(Prologue: ?)
With armfuls and bagfuls of water by our sides, it's fair to say that the mood is lighter when we continue on our journey. Roy takes the lead as promised, and to our utmost surprise, the rest of the day passes without trouble.
But Tuesday dawns, and that's where things start to take another turn for the worse.
"We're lost," Reggie says, his arms folded as usual. "I remember that bunch of flowers. I remember that hedge. We're going around in circles."
"And I'm hungry," Caroline adds, exchanging a worried glance with Tessie. Nowadays, the pair resign themselves to the back of the pack, a lot less jovial than before. "There has to be something to eat, doesn't there?"
"Something to eat?" Reggie asks incredulously, his beads jangling as he turns to face her. "That's not the problem here, Caroline. The problem is that we're in the middle of nowhere."
The look that Roy gives me tells it all. The naysayers can't even agree with each other.
"Be calm," he says from the front of the pack. "We're making decent progress. I'm following the sun. Steven tells me that we're getting nearer-"
"You're taking advice from Steven?" Elmore complains, and I roll my eyes. The whining continues as the clouds move across the sky, and by sunset, it becomes apparent that something's about to snap.
"I'm leading," Pusher declares suddenly. "I'm sick and tired of you chaps not knowing your places."
"Oh, brilliant!" Reggie exclaims. "Leadership changes have been so successful so far."
"Sebastian." Pusher turns to the butler. "Tell him to stop complaining, and that I am supreme."
"Erm, yes." The grey-haired man looks up. "Everyone must pay the utmost respect to my lord and ladyship-"
"Oh, shut it, y' old prune," Duster says. "Stop bein' such a follower, and don't be so rude!"
"Please," Roy says wearily, looking about ten years older than before he took control. "Listen here. Porky is on his way, armed with more of his controlled guards. We have to stop bickering like children and we have to keep moving, okay? In the correct direction," he adds, as Reggie angrily opens his mouth.
But before we can start walking, there's a shout in the trees, and I jump to attention with a curse.
"Not again! Come on - quick!"
"You still think you can boss me about?" Elmore says haughtily. "I'll have you know that-"
"We have to go, you miserable old cow!" I exclaim, losing my temper completely. Realising my mistake, I stand back, appalled, and just like that, I know the situation is lost. The shouts start coming closer. Elmore gives me a well-earnt glare, storming off to join her husband, who stands in front of us with his arms raised.
"We shall stand and fight!" he declares, and I can't even find the energy to argue. I'm surprised at myself, more than anything. I'm known for my level-headedness.
The shouts grow louder until eventually, three armed knights emerge from the forest, towering mightily on dark horses. Their lead is dressed in polished steel armour, a helmet covering his face and a spear outstretched. Emblazoned on his chestplate is a familiar badge - the red crest - and I'm not sure if I should be relieved or disappointed. This is an Onett Patrol Group. Onett Patrol Groups live to serve the main Onett Brigade of forces, scouting out areas, collecting intel before a war.
It's not Porky, but it's not good news.
The knights on either side draw bows, stilling their horses with menace. The leader's spear is pointed at, to no surprise, me.
"Where are you from?"
"What business of yours is that?" I ask.
"Where are you from?" he repeats, with the air of a man that's trying to sound stern.
"Tazmily!" Pusher declares, before I can lie.
"Ah." The knight doesn't seem particularly angry about this information, but he moves his spear to Pusher nonetheless. "We are a part of the Onett forces. You are required to surrender to us and Mayor Pirkle."
"Onett?" I say, feigning surprise. "I thought you specialised in coal, not war. Where did you get those weapons?"
"From our benefactor, Porky Minch. Do you surrender?"
"See?" I turn to the others, ignoring the question. "As I said, he's helping out both sides."
"Stop trying to prove he's a villain," Roy says firmly, and I feel a bit patronised. "We know that already."
"Well-"
"SILENCE!" The knight bellows, and even I'm surprised by the force. "Surrender yourselves, or we'll be forced to take serious measures."
"We shall not surrender," Pusher declares proudly, stepping forward with confidence. "I am Pusher, the rightful mayor of Tazmily, and I tell you, your forces have terrorised us long enough!"
"This is your last chance," the knight says warningly. He sounds young, I realise. Perhaps he's just a boy, manipulated into his position. "I will have to order execution otherwise, as it is the law of the Brigade."
The archers raise their bows, pulling back the drawstrings.
"You have one final chance," he continues. "Pusher, do you surrender?"
"Yes," I say, but the archers turn their bows on me.
"We were not asking you. Pusher, do you surrender?"
There's a tense pause.
"Never!" Pusher exclaims, and the knight sighs.
"Fire!"
It all happens so quickly.
"Get down!" I yell, but Elmore grabs Sebastian, throwing him in front of her. Arrows fly, the first piercing her handbag, flooding the last of our water over the dirt.
The other arrow flies straight into Sebastian.
He squeaks, falling to the ground.
"No!" Ollie cries, rushing over. Sebastian's eyes roll into the back of his head, and the archers reach into their quivers-
"Stop!" I exclaim suddenly, my hands shaking from what I've just seen. "Please - we are just travellers who happen to be from Tazmily - we are not involved in your war-"
"Everyone is involved in our war. But I know your face," the knight says suddenly, narrowing his eyes. "Why do I know your face?"
"You don't - you can't," I say, even though he probably does. "Please, have some mercy, we are peaceful-"
"Peaceful or not, the Brigade dictates it," he says firmly. "It is in the law, all Tazmilians are to be erased." The archers steady their horses, notching arrows, eyes trained on my heart-
"Look!" I quickly raise my hands, suddenly a lot more frightened. I never expected to fear death, not until I looked it in the mouth. "I didn't want to have to do this, but, but we have a lot of weaponry hidden in our coats! You can run, or, or face our wrath."
"A bluff." The knight points his spear.
"Th-This is your last chance!"
"The chance has been denied."
And as if in slow motion, the archers fire, two gleaming arrows seeking my chest. I throw myself down with a shout, the wind flying out of me - there's a merciful thunk as one arrow embeds itself in a nearby tree, but the other…
The other grazes my hair, before planting itself in the ground, right between my legs. I turn, wildly uprooting it, and, adrenaline pumping, I throw. It sails through the air, and the knight is too slow - and suddenly, it's lodged in his heart - his face freezes in horror -
Everything slows. My eyes widen in shock. The rider only has time to move a stray hand to his chest, before he's falling to the left, and there's an almighty crunch as he strikes the ground.
He's dead.
The archers turn their horses and flee, disappearing into the undergrowth in seconds. A smear of blood trickles onto the floor.
I'm a murderer.
It was only meant to be a warning - it was never supposed to - but -
"Is he alright?" Caroline is saying. I only vaguely register Sebastian, and I stumble over in a daze.
"He's hardly breathing," Ollie says. Someone has pulled the arrow from Sebastian's body, and it lays nearby, slicked with gore. It struck him in the stomach, and there's blood, viscera everywhere.
"Pusher," Sebastian says, coughing weakly. He's dying, and he knows it. "Elmore."
"What do you want?" Elmore asks, without any remorse in her tone. She did this, I think bitterly. This is her fault.
"I - I..." Sebastian croaks, his dark eyes swimming into middle distance. "I - I hated working for you - so - much..."
"You dare?" Elmore snarls.
"Your son - he - he deserves better-"
"Does he now? You think that, do you?"
"Yes." Something's wet against Sebastian's eyes. "Yes - I - I do."
Smack.
And as his eyes close, the last thing he feels is pain.
.
.
.
~~o00o~~
Chapter 27: He Needs You Too
(Ness)
~~o00o~~
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.
.
Trigger Warning: This Chapter Contains Disturbing Themes. Reader Discretion Advised.
Colours swirl. Noise pierces my ears. Pain jabs, sharper and sharper, everything rolling into one.
It's torture. I can't do this - I can't do this.
But then my eyes open, and it's apparent that I can.
The heat that floods through me is immense. Days of unfelt agony roll over me at once, and I scream, the bright hospital lights blinding my eyes. I writhe, my body rocking, begging, pleading. I swim through the light - there's a hand on mine, it's pulling me out - pulling me away, and then the pain is fading, ebbing and flowing, the lights are dimming, and I'm arriving.
I'm entering the present.
