quite like myself, suddenly." He cleared his throat.
"Does it hurt that bad?" Dedede asked, concerned.
Meta Knight shook his head.
"No… it… it isn't this, it-" The cape fell limply from around him, and Dedede saw that while one hand had moved protectively to cover the bandages, both of them were trembling. "...I'm sorry," The knight said again, his eyes flickering a near-silver in earnest apology, "I don't… know what's gotten into me…"
Silver flooded over with hastily embarrassed pink before returning to the yellow Dedede expected, though it was still somewhat pale. Maybe even lighter than before.
"Hey," Dedede said, "It's okay; I'm not mad or nothin'. I just wanna know what's wrong. You ain't actin' like yourself." Dedede was worried now. That was no longer up for debate. Whatever was going on with his knight wasn't normal, and he wished that the puff would just tell him about it.
But Meta Knight didn't seem to know. And that was worse.
"No, I'm not. I apologize-"
"Meta you've said 'sorry' like ten times in the past five minutes-"
"Four, actually."
"-It's okay," Dedede stressed. "I can't be mad at you for actin' funny when you're not feelin' well, how's that fair?"
For once the knight didn't argue. But he still looked ashamed.
Pulling his hand gently away from his bandages, Meta Knight crossed his arms, like he wanted something to do with his hands, but ended up looking like he was sort of hugging himself.
A deep breath became a sigh.
"...I appreciate that," He said quietly, accompanied by another of those strange shivers.
Dedede decided to finally bite.
"You really aren't cold? Even a little bit?"
Meta Knight blinked at him rather blankly.
"...No, sire?" He sounded genuinely a little confused, his head tilting to one side as it often did. "If you are-" He seemed to realize Dedede had mentioned it before, "-You're welcome to turn up the heat; it's your ship. I know I jab about how warm it is a lot, but I don't truly mean anything by that-"
"No, no, I'm fine," The king said quickly, "I just… You keep shivering-"
Meta Knight tensed a little.
"-So I figured you must be cold for some reason." Dedede admitted. "I was gonna turn the heat up for you."
Meta Knight looked like he was about to speak, but for a moment, he didn't say anything.
"I… thank you… Dedede," He looked at the floor, his wings lowering in resignation, "I appreciate it. But it's… unnecessary. I'm not shivering because I'm cold, I…" Meta Knight seemed to hold himself tighter. "My muscles keep… tensing, and-"
Dedede had knelt down before him at that point and decided to take the risk of actually touching him. A soft gloved hand cradled one side of Meta Knight's head, and he jumped, but allowed the king to carefully turn him so they were facing each other again.
"Hey…"
Meta Knight stared at him silently, his eyes beginning to look truly desaturated.
"It's okay." Dedede said earnestly. "I'm still kinda shaken after everything. It's all right."
"Of course it's all right-" Meta Knight snapped, the waspish edge overtaking his tone again along with a sudden spark of orange, "I'm not upset! I…" He faltered.
"Meta Knight?" Dedede suddenly felt that something really wasn't right.
"...I don't know. Something's wrong-" The knight was staring at his hands, looking disturbed, watching them shake. "I can feel it." One hand slipped automatically to the bandages on his side, trembling.
"Wh-What kinda wrong?" Dedede yelped, his feathers tightening again in alarm. "Meta, what's the matter? Should… should we go back? The Dees can help you- Are you bleedin' again?"
But Meta Knight was already shaking his head. Or… twisting it. The movement was all wrong; slow, disjointed- Like his wings, shaking free of his cape and… jerking.
Meta Knight uttered a sound of discomfort, staggering as if he'd tripped on air, and his wings forced themselves open, twitching, straining-
"...D-Dedede-"
The king stared in shock as Meta Knight faltered.
"I… I'm sorry; I'm not-" The knight arched his back suddenly, chirping a cry of pain as his wings beat once, the airflow buffeting Dedede's feathers. Then Meta Knight seemed to freeze, shuddering, staring at him blankly in what was almost surprise.
"I'm not feeling very well-" He managed.
Choking a soft, soundless breath, the knight stumbled forwards, his eyes flashing, and the king of Dream Land dove forward to catch him.
"Meta-!" Dedede gathered the knight in his arms, frantic.
"Gck! S-Sire-" The knight practically wheezed, almost squirming in Dedede's grasp, his wings spread unnaturally, spasming-
Spasming. Muscle spasms.
Dedede could see them; rippling mercilessly across his wings like worms.
