Estimated Reading Time: 25 Minutes

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Boyz Chillin

Lucas was the first to stir, blinking groggily as the morning light filtered in. He quickly became aware of Ness holding him tightly, his arms wrapped around him in a protective embrace. The blonde's heart raced, and a blush crept up his cheeks. He knew he shouldn't indulge in the moment. Ness was fast asleep, unaware of the closeness, but Lucas couldn't help it. Feeling the warmth of his crush's touch, he let himself savor the moment, even if only for a little while longer.

Sonic let out a long yawn, which scared Lucas. The blonde immediately pushed Ness away and sat up on the bed. "Hm?" Sonic said, wiping the sleep off his eyes.

Lucas: "G-good morning."

Sonic: "Cheddar Biscuit is still asleep, isn't he?"

Lucas: "Yeah."

Sonic sprang up from the floor. He hopped on Ness's stomach and began slapping him across the face. The brunet covered his face and started screaming.

Ness: "Aaah!"

Sonic: "Sup, Cheddar Biscuit~"

Ness: "Sonic?! What're you doing in my room?!"

Sonic: "I slept over, duh."

Ness: "Get off of me!"

Ness pushed the hedgehog off, causing him to stumble backwards.

Lucas: "Hi."

Ness: "Aaah!"

Lucas: *Snickers* "Don't you remember anything?"

Ness: "Give me a break. I just woke up. I didn't expect to see two people on my bed next to and on me."

Sonic laughed as he went to the bathroom and closed the door. He examined the area and saw how clean and spotless the bathroom was. This is literally the most comfortable bathroom he's ever-

Wait, where's the shower curtain? He opened the door and stared at Ness who was still on his bed, staring at his phone.

Sonic: "Hey, Ness."

Ness: "What?"

Sonic: "Where's the shower curtain?"

Ness: "Oh, uh—I don't have one."

Sonic: "What, are you afraid of shower curtains or somethin'? Hahaha!"

Ness bit his lip and looked away.

Sonic: "Wait, actually? I was kidding."

Ness: "I'm not afraid of shower curtains! It's just that it feels cramped when it's there."

Sonic: "What're you talkin' about?"

Ness: "It feels cramped."

Lucas: "He's claustrophobic."

Sonic: "It's that bad?"

Lucas: "Yeah."

Ness: "Ok, yes, whatever. I'm claustrophobic ok! Happy now?"

Sonic: "Thought you didn't have any weaknesses."

Ness: "At least it's not the water."

Sonic: "That one's a fair phobia."

Ness: "Do you even take showers, or are you too scared?"

Sonic: "I take dust baths."

Ness: "Don't you know that hedgehogs need to take regular baths every once in a while?"

Sonic: "I do."

Ness: "When's the last time you took one?"

Sonic: "Why're you so concerned, huh? What're you, my mom?"

Ness: "It's probably been years, hasn't it?

Sonic looked away.

Ness: "That's disgusting."

Sonic: "Hey! I don't need showers. That's what dust baths are for."

Ness: "Hedgehogs need to bathe every one to two months. No wonder why you stink."

Sonic: "I don't stink."

Lucas: "You kinda do."

Sonic: "Damn, Lucas, why you gotta do me like that."

Ness: "Take a fucking bath."

Sonic: "Fine!"

Sonic stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. His eyes flicked toward the bath faucet as he twisted it on, watching the water rise. With a sigh, he peeled off his socks and gloves, tossing them aside. Hesitantly, he dipped his feet into the water, immediately letting out a quiet shriek as the warmth hit him.

He covered his mouth with his hands, his chest rising and falling quickly as he struggled to calm himself, quietly hyperventilating.

Sonic's mind raced as anxiety gripped him. What if his limbs cramped up? What if he drowned? People drowned in bathtubs all the time, right? He quickly scrambled out of the bath. After a quick rinse of his face and hands, he hurriedly slipped his socks and gloves back on, trying to shake off the unease.