My surroundings are unfamiliar, I realise, as my heartbeat slows and my breathing steadies. After three days spent in a coma, anywhere that isn't the void would be unfamiliar. Everything is a brilliant white, my bed, the walls, even the ceiling. I catch a glimpse of my hands, red, fleshy, human. Human.
Placet Auxilium.
"Hey," says a voice, and I almost crack my neck when I spin around to look. Stars flash through my vision. I'm lying down, covered by a blanket, and someone's standing beside me.
Toon Link.
"Hey," I croak. My voice sounds like sandpaper, like it's been shredded apart by life itself.
"Welcome back," Toon Link says.
"Thanks," I say, but then it's coming again - the pain - my ribs - my head -
"It's okay," Toon Link says worriedly, and then he's got my hand, pulling me into focus. The world comes into view, colours forming, shifting around me. My thoughts dissipate, before coming together again, focusing on only one thing - one crucial, crucial thing.
"Where's Lucas?"
"I'll get him," Toon Link promises, his voice becoming a little clearer. He looks at me like he can't believe I'm real. "You should lie down, Ness. You're an idiot."
That makes me laugh, which builds the world a tiny bit more. "I finally wake up, and you're mean to me?"
"Of course," Toon Link says, and he smiles, because I'm awake.
I'm awake.
The thought shoots like lightning through my body. It's wonderful, colourful, a hopeful idea. Being back in the world is like returning to the set of a very strange dream.
"Where is he?" I ask, meaning Lucas. Toon Link understands, because of course he does.
"Asleep. Ness - you need to know - he's been beside himself with worry. You have to be gentle with him, okay? When he sees that you're back, I think he might have a heart attack."
"Is he alright?"
"He hasn't slept in days," Toon Link says grimly. "He insisted that he needed to watch over you. He wouldn't leave your side."
My stomach twists with guilt. When Lucas visited me in my coma, he'd been frail, skinny... I'd suspected he hadn't been looking after himself.
I was right.
"I should be staying away from him," I remember, my head throbbing at the thought. To think, if I hadn't initially distanced myself, it could've been him in this hospital bed.
"No you shouldn't," Toon Link says firmly. "Uh - do you remember what happened?"
Images shoot through my mind. Blood. Vomit.
"Future Human?" I quaver.
"Exactly. It came for you because you were alone, didn't it? Ness, under no circumstances can you distance yourself, especially not now-"
"Please not this again," I grumble. "Ryu kept telling me while I was asleep."
"Ryu's a strange man," Toon Link says. "But Ness, this is important. He's your best friend. You need him."
"Yeah, but-"
"But one thing I don't think you've ever understood," Toon link continues loudly, "Is that he needs you too."
"No, he doesn't," I say. "I just make his life more complicated." The guilt worsens. "This is all my fault."
"Ness, don't say that." Toon Link puts a hand to my shoulder. "I mean it. You make his life better, so long as you're not doing stupid things like this. He's been a mess without you. An absolute mess."
"If it weren't for me-"
"Ness, I'm serious."
"You're never serious."
"Well, now I am!" he exclaims. "Please, you can't distance yourself. You can't do this to him. You need to watch each other's backs, okay? All this stuff is insane, and God knows I can hardly sleep at night because of it - I can't even imagine what Lucas must be feeling. So unless you want to get yourselves killed, you can damn well be kind to yourself and stay by his side. Because without you, he's so fucking lonely. He pined for you, Ness. He needs you so, so much."
At his words, I breathe out. I've been an idiot. A huge idiot. I need Lucas. Lucas needs me. That's how we operate.
"You're right," I say. "You're right, I'm sorry. I've been a dreadful friend."
"You're damn right I'm right," Toon Link sighs. "I can't remember a time I was ever wrong."
"Yeah," I say meekly. "That sounds pretty accurate."
At that, Toon Link grins, clapping me on the shoulder, which hurts more than I'd like to admit. "I'll get the others, then. They're going to be so pleased to see you."
"I hope so," I say, my head falling back against the pillow as Toon Link swings out through the door.
He's right.
Lucas needs me, and I need him too. It's that simple, and perhaps it has been all along. I am the one person that Lucas can turn to, the one person that Lucas trusts when something overwhelms him. He can collapse with me and let it all loose, or he can collapse with me and take his mind off it completely. Lucas isn't vulnerable around many people, and I am alone with that privilege. It's my responsibility to be there for him. He deserves everything and anything that I can give him.
For the longest time, I've always wanted to be more like Lucas. But maybe, possibly, Lucas needs me to be myself, just like I need him to be himself. We complement each other, so maybe I am supposed to be the way I am? It's a new concept to me, but one that makes me smile.
Because Lucas doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve. He neglects to share exactly what he's feeling unless he's certain it's safe to do so. After so many years of hurt, for me to be that person, his best friend, the one that Lucas trusts more than anyone else...
What an honour.
And it goes both ways. We're practically symbiotic, and maybe that's unhealthy, but we've gotten this far without trouble. We fuel each other with our presence - we have a few hidden secrets, sure - but most aspects of ourselves can be laid bare in front of the other. His secrets are precious to me, little packages of information that only I am permitted to know, tiny pieces of knowledge that all come together to build my best friend.
Who I've completely fallen in love with.
Dammit.
Who knows what he thinks when it comes to romance, and sex, and all of that? That's never been something that we speak about. I have no idea if he feels the same way as me... but maybe that's an issue for the long-term. As my head clears, and the pain in my ribs subsides, I can only look to the present.
I'm awake. I'm alive, and that's pretty amazing.
"Ness!" someone cries, and I barely get a chance to see who it is before there's a bundle of blonde hair and excited smiles, and suddenly we're holding each other, clinging like I've come back from the dead, which I almost have.
"Lucas," I say softly, revelling in him. I allow myself to indulge in the warmth of his hug, to feel his affection. "I'm so sorry, I-"
But before I can continue, Lucas is gripping me tightly, latched onto my wrist. "Don't leave me, okay? I'm not letting you distance yourself, never again, because you're my best, best friend - and I'm so angry at you, Ness, you got yourself hurt-"
"I'm sorry," I mumble.
"Tell me you won't do it," Lucas says, determinedly meeting my eyes. "Promise me you won't leave me again."
"I promise," I say, and then Lucas is sighing, melting back into my arms. The pressure against my ribs hurts like hell, but I don't say anything, because Lucas needs me. I've not been able to hug him - not in the real world - in days.
"We're here too," Villager says cheerfully, and I look up to see him, Pit and Red by my bed. I smile at them, so, so happy to see them, and then I'm hugging them all in turn, feeling altogether dizzy, feeling like some sort of miracle from beyond the grave. Even Buttercup can't find a refute to the simple fact that I am loved, I was missed. After the hugs, I'm being directed to a heap of presents and letters, and I think I'm tearing up, looking at all the people who thought of me, who wanted me back.
"I wrote about twenty," Lucas says nervously, his cheeks pinkening as I pick up the cards. "I got bored."
"They're amazing," I laugh, reading several ways to say 'I miss you' in varying qualities of handwriting. Even Bayonetta has thought to get me some chocolates, and a voucher for £10 worth of her 'services', which I hope is a joke. By the time I reach Tracy's card in which she calls me every single synonym for idiot in the dictionary, my eyes are streaming in earnest, and I'm babbling like a drunkard about how much I love everyone.
"We love you too," Toon Link grins.
"Toon Link saved your life," Villager says, smirking, "And he's been kind enough to remind us about it every hour, so thank you for that-"
"Thanks, mate. Owe you one," I say weakly, and Toon Link gives a thumbs up.
"Any day, Ness. Professor Ryu helped too, of course-"
"That I did," Ryu says, suddenly sweeping into the room. "I heard all the clamour, and I could only assume one thing. Welcome back, Ness."
"Hi, Professor," I say, awkwardly wiping my eyes. "How are things?"
"You have History work to catch up on."
"Really?" I groan.
"I kid," Ryu says, breaking into a rare smile. "It's good that you survived, Ness. There were times when we were… well, it wasn't looking ideal."
"They had to inject you with meth," Lucas says, and my eyes widen with shock.
"Why was that necessary?"
"Your heartbeat had slowed," Ryu says gravely. "Now, I should leave you to reunite, but Ness, I must remind you not to distance yourself from Lucas-"
"I know," I laugh, as Lucas gives me a reprimanding look. "We need each other. You were right."
