Companions

The room seemed eerily quiet. Spaghet glanced to the drink on the table. Part of him wanted to reach for it, but the other half of him also wanted to keep his hand. He gulped. “… No,” Spaghet muttered and Wiki shot to attention. Although he spoke with a stutter, his voice became more stern “And since.. since you insisted that you’re serious.”-- Spaghet still doubted said claims – “That’s.. that’s my final answer. Please don’t bring this up again.” Spaghet looked at the Deku. He saw her eyes go wide and instinctively curled his body inwards

“So.. so after stringing me along those questions … no? That’s your answer?” She said, her voice spiteful. Wiki tapped her scarred hands on the map in front of her. She looked down at it, noticing Spaghet’s name. The Deku saw nothing else on the parchment. Unaware of her movements, she began to scratch at the corner of the paper, and Spaghet winced as he watched. She was ripping it as she scratched and the moblin couldn’t help but feel bad for the piece of paper. Suddenly, she stopped. “Fine.”

Spaghet was going to have a heart attack. This was how he went out, his heart failing after Wiki actually had an adult reaction to a situation. He considered marking the date on his calendar. He finally reached for his drink, because by now, he needed to not be sober. The noise that emanated from Wiki made him realize he was walking out on thinner and thinner ice. But he was hatching a plan.

“… I’ll help you with that case, though, Wiki,” Spaghet said and the Deku’s gaze shot up. “Speaking of your parents I'm.. certain it's a plan they'd agree with,” Spaghet said. He paused. “… but you have to stop getting on me for drinking.”

Wiki’s chipped snout puckered. Spaghet was so useless. So useless. So absolutely useless why did she keep relying on him to do things and make rational decisions and not be a stain on her heel. But at her technique worked. Always did. Offer something to Spaghet he didn't really didn't in return for him doing something else that he didn't want. He'd usually take the bait and do the favor anyways when Wiki didn't completely freak out on him for saying no.

“… … I’ll think about it,” she said, starting the fold up the piece of paper. She couldn’t help but smirk. She lazily looked him over, watching him take a sip from his beverage. She rolled her eyes. Augh. What a nuisance.

Wiki stared at Spaghet, but the moblin was used to such gazes by now. The more he drank, the more he began to relax. The gradual intoxication helped, but also because it didn’t look like Wiki was about to try to beat him. He savored the drink. What was it? He didn’t care. It tasted like victory. She went back to scribbling in her journal and Spaghet used the opportunity to procure a book from the shelf.

“Did you take out Burrito?” he asked while looking for something to read. He adjusted his glasses. Maybe he had drunk too much victory in a short amount of time.

“What the hell do you think?”

He shot a look at her and Wiki glanced at him. She looked… more annoyed than angry. The moblin furrowed his brow.. realizing that expecting the Deku to take out his dog was ridiculous. She was a wanted criminal. He glanced back at the family tree that Wiki was putting to stuff back into her journal. He turned around. As his heart filled with nostalgia, he looked back at the shelf, slowly browsing through the titles.

“… … I took him out.”

Spaghet whipped around. All previous feelings of goodwill he had toward Wiki were gone. It had lasted, what, fifteen seconds, tops?

“D-Don’t worry man!” Wiki held up her hands in protest. “Listen, he was gonna piss, I don’t… no, y’know, I didn’t know how else to deal with that.” Spaghet was about to scream. His neighbors. They had to have seen her. It was broad daylight, what was she thinking?! “—But I, I found some old, useless mask you wore to a costume party once. And before you think upon that sentence for hours and hours and jump to some crazy conclusion, no, I didn’t go through your crap. It was in the same place it has been since you put it there like… shit, what, nearly ten years ago? Plus I took him out the back. No one saw me.”

The back?! Spaghet glanced towards the one door in his home.. and then to the window near his bed that faced the alley. Dammit Wiki. Spaghet looked down at her. To be honest, he was more confused now than angry. How did she get Burrito out the window? How had she remembered said mask even existed? Sure, Spaghet was organized, but he also owned a lot of stuff. Not even he could remember the exact location of everything. Only the important things he had down pat. Like his botany equipment, his legal documents, and his alcohol. The important things. Maybe she was lying about the mask to make him feel better. Who knew with her.