"M-Meta! What's wrong!? How do I help you!?" He pleaded, his own heart pounding in his chest as he watched the knight, his friend, flounder and twitch in his arms, eyes melting between silver-white and burning violet in a way that Dedede could barely understand.
"I-Aaah!" Meta Knight twisted, one of his claws digging into the wood planks of the floor as his body spasmed again, irises pulsing. "I don't know… I don't-" He choked off again, then coughed, and then a grim look of understanding crossed his eyes, and they flicked down to his side.
"...The knives… the knives were poisoned-!" His eyes burst red-orange, forgetting his own pain as the face of their enemy burned in his mind. "That foul-"
"What!?" Dedede had taken Meta Knight's gloves in his own, clinging to him desperately despite his friend's painful grip, squeezing him intermittently as his body seized. "Y-You! You said you were gonna be fine! What do you mean it's poison; you were fine! I-I did everything you told me to!" Dedede cried brokenly.
Meta Knight squeezed his eyes shut, straining against his own body.
"This-" He cut himself off, hissing into a snarl, "This isn't… your fault! We couldn't know!" He squeezed the king's hands tighter, making it hurt.
Dedede was in a panic.
This was when he needed Meta Knight; when things went wrong, bad wrong, and stars, he looked like he was dying. And Dedede didn't know what to do.
"Meta, I-I'm gonna get help!" Dedede promised, too shocked even to cry. "I'm gonna go get the Dees, understand? Th-They- They can help you!"
"N-No! No time… Help… help me get my sword!" He wheezed, his stare burning into Dedede, "I need… Galaxia! I can… heal this…!" His wings and arms jerked, straining, his boots scraping across the floor.
Galaxia… Galaxia. Right, yes-
"Where is it?" Dedede asked frantically, realizing that he couldn't see even a sheathe or a hilt- He didn't worry about the fact that he knew he couldn't touch it. At that moment, he didn't even really remember it.
"In… my cape-!" Meta Knight grit out, his claws digging into the floor beneath them. "We… need my cape!" He seemed to realize that Dedede had no idea how to get it back, with his wings spasmed stiff and out of his own control. Then a pulse of determined gold overtook his eyes, rimming with near furious red-
Fury at whoever dared to do this to him.
And with a weak fizzle of twisted magic, he willed the cloth to return, overtaking his wings, though to Dedede's shock, the fabric itself still seemed to move; slowly curling on itself in waves. Dedede wasted no time pouncing on it, straightening a patch out as his friend spasmed, his other wing shaking. Dedede stuffed his hand into the cape, praying it would work-
And recoiled, jumping back when something shocked him.
"AAAH! M-Meta-" He looked at his friend desperately, realizing the problem.
One gloved hand slammed down onto the fabric. And down, and in- And then out. Followed by a hilt, then a blade.
And without thinking, Dedede grabbed Meta Knight's hand to steady it.
Then came the shock.
Dedede cried out, jolting back away from the sword as it pumped electricity into them both, seemingly without mercy. Clutching at his burning arm, the nerves tingling down into his chest, Dedede watched in horror while Meta Knight lurched weakly in front of him, Galaxia alight like a brand of fire; the ruby a burning red eye, the blade white-hot with energy.
But as it crackled and sparked, it seemed that none of the tiny bolts even reached Meta Knight himself. He hadn't convulsed with electricity as Dedede had; he was still stricken by whatever toxic force was holding him. And then, something finally pricking in his eyes, Dedede saw little, glittering puffs exit the knight's visor, carried away on his breath-
He'd only seen Meta Knight use magic a few times before, but he knew.
"Stars, please-" Dedede begged, sinking closer to the ground, crawling to gather the knight in his arms, watching out for the sword, "Meta, I know you can do it!"
Meta Knight didn't seem to see him anymore; lost someplace far beyond the room, and Dedede felt the tingle of magic pulsing as he cradled the little body of his friend, watching as his form strained against the poison.
"Please…!" He begged, watching the stardust flow shakily as the knight's breathing became a wheezed rasp. Desperate to help, Dedede pushed the mask up, exposing Meta Knight's face in the hopes it made it easier for him to breathe, and Meta Knight finally looked at him again, white eyes blazing, sparks of energy falling from his lips as he shuddered.
Then his expression of fear changed to something determined, and his eyes spilled over with gold. Dedede realized that some of Galaxia's light had flowed over Meta Knight's own body… Or… no, the light might have come from Meta Knight himself.