"I often am," Ryu says, heading towards the door. "Farewell."
"There's another card," Toon Link realises, once Ryu's gone. "It fell on the floor - here you go-"
I take it, but to my disdain, I recognise the handwriting.
It's from Father.
~~o00o~~
Ness,
I am disappointed to learn of your affliction for getting into trouble. I hear you are comatose now? How do you expect to achieve maximum grades in your exams if you are unconscious? I pay good money to send you to that school. Don't let me waste it.
Furthermore, I received Ryu's letter. Tell him he is never to contact me again, not under any circumstances.
~ Father.
~~o00o~~
Now that I'm not listening to him, it's funny how much less power his words hold. But more interestingly, why would Ryu have written to him? I show the letter to Lucas, who shrugs.
"He was telling him about your injuries, and-"
"Alrighty then!" We're cut off by the arrival of a rather large individual. I recognise them vaguely as the school's nurse, the cover for when Doctor Mario is away. "Told ye he'd be okay. Now, go on, get out of my ward!"
"I'm sorry?" Lucas's eyes flare. "Who treated him?"
"There is no space!" The nurse exclaims, despite all the nearby beds being empty. "It's time to go, unless you want to be made unconscious again?"
"Come on," Villager says reluctantly, but my head swims at the thought of getting up. Suddenly, the pains in my head are much heavier, my shattered ribs searing at my skin. I have to grip Lucas's hand to stay focused, and the nurse snarls down at me.
"Get out, I said! This is my hospital, and if you filthy children are going to dirty it, you can leave!"
Their voice is sharp, thickening the aches in my body. I put a tentative hand to the back of my head, and I'm met by a sharp pain and a roll of bandages. I peel the bandages off.
They're soaked through with red.
...How bad are my injuries?
I try to swing my legs around, but my chest sears with fire, and my body buckles. Lucas catches me, whispering something soft, but everything suddenly seems far away again. Red and Villager are helping me to my feet, and everything is swaying, but Lucas clings onto my hand - I try to focus on that, his palm, his grip, his warmth. My eyes water, but it will be okay.
"I've got you," Lucas says gently, his arms around my back. I think I'm standing, but I'm not really sure, because the pain is so immense. He eases me to balance in stages, holding my hand and steadying my breathing. Then we're walking forward, but each step is hell, torture, and I know I'm not ready to leave this room. My breathing increases, the feeling of panic starting to course through my veins. I think people are speaking, I'm sure they're speaking, but I can't tell. It's all underwater noise. I am Ness. Ness. That is my name. I - I...
My legs give way, and Toon Link has to catch me.
By the time we reach the main corridor, my eyes are less fogged and my mind is more in the present, but staying focused remains impossible. Everything is too bright, or too loud, blurred around the edges.
"How about we bring your gifts upstairs?" Lucas is saying pointedly. The others leave, and I reach out a hand, wondering where they're going. Soon, we're at the foot of the stairs, and they look like a mountain, impossible under the weight of this pain. Then we're climbing, and I'm making little, choking sobs, because I'm so slow, and it hurts so much.
"Stop," I moan, but we keep going. Upstairs is bright, searingly so, and when I'm tumbling into my bed, I'm not entirely sure how I got there. Then Lucas is falling beside me, petting me, whispering things, and it starts to come back. The pain dulls a little, and my ears begin to ring.
"I'm broken," I croak, muffled by the pillow. "You were right. It broke me."
"You're not broken," Lucas soothes, surrounding me with his presence. "You'll be okay. You made it out of the ward."
"Is it true," I mumble, "That you didn't sleep because you watched over me at night?"
"Yeah." Lucas blushes, and I can feel him shifting against me. The force in my head drives harder, like a thumping drum. "You're never leaving me again, by the way. You owe me a lot of hugs."
"Only if you eat properly," I murmur, worried again. "Would you like an early night tonight?"
"That'd be good," Lucas says.
"I... really am sorry, you know." I turn, taking in Lucas's hazy face. He's lying beside me, dressed in his pyjamas. "I didn't mean to hurt you by distancing myself - I thought, I thought you'd be safer. I thought the Future Humans wouldn't come for you anymore."
"I know," Lucas says kindly. "And maybe you were right, but believe it or not, I need your stupid face."
"I need yours too," I say, reaching out to squish his cheeks. Touching his skin shifts things into focus, but maybe alarmingly so, because suddenly my vision flashes. Lucas giggles at my antics, pulling a blanket over us, and I smile, the pain subsiding for a moment. "I missed you so much, Lucas. When you visited with the telepathy, it was, uh. You probably saw."
"Telepathic crying," Lucas murmurs, but then his voice becomes serious. "Ness, there's something that I have to confess."
"Confess?" I ask worriedly.
"Promise you won't be angry?" His voice is timid, and for some reason, I feel my eyes growing wet again.
"Of course I won't be angry." I manage to hug him, and he shudders. "What's happened? Did something hurt you?"
"It's the golden egg," Lucas mumbles. "I was out walking with it, trying to get it open, but I - but I dropped it by mistake, and Wario... took it."
"Wario?"
"Y-Yeah. Sorry."
"It's okay," I say gently, seeing his expression wibbling. "We'll just have to get it back, won't we?"
"But how, Ness? I lost it - it's important! How can you be okay with this?"
"Because we can return it," I say confidently. "We can steal it when I'm better."
"I hope so," Lucas mumbles. "Thank you for not being angry."
"But why would I be angry?"
"I don't know," Lucas says weakly, and I tuck the blanket over him a little more. "I feel stupid, I guess. Like a pushover."
"Well, screw that," I declare. "Did I miss anything else while I was gone?"
"I-I... not much." Lucas averts his eyes. "I figured out a couple of things, I guess."
"What things?"
"Well," he begins. "Remember that chimney in the forest?"
"Oh, yeah." I recall it faintly, full of machinery, sticking out unnaturally from the ground.
"I realised what it is," he says, shivering slightly. "It leads into the room underground. The bright one where Dark Pit got trapped."
"Lucas!" I gasp. "That's not small news, that's huge! We can go down right now, and-"
"We can't go down, because you're injured," he says, taking my hand. "We'd have no way back up again, and there'd be a load of Future Humans. We're better off finding out who's behind this from above ground, because then we can send people in to investigate."
"There's a reason you're the rational one," I say, but it makes my head hurt again. "What else did you find out?"
"Well, we ruled out Meta Knight and Olimar, I guess. You know how they've been up to something? Turns out they have a stash of opium."
"Opium," I repeat. "That's good. I love taking opium."
Lucas turns, appalled.
"Not really. Hopefully they get busted for it."
"Yeah," Lucas says, though he sounds nervous again. "And there's one more thing. Waiting by your bedside was, uh, pretty dull, so I painted you something. Consider it a gift. To make up for the terrible Christmas present."
"Lucas?" I feel my face turning red. He painted me something? "Lucas, you didn't have to-"
But he gets up, he opens the wardrobe, and he brings out a canvas. "Promise you won't laugh, okay?"
"I promise," I say, and Lucas turns the canvas round, and - wow -
"Lucas," I moan, taking it in. He's painted us. Us. We're standing in a field somewhere, a field of sunflowers, and it's so intricate, so detailed… every nook and cranny of my face, of his face, is perfectly represented. We're painted in striking, matching outfits, our arms around one another's shoulders, our faces lit up with joy, radiant and childlike. Lucas's hair looks just as fluffy in the painting as it is in real life, and he's even painted my old cap onto my head. It's - I'm overwhelmed, so I consume Lucas in what I hope is an adoring gaze.
"Do you like it?" Lucas asks timidly.
"Are you kidding?" I say, with a sniffle. "This is - this is the best thing ever, thank you so much-"
"It was nothing," Lucas says, and I prod him.
"No, it wasn't! It's awesome - can we, can we hang it up somewhere?"
"Yeah," Lucas says, glowing with pleasure. "Let's do that."
And it is done. It hangs above the bookshelf, a reminder of the good times, beautiful and naïve. I'm flattered, unbelievably flattered, and when Lucas sits down again, I bundle him into my arms. It's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me.
"I'm glad you like it," Lucas mumbles, blushing, and the clocktower chooses that moment to chime.
"Good, I'm hungry," I say. I don't care how much it hurts to stand up, because I don't miss my food for anything. But when I try to move my legs, my head swims, my ribs, my vision-
"Should I bring you a plateful?" Lucas says worriedly, and I grit my teeth, setting my jaw.
