Stellar Knight surmised that 'difficult' was nowhere near adequate to describe the child currently clawing his way up a tree. Perhaps 'impossible' would be more fitting.
"Meta, get down from there!" Stellar ordered, tapping his staff against the tree trunk. The blue-haired child looked down at him from the branch he'd managed to balance on. Bat-like wings flared out from his back, seemingly too large for his small form.
"No" Meta responded, sounding far more commanding than one would expect. He stood, swaying unsteadily as he walked to the end of the branch. Stellar's eyes widened as he realized what Meta was planning to do.
"Come down here right now young man! That is far too high to practice flying from!" he called. Meta paused, and gazed down at the man. Stellar was not commanding or intimidating, but he spoke in a warm and familiar way that most people heeded. Meta was not one of those people.
"Heck the rules!" he shrieked defiantly, leaping from the branch. For a moment it almost seemed as if he would succeed, gliding slightly forward. Meta then proceeded to plummet like a rock, Stellar rushing to catch him. He landed safely in the man's arms, before looking up to a pair of concerned blue eyes.
"Are you OK?" Stellar prodded, performing his own cursory check for injuries.
"I'm fine. Lemme go" Meta grumbled, squirming. Stellar pulled him into a warm hug.
"But you're just too adorabl- OW!" Stellar set Meta down as quickly as possible while remaining gentle, and rubbed his hand. His glove had protected him from the child's pointed canines, but not from the force of the bite. "Meta, you can't bite people!" he admonished. Meta only stuck his tongue out.
"I just did" he taunted. Stellar sighed.
"You shouldn't bite people" he amended. Stellar knelt and ruffled Meta's wild blue hair. "Right?" Meta huffed, and looked at the ground.
"I guess" he muttered. Stellar beamed at him. For all of his general shenanigans and contrary nature, Meta was a good kid.
"Now, the reason I asked you to meet me here is because I thought we could have a picnic in this beautiful weather" Stellar said. Meta perked up.
"What did you bring?" he chirped. A small movement of Stellar's staff caused a basket to materialize from a golden shroud of energy, and he caught it effortlessly. Another movement brought a blanket fluttering to the ground beside them. He sat at one end of the blanket and tossed an apple to Meta to prevent the child from attempting to steal the rest of the food before he could even set it out. It was caught and devoured rapidly, every bit of white flesh stripped from its core by sharp teeth.
"Slow down, you'll choke" Stellar warned. He himself had an even more voracious appetite, but Meta had yet to learn how to safely satisfy his. The child often sickened himself by overeating.
"What else is there?" Meta asked, tossing the core aside. Stellar handed him an expertly made sandwich, complete with toothpick and olive. He paused before grabbing his own, eyeing Meta.
"Don't swallow the toothpick this time" he teased. Meta stopped before he could take a bite and glared at him. Stellar was a… well, stellar cook, but mockery was enough to delay Meta from devouring his meal.
"That was once!" he shrieked.
"Then don't make it twice" Stellar chuckled. Meta gave him a surprisingly effective glare, for an eight year old. He made a show of picking out the toothpick, eating the olive, and tossing it aside.
"Jerk-face" he muttered, chomping down on his sandwich. Stellar watched Meta decimate the meal with amusement, eating his own at a more reasonable pace. Usually he would eat even faster than the child, but he wanted to set a better example. Meta completed his destruction of the sandwich and looked back up at Stellar. Crumbs and a smear of mayonnaise decorated his face.
"Hold still" Stellar said, pulling a napkin from the basket. He quickly wiped the debris from Meta's face as the child reluctantly allowed it. He licked his newly cleaned lips, and looked at Stellar expectantly.
"Dessert?" he asked. Stellar sighed. He regretted imparting his love of sweets onto his pupil.
"What's the magic word?"
"Gimme!"
"Meta."
"…Please?" he pleaded. Stellar smiled, and pulled a sealed container from the basket, pulling off the lid and sliding a spoon into the substance inside.
"Here's your parfait. I made your favorite" he said, handing the treat over. Meta grabbed the parfait eagerly and gave Stellar a rare grin.
"Thank you!" he sang, before tucking in. Stellar pulled out a slice of strawberry shortcake, and the two ate in comfortable silence for several minutes. Meta handed the now empty container back to Stellar. He then began to stare impatiently at the man.
"What's the matter?" Stellar asked, setting aside his now empty plate. Meta stood.
"Let's train!" he said. Most people would love to have such an eager student. However, Meta went far beyond just eager, and had a seemingly infinite amount of energy. Stellar leaned back, sighing quietly.
"Must we?" he groaned. Meta grasped the small hilt tucked into his pocket and swung it high into the air, the blade crackling into existence.
"Train! Train! Train!" he chanted, swiping with his sword to emphasize every word. Stellar stood and allowed the blanket and basket to evaporate back into nothing.
"Alright, alright. Just be careful where you swing Galaxia, OK?" he said. Meta lowered the blade, a bright look in his eyes.
"OK" he answered. An idea sprung into Stellar's mind.
"I'll race you there" he said mischievously. Meta narrowed his eyes.
"I'll beat you!" he declared, racing off down the hill towards the field where he trained. He occasionally hopped into the air and flew slightly before stumbling back to earth. A blur of light passed him.
"Hello Meta" Stellar chuckled. Meta gave him a wounded look.
"Using your Warpstar is cheating!" he screeched. Stellar slowed until he was keeping pace with Meta. The child was admittedly extraordinarily quick, and Stellar surmised that once he learned flight he may not even be able to keep up with his pupil.
"There. Better?" he chuckled. Meta glared at him, and flapped his wings as hard as possible, rising a few feet from the ground and fluttering alongside Stellar for a short while. Stellar swooped in to catch him before he could complete his inevitable fall.
"I flew!" Meta said, shocked. A familiar hand patted his head.
"You did!" Stellar beamed. He didn't have the heart to tell him that he'd flown for maybe a foot at most.
(Author's note: Silly AU I thought of. Kirby is Stellar Knight in case it wasn't obvious. I figured he'd be more of a mage like fighter. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! -Poecilotheria)