When he exited the bathroom, both Ness and Lucas immediately turned their attention to him, their conversation halting as they looked at Sonic with a mix of curiosity and concern. Sonic tried to play it cool, forcing a grin as if nothing had happened.

Sonic: "All clean."

Ness: "You're not even wet."

Lucas: "Did you need help?"

Sonic's face turned a deep shade of red, the embarrassment washing over him like a wave. This is so humiliating, he thought, but he quickly straightened up, determined to seem casual and cool. He couldn't let them think he was struggling; not now, not ever. With a forced smirk, he put on his usual confident face.

"I'm good," he said, waving off any unspoken concern in the room. "Didn't need any help, as usual." His voice had its usual cocky tone, but inside, he was still rattled, hoping neither of them noticed.

Ness: "You didn't take a bath, did you?"

Sonic: "I feel more confident taking one at my place."

Lucas: "It's ok if you need help."

Sonic: "I'm good."

Ness: "Whatever. Anyway, I need to be alone. Get out."

Lucas: "Yeah ok."

Ness: "I mean you can stay Lucas."

Sonic: "Riiight, I'm interrupting your daily fuck sess."

Lucas: "N-no! It's not like that."

Ness: "Stop being obnoxious!"

Sonic: "Hahaha!"

Ness: "Dude, get out."

Sonic: "Fine, fine. I'll see you later tonight."

Ness: "Tonight?! No, you are not staying over again."

Sonic: "At Popo's. Chill out, dude."

Ness: "Wait, today is Thursday?"

Sonic: "Yeah."

Ness: "Wow, I totally forgot."

Sonic: "You got some serious case of ADHD."

Ness: "I don't have that."

Sonic: "And you're autistic."

Ness: "Hahaha! Me? Autistic? Oh that's sweet coming from you."

Sonic: "I mean…"

Ness: "I don't have autism! You're the one that's autistic."

Sonic: "Nah that's you. Anyway, I'mma juice."

Sonic put up a peace sign and dashed out.

Ness: "So annoying."

Lucas: "Want to get breakfast together?"

Ness: "I'm sorry no. I'm gonna go back to bed. It's too early for me."

Lucas: "Whaaaat, but you're up now."

Ness: "Sonic woke me up. That disrespectful bastard."

Lucas: "Oh, I see. So maybe later then?"

Ness: "Yeah, I'll see you at Popo's. I kinda want to do my own thing for a bit."

Lucas: "Ok!"

Ness: "Sorry."

Lucas: "You don't have to apologize. I get it."

Lucas waved his best friend off and stepped out of the room, leaving Ness alone. As soon as the door clicked shut, Ness let out a long, deep sigh. It's too early for this, he thought, already feeling his social battery draining despite just waking up.

He needed time to recharge. Without a second thought, he flopped onto his bed and pulled the covers over himself, letting the comfort of his blankets put him back to sleep.

Two hours later…

The moment he woke up, he tore into the package he had received the day before. Inside was the new guitar he'd been eager to get his hands on.

Without hesitation, he dove right into practice, his excitement fueling him. He pulled up YouTube tutorials and surfed the internet for music sheets.

The first strum was intense; searing pain shot through his right hand, sharp and familiar. He froze. This wasn't the usual discomfort from hours of practice. It felt disturbingly similar to the pain he'd experienced when he degloved his hand.

The memory of that moment flashed through his mind, and his breath caught in his throat. He glanced down, his heart pounding, the phantom ache hurting, leaving him briefly paralyzed with fear.

Hours passed, his focus unwavering. His hands and fingers began to ache, muscles sore from repetition, but he refused to stop. The pain was just noise in the background compared to the determination that kept him playing.

Knock!

Knock!

Is that Lucas? He thought to himself. What time is it? He checked his phone and saw that six hours had passed. Six hours?! He's been practicing for six fucking hours?! Where did the time go?

He reluctantly pushed himself up. The sudden interruption felt like an unwelcome intrusion, shattering his focus just when he was making progress.

He had finally begun to overcome the sharp pain from his recent trauma, and now he had to put everything on hold because it was time to hang out with friends.