"No need. I can get downstairs."
"...It doesn't really look like it-"
"No," I insist, "I'll be fine." I bear the pain of swinging my legs around, accepting the sudden rush to my head. It's not as bad as the first time.
"Ness," Lucas says worriedly, gripping my hand as I try to stand, and I can feel him fading away. Lucas loops my arm over his shoulder, hoicking me up to a standing position.
"I'm fine," I say again, trying to take a steady step forward. Lucas guides me, but my head throbs, and suddenly I'm crashing back against the mattress.
"Ness-"
"I'm fine," I say, but I'm repeating myself. "I have to be fine."
Lucas nervously takes my hand, and my eyes sting. I'm damaged. I don't want to be broken. My ribs, my head, they have to heal. They have to.
"Ness," Lucas says, and his voice is impossibly gentle. "It's okay if you want me to bring you something. We can eat together, up here. It's okay."
"B-But I have to," I stammer. "I have to do this."
"It's okay, Ness, I promise." He puts a hand on my back. "Don't overexert yourself."
"But I can do it," I say, forcing myself up from the bed. "I-I can do this if you help me. I want to see the others. Please."
"Ness-"
"Please, Lucas."
"...only if you're sure."
It takes us twenty-six minutes to get downstairs.
.
.
.
.
.
"You're completely out of it," Toon Link tells me, and I groan into my plate of sausages, already exhausted by other people worrying.
"I'm fine, I'll be completely fine."
"You should still be in the medical ward," Villager says, folding his arms. "If it wasn't for that bloody nurse…"
"Oh my gosh, that nurse was useless!" Red speaks up, as Pit comes to join our table.
"Hey, how's Ness?" he asks.
"Why don't you ask him?" Red sniffs.
"Oh." Pit looks at me in surprise. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I'm fine," I persist, for the millionth time.
"I tried to make him stay," Lucas says, nonchalantly eating a sausage. "He's very stubborn."
Stubborn... I stare down at my plateful of sausages. All of this concern saps my energy more than the injuries themselves. I bite down the harsh feelings, and I instead decide to tuck in. Slowly.
"Are you still up for later?" Toon Link asks, turning hopefully to Villager.
"Yeah," Villager says, a glint in his eyes. "Of course."
"Later?" I ask, and Pit laughs.
"Later indeed. You see, Ness, Toon Link and Villager are going down to the lake together. To watch the sunset. Without supervision-"
"Shut it," Toon Link snarls, throwing down a sausage, and Pit cackles, pleased with himself.
"Is that the only sausage you'll be eating tonight?"
"You-"
"Are you feeling better, Pit?" Villager changes the subject, but he doesn't seem too fazed by the previous insinuations. "You seem to be in a good mood."
"A little bit better." Pit shrugs, withdrawing a little. "There are moments when - well, you know. But you guys have really helped me through this. I can't thank you enough."
"It's no problem," Toon Link says, making to pat Pit on the shoulder, but he decides against it at the last minute.
Dinner ends, and most of us resign ourselves to the games room. The food helped me, I think. I manage to stumble half the way to the corridor without assistance, and Lucas only has to hold my hand to get me the rest of the way. We detour to the bathroom so I can examine my injuries in the mirror, and once we've washed some of the blood from my scalp, it doesn't look too bad, but the bruising is a concern. It's purple and angry, swollen and ferocious, and I wince when Lucas gently touches it.
Meanwhile, Villager and Toon Link make their way outside, dressed in massive coats and looking altogether happy with themselves. I grin as I see them go, because it's about time Toon Link acted on his affections. Through the window of the games room, we watch them walking down the hill together, eventually being swallowed by the darkness of the night, and I can't help but hope it works out for them - Toon Link deserves someone to love. He's been needing that for ages.
"What do you think's going on out there?" Lucas asks innocently, as the rest of us crash back against a sofa.
"Hopefully a lot of confessing, and a lot of kissing," Pit says, leaning back.
"Kissing?" Red repeats, affronted. "But they're both boys!"
Oh dear.
"Yeah, Red, that's a thing." Lucas swoops over, swiftly grabbing my hand. "Some guys are into guys, some girls are into girls. That's just how it is."
"Is it scientifically proven?" Red asks, inquisitively leaning forward.
"It is," Lucas says.
"Hm." Red straightens himself up a little. "I never knew. Therefore, I too hope they do a lot of kissing."
"You do?" I ask, surprised.
"Yes."
"Nice," I say. "Uh, well, seeing as everyone here seems to be okay with it, I want to say that I'm into guys as well."
"Okay," Red says.
"Knew it," Pit adds.
"Knew it?" I fold my arms. "What do you mean by that, then?"
"Eh." He shrugs, but he's smirking. "I just guessed, that's all."
"Do you and Lucas do 'a lot of kissing'?" Red asks plainly, and I blush like an idiot.
"No, Red. We're just friends."
"Best friends," Lucas corrects me.
"But anyway," I say, steering the subject away from my prevalent homosexuality. "There's something that Lucas and I need help with."
"And what's that?" Red asks.
"Raiding Wario's office," I say.
"I'm out," Red declares instantly, leaving the room. The door closes behind him, and I roll my eyes.
"Why do you need to raid Wario's office?" Pit asks curiously.
"Wario stole something," I explain. "It's something important, something to do with everything that's going on-"
"Ness-" Lucas interrupts, looking at me like I've killed the pope.
"He knows already," I assure him. "I'm pretty sure he does, anyway, but Pit, what do you say? Are you up for this heist?"
"Sure," Pit says. "I could use a laugh."
"Great, so we'll-"
But Lucas interrupts me. "'We?' Ness, you can't do any heisting, you're still healing. Who knows what Wario would do if he caught you? You can barely walk, and-"
"I'm fine!" I protest, for the trillionth time.
"Lucas makes a good point," Pit says grimly. "You need rest. Lucas, what is it that Wario took?"
"A golden egg - but Pit, you shouldn't, not by yourself-"
"I owe you guys," Pit assures us. "Lucas, you take Ness up, put him to bed. He needs rest."
"I don't want to go to bed!" I exclaim.
"Ness, you're really hurt." Lucas wraps an arm around me, but I feel patronised, so I shake it off. "You should be resting up. Pit, seriously, you don't have to do this-"
"Don't worry. Me and Dark Pit..." he catches himself. "I mean, I'm good at picking locks. It'll be a breeze. You keep well, okay?"
"Okay," Lucas says, and Pit disappears from the room. My stomach is hollow when we proceed to take steady, mortifying steps towards the staircase, and as my head pounds, I don't think I've ever felt more burdensome.
.
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I lie in bed, thoroughly disgruntled. This is torture. I want to go out and speak to my friends, but because of a Future Human, I'm suddenly worthless.
You were already worthless.
Hello, Buttercup.
Hello.
I sigh into my pillow. I want to cry, I want to do anything, but I can't. I just can't.
"Ness," Lucas says, coming to sit beside me. "You'll heal, I promise."
"Go away."
"I'm not going to go away."
"I hate this," I moan, feeling my eyes beginning to sting again.
"I know you do."
"I feel so worthless."
"You'll be okay." A hand is put to my back. "I promise."
"I want to be - I want to be strong, and I want to be fine, but-"
"Ness," Lucas says softly. "A part of being strong is knowing when to retreat. Knowing when to heal."
"But-"
"Be strong, Ness. Heal."
I'm silent as I stare into my pillow. He's right. If I ever want to get past this, I have to bear it and the full weight of what it entails. I have to accept it and be calm about it. Which is nearly impossible.
"Would you like a massage?" Lucas asks.
"I - what?" I'm thrown off completely as I turn to look at him. I wonder if I heard wrong through the rushing noise in my mind. "What did you say?"
Lucas looks sheepish. "I asked if you'd like a massage - it might, uh. Ease some of the pain, a little. You're really tense…"
"Uhm, sure," I say, utterly bemused. I wonder if it's a bit gay, and if maybe I'm taking advantage... but Lucas offered, didn't he? Besides, it doesn't have to be intimate.