It shone in waves, and the magic feeling still thrummed, and then it faded, receding into the knight's skin as tiny pinpricks, like he was covered in stars…
And then it vanished.
Meta Knight grimaced, panting, dust still rising off his breath, and Dedede was struck by how wickedly sharp his teeth were, how long his fangs looked.
As the tiny specks of light faded away, the tension that held his body began to drain, and with a rasping sigh, Meta Knight slowly went limp, panting, his body trembling from the effort as the last of the spasmodic shudders weakened and ceased.
Galaxia was still glowing like a live wire, but the sparks had withered away. The blade simply shone, humming with energy, and after a minute, that faded too.
Meta Knight's eyes lost their light almost immediately; yellow bleeding into a sheen of pallid, rainy silver, quickly growing unfocused as his eyelids fluttered shut. Dedede had a hand cupped over his cheek before he even knew what he was doing, alarmed at just how warm he felt.
"M-Mety?" He pleaded.
"...Mnn… M… Metabolized th'poison…" The knight wheezed, pulling his eyes open to look up at his friend.
"H-Huh? What's that mean?" Dedede asked quickly, realizing the knight was slipping closer to unconsciousness. "Meta!?"
"Hhh… B-buttons…" Meta Knight slurred, making absolutely no sense.
"What?"
"Buttonsss… Qua… ke…" The knight sighed, melting into Dedede's arms even more. Then his eyes fell shut again, and Galaxia faded out completely. "Sss… Strick…"
Alarmed, Dedede shook him.
"Meta! META!" His voice cracked, and Meta Knight's brow furrowed; his mouth working to produce a smattering of bird call-like sounds in his mother tongue that Dedede had no hope of understanding. "Meta, you gotta stay awake, you hear?"
The knight barely managed to shake his head.
"...No…" He mumbled. "Sssleep." One arm weakly moved to touch Dedede's own, giving him the gentlest squeeze. "...Too… too much… sssorry… So tired…"
And then he went limp.
Dedede froze, and before he could even react, there was a knock on the door.
"Great King?" The soft tones of a Waddle Dee muffled by the closed door met his ears. "Is everything all right? We heard a noise…"
Looking up quickly, Dedede gathered Meta Knight securely in his arms, hurriedly pulling the mask back down over his face.
"Dee!" He called back in Common, "Get in here now, we need help!"
The door was quickly opened, and a small crowd of the little creatures rushed inside, looking quite startled at the sight that awaited them.
Dedede stood, absolutely distraught, with tears starting to spill down his face, and the cause of his upset was clear.
"Great King, what happened?" The first Dee pleaded. "Was his lordship injured?"
"But he was treated earlier this evening," Another insisted, looking quite put-out, "I was in the infirmary at the time-"
"Great King, let us see him-"
"You aren't injured too?"
Dedede shook his head quickly, his voice rising above the clamor.
"He was fine! Meta Knight was fine!" His voice caught. "'T-Til he wasn't… I dunno what happened; he said the knife that cut 'im was poisoned or somethin', and then he started… he started spazzin' around; I ain't ever seen nothin' like that before!" Hastily, King Dedede knelt down so that the Dees could reach. They clustered around Meta Knight quickly, some of them gently reaching to touch him.
"He feels very warm, your majesty," One said sadly, glancing at the others.
Another shook their head.
"He feels like magic."
Dedede was quick to nod in agreement.
"M-Meta tried to heal himself! I… I dunno how well it worked… He weren't really makin' sense at the end, 'fore he passed out…"
The Dee reached out and placed their hand on Meta Knight's side, carefully avoiding the site of his injury.
"...He is just sleeping, Great King," They said firmly, "If he rests, he'll be all right. Lord Meta Knight is strong, but he'll need you to look after him, now."
Dedede shook his head quickly.
"But I don't know what to do!" He exclaimed, feeling something wet run down his feathers. "I'm not smart like he is, I can't help him like this!"
"Of course you are, Great King." The first Dee said, prompting the others to nod.
"All he will need now is rest," The other one insisted, "The Old Ones are very strong, and his lordship knew what he was doing."
"Should… should I take him back to the infirmary?" Dedede reached to wipe a tear off his face, too concerned about Meta Knight to be anything close to embarrassed.
"I think he will be more comfortable here, with you. He does not need our help, or our medicine, after healing himself. He just needs to regain his strength. He will be much stronger by the morning, Great King."
"...If you're really sure," Dedede found himself saying, glancing down at the limp form of his friend, listening to the weak rasp of his breath, "I'll… I'll keep him here, with me. Make sure he's comfortable… If you're sure."