He walked over to his door and opened it to find a beaming Lucas waiting for him. The blonde smiled and asked, "Ready to go?" Ness forced a smile in response, nodding despite not wanting to go.

The two of them made their way to Popo's place, chatting along the way. When they reached Popo's door, they exchanged a quick glance before knocking.

Ness, still feeling a bit out of it, didn't notice that Sonic was already waiting by Popo's door. The moment Popo answered, Sonic shot through the opening like a bolt of lightning, causing Ness and Lucas to stumble forward, barely regaining their balance.

"Fuck off!" Ness exclaimed, exasperation creeping into his voice as he steadied himself. Lucas chuckled beside him, the chaos of Sonic's behavior somehow brightening the mood despite the abruptness of it all.

Ness rolled his eyes and went inside Popo's abode.

Popo: "Sup, Broskiiis, how're we all doin'?"

Toon: "I'm feeling great. I ate a delicious burger earlier."

Sonic: "Not a chili dog? I'm disappointed."

Toon: "Burgers are better."

Ness: "I agree."

Sonic: "Y'all suck."

Lucas: "I think chili dogs are better."

Sonic: "Except Lucas. Obviously he has good taste."

Lucas: "Thanks I guess."

Sonic: "Ya know, you remind me of my buddy Tails."

Lucas: "I do?"

Sonic: "Yeah, ya both are shy, wholesome, and look up to me."

Ness: "He doesn't look up to you."

Sonic: "Sure he does. Don't you, Lucas?"

Lucas: "I don't look up to you."

Sonic: "Damn, why you gotta do me like that?"

Lucas: "But I do find you fun to be around with."

Sonic: "I'll take it."

Toon: "Anyway, what should we do tonight?"

Sonic: "I'm down for whatever."

Lucas: "Same here."

While the boys were discussing what to do, Ness took out his phone and started studying music notes. Sonic caught it and cleared his throat, hinting that Ness should pay attention to his friends.

Ness: "What? I'm still here."

Sonic: "You're on your phone."

Ness: "I'm still listening."

Sonic: "Then what were we talkin' about?"

Ness: "You guys were discussing what we all should do."

Sonic: "And what conclusion did we come up with?"

Ness: "You guys came up with one?"

Toon: "Mate…"

Ness: "Oh, haha—sorry…"

Sonic: "Put your phone down."

Ness scoffed and rolled his eyes specifically at Sonic and put his phone inside his pocket.

Popo: "We're thinkin' of playin' some board games."

Ness: "Like monopoly?"

Popo: "That's a good one!"

Popo took out a joint and smoked it.

Lucas: "I like monopoly."

Toon: "Monopoly it is."

Popo pulled out the board game, and set it on the table. The group gathered around, eager to dive into the fun. As they rolled the dice and moved their game pieces, it quickly became clear that luck was not on Ness's side.

With every other turn, he felt the sting of misfortune as he was repeatedly sent to jail. Each time the announcement was made, Sonic erupted into laughter, his voice ringing out like music. "Looks like you're a regular inmate today, Ness!" he teased, a playful grin plastered across his face.

Ness: "Whatever."

Lucas: *Snickers*

Knock!

Knock!

The boys flinched when they heard the sudden noise. Popo got up and looked through the peephole. "Oh shit! It's Pit," he exclaimed. He opened the door and the cheerful angel immediately gave Popo a big hug.

Popo: "Whoa!"

Pit: "Aww, I love you guys! Thanks for inviting me~"

Popo: "Dude, we're glad to have you."

Pit walked into the living room and sat next to Sonic.

Pit: "Oooh, are you guys playing monopoly?"

Popo: "Yeah, wanna join?"

Toon: "Aww, but then we have to start over. We're already halfway through the game."

Pit: "Oh darn."

Ness: "Actually, I have to go to the bathroom. Pit, you can take over for me."

Pit: "Oh, I can wait. I don't wanna take your place."

Ness: "Don't worry about it."

Pit: "You sure?"