"Lie down on your front," Lucas instructs, and I do as I'm told. He pulls off my shirt, and any idea of this not being intimate becomes flimsy at best. His hands are soft against my back, cool from the winter breeze coming through the open window, and they begin to knead, easing out the tension in my shoulders. It's - ah - it's like I'm melting, drifting away, being turned into a liquid, warm and gentle. Lucas hits all the right spots, digging into the stiffest muscles, and I'm almost half-hard as he does it, but I push down those lewder thoughts. It's sensual, not sexual.
"Where did you - where did you learn this?" I gasp, as Lucas strikes a particularly rough patch on my shoulders. "This is - you've been holding out on me-"
"On the streets," Lucas says, rolling firm circles around the small of my back. It's as if everything wrong with me is being squeezed out, Buttercup, the worry, the self-doubt. "They keep their shirts on, though."
I wonder if that's an insinuation. Lucas balls his hands into fists, making long, gliding strokes. They shoot bolts through my spine, shivers down my arms, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. "Did it sell well?" I manage, breathing heavily through the sensations.
"Ten shillings per massage," Lucas says. His hands reach my neck, and then my head, where he's more tender. He strokes behind my ears, coming up into my hair, and my damaged scalp. "Some people are regular customers."
"I'll bet," I grumble, suddenly thinking of all the creeps of the city. No doubt some of them would've loved the chance to be kneaded by a boyish blonde. "Were they nice to you, at least?"
"The streets are made of the good and the bad," Lucas says, giving one last squeeze of my back before tumbling down next to me. It's like I've melted into the covers, glued to the mattress. "Some customers have bad vibes about them, but so long as you're nice, they won't do you any harm. You're providing them with a service, after all."
I listen, intrigued. Lucas has never really been open about his life of selling. It's always been one of those things that we never discuss. "What else did you do to earn money?" I ask, feeling like today, we can open up a little.
"This and that," Lucas says, and I feel him shift a little bit beside me. "Depends on the season."
"You know I'd help you if I could," I begin, but Lucas cuts me off.
"No - it's okay. You really wouldn't want to. The street life is not fit for boys like you."
"Boys like me?" I say, stung.
"People know who you are, Ness. You're the son of one of the richest business owners in Onett. Some men would snap you up in an instant, and that would be the last thing you ever remember. And besides, your father wouldn't let you out, would he?"
"He wouldn't," I say sadly. "But what did you mean - the street life? You only sell things, right? You make it sound like you're homeless."
"Well," Lucas says heavily, and I feel a familiar sinking feeling. He quakes, just a little bit, and I pull him near. "Father doesn't always let me in. Sometimes, after I've finished for the day, he won't unlock the door. It's rare, but if he's been in a bad mood, or something's happened at work, I've had to sleep rough."
"Lucas!" I let out a strangled gasp. "You could've come round mine - I'd have let you stay! Don't sleep out there, it's not safe - it's not healthy-"
But he averts his eyes. "I couldn't, Ness. I really couldn't."
"But-"
"I know." He stares at me, eyes bleak. He looks like a war victim, and suddenly, I get the impression that Lucas might not be as innocent as I thought. "It might not make much sense to you, but I couldn't come to your house. It would've been risky."
"I'm sorry," I murmur, because I can't think of anything else to say. I can hardly imagine him cold, shivering, lying in some back alley with a blanket over his head.
"It's fine." He pauses, lightly touching his neck. "I put up with it. Sleeping rough was bearable. Some people sucked, but it was okay. I made do."
The mood is fragile as I look at him through watery eyes. "You don't have to talk about it."
"But I think I should," he says heavily. "Because, I've not been fully honest with you, and things are changing. If anything happens, or something goes wrong, I want to have a clean conscience. I want you to know everything."
"Luc-"
"Just, bear with me, okay?" His breathing is forced. "This is - this is kind of scary."
"Scary? Lucas, what's up? What's going on? What else happened?"
"Ness." He breathes a ragged breath. "I'm, I..."
There's another shaky pause. I fear I know what's coming - I think I know what he's going to say, but…
"When I'm not at school..." He closes his eyes for a while, evidently trying to stabilise himself. "When I'm making money for Father, when I'm on the street, I separate that part of my life off from everything else. It's like I'm a different person. That's important - that's really important to understand, okay?"
"Okay," I say quietly.
"It's really bad out there, Ness - there are bad, bad people - evil, twisted people." He meets my eyes, and I move a little nearer when he buries his face into a pillow. "I hated it."
I take his hand in mine, lying by his side. I give it a gentle squeeze, as if to tell him that I'm here.
"It wasn't just - it wasn't just selling stuff, and massages," Lucas says, muffled through the pillow. "Ness, t-there were - I..." He falters, his body rising and falling at an increasing rate. I grip tighter onto his hand, rubbing circles onto his palm. "This is - This is hard," he stammers.
"I know," I say. "You don't have to say anything you don't want-"
"I will - I'll, I'll. Just. I - hold on. I need a moment."
There's a long pause. I don't know whether to hug him or give him space. He doesn't seem to be crying, but his body moves in a jerky, unkempt rhythm.
"There was a man," he says, turning to meet my eyes. "A horrible, awful man."
"Porky?"
"No. He was called Geldegarde. He works in business, he's rich, he found me selling one day, and he - and he-"
I feel sick.
"He hired me," Lucas says, averting his eyes again.
"Hired you?"
"I'm s-sorry - I'm sorry, it was the only way - the only way I could get enough money to go to school - the only way to come and see you - and - and pay the rent-"
"Lucas, what did he make you do?"
He takes a deep breath. I decide hugging is the best option. He shudders into me, face pressed up against my aching ribs.
"H-He had customers - clients - and I didn't do anything - I wouldn't - I wouldn't know - but - but they - they did things to me, and I never told you - and - and-"
"Things?" I ask, dread creeping down my spine. "L-Lucas?"
"N-Not - full-on, well, you know - but - but massages, amongst - amongst other, worse... services."
"Lucas," I say, my voice shrinking. "Lucas, I, I-"
"I'm sorry," Lucas croaks.
"What sort of services?" I ask, despite not wanting to hear the answer.
He mimes, and I understand.
"Lucas, I - I don't-"
He feels so small, so defenceless and vulnerable in my arms. I pull the covers up around us, trying to bring us some warmth, while also trying not to cry myself.
"I'm sorry," he mumbles again, impossibly small.
"It's okay," I whisper, because it's the only comforting thing I know how to say. "How long has this been happening?"
"Two years," he sniffles. "Two whole years - and - and the first time was, in - in summer, the summer that I never wrote, because I felt so guilty-"
"It's okay," I say again, holding him as near as I can. "I promise."
"I - I never wanted to do it. It was never - never a choice, but the customers, they, they had to get their way, or - or - and they were horrible, Ness, violent, awful people-"
"Lucas... what happened? How did this come about?"
He shudders, unresponsive.
"Sorry," I backtrack. "Too far?"
"No - no, I should," Lucas mumbles. "You're right. Geldegarde, one day, he - he came to me. When I was selling, he came. He told me to do what he said, or, or-"
"Or what?"
He merely shakes his head. I hold him tighter in my arms, because each guess is worse than the last.
"He owned me, Ness. I was - I was his. Like a slave, or like a serving-boy. I did what he made me do, because when I didn't, he'd hurt me. The alternatives were - were, too bad. Too bad. I was trapped."
"So, he made you work for the customers? He blackmailed you?"
"Yes. He did." Lucas lets out a cry, and I hold him, rubbing his back, trying to wordlessly tell him how much he means to me, how important he is. How it's okay, and I accept him. Because even worse than all this, I know there's more, more that's happened. His reaction alone proves that. And I've always had a feeling, a bad feeling about what happens to Lucas when he's not at school, not by my side. Sometimes he showed up to my door, flustered, hair in a mess, sweating, and he'd instantly rush to the bathroom. He's always been vague about things, but this happening - this -
"I'm s-sorry," he says, hiccupping like a wounded animal. "I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" I ask. "You've done nothing wrong. You've been used by some awful, awful man, and I swear, I'll never, ever, let him near you again. You're so important to me, Lucas. You know? So, so important."
Lucas gives a shaky nod.
"You're safe now." I hold him close. "I promise. From now on, you're safe. If he tries anything, come straight to me, and I don't care how risky it is, because if he tries anything, I'll blast him with fire. I'll use these powers for some good, and I'll destroy him." And I mean it, because suddenly I'm full of fury. Nobody hurts Lucas. They've done a good job on him, filled him up with guilt; Lucas has been perfectly conditioned to believe it's all his fault.