"We are sure, Great King. You will take good care of him."
Dedede certainly tried.
After assuring him and themselves that he was all right, the Waddle Dees left much as they came, and Dedede was left there alone. Of course he knew he could call on the Waddle Dees whenever he needed to, but…
He felt… very alone all of a sudden.
Carefully, carried Meta Knight over to the bed, and gently laid him down on the covers while he arranged everything properly. Usually his bed was kind of a mess, but Meta Knight always liked everything so neat and tidy… He probably made his bed everyday like people were supposed to. Dedede couldn't let him wake up and find himself lying in a haphazard pile of chaos; he'd hate that…
So pillows were arranged. Blankets were smoothed. Everything was fluffed as soft and cozy as King Dedede knew how to get it.
Then he'd remembered that Meta Knight was still wearing all his armor. And holding his sword. One of those was an easier fix than the other, but thankfully, Galaxia was apparently aware of his sudden predicament, and gently dematerialized itself, shimmering back into the knight's cape before Dedede could even poke the hilt.
Thank Nova for that.
In the end, Meta Knight was relieved of his metallic attire, laid gently in the bed, and wrapped loosely in his own cape, the way he so often did himself.
Dedede wasn't sure if he needed anymore covers. He'd been so warm…
Eventually he decided that draping one blanket over him loosely couldn't hurt, and so he did it, and with that, he was left sitting there in silence- (or near-silence, because that sickly wheeze was still audible and setting Dedede's teeth on edge) -with no idea how to feel.
There was a look of tension to the knight's face that Dedede wanted to go away. He wound up simply rubbing his thumb over Meta Knight's temple, gently, hoping to soothe him while he slept.
It must have worked.
Meta Knight tensed up very briefly after a few moments, causing Dedede's hand to slow, his face twisted into another grimace, the tips of those curiously-elongated teeth poking free of his lips, and then the tiny pricks of light flickered to life across his skin in a wave before vanishing again. With a heavy sigh, Meta Knight settled, slipping into deeper unconsciousness under his friend's touch.
Watching him sleep, Dedede remembered how much Meta Knight liked the dark, and he forced himself to get up and shut off the light.
Hurrying back to the knight's side, Dedede figured he might not sleep at all. Maybe he'd just sit there all night until morning. Making sure Meta was okay.
…In hindsight he should have known better. He was terrible at staying up.
When Dedede awoke early the next morning, the first thought in his head was that he wasn't supposed to have fallen asleep. Only… he didn't really remember why.
It hit him fairly quickly.
Bolting up in bed, the first panicked action he took was checking on Meta Knight.
Sometime during the night, he'd moved; having started out with a respectable distance between the two of them, the smaller being had ended up curled tightly against Dedede's side, burrowing into the plush cloth of his robes.
The king was quick to recall his terror from the day prior, and hastily scooped the ailing warrior up in his arms, figuring it was better to risk waking him; then he'd know the knight even could wake up.
He was terrified that… Meta Knight wouldn't even be breathing, and there'd be nothing he could do about it.
Dedede put his hand on top of the knight's chest, trying to feel…
The faintest motion reached him. Motion that matched up with the soft, whistling sound that Dedede just realized still clung to each weary breath the knight took.
He sighed shakily in relief.
Stars… He was okay. Meta Knight was okay.
…Dedede's eyes felt kinda wet. He blinked at it and it vanished. Calm. He had to be calm. For Meta's sake. Cool, level-headed, in control-
The king forced himself to breathe. Deep, slow, relaxed, focusing on the soft warmth of his unconscious friend, cradled in his arms. He felt it as he tightened his grip involuntarily, and tried to be as gentle as he could…
Meta Knight had almost died. Hadn't he? Wasn't that what had happened?
But he was alive now. Still. He was asleep, and hurt, and something- something Dedede still didn't even know- had made him very sick. But he was gonna be okay.
The Dees had said so. The Dees were smart.
He was gonna be just fine. Even though he… wasn't waking up.
Despite all the king's jostling, Meta Knight hadn't so much as stirred, remaining as quiet and limp as a stuffed toy or a sleeping infant. After a few minutes of holding him and listening to the gentle wheeze, Dedede eventually forced himself to set him down.
He was exhausted. Of course he was still sleeping. Nothing to worry about.
Meta Knight was placed neatly back where Dedede had found him; curled up in his wings and pressed lightly against him. It made a little warm spot against his side, and reminded the king that Meta Knight was very much alive.