Ness: "Yeah."

Pit: "Oh, ok then."

Ness got up and went to Popo's bathroom. Ah, nice and private. He took out his phone and started studying musical notes.

30 Minutes Later…

Popo: "Dude, we're pretty much done with the gaaaame."

Toon: "What the hell is doing in there?"

Sonic: "Probably watching porn."

Pit: "S-Sonic!"

Sonic: "Bro, you don't even know, he's a fuckin' freak."

Toon: "Ugh, is he ditchin' us again…"

Sonic: "It's probably guitar related if it ain't porn."

Pit: "Oh right! I delivered that to him."

Toon: "You what?"

Pit: "I'm a delivery boy now."

Popo: "That's fuckin' dope."

Toon: "Why?"

Pit: "I need to be told what to do or else I'm gonna lose it."

Popo: "Where's Paluntena? Doesn't she tell you what to do?"

Pit: "She does, but I'm not sure where she is."

Toon: "You're her angel. Why wouldn't she tell you where she is?"

Pit: "She does that sometimes."

Toon: "What, disappear?"

Pit: "Yeah."

Popo: "Damn."

Sonic sighed in frustration, his patience wearing thin. He stood up and strode over to the bathroom door, obviously annoyed. With a firm knock, he called out, "How long does it take to take a shit?" His voice echoed slightly in the hallway, blending humor with impatience, as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently.

Ness: "Uh—sorry, I got distracted on my phone. I'll be out haha…"

Ness flushed the toilet, the sound echoing in the quiet bathroom despite not having used it. He quickly washed his hands, the cool water refreshing against his skin.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the bathroom door, only to be met with an unexpected surprise.

Sonic leaped out from behind the door, his eyes wide with mischief as he screamed, "BOO!"

Ness flinched, the sudden scare catching him off guard, caused him to let out a girlish shriek. "Aaah! D-dude! Not cool!" he exclaimed, a mix of surprise and annoyance flooding his expression. He placed his hand on his hip, shooting Sonic an annoyed look, eyebrows raised, clearly unimpressed with the hedgehog's prank.

Sonic: "What took you so long, Cheddar Biscuit?"

Ness: "I was on my phone. I got distracted."

Sonic: "Watchin' porn I bet."

Ness: "No I wasn't doing that!"

Sonic: Why else would someone be there for thirty minutes?"

Ness: "It was thirty minutes?"

Sonic: "Maybe like thirty two."

Ness: "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…"

Sonic: "Yeah no shit! Hahaha! Pun intended."

Ness: "..."

Sonic: "Nah but seriously, what were ya doin'?"

Ness: "I told you already, I was on my phone."

Sonic: "Doing what?"

Ness: "Just y'know, watching Youtube videos."

Sonic: "Dude, we're pretty much done with the game. Everyone is upset because you weren't really here."

Ness: "I was there for half."

Sonic: "That's not the point. I know what you're doin'."

Ness: "Please, tell me, what am I doing?"

Sonic: "You're obviously thinkin' about the guitar you bought to impress Tina."

Ness: "Shh! Don't say her name out loud."

Sonic: "Why? It's pretty obvious that you got a crush on her."

Ness: "No it's not."

Sonic: "Yes it is."

Ness: "Wait, does everyone know?"

Sonic: "Probably. You have a hard time hiding it."

Ness: "I do?"

Sonic: "Especially when you became all pissy because we didn't hear Tina's top three hottest male list."

Ness: "I didn't think it was that obvious."

Sonic: "You're socially inept, I swear."

Ness: "Fuck off."

Sonic: "It's true though."

Sonic walked over to the living room and Ness followed behind. The group pulled their attention to the two.

Pit: "Ness! Finally you're here. I didn't do a good job. In fact, I made you lose pretty much all your money. I'm sorry."

Ness: "It's fine, Pit."

Sonic: *Clears throat*

Ness: "I wanted to apologize to you guys for taking a long time."

Popo: "That must've been one massive shit. Haahaa~!"