And that's beyond unacceptable.
"I tried running," Lucas says shakily, trying in vain to dry his eyes. "I tried going to other places to sell, but Geldegarde and his customers always found me."
"Did you ever tell the police?" I ask.
"No." He gives a miserable shake of his head. "N-No, because he - he threatened..." he wilts, burying his face back into his pillow.
I hold him close, rocking him from side to side. I have a feeling that this is years worth of emotions pouring out - and I can feel it - I can feel his misery, emanating from his core. It burns my chest.
Nobody should have to endure that alone.
He won't ever have to again.
Eventually, Lucas sits up, shuddering beside me. The tears have stopped flowing, but the emotions are still raw, hot and angry inside us. Lucas wraps around me like I'm an anchor, and he's a ship adrift at sea.
"Why put up with it?" I ask quietly. "Why keep selling outside, just to make money to go here? You could've gone to the public school. It's cheaper."
"They made me, Ness." His voice is muffled again.
"No, I mean..." I tense, hoping I'm not stepping a line. "You could've stayed at home, not sold anything, and avoided it, right?"
But Lucas shakes his head. "Geldegarde came to my door. He'd - He'd threaten me with all sorts of things. I was scared. I'd do what he said because I had to."
"How did you get through it?" I ask nervously. "How did you bear it?"
"I'd - I'd imagine myself somewhere else," he says. "I'd think of friends. Of you. I'd think of anything else. I'd tell myself it was worth it."
"Worth it? Is anything worth that?"
"The little money I'd make from selling, or - or, tips from the customers..." He wipes his eyes again. "It was enough to let me come to the boarding school. To see - to see you, to see the others... it was the only escape."
"Lucas," I find myself sniffling because all of this is so fucking miserable, and so fucking pathetic. "You are the strongest person that I have ever met, okay? You're incredible, you really are. And telling me this happened - that's really brave."
"I never thought you'd accept it," Lucas mumbles. "That this has been happening. Never in a million years. I thought you'd hate me."
"I could never hate you. You're - you're just... I care about you, I love you no matter what, okay? You're my best friend for a reason."
"I know. It's going to be okay," he says weakly, inclining his head so that he can see me. "I won't sell anymore. It's over. Father doesn't care about me, so he can pay the debt for himself."
"That's right," I say, wiping his eyes with my thumb. "You're safe now."
"Sorry for not - for not mentioning it sooner," he mumbles. He wipes my eyes too - I didn't even know there were tears.
"Are you kidding? You didn't have to tell me anything. I'm sorry that it's been so bad for you. Everything that's happened to you..."
"Ness..." He looks pained. "Don't talk about my life like it's some big tragedy. There are good things too."
"Oh - I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"It's okay," he says. "I know what you meant."
"What was the man's name again?" I ask.
"Geldegarde Monotoli," Lucas says. "He's a businessman."
"I don't know him," I admit. "But I hate him."
Lucas's voice comes out barely a whisper.
"I hate him too."
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.
"Sorry for making everything wet," Lucas murmurs, when time has passed.
"Making everything wet?" My eyes widen with surprise. "Lucas, it's alright to cry. Especially about this."
"I'll be okay," Lucas repeats. "The bad memories will - they'll go away."
"I'll replace them with good memories," I offer, and Lucas smiles.
"I'd like that. Thank you, Ness. I - you're amazing."
We're interrupted by a knock on the door. I turn, and Lucas removes himself from me, hastily banishing any evidence that he's been upset. I quickly pull my shirt back on, and a figure comes into the room.
"Hey," Pit says, juggling something shiny. "One golden egg?"
"You did it?" Lucas gasps, taking the item from his hands. "How?"
"Told you I'm good with locks," Pit grins. "I staged a decoy, and I grabbed it from his shelf."
"That's amazing," I say.
"But, uh," he rubs his arm. "Something else has happened."
My heart sinks. "What is it?"
"I think you'd better see for yourselves..."
Lucas helps me down the stairs, and this time, it's not as bad. The pain is rough, but I bear it; I stay in the present, and I don't collapse. But when we reach the corridor, I see that's not the worst of my worries, because, because -
Painted in big, magenta letters:
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.
.
Toon Link is a Faggot.
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.
My stomach slides as I stare at the wall. "How - who did this? How could anyone have known?"
"It's still wet," Lucas murmurs, dabbing his finger in the lettering. "It's new."
"I don't know when it appeared," Pit says grimly. "Toon Link and Villager are still outside. I saw it on the way to bring you the egg."
"I don't understand - what does it mean?" Lucas asks, his eyebrows furrowed.
"It's a derogatory term for homosexuals," Pit explains. "It's pretty vile."
"Maybe - maybe they're calling him a ball of seasoned chopped liver," I say, but Pit shakes his head, glaring at some passers-by that laugh.
"Someone's found out, somehow. Someone's painted this with cruel intent."
"But Red's the only one who knew," Lucas says, and Pit's face grows worried.
"You don't suppose it could've been him, do you? I mean, he did only just find out..."
"If Red had a problem, he'd have said it to their face," I say, and speak of the devil, I spot him running up the corridor. He seems out of breath, unkempt, remarkably off-form.
"Do you know what this is about?" I ask, and he doubles over, clutching onto the wall for support.
"I've made a mistake - I think I've made a massive mistake-"
"What did you do?" Pit asks, narrowing his eyes.
"I - I didn't know guys being into guys was a bad thing!"
"It's not a bad thing," Lucas protests, with a stifled glance at me.
"But," Red gasps for breath. "I was talking to Popo - I told him that Toon Link and Villager might be getting together, and-"
"You did what!?" Pit exclaims sharply.
"I thought it was normal! You all said it was normal!"
"Red - it is normal, but it's really frowned upon - please, don't tell anyone else-"
"You didn't tell Popo about me, did you?" I ask, suddenly afraid.
"No," Red says shakily. "As soon as I mentioned Toon Link - Popo ran off. He's probably told everyone!"
"Which way did he run?"
"Towards the artistic room," Red says, and Pit groans.
"Of course. I think we've found our vandal."
"What am I going to do?" Red asks, with a surprising amount of panic in his voice. "I had no idea that this would happen. I thought this would be statistically impossible!"
"We have to get rid of it," I declare. "Lucas, what do we do?"
"Nothing. We can't do anything," Lucas mumbles. "It's the stupid paint from the art room - it's not going away." He's right. That stupid paint has ruined so many of my shirts.
"We could paint over it?" I suggest, but Lucas shakes his head again.
"We can't. We'd be caught."
"But what, then?" I thread a hand through my hair, which causes my head to spin - I fall back against the wall. Lucas helps me back up, and I groan. Even worse, from my position, I see two familiar people coming through the door.
Toon Link and Villager are back.
"Dammit!" Pit exclaims, noticing, and he starts to dictate the action. "Right, Ness, go over there, make sure Toon Link doesn't come this way-"
"I just came out of a coma - I can't run!"
"Lucas - you go, then!"
Lucas nods, swiftly moving over to the pair.
"Red, you go and get a big cloth from the Trades classroom-"
"Of course," Red says, running off.
"And Ness, stay here. Make sure nobody pays too much attention to the wall. I'm going to find Popo and give him a piece of my mind."
He dashes off, and I'm left alone to stew. How could Popo have done this? I can't be angry at Red, he didn't know, we didn't tell him... I feel another stab of guilt. If only I'd thought to mention that.
It should have been my name painted on the wall. I'm the one with a massive crush on my best friend. Toon Link doesn't deserve this kind of treatment, not when everything was going so well. I hope nobody sees it - I hope his secret stays safe - but just as I think that, a horde of second years walk by, and they burst into giggles-
"Hey!" I snap. "How about I change it to your name, huh?"
"As if," the littlest of them scoffs. "We wouldn't dream of being fags."
I shudder as they disappear, as if they'd seen right into my soul. Toon Link needs his reputation. Toon Link's known for having parties, for being a laugh, and that's important to him. What others think of him means a lot - something like this graffiti could ruin that forever.
"Is it true?" Link asks me, appearing with a royal laugh.
"No." I fold my arms. "Go away."
"Oho! It is true!" Link declares. "It must've been my masculine presence... that would turn any man gay!" He laughs as he leaves, and I flip him off behind his back, furious. Nobody makes fun of my friends. But I'm distracted when I see who's behind him.