"Thank Nova," The king moaned quietly, flopping back down on the sheets.
Stars, he was tired. He didn't get paid enough for this. Could he raise the taxes a little bit and get away with it? No; Meta would guilt him for it when he woke up.
His hand came to rest back on Meta Knight's head.
The warrior probably wanted to sleep for the rest of the week, at least. Dedede would have. He kind of did already, and he was the healthy one. Stars… He was exhausted after that night, too. And… still scared… Of course the one person he always went to with these problems was the one person who was incapacitated now and couldn't help.
Sighing shakily, Dedede fiddled around with the covers before deciding, rather subconsciously, just to stay in bed a while longer.
Warm, safe, quiet…
Meta Knight was okay. He could get another five minute's shut eye himself… Nothing would happen. He could nap. Meta Knight was right here, and Meta Knight was fine. Meta Knight was not just gonna die if Dedede ended up dozing off again. Nope.
He must have actually dozed off again, because the next thing he knew, his eyes were popping back open again, and he was remembering the prior day all over again, and sitting bolt upright all over again, and carefully scooping up his friend all over again-
But this time, Meta Knight did stir; shifting a bit, shuffling his wings. Dedede wondered if they hurt. Cramps were bad enough, and he didn't think they held a candle to the muscle spasms that the knight had been subjected to…
He was gonna be so sore when he woke up, wasn't he…
Recalling the deep wound in the knight's side, Dedede gently turned him to look at the bandages. He had no idea how often you were supposed to change those, but while there was a darker spot in the middle, it hadn't bled through entirely… Was that okay? If Meta Knight was awake he'd just ask him, but he really didn't want to wake him up until he was sure that he got all the rest he possibly could.
He realized then that he felt pretty awake himself, but even though he was a little hungry, Dedede really didn't want to leave the knight alone. He supposed he could have some of the Dees watch him. He knew they'd agree. But what if Meta Knight was worried when he woke up to find Dedede gone?
No, he decided, he'd just sit with him until he woke on his own.
Thankfully for the king's nerves, that didn't end up taking too long.
After what was probably ten minutes or so of the monarch sitting alone with his thoughts, Meta Knight shifted around lightly, curling into his wings with a soft sound.
And then he sneezed, and Dedede jumped out of his skin.
"AAAH! METY-" The king squawked, flustered.
A soft groan answered him as the knight weakly peeked out of his wings.
"...I was under the impression the proper response was 'bless you'," He mumbled tiredly, fixing the king with his trademark glare.
"You sneezed on me!" Dedede sputtered, nearly forgetting his worry. Nearly.
"Mnn… wasn' on you-" Meta Knight snuggled back into his wings as Dedede sat up, taking some of the warmth with him and leaving the little maskless knight huddled in a cold spot, "-Jus' next to you." Then his wings seemed to shiver, tensing, and Dedede felt his feathers ruffle in alarm, instantly on edge-
Until the knight flinched with another sneeze.
Dedede forced himself to relax as Meta Knight rearranged himself with a sniffle, reemerging from the shelter of wings, but without much thought, the king realized that his hand had fallen lightly onto the knight's forehead.
Meta Knight said nothing, merely blinking at him in query.
"...Tell me you ain't getting sick on top of all this," Dedede pleaded weakly, not sure he could handle his friend suffering any more after it all.
Meta Knight huffed a flatly amused little sound.
"Of course not," He stifled a weak yawn and shrugged Dedede's hand off of him, "It's just the dust in here. When was the last time you cleaned this place? Or changed these sheets?"
Dedede opened his bill. Thought about the answer. Closed it.
Meta Knight gazed at him patiently, something like a smug smile crossing his lips.
"Uhhh… I… don't really use this ship all that much anymore." The king coughed awkwardly, his feathers fluffing in embarrassment. Maybe it was kinda stuffy in there… He'd have to give the place a good deep-clean when they got home.
Cleanliness was next to knightliness and all that. Didn't wanna drive his friend away.
"I am not surprised." Meta Knight curled back up, the dull silver tone to his eyes openly relaying his current energy level. He was quiet for a moment, and Dedede almost thought he'd dozed back off in the effortless, catlike manner he often did, but then the edge of one wing brushed against Dedede's arm, gently.
"...Thank you. For your help last night."
For a minute or so, Dedede couldn't answer.
He sat there, staring down at his friend, biting his bill uncomfortably, as something twisted up deep in his stomach, stalling out any words he could think of.
