Estimated Reading Time: 25 Minutes

Shy Blonde

Lucas's heart skipped a beat when he heard Leaf's name. He felt dread. Leaf used to date Nate who dated Lucas. This was a conversation he was not ready to have, but he was also curious on where this was going.

Lucas: "W-what about Leaf?"

Ness: "She hates me."

Lucas: "Oh…"

Ness: "What did my clone do to her?"

Lucas: "I don't know…"

Ness: "Like I know what he did, but… *Sighs* Do you think I'll ever be on good terms with her?"

Lucas: "I'm not sure."

Ness: "Can I vent?"

Lucas: "Um…"

Ness: "You can say no."

Lucas: "You can vent. I'm here for you, Ness."

Ness: "Thank you. I appreciate it."

Lucas: "No problem."

Ness: "Ok so, I'm confused."

Lucas: "What do you mean?"

Ness: "Leaf obviously hates me. I tried talking to her when I saw her at the PokeMart and she did not have it."

Lucas: "She didn't want to talk to you, huh?"

Ness: "Not at all. This is a big problem because as you know, she's fucking pregnant with Nate's child!"

Lucas: "!"

Lucas flinched when he heard that. It hurt. He didn't want to be reminded of the fact that Nate cheated on him with Leaf and got her pregnant. That day when he found out, his world shattered. He felt useless, ugly, pathetic, and unimportant.

A part of him still wants to see him and ask why. Why did he hurt him like that? What was Lucas to him? Nate started acting weird at one point, and now he finally gets why. He felt guilty. It really does seem like Lucas was important to him, but then why did he cheat?

Ness: "She didn't even want to hear the word abortion. I understand why, but this is serious. I can't be there for her. That child isn't mine! She'll have to raise it alone. I feel like such an ass, because I'm not going to father that child. Hell no. I'm not ready, also I'm not even in love with her."

Hearing that made Lucas smile on the inside. He doesn't like Leaf like that. He shouldn't think like this because it's toxic, but he couldn't help it. He is still in love with Ness. He still thinks about him, and ever since the whole Nate situation, it still feels like they're dating. He knows they're not, but the way they're hanging out like nothing has happened makes it feel like they're together. At least that's what his heart is telling him.

Ness: "The other day, when my Twitter blew up, she commented on my post and gave me advice. I thought we were cool. However, when I went to grab my laundry, I saw her."

Lucas: "Really? Did you two talk?"

Ness: "No! She fucking ignored me and rushed to get her clothes!"

Lucas: "I wonder why she commented on your post then."

Ness: "I don't know! I'm confused. Does she like me or not?"

Lucas: "I think she does, but she's also scared to get close to you because of Nate."

Ness: "Nate…"

Lucas: "Do you… Um…"

Ness: "Hm?"

Lucas: "Never mind."

Ness: "No, what were you going to say?"

Lucas: "I uh… I was going to ask if… (You spoke with Nate recently.)

Ness: "Um, are you ok? You froze up."

Lucas: "Yes! Sorry, I lost my train of thought."

Ness: "Are you sure? You can tell me."

Lucas: "I lost it."

Ness: "Don't worry, happens to me all the time. It's annoying."

Lucas: "Yeah… Anyway, what were you saying?"

Ness: "Oh! Yeah um, I just don't know what to do about the whole Leaf situation."

Lucas: "I'm not sure there's much you can do."

Ness: "I refuse to believe that."

Lucas: "I dunno. I don't think you should force your way into making things right between you two."

Ness: "I know we won't be able to be friends, but I need to talk to her about getting an abortion."

Lucas: "Ness…"

Ness: "Is that too messed up?"

Lucas: "A little. I don't think it's the right time. She needs to heal. The crazy didn't happen too long ago."

Ness: "B-but-

Lucas: "Give it time. Then try again later."

Lucas put his hand on Ness's shoulder and gave him a sincere look. Whoa, he's not used to Lucas acting like this. This got him to stop and think for a moment. His friend is right, he shouldn't berate Leaf for thinking about keeping the baby. He has to play the patient game and let her calm down.

Ness: "Ok."

Lucas was shocked. Usually Ness would fight him on this. He looked over at his friend's desk and noticed mental awareness books.