Popo himself.
"Hey!" I shout. "Get over here!"
"Oho!" Popo grins. "Like my handiwork, hm?"
"Screw you!" I see red, shoving him against the corridor wall. "Why the hell would you do this?"
"It's a prank, it's a joke! Chill, bro!"
"A joke? This is not a joke! A joke is - I don't know, making people laugh?"
"Well, I think it's funny-"
"It's not funny! It's despicable!"
"You're despicable."
"Don't try me," I threaten, shaking with anger. "I've just about had it with people like you."
"I'm not scared of you," Popo laughs.
"That's it! I'm gonna-"
But my head spins, and suddenly I'm spiralling backwards. Popo takes advantage with a shove, and I tumble against the paint-
"Nice look," Popo snickers. "Magenta really brings out your eyes-"
"Fuck you!" I roar, surging forwards, but Wario springs out of his office.
"Ness!" He sneers. "Caught pink-handed!" He laughs at his own joke.
"What?" I demand, incensed. "Me?"
"Graffitiing the walls? You're coming to the Headmaster!"
"That was Popo!" I cry in outrage. "I didn't do this!"
"You're covered in pink paint. It was clearly you."
"It was him!" I point, but Popo seems to have disappeared.
"WAHA!" Wario bellows. "There's nobody there, WAH!"
"Ness!" Pit comes hurtling around the corner. "I couldn't find Popo - but - oh-"
"Oho!" Wario turns. "Were you involved in this as well?"
"It was Popo!" I protest again. "He pushed me against the wall - that's why I'm covered in paint-"
"Nonsense!" Wario exclaims, and I almost stamp my foot with frustration.
"Toon Link - Villager-" Lucas's voice comes from the other end of the corridor. "Please, uh, there's been a volcano, do not go this way-"
"A volcano?" Toon Link frowns. "That sounds cool, I want to have a look-"
"Sorry Pit, I'm no good at convincing people," Lucas mumbles, before noticing Wario. "Oh-"
Toon Link strides down the corridor, and he takes one good look at the wall. His face moves from relaxed, to panicked, to calm in a matter of seconds.
"So!" Wario gleefully counts on his fingers. "Ness, Pit, you're coming with me for being involved in vandalism. Toon Link, if you're a fag, that's illegal, so you're coming too. And Lucas, I saw you stole my golden egg, so that makes four of you!"
"But that's not fair!" I exclaim.
"Business isn't fair," Wario sneers. "Now, come!"
Toon Link doesn't say a word.
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.
.
"What exactly did they do again?" Headmaster Hand asks wearily, leant back in his chair with a strained expression.
"Toon Link is a homosexual," Wario sneers, "Pit and Ness vandalised the wall, and Lucas stole from me."
"I see," Headmaster Hand sighs. "Right, let's start with the vandalism. Where, and what did they do?"
"It wasn't us!" I interrupt, before Wario can lie. "It was Popo. He painted 'Toon Link is a faggot' on the main corridor's wall."
Toon Link shifts nervously next to me.
"Ness, have peace." Headmaster Hand gives me a look. "Professor Wario, can you tell me your version of events?"
"Wahahahaaa..." Wario rubs his hands together. "Well, I caught Ness at the scene, covered in magenta paint!"
"Because I was pushed against the wall!" I protest. My head swings again - I stumble into Lucas, who catches me.
"Interesting." Headmaster Hand turns. "Professor Wario, did Ness have a bucket of paint, or any paintbrushes with him?"
"Well, no-"
"Then, quite simply, it can't have been him. Moving on, what did Lucas steal?"
"My golden egg!" Wario exclaims. "It was mine, and now it is gone."
"That was me," Pit explains hurriedly. "Not Lucas."
"What?" Wario turns with fury. "You!?"
"And why did you steal it?" Headmaster Hand asks, looking at Pit with a bored expression.
"Because Professor Wario stole it from Lucas first."
"Did you give this item back to Lucas?" he asks.
"Yes," Pit says.
"Ness." Headmaster Hand turns to me. "Can you procure this item?"
"Not really," I sigh. "It hurts to walk, you see."
"Ah yes, of course, your coma. Welcome back to reality. Lucas, can you go and fetch it instead?"
"Yes, Headmaster." Lucas nods shakily, opening the door, but Bowser and Rosalina obstruct his path.
"Can I help you?" Headmaster Hand asks them, sounding uncharacteristically tense. In fact, he doesn't look like he's slept in days.
"Indeed you can!" Rosalina exclaims. "Professor Bowser has been abusing students!"
"And Professor Rosalina should be fired!" Bowser growls. "She's a woman!"
"I had noticed her womanly nature," Headmaster Hand says dryly, and he takes another heavily strained breath. "Both of you, please wait while I deal with this other matter."
Lucas leaves the room, and Headmaster Hand opens his mouth. But before he can speak, someone else knocks on the door. It's Professor Shulk and Professor Ryu.
"More visitors?" Headmaster Hand's polite expression is rather forced at this point. "How lovely."
"Hello," Shulk starts. "A bucket of magenta paint has been stolen from the art room, and I discovered, to my surprise, that the wall of the main corridor has been vandalised with it, and I thought you should know, because-"
"Okay," Headmaster Hand says tightly. "I am aware of this. Please, join the queue. Professor Ryu? What about you?"
"Well," Ryu shifts, "I probably shouldn't disclose that in front of all of these people."
"...Join the queue."
There's an awkward pause as Ryu walks over to stand by the wall, and mercifully, Lucas breaks it by returning with the egg.
"There it is!" Wario sneers. "My golden egg!"
"It's not yours!" I protest hotly. "It's Lucas's!"
"Interesting." Headmaster Hand takes it, observing it as if it's witchcraft. "What even is this thing?"
I look over at the sudden audience of professors - it's very likely that one of them knows exactly what it is. One of them made this thing, trapped me in a dream with it, and then put something mysterious inside. I check their eyes - Shulk is looking blank, Bowser greedy, Wario outraged, Ryu… hm. I can't quite make out what his expression is. My suspicions heighten.
"It's - it's - a trophy!" Lucas lies, as Headmaster Hand rolls it across his desk.
"A trophy? What for?"
"For - for chicken… racing?"
"Chicken racing," Headmaster Hand repeats. "What about you, Professor Wario? What's your story?"
"Well-"
"That's not the only thing he stole," Lucas interrupts. "He also took another ornament of mine."
"Lies!" Wario snarls. "I only stole the egg!"
At least half of the professors sigh. Of course, Wario fell for the oldest trick in the book. Headmaster Hand hands the egg back to Lucas.
"I suppose that's the case closed. Thank you for wasting my time, Professor Wario. But now, onto the more worrisome matter. Toon Link..."
Toon Link shifts.
"...These accusations of you being a homosexual are very serious."
"I'm not a homosexual," Toon Link says, staring at the ground, speaking for the first time since seeing the wall.
But Headmaster Hand continues. "If you are found to be a homosexual, and you are lying, you could face imprisonment or the death penalty. Do you understand me?"
"I am not a homosexual," Toon Link repeats, a little more force to his voice.
"Prove it," Wario snarls.
"How's he supposed to do that?" Headmaster Hand asks, exasperated.
"Easy. Grab a girl, bring her here, and he bones her here and now-"
"Alright! That's quite enough!" Headmaster Hand exclaims, finally snapping. "It's 8:15. I do not have time for this! I am already swamped with police reports with my brother - all this with the disappearances - gosh! Let's just sort this out. Since we apparently have an audience, we'll have a jury vote. Should Toon Link be reported to the police? Raise your hand if you think he should be."
Wario and Bowser instantly raise their hands, but I notice Shulk is staring absent-mindedly at Headmaster Hand's desk, his hand not raised - and Rosalina and Ryu's hands are down as well!
"It is settled." Headmaster Hand turns, looking relieved. "Toon Link, since there is no evidence, and I, and this information will not leave this room, do not personally take issue with homosexuality, you are free to go. But you must be careful, understood?"
"Yes, Headmaster," Toon Link says sullenly.
Headmaster Hand is all too keen to dismiss us from the room, and it's a relief to see Villager waiting outside. The other professors remain, except for Wario, who storms off to his office.
Toon Link, meanwhile, eyes the floor.
"Are you okay?" I step forward, tentatively placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine," he lies.
"We accept you, okay?" Villager says gently. "No matter what."