Eventually Meta Knight realized that they were sitting in silence, and with a rustle, he slowly lifted his wing to peer out at the king.
"...Your majesty?"
Dedede flinched, and turned away further, unable to even look at him.
Meta Knight's soft face morphed into a look of concern, and he sat up fully, his wings slowly tucking themselves in until they were folded, or close enough to it; still hanging somewhat around him like a protective cape.
He stared at the king in concern.
"...Dedede?"
The king felt a little hand touch his arm, and his own hand reached to grip the sheets tightly, twisting them.
"...Meta," The king began, slowly turning back towards his friend.
"Is… something the matter?" The knight asked gently.
"You… You…" Dedede looked over at him, his eyes suddenly a watery mess. "You really scared me last night!"
Meta Knight stared at him in something close to alarm; that much emotion displayed by anyone was enough to freeze him in panic for at least a moment.
"A-Ah… Sire," He tried.
Without warning, Dedede threw himself on the knight, snatching him into his arms almost violently.
Meta Knight chirped.
"Gently! Gently… please-"
Oh right. Stabbed.
"-Very sore! All over…"
And the muscle spasms, and all that awful, terrible stuff-
Dedede pulled Meta Knight closer, holding him up against his chest, though he tried his best to be gentle. Meta Knight, for his part, didn't complain. Dedede was shaking. Which… he wasn't sure he'd ever seen him do. Not that he saw much of anything other than the king's robes, but he felt it.
Gingerly, he raised his wings and draped them around his friend.
Dedede made a soft sound that… maybe meant that he was crying, which made something in the knight's stomach feel a little sick.
Hell if he knew how to fix crying people… He wasn't trained for this…
Hesitantly, one of his wings gave the king a pat. Then a gentle squeeze. Why was the king upset? Because of him? Because he'd been hurt? Because they were attacked in the first place?
"...It's… all right, your majesty," He tried weakly. "We're quite safe now."
Slowly, the king's iron grip loosened, and he pulled slowly back so they could look at each other, and so Meta Knight didn't need to worry about cracking a rib.
Dedede's eyes were watery, and a few slick trails had run down his feathers.
Meta Knight forced himself not to wince.
"...Mety," The king started, brokenly.
Meta Knight held obediently still as his friend, still being held in his own wings, reached to put a hand on his head, as if making sure he was really there. Slowly, he shrugged him off and let his wings slide down the king's arms to take his hands carefully in his claws for a moment. Meta Knight didn't speak, looking at him pointedly.
"...I was… so scared last night!" Dedede choked, letting go of one of the claws to wipe the tears off his face. "I thought… I thought I was gonna lose you!"
Meta Knight laughed.
"What? You really think that little scuffle would be enough to kill me?" He asked, but he realized in an instant that Dedede's face had melted into a look of utter horror, and his own smile vanished as quickly as it had come. "...Your majesty," He began somewhat more carefully, "I'm… sorry… you had to go through that. I'm sorry that I brought you that much worry when my goal in accompanying you was to provide… much the opposite-"
"Meta Knight! You almost died 'cause of me!" The king exclaimed.
"Certainly not!" The knight injected firmly, his voice sounding stronger than it had in many hours. "I almost died because of our enemy, not because of you. You are the one who saved me. That's very different." He insisted, a smile creeping back. "And I will be in your debt for a while."
Dedede was shaking his head.
"Meta, I was so scared! I thought… I thought I couldn't help you!"
"But you did help me," Meta Knight reminded him. "I'm all right. I'm right here… Nothing's going to happen to me now, you don't need to fret."
Dedede watched as the knight reached to take his much larger hand in his own.
It was so soft. So soft and small, and Meta Knight was so soft and small, and Dedede hadn't been able to protect him-
Before he knew it they were hugging again.
He would almost believe that Meta Knight had hugged him first, if that wasn't obviously not the case; he didn't really remember doing it. But sure enough, the smaller man was squished against him once more. He still wasn't complaining, though, and Dedede was doing his best to hold him lightly and not hurt him anyplace…
They stayed like that for what felt like a long time.
"Please don't do that again…" Dedede mumbled eventually, finally breaking the silence between them both. "I'm beggin' you…"
Meta Knight made a small noise like a chuckle.
"I didn't have a great deal of say in the matter myself, you know. Dedede…" He shook his head lightly. "I understand this has distressed you, but I'm in no danger now. I can promise you that." He patted the king's arm with his wing, squeezing him carefully with his claw. "There's no poison left in my system. Once this heals up," He glanced at his still-bandaged side, "I'll be perfectly fine."