Ness: "You're right. I'll give it time."

Ness smiled and continued to pet Lucky.

Ness: "I'm glad I have you as my friend. You're the only one I can vent to."

Lucas's heart skipped a beat. His face was red-hot. He looked away so Ness wouldn't see him flustered. He wondered if Ness knows that he still has a thing for him. Oh who is he kidding? He definitely does.

There was an awkward tension. At least on Lucas's end. Ness continued to pet Lucky, while The Blonde struggled to talk to him about his feelings. He wanted to tell Ness about him dating Nate. He wanted to ask Ness what he thought about it? Was he grossed out? Is he purposely ignoring it because he wants to stay friends, or is it out of pity?

Lucky let out a yawn which caused both boys to do the same. Ness went over to their laptops and closed it. He went to the bathroom to change into a lounge shirt and a pair of basketball shorts.

Lucas went over to his bag and shoved his laptop inside. He was about to step out of the door, but Ness stopped him.

Ness: "Wait, no sleep over?"

Lucas: "Y-you want me to spend the night?"

Ness: "Yeah I mean, we haven't in a while. I-is that weird?"

Lucas: "No! I just thought…"

Ness: "We used to all the time."

Lucas: "I thought you needed more time to adjust because of everything that's happened."

Ness: "Right now, I crave for things to go back to normal."

Lucas: "R-right. Normal…"

Ness glanced at his books.

Ness: "B-but if you don't want to, then I'm ok with that too. It's your choice."

Lucas noticed that he looked at his books and then immediately went back to him. He's trying not to be pushy. This made Lucas smile. He's overthinking it like always. Classic Ness.

Lucas: "Yes, of course I want to sleepover."

Ness: "Awesome!"

Lucas went back to his room to grab pajamas which were a shirt and a pair of comfy shorts. He also grabbed his own pillow and blanket. When he came back, he hopped on Ness's bed and laid next to him.

The two looked stared at the ceiling. The room was silent. Lucas was debating if he should talk to Ness about… Everything. How he feels about him. The fact that he dated his clone. He wanted to ask his friend a bunch of questions, but he's scared. Right now, they're getting along and he didn't want to ruin the vibe. But also, if he doesn't talk about it, then he'll never know how Ness feels about him and it'll slowly kill him inside.

Lucas opened his mouth to say something but Ness spoke first.

Ness: "Remember that one time when you and I went camping?"

Lucas: "You mean when you over prepared and brought three extra tents?" *Chuckles*

Ness: "Yeah that one."

Lucas: "Yes, what about it?"

Ness: "It was fun. I wasn't much of a fishing guy, but you convinced me. It's not so bad."

Lucas: "You were complaining about how boring it was."

Ness: "Really?"

Lucas: "Yeah, you didn't catch anything and you said it was a waste of time."

Ness: "I think I was salty."

Lucas: "No kidding."

Ness: "I…"

Lucas: "Yes?"

Ness hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should be honest. What if Lucas makes fun of him? He bit his nail and debated if he should say it.

Lucas: "Ness, are you ok? You're quiet."

He allowed himself to be vulnerable with Sonic, Gordon, and Kawasaki. It turned out it wasn't a bad idea. He felt better actually. It wouldn't hurt to try again, right?

Ness: "Yeah, sorry I just um…" *Bites lip*

Lucas: "Are you ok? You seem like you want to tell me something. You can trust me. I won't judge you."

Ness: "I did like fishing, but I was upset because I didn't catch anything and you did."

Lucas: "I figured."

Ness: "It's just… I'm sorry, Lucas. I don't mean to sound narcissistic, but I wanted to be better than you. At like everything you do, so when I'm not, it… Frustrates me and I pretend to hate it."

Lucas: "Oh…"

Ness: "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be a jerk. I dunno, I have such a big… Ego…"

Lucas: "That's ok. I understand. I mean, to be honest, I think you are better than me at everything."

Ness: "N-no… Lucas, that's not-

Lucas: "Except Street Fighter."

Ness: "!" *Snickers* "That caught me off guard."

Lucas: "Hahaha!"

Ness: "Jokes aside. Lucas, it's not true. I'm not better than you at everything. You have talent and can do things that I can't. I just have to accept that."

Lucas: "Wow, Ness. This is big coming from you."

Ness: "I know I haven't been a good friend. I'm trying to change."

Lucas: "Is that why you got those books?"

Ness: "You've noticed."

Lucas: "You didn't do much to hide it."

Ness: "Haha! Yeaaaah. I've reflected a lot while I was trapped in a cave with three bullies for eight months. They called me out on a lot of my bullshit."

Lucas: "Finally someone had the balls to do it."

Ness: "Hey!"

Lucas: "Hahaha! Just messin'."

Ness: "No, you're right though. I'm a jerk."

Lucas: "I know~"

Ness: "Thanks, you're making me feel better."

Lucas: "That's what I'm here for~"

Ness: "No, seriously. In a way, I'm glad I was trapped there with them. They really helped me realize that I'm a dick."

Lucas: "I never thought you were a jerk. It's just sometimes you could be controlling."

Ness: "I don't want to be like how I used to."

Lucas: "You meant well."

Ness: "Yeah, but the way I went about it wasn't good. I want to change that."

Lucas: "This is a big change, and I respect it. I've never seen you talk like this before. This is growth. I'm proud of you, Ness."

Ness blushed. He felt embarrassed yet happy. This is the first time he has ever told his best friend something personal like this. The fact that Lucas complimented him too made him feel good.

Ness & Lucas

Level up!

Friendship meter before: [4-6 Hearts]

Friendship meter now: [5-6 Hearts]

Title: True Friends

Ness: "Thank you, Lucas. That means so much to me."

Lucas: "Of course, I love to see this side of you."

Ness: "Although, I might slip up at times. Sorry in advance."

Lucas: "I'm not perfect either."

The two felt a lot better after that conversation. Lucas was happy that Ness finally opened up about something. This is rare and it made the blonde feel important for once.

Ness: "Ya know, you and I should go camping again."

Lucas: "Just you and me?"

Ness: "It's been a while."

Lucas: "What about the friend group?"

Ness: "I mean yeah, but…"

Lucas: "But?"

Ness: "I dunno. I really like it when it's just you and me."

Lucas blushed. He knows Ness only likes him as a friend, but sometimes the way he phrases his words make it seem like there's more to it. He shouldn't get his hopes up, but it's hard when he says things that make him feel special.

Lucas: "Y-yeah, ok."

Ness: "You don't sound thrilled."

Lucas: "No I am! S-sorry."

Ness: "So, we should?"

Lucas: "Yes! Absolutely. Just don't get pissy when I catch more fish than you."

Ness: "No promises~"

Lucas: "So, wait, you do want to fish again?"

Ness: "I want to give it another go. This time, I won't take it so seriously."

Lucas: "Fishing isn't a competition you know. It's about bonding."

Ness: "I know… Sorry."

Lucas: "I honestly just want to hang out and chat."

Ness: "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm not sure why everything has to be a competition with me. I'll try to enjoy it for what it truly is. Simply hanging out with your best bud."

Lucas: "Exactly."

Ness: *Yawns* "Well anyway, I'm dying. Goodnight."

Lucas: "Goodnight~"

Ness closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep. Lucas closed his eyes and was about to fall into slumber, but his eyes shot open. Ness was cuddling him! His leg was on him and everything.

Lucas turned his head over to Ness, but couldn't see due to it being dark. However, he was able to tell his friend was sleeping because of the light snores. The Blonde was freaking out. His crush is so close right now. He should be used to this, because Ness has a habit of cuddling someone in his sleep. He would do this all the time when they were kids, but when they reached fifteen years old is when Lucas started to have a crush on him. That's when the cuddling started to feel wrong yet so good.

He remembered the time when he felt weird feelings toward Ness when he cuddled him. He telling himself that he wasn't gay. That about three years ago.

-Flashback-

.

Lucas and Ness were hanging out at Ness's room. The two were playing video games all night, but they both got hungry.

Lucas: "Where should we go to eat?"

Ness: "Hmm, I'm not sure."

Lucas: "We could go to the food court."

Ness: "No, we always go there. Let's go somewhere new."