“I don’t… I don’t even want to talk about this right now,” Spaghet sighed. He was tired. Work was exhausting as usual. Wiki was exhausting as usual. If his neighbors saw her, then maybe the Goddesses had decided that he most definitely deserved to go to jail. He would accept his fate. He took another.. what was this, whiskey? He pursed his lips. It didn’t taste this bitter before.

He was going to just drink more to forget about the taste, because tomorrow he was calling in sick. The moblin certainly acted like he was enough today. He was quite good at faking voices, and by the afternoon, he had developed quite the gravely one and cough. A smile spread across his face. The woman angrily glaring at him would have been pleased with his Ventriloquist act if she had been there. No one could fake a sneeze like Spaghet Yettin.

He was about to take another swig of his drink but there was a knock at the door. The two exchanged a quick glance. Wiki quickly skittered her way over to the blanket pile and did her best to hide. Spaghet slowly rose, making sure Wiki was thoroughly concealed before wiping his mouth with the back of his clawed hand.

Wiki peered out from her position. Whoever it was, the Deku was prepared to snipe them with an arrow or set them flame with her finger. She knew where she had hidden her equipment. She truly was the master of her domain, a literal two foot by two foot corner of Spaghet’s small, one room home. The sun was beginning to set and Wiki struggled to see through the glare. Her eyes were made for the dark, not for this.

“Ah, H-hello.” Dammit. Spaghet was always so nervous, regardless of the amount of alcohol he consumed. What was the good of that awful substance if it didn’t at least work as a social lubricant? “How are you tonight, Blanche?”

Wiki’s face contorted. Augh. What an awful name. She glanced at the woman’s shoes, really the only thing that she could see. Looked Hylian enough… but even Wiki had to feel bad for someone with that bad of a name. Well, Wiki thought it was bad. Spaghet didn’t mind it.

“Mr. Yettin,” the voice was incredibly sweet and Wiki found it unbearable. “I… well, you and I had an .. well we had our appointment for yesterday an—“

“Ah! Oh! Ah oh… oh no…” Spaghet’s feet shuffled around and Wiki smirked. Spaghet was organized, but usually Wiki messed up his schedule for a little a few days whenever she was around. “Oh Miss Talbot I completely forgot. I’ve… oh dear, I’ve.. I’ve been rather stressed, you see…” Spaghet backed away from the woman a bit. Maybe he realized he probably smelt of alcohol.

Luckily, Burrito was there to save the day. The dog suddenly shot towards the door, jumping onto the woman. Spaghet attempted to restrain it, but the girl paid the dog no mind, choosing instead to ruffle his fur and scratch its belly. Gross.

“Oh no, it’s fine .. S-Spaghet,” she said whist stifling a giggle. Wiki’s grin only increased in size. Not even Hylians could take his name seriously. “I.. I understand.” The woman sighed and Wiki’s brow cocked. “… I get that way too sometimes.”

“I… I think everyone does, Miss,” Spaghet quickly began to recover his speech. The man shot back quickly after a fumble, even if he seemed a bit shaken. “Could we.. Possibly reschedule our little excursion? As you can probably assume, I have quite a lot of work to attend to.” Wiki rolled her eyes. That’s what she was to him? Work?!

“Yes, absolutely Spaghet. I suppose I’ll let you get back to it.”

Wiki watched the two shuffle around in awkward silence for a bit. There was.. a surprising amount of hesitation on both of their parts. Her eyes narrowed, and Wiki struggled to see with the sun nearly set.

“.. Spaghet..”

Wiki swore she could feel the moblin trembling from her blanket fort. Her eyes grew wide, however, as the Hylian slowly moved closer to Spaghet. Was she going to punch him? Spaghet probably deserved a good beating. No, it was clear now that she was doing.. something. Wiki couldn’t see the upper half of her body. She listened.

“Dammit,” Wiki mumbled. Her body turned cold at the realization at what she had done. Luckily, she didn’t move and create even more of a stir and it appeared that the Hylian hadn't heard her.

“There we go,” she said. “… Sorry, your… your wig was a bit off.”

“Ah,” Spaghet said. He coughed and the noise triggered Wiki to roll her eyes. “… Thank you miss.” His voice sounded obnoxiously tender, but still decidedly masculine and actually quite similar to his own. Wiki picked up the difference, but the Hