Earthbound: Right at Home [Complete]

Chapter 12: Hidden Secrets

On the way home you two stopped to pick up Sandwiches for a late afternoon lunch. Which was great, considering you had a blistering headache at this point.

Ness didn't speak to you for the rest of the day. Purposely avoiding you until you approached home.

Was it something you said?

You apologized, and he said it was alright. But that was a typical response to pretty much anything. No feather detail than that.

It wasn't something you said or did, because Ness was still letting you stay. You didn't like it when he wasn't speaking to you, not only it made you feel guilty, it was also the most annoying thing on the planet.

For once, you decided to be patient. Though you were eager to find out what was going on in his mind.

You walked inside the house with Ness, who let you go inside first. It allowed you to glance at his face, hopefully to read something... anything!

He looked to be... thinking about something. Sorting things through.

He looked, confused.

"What's wrong?" You asked finally. Forcing Ness to look up at you.

He let out a small sigh.

"If..." he began, but then stopped as if he was arguing with himself.

"It's... complicated."

"How so...?" You question curiously.

"Lets just say, if I told you right now... you probably wouldn't understand it."

You play with your fingers.

"You might think I'm crazy..."

"No, I wont."

Ness blinked. "R-Really?"

"You've been so kind to me since the first day, how could I think that of you?" You say

Ness's face went... blank.

But you could see fear behind his eyes.

"Promise me you won't... say anything ... or do anything... okay?" He said, trying hard not to stutter.

You nodded.

You two finally sat down at the table and began eating your sandwiches slowly. It returned to a tense silence, neither of you dared to speak.

You never seen Ness this... vulnerable.

It was as if a deep dark secret was getting ready to break out, and he wasn't ready for it.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," you said, lifting the silence in the air.

Ness suddenly looked up and shook his head.

"You were going to find out eventually," He said with a very low voice.

"Honestly, it can't be that bad. You're my friend... right?"

Ness took a bight of his sandwich while still looking down at the table.

"Right."

"And... friends support each other no matter what. Right?"

He nodded. Hesitating.

"R-Right..."

"The least I could do in return is support you. It would be wrong if I laughed or made fun of you over something that's obviously very... well sensitive."

Silence once more, Ness swallowed his food and stared at the wrapper the sandwich came out of... probably considering your words.

He looked up at you, letting out another small sigh.