Lucas: "Like where?"

Ness: "How about a restaurant?"

Lucas: "Yes!"

Ness: "You sound excited." *Chuckles*

Lucas: "I am! We never go to a restaurant. Are we going to a fancy one?"

Ness: "Fancy? I mean, yeah we can, but I was thinking something down to earth. A dead diner sounds nice."

Lucas: "Yes! That's so us!"

Ness: "Exactly."

Lucas: "Ok, let's go~"

The two went to a dead diner restaurant. The waitress approached them and handed them their menus.

Waitress: "What can I get you two for drinks?"

Ness: "Coffee."

Lucas: "Can I have a milkshake?"

Waitress: "Of course! I'll be back with your drinks."

Ness and Lucas: "Thank you!"

The waitress left. The two talked about video games (mainly League) until the waitress came back with their drinks.

Waitress: "Figured out what to order?"

Ness: "I'll have the ham and cheese melt."

Lucas: "Can I have an omelet?"

Waitress: "Of course. Your order is on the way~"

The waitress left.

Ness: "After this, let's go to the supermarket."

Lucas: "No League?"

Ness: "I have to do something about this acne."

Lucas: *Snickers* "You are a little awkward looking~"

Ness: "Gee, thanks."

Lucas: "I think it's kinda cute."

Ness: "What?"

Lucas: "Uh… Oh! N-not like that, but it's um, charming."

Ness: "Are you kidding me? No girl wants to look at this pizza face."

Lucas: "Hahaha!"

Ness: "That's why, I'm gonna try to fix it."

Lucas: "So girls will look at you?"

Ness: "That's not the only reason. It also hurts and I keep picking it."

Lucas: "So you finally hit puberty."

Ness: *Blushes* "D-don't say it like that."

Lucas thought his friend looked cute when he blushed. His cheeks were so pink. Aaaah! So adorable~ Wait, no! He shouldn't be thinking this. Why would he find Ness cute? He's a guy, and an awkward looking one at that.

Ness: "Uh, you good, bro? You've been staring at me without saying anything for a bit now."

Lucas: "Ah! S-sorry, my eyes got stuck."

The waitress came back with their food. They both thanked her and started eating.

Ness: "Mmm! This is delicious. How's yours?"

Lucas: "If it's an omelet, I like it automatically."

Ness: "You and your omelets."

After the restaurant, they went to the supermarket to buy acne cream. Ness struggled to find one. He kept staring at these two specific brands trying to figure out which one would be better.

Lucas: "Ness, we've been here for twenty minutes. Can we go?"

Ness: "Hold on, I'm looking up which is better. Both have really good reviews."

Lucas: "They do the same thing. Just pick one."

Ness: "I'll buy both and compare it for myself."

Lucas: "Finally."

Ness threw the two in his basket. He took a step, but saw another trusted brand. He stopped and picked it up.

Ness: "Wait! This one looks good too."

Lucas: "Are you gonna buy that one as well?"

Ness: "No, I'm only getting two. Argh! Which one should I replace it with?"

Lucas: "Noooooo!"

Fifteen minutes go by and Ness decides that he didn't want that one. He went with his original idea instead. It annoyed Lucas, but that's Ness for ya. Always overthinking everything.

The two went back to Ness's place. They played two games of League.

Lucas: "Ok, now what?"

Ness: "Sleepover?"

Lucas: "O-ok!"

Ness: "Sweet! Hold on, I'm gonna take a shower."

Lucas: "Ok! I'm gonna head back to my room and grab pajamas and a blanket."

Ness: "Sounds like a plan~"

Ness took a shower while Lucas grabbed some stuff. Some smashers noticed the blonde holding spare clothes and a blanket. Lucas saw them chuckling and whispering. He started to feel insecure. What if they start spreading rumors about them? Ness won't like that. Maybe he shouldn't sleepover tonight. Now that they're older, it's no longer innocent in the smashers' heads.

He was walking back to his room, but suddenly stopped. Ness will be sad. Besides, he genuinely wanted to go. He shouldn't let these toxic thoughts stop him. Nobody cares much about the Earthbound characters anyway. He's probably overthinking it.

He opened Ness's door and heard the shower still running. He sat on his bed and quickly changed to his pajamas. He then started fixing the bed. As he was doing that, he heard the shower turn off.

Lucas thought about it for a moment. Ness is naked in the other room. He pictured it. N-no! Stop! That's his best friend. He's not supposed to think lude things about another guy let alone his best friend. He buried his face in his pillow and let out a muffled scream.

The blonde heard the door open and then close. He looked up and saw Ness with his hair still wet and a towel around his neck. Lucas couldn't help but put his hand over his mouth and gawk.

Ness: "Hm? Do I have something on my hair?"

Lucas: "N-no! I… Sorry, my eyes got stuck."

Ness: "Again?"

Lucas: "Y-yeah. I guess I'm out of it today."

Ness: "No kidding. Anyway, I applied the acne cream all over. Hopefully it fixes my ugly ass face."

Lucas: "True~"

Ness: "Hey! You're supposed to compliment my looks."

Lucas: "I am?"

Ness: "Yeah, that's what friends do."

Lucas: "But then that would be lying."

Ness: "Oh you fucking asshole."

Lucas: "Haahaa!"

Ness: "You're lucky you don't have this acne problem because then you'd be ugly too."

Lucas: "You don't think I'm ugly?"

Ness: "No. Why would I think that? Unlike me, your skin is smooth, which isn't fair by the way."

Lucas: "So… Wait, you think [I'm attractive?"]

Ness: "Huh? What was that?"

Lucas: "Ah, nothing."

Ness: "No, tell me."

Lucas: "It's nothing. Anyway, what should we do now?"

Ness: "Let's watch something on Youtube and hang out."

Lucas: "Yeah ok!"

The two started watching Youtube videos for a couple hours. It was now 2:00am. The two said goodnight to each other and closed their eyes.

Lucas was about to fall asleep, but Ness held him. He jumped a little. His heart was beating so fast. They're touching! He started thinking dirty thoughts. He could feel himself getting excited. No! He needs to stop this.

Lucas pushed Ness off of him gently. He scooched further away, but his friend rolled over to his side and cuddled him again. He held him tight. He hated that he liked it. Could it be that he's gay? Is that why he never bothered to ask a girl out? No, that can't be why. He can't be gay. He's supposed to like girls. It's probably because he's insecure and thinks he can't get a girl. Yeah that's definitely it.

The blonde once again pushed Ness away. This time his friend didn't come back to cuddle. Instead he grabbed his blanket and cuddled that instead. Lucas wondered if Ness did this on purpose, but he heard the light snores. Nope, he's definitely sleeping.

If Lucas tells his friend about this, things might be awkward between them. Yeah, it's not because he likes him or anything. It's the awkwardness. Yup, can't let him know. He'll endure instead. It's not that big of a deal. It's just two guys cuddling in their sleep. Nothing gay about it.

-End Of Flashback-

.

-Cut to present time-

Right now Ness is cuddling Lucas. It's Deja vu all over again. Usually he would sleep on the floor because he kept thinking dirty thoughts about him. However, after being in a relationship with his clone thinking he was Ness, he craved this more than anything.

Lucas did not push Ness away like usual. This time, he allowed himself to pretend that they were together. At least just for tonight. He laid on his side and held Ness back. Wow… Holding him feels the same as holding Nate.

He hopped out and opened up the blinds to let the moonlight shine. He hopped back on the bed and the two started cuddling again. He studied his face and yeah, Nate and Ness looked exactly the same. He pulled Ness's shirt down a little to see a mole near his collarbone. Exactly. The. Same.

What about the torso? Lucas bit his lip. He shouldn't be doing this. It's creepy, but his morbid curiosity got the better of him. His hand reached over to the bottom of Ness's shirt. A little peak wouldn't hurt, right?

Character Card

Name: Lucas Woods

Segment Title: Shy Blonde

Sex: M

Age: 18

Height: 5'10

Sexuality: Homosexual

Mental Illness: Depression, Anxiety

Ethnicity: Swedish and Scottish

Body Type: Tall, skinny, twink

Fashion: Neutral colors, t-shirts, overshirts, plaid flannels, skinny jeans