"You sure?" Dedede asked, figuring he ought to put the knight down before he got too sick of being held like a teddy bear. "What if it comes back? What if it hurts you when I'm not around-"
"It can't." Meta Knight said firmly once he stood, carefully, back on his own two feet. "It's gone. If it wasn't, I'd still be symptomatic, and… I feel fine. The healing worked. There's nothing for you to worry about now."
"But I'm worried about you!" Dedede shot back, his voice nearly cracking.
Meta Knight shook his head slowly, though he almost looked… happy.
"...You know," He said, "I didn't used to believe you could be so kind."
Dedede blinked down at him, reaching to wipe more wet off the feathers on his cheek. Meta Knight moved gently up to him and leaned the side of his head against him trustingly, and his eyes, looking a tad brighter, healthier, were clear and soft like mist.
"...I was… kind of a jerk, wasn't I?" Dedede managed a weak smile.
"Kind of, sire. But I think you're well past that now."
"Heh… Well. At least I never tried to take anyplace over-" Dedede forced a chuckle.
"Now really, after the night I've had you're going to bring that up?"
"-Or beat up little kids with a sword-" Dedede was still teary-looking, but definitely grinning, maybe about to start laughing at him.
Meta Knight shook his head in good humor.
"Might I ask we postpone this verbal spar until I'm a little more awake?"
The budding smile shrank.
"You still not feelin' so hot?" Dedede asked nervously.
Meta Knight actually did laugh.
"Ha! You," He fluttered his wings into a little stretch of sorts, "Are a worrywort!" He flopped gently back down on the mattress, arranging himself comfortably. "I'd like to see you go through all that nonsense and not be exhausted by it. I'd like to see anyone! And I'm… not as practiced with magic as I should be," Meta Knight admitted a bit more quietly. "That took more out of me than I hoped."
Dedede settled back into the mound of pillows he'd amassed; reclining a bit, but not quite laying down.
"...Yeah, I guess so." The king admitted. "...Can you really blame me, though?"
"Mm. I suppose not. You are forgiven for being overly concerned." The knight had closed his eyes, but was smiling at him.
"Hey, now," Dedede straightened up, starting to feel a bit better, "You were… You were spazzin' all over my floor! Was I supposed to not be worried about it? That ain't exactly normal; even for you! We don't even know what that stuff was!"
Meta Knight opened his eyes and blinked at the king curiously.
"...Yes, you do."
Dedede stared at him blankly.
"...Uh. No?"
"Yes you do; I told you last night. Unless you weren't paying attention. Which is fair enough, you were quite distracted if memory serves." The knight said truthfully.
"You did?"
"Of course. Quaker's Buttons." Meta Knight said simply. "...I did say it, didn't I?"
"Oh yeah! The button thing! I did hear that; I jus'... uh-" Dedede felt his feathers ruffle in embarrassment. "I might've thought you were just talkin' nonsense at that point." He admitted, grinning in self-consciousness.
Meta Knight hummed amusedly.
"Fair enough, all things considered. I… don't really remember much. Not clearly."
"So… What was it?" Dedede asked hesitantly, part of him almost afraid to know.
"Quaker's Buttons. Or more properly, Strychnos nux-vomica. You might know the toxin itself as strychnine." Meta Knight said simply, eyeing him. "...Though I suppose that wouldn't be as common a type of knowledge in your social circles as it is in mine, so don't feel unclever if you haven't heard of it."
Dedede blinked at him curiously.
"How'd you know? What it was?"
"I paid attention to the symptoms, of course. Anxiety and agitation, which I didn't rightly recognize at first, I'm afraid… Muscular spasms, convulsions. Would've led to death by asphyxia, or… well… I don't exactly need to breathe air-"
Wait, what-
"-But it would have been inconvenient." Meta Knight seemed to think. "And uncomfortable. So. Thank you for not letting that happen." He paused again. "...Also, they were growing a great deal of the trees in the palace gardens. I suppose that ought to have clued me in, and it failed to."
Meta Knight fell into silence for a moment or so. Then he got a funny look on his face, like he was paying attention to something far away. Before Dedede could even ask, the knight was focused back on him again, his expression… sort of amused.
"...Galaxia wishes me to apologize to you on Its behalf. For… Well…"
"...Lightin' me up like a Christmas tree?" Dedede grinned lopsidedly, recalling the deeply unpleasant shock.