"I know." Toon Link's expression hardly changes. "It's just... well. You know."
"It's my fault," Pit sighs. "I told Red that - and then he - and then Popo-"
"I understand."
An uneasy silence falls over us all.
"I'm - I'm just going to go to bed," Toon Link decides, turning away.
"I'll come too," Pit agrees, and the pair make their way up the stairs.
Villager sighs once they're gone, covering his face with his hands. I'm not sure what to say, so I just move closer to Lucas, letting him put an arm around my shoulder.
"Guys!" Red finally appears, hurtling down the corridor with a giant sheet behind him. "I got the cloth-"
"I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that," Villager mumbles. "Sorry, mate. I'll take it back when I next have Trades."
"Oh..." Red's expression droops. My head swims again, and I teeter, catching myself on the wall. Lucas yawns, exhausted from his two nights without any sleep.
"I feel so bad for him," Villager says miserably. "I wish there was something I could do."
Lucas yawns again, and there's an aching in my ribs. He clutches my arm, and I sigh.
"We're going to head to bed. You, uh, rest well."
"Goodnight," Villager says, without meeting our eyes. "Hope you heal, Ness. And I hope you're less tired tomorrow, Lucas."
"Thanks," Lucas says, with another yawn. The mood is bleak as we begin the gentle trudge up the stairs, each step causing my chest to throb a little bit more, causing my head to feel a little bit heavier.
I'll shake this off. I'm strong. I have to get better. If Lucas can survive all of that, then I can deal with this.
We get into our dorm after a while, and I pull off my paint-covered shirt.
"That was my last one," I mumble, folding it up. "The rest got burnt by the fire."
"It's okay," Lucas says, coming to my side. He places the egg back on the bookshelf with a resounding clunk. "Villager promised to lend us anything we needed."
Lucas and I face away from each other to get changed into pyjamas. It takes me a little while, but I manage in the end, despite the bruising that seems to have swollen even more than earlier. I collapse in my bed, and Lucas falls into his.
"Pretty awful day, huh?" I murmur.
"I got my best friend back. It's not been too bad."
"Shut up," I say, rolling my eyes, but it still makes me smile. "You're so sentimental."
"I know. But so are you."
"...Fair enough." There's a little pause, and I adjust my pillow. "You know, it was brave of you to tell me all that stuff about the street life."
"Yeah, well." He turns to face me from across the room. His hair flops just a little, falling in front of his eyes. "I know I can tell you anything."
"I, erm." I avert my eyes. "I owe it to you to tell you about my home, if you like."
"Ness, you owe me nothing at all."
"Can I tell you anyway?"
"Of course you can." Lucas brushes the hair out of his eyes. "If you want to."
"Well," I begin. "The word, the F word, on the wall… Father uses it a lot. It never really affected me before, but now that I know that I'm, well, that I'm a homosexual..."
"Oh, Ness." Lucas's face falls. "I wish more people were accepting."
"I can never even tell him," I sigh. "But it's not like I could've told him anything anyway."
"What about your mother?" Lucas asks. "She's always seemed nice."
"She's good, but she's scared to go against Father," I say. "Tracy would understand, though. I think she wants me to be gay, just to prove a point or something."
"Yeah." A smile plays on Lucas's lips. "Remember that time she locked us in your bathroom?"
"Ah, yes! We had to beg her to let us out."
Lucas looks at me with soft eyes, and I melt just a little bit. I love reminiscing on the good times, because we have so many happy memories between us, and they block out all the horror.
But Lucas looks down to the floor. "I'm sorry about your Father."
"He sucks." I shrug. "I accept that now."
"The king of suck."
"The biggest sucker in the land."
"Super Sucker."
I grin, and so does he. It fills me with that ache again, the ache of want. It hurts, but it's a good kind of hurt, unlike my head and my ribs.
"We should sleep," I say, when Lucas yawns again.
"Yeah," Lucas agrees. "I guess we should."
"Goodnight," I say, smiling at him.
He smiles back.
"Goodnight."
As the room falls silent, I stare up at the ceiling, trying to clear my mind. But my thoughts keep moving - my mind shifts to Lucas almost immediately. I feel awful, those people, that man, Geldegarde, whoever the hell he is... I imagine a shadowy figure, an angry man, knives in his pockets. A dark hat, rich with wealth, bursting with evil intent.
I realise I'm imagining Porky.
I bet Geldegarde is somehow in with him. I bet it. They're both evil, money-hoarding fiends. Both awful, awful people.
But that's not the only awful person in our midst. The Dreamlord still exists, inexplicable and far away. It could be Ryu, it could be Bowser, it could be Wario, and it could even be The Face, sneaking into school through the passages. For each suspect, nothing quite adds up. How would the Face have written a book? How would Bowser have afforded it? How would anyone be going through the school, undetected, luring people to an underground hideaway? But then again, something rules out every single adult in the school.
And so, my thoughts drift to the students instead, a new kind of territory. Meta Knight and Olimar are busy dealing opium, so it can't be them. It could be... Popo? Link? I don't know. I have no idea. And then there are all the random clues, the figurine, the golden egg, it's as if the Dreamlord is making it all dramatic, making it difficult to figure out… leaving red herrings…
I roll over, and it hurts my chest, so I slip onto my back. This villain supposedly hates me, but why? Did something happen? The only person I can think of who hates me is my Father, and no way is he doing all this from so far away.
I need to sleep, I remind myself.
You're never going to sleep.
Oh, great. Buttercup. Of course. Just when I needed a negative voice in my head.
You made me up.
My mind stings once again, and the seconds, the minutes, and soon enough the hours trickle by, with me lying there, theorising, mulling over what Lucas told me. Worrying about school, thinking about crazy things, with the sort of brain activity I could really do with having during the day.
It's torture.
.
.
.
.
.
There's no clock, but I estimate that at least an eternity passes before I even manage to yawn. Is this how Toon Link feels every night? The pain in my head has evolved to a throbbing rhythm of aches that refuse to subside. I let out an audible groan.
"Ness?" Lucas whispers, and I jump with alarm. "Are you still awake?"
"Yeah," I say, shivering.
"...I can't sleep," Lucas mumbles. "I keep thinking about everything-"
"Me too-"
"A-And- it's cold, and I'm - I'm kinda... scared? I keep worrying that we're not alone."
"Well." I shift along a little, making some space. "There's room over here, if you'd like."
Lucas falls quiet, and I feel momentarily embarrassed, but then he's crawling in next to me, huddling under the covers.
"Hey," I whisper.
"Hey," Lucas whispers back.
I pull the duvet back over us, delicately wrapping an arm around my best friend. He moves into me a little bit, careful not to hurt my ribs, and he closes his eyes, his head against the pillow.
Comforted, I rest my head. Sleep seems more plausible, now that I'm not alone. It's not good to be alone. When I'm alone, when I'm distancing myself, I'm broken. When Lucas is alone, fending for himself in the street, he's broken. His father won't let him in, and mine won't let me out, and it's hard to decide which of us has it worse.
But in the end, perhaps none of that even matters.
A/N
Count it Up? More like Count Up the Trigger Warnings. Let's see, we had Lucas's tragic past, drugs, mildly sexual content, homophobia, gore...
Count Up the words, too. 13.7k? That's a lot...
Introducing Geldegarde, a minor antagonist of Earthbound, but a more major antagonist here. His appearance here is not at all canon to the game, but oh well. I wonder if he'll appear again?
Notes:
Homophobic 1800s society still sucks. I'm glad I was born in the present, and not then, otherwise I might have perished
'Fag' being used derogatively against gay people was not a thing until the 1900s, but I included it anyway, because like I said at the beginning, the dialogue and the text is all in modern English, for the sake of convenience. Also, I'm gay myself, so I get to reclaim the word and use it in my writing :DDDDD
Reviews:
"When I first read the premise and author's notes, I rolled my eyes and nearly closed the tab. I don't normally like kid-focused fanfics and the AU premise didn't fill me with confidence. But then I read the first few sentences. And the next few. And I kept on reading, all the way to the end of chapter 1.
I'm hooked now. Congrats! This is definitely a gem in the rough!"
Thank you! I'm glad this fic has stood out amongst some of the others. I do need to update the summary, because it's terrible. When and if you reach this chapter, hopefully I will have done just that...
Thanks again for reading,
~ReadyForTeddy