Ness blushed from embarrassment. He quickly shuffled over to the couch, sliding into the seat beside Lucas. Without saying a word, he focused on the floor, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. His usual confidence seemed to falter as he sat there, his hands resting awkwardly in his lap.

Toon: ["If he even did."]

Popo: "Well the game is pretty much over anyway. Lucas hella won by a landslide."

Ness: "Nice!"

Sonic: "Bro is too good at games."

Lucas: "I'm not good at League."

Ness: "No one's good at League."

Pit: "What's League?"

Sonic: "Some dumb game Ness enjoys."

Pit: "Oooh, I wanna give it a try."

Ness: *Sighs* "No you don't."

Pit: "Why not?"

Lucas: "It's toxic."

Ness: "And addicting."

Sonic: "Only incels play that game."

Ness: "Hey!"

Pit: "Incel?"

Sonic: "Someone who tries so desperately to get a girl, but can never pull one."

Pit: "Whoa, what!"

Ness: "I'm not an incel!"

Popo: "He's the only virgin in the group."

Pit: "I'm a virgin."

The group except Ness and Pit howled in laughter.

Ness: "Toon, why're you laughing? You're a virgin too!"

Toon: "Ok, but I still got somethin'."

Pit: "Like what?"

Popo: "A blowie. Haaahaa!"

Popo took a hit and started coughing.

Pit: "O-oh!" *Blushes*

Ness: "Can we cease this conversation? You guys are making both Pit and I uncomfortable."

Popo: "I'm not gonna *coughs* lie Pit, I think if you really tried you could get a girl."

Pit: "You think so?"

Sonic: "Yeah unlike Cheddar Biscuit over here, you got some charm to ya."

Pit: *Snickers* "Cheddar Biscuit? Are you talking about Ness?"

Sonic: "Yeah. Hahaha!"

Ness: "I don't know why you insist on calling me that."

Sonic: "Because you're dry and plain like a biscuit."

Lucas: "Ness isn't plain. Believe me."

Sonic: "You're right, he's a fuckin' freak."

Pit: "A freak?"

Sonic: "Ness is into-

Ness: "Cooking! I really love cooking."

Pit: "Wow! Can you cook for me sometime?"

Ness: "Sure."

Sonic: "I've never seen you cook. You're makin' that up."

Ness: "I'm actually not. I do enjoy it."

Sonic: "Bet you're terrible."

Ness: "I'm an amazing cook thank you very much."

Lucas: "Wait, you cook?"

Ness: "Yes!"

Toon: "Mate, if Lucas didn't know, I think you're lyin'."

Ness: "Lucas doesn't know everything."

Lucas: "But that's something I would know…"

Popo: "Sounds like you're bluffin'."

Ness: "Whatever. I can prove it."

Sonic: "Do it then. Next hangout, you better bring in some food."

Popo: *Gasps* "You know what would be cool?"

Everyone else: "What?"

Popo: "If we had a potluck."

Pit: "That sounds like fun!"

Toon: "I can't cook."

Sonic: "I bet I can cook better than Cheddar Biscuit."

Ness: "Hm~! You wish."

Sonic: "Bring it on, nerd!"

Ness: "Next Thursday we'll see who's the better cook."

Sonic: "Bet!"

Lucas: "I'm only good at cooking breakfast."

Pit: "I love breakfast food!"

Toon: "Same here. It's my favorite."

Popo: "Guess we know what we're doin' next week."

Sonic: "A cook off! Prepare to be swayed by my delicious food."

Ness: "Tch!"

Sonic: "I can't wait to see the look on your face when I top your dish."

Ness: "As if! You're probably going to cook chili dogs. That's lame. I, on the other hand, will cook scrumptious Japanese food."

Toon: "Japanese food? I don't think I've tried that before."

Ness: "Really? You've never had ramen?"

Toon: "Nope."

Ness: "Wow, I'm genuinely shocked."

Pit: "Wait, are you Japanese?"

Ness: "Yes."

Pit: "Whoa! Say something!"

Ness: "Uh—ok. Let me think. Oh! 来週のポットラックが楽しみだよ!"

Pit: "Whoa that was cool! What'd you say?"

Ness: "I said, I'm excited for next week's potluck."

Popo: "Whoa, wait you're fluent?"

Ness: "Yeah."

Popo: "That's awesome!"

Ness: "Thanks, haha!"

Toon: "I can't wait to try your food."

Lucas: "Wow, me too actually. I can't believe you never cooked for me before."

Ness: "It's laziness."

Sonic: "LaziNESS! Hahaha!

Ness: "Lazy, but secretly an amazing cook."

Sonic: "I'm still gonna win."

Ness: "Oh yeah? What're you going to cook?"

Sonic: "That's a secret."

Popo: "Whoo! Can't wait for next week."

The group cheered. They chatted a bit more and then ended up leaving; except Toon of course. The young swordsman decided to sleep over at Popo's like usual.

Ness walked Lucas back to his room, the quiet halls echoing softly with their footsteps. As they reached the door, Lucas turned to him with a warm smile, his blue eyes sparkling. "I thought it was really cool when you spoke Japanese," he said, his voice filled with genuine admiration.

Ness felt a bit of pride rise in him, but he shrugged it off with a modest smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, it's nothing," he muttered, though the compliment clearly made him happy.

Lucas: "Sometimes I forget you're bilingual. You never speak Japanese."

Ness: "I have no reason to."

Lucas: "Does your family back at home speak?"

Ness: "My father knew the language, but he never formally taught me. I actually took it upon myself to learn."

Lucas: "That's cool! How'd you learn?"

Ness: "Textbooks."

Lucas: "Ah, the boring way."

Ness: "You mean the fun way." *Winks*

Lucas: "Textbooks are boring."

Ness: "That's fair. I've only ever spoken with my father, so I'm sure my Japanese lacks the natural fluency of a native speaker. I wouldn't really know. I've never been to Japan."

Lucas: "We should go sometime."

Ness: "You want to?"

Lucas: "It sounds like fun."

Ness: "The cultural shock might be too much for me."

Lucas: "You'll get used to it."

Ness: "Probably."

Lucas: "Oh! We could go to Tazmily village one day. That's where I'm from."

Ness: "Yeah let's do that. At least one of us is familiar with the area."

Lucas: "Ok! We should take a mini vacation since there's no tournament this year."

Ness: "I'll be sure to schedule days off work."

Lucas: "Oh speaking of work, I'm still trying to find a job, but also I kind of don't want one."

Ness: "I only have one because I'm poor and I'm helping my mom pay rent."

Lucas: "Oh, I hope everything at home is ok."

Ness: "Yeah, it's fine. Anyway, you should check out the Pokedaycare. Maybe they'll stop assigning me to the baby Pokemon department…"

Lucas: "Sounds rough."

Ness: "It sucks. There's this buff Cleffa that likes to jump me."

Lucas: "Hahaha!"

Ness: "Please apply so he can beat you up instead."

Lucas: "No, I'm ok."

Ness: "Dammit."

Lucas: "Hahaha~! Anyway, I'm tired. Goodnight, Ness."

Ness: "Goodnight."

Lucas closed the door and Ness went back to his room. He fed Lucky his dinner. His stomach growled. Man, talking about all food made him realize he didn't eat today. Oh well, he ignored it and grabbed his guitar. Time to start practicing!

Character Card

Name: Pit

Segment Title: Happy Angel/Boyz Chillin

Sex: M

Age: Over a thousand years old

Height: 5'7

Sexuality: Supposed to be Ace but is actually straight

Mental Illness: Autism

Ethnicity: Angel

Body Type: Built twink

Fashion: Greek Fashion. Bro wears a toga

Personality: Boisterous, gullible, happy-go-lucky, emotional, a little dumb, extroverted, gives golden retriever energy

Skills: Master of weapons, good at keeping up a convo, fast eater, good at following orders

Hobbies: Working out, eating, being a good boy