Meta Knight managed a weak chuckle and a smirk.
"Not quite how It put it, but yes. It's… very grateful to you for helping me."
"Well o' course I did!"
"I know that. It knows, too. But just because I know you always would doesn't mean you don't deserve our thanks. An expected act of kindness is still an act of kindness." Meta Knight replied calmly, his eyes starting to shimmer kinda weird.
"...You, uh-" Dedede pointed hesitantly to his own face, "Got a lil… glittery-"
"I know." Meta Knight smiled easily.
"Heh… Okay." Dedede found himself staring at the knight's mouth. "...You know, I coulda sworn your teeth were extra pointy last night," He said almost unprompted, "But now they look like they always do… I must've been seein' things."
Meta Knight hummed oddly, his eyes shimmering into pink.
"...Yes. Must've been your imagination." He said, sounding like he was hiding something that he had no intention of sharing, which made the king raise an eyebrow.
"Yeah… must've…" Dedede agreed, knowing that his words hadn't convinced Meta Knight anymore than Meta Knight's had convinced him.
Then the pair were quiet again. For a few minutes, they just rested, side by side, as the morning sun filled the cabin's windows and painted the walls over gold. Until Dedede realized something that wouldn't leave him alone.
"...Meta?" The king asked, something odd about his voice.
"Hm?"
"...What was that you just said before?" Dedede turned towards him pointedly, a suspicious tone to his words. "About your social circles knowin' all about nasty poisons and the like?"
Meta Knight… looked somewhat put on the spot.
And then his expression morphed into a tiny, sly little smile.
"...Don't worry about it."
"Oh no, you do not get to say that." The monarch crossed his arms.
"Why not?"
"Because that's real worrisome stuff!" Dedede exclaimed.
"Is it?" Came the faux-innocent reply.
"Of course it is! What's that even mean, anyway!? You hangin' around with creeps n' murderers when I ain't lookin' or something? You really are gonna get yourself killed one o' these days!"
Meta Knight actually laughed.
"That ain't funny, you!"
He was still laughing. If he hadn't been hurt, Dedede might've whacked him with a pillow since there were so many in reach.
"Always assuming the worst of me," Meta Knight sighed, shaking his head with a sort of cough, "Aren't you?"
"Well lookit, you're kinda crazy! What do you want from me?"
"I can possibly accept 'eccentric'; don't push your luck with 'crazy'." Meta Knight hummed, tucking his wings around himself smugly, shooting his friend a near-playful look as he did.
Dedede's expression was sort of a pout.
"Come on. Spill."
"Would you believe me if I said it's just knowledge obtained from reading books?"
"No, I would not believe that-"
"The result of hours of informative research on interesting subjects?"
"No."
"...Random coincidence?"
"Mety."
Meta Knight sighed amicably.
"Very well. The truth is… well, actually I do find poisonous substances rather interesting on their own, but I also approach the subject from a more practical standpoint. Before I… settled in Dreamland, I wandered much of the galaxy, and some of the work I was forced to take involved close proximity with… less than honorable persons." He admitted. "This is far from the first time I've dealt with this problem. Though it has been a while."
At first Dedede didn't say anything; he just looked at him, sadly.
"...I'm sorry you had to deal with that crap. An' be in danger all the time."
"I signed up for the danger, you know," Meta Knight pointed out fairly.
Dedede nodded.
"I know. But still." He put his hand on Meta Knight's shoulder. "I wish I could at least know that you're safe now," But he couldn't, because clearly that wasn't true-
"Of course I am," Meta Knight said easily. "I have you at my back, after all."
Dedede stared at him, caught a little off-guard.
"...Heh, come on," He forced a laugh, "You're just tryin' to butter me up!"
"I am not." Meta Knight calmly replied.
"You don't really mean that-" Dedede tried to joke.
"I do." Meta Knight cut him off simply. "Of course I do."
"...Oh," The king said softly, feeling his feathers ruffling up.
Meta Knight purred a soft noise that Dedede almost never got to hear, his eyes glimmering a bright, happy shade of blue for a moment.
Dedede had no idea what to answer that with, so he didn't, and the pair just sat silently again, enjoying the morning; Meta Knight scooting closer to plop his head against Dedede's side.
Unfortunately, Dedede wasn't built for that much quiet.
"...Hey. Wanna get something to eat?" He said after two minutes.
Meta Knight sighed long-sufferingly, though his lips curved up just the same. And he remembered the fabulous chocolate stash from the night before.
"...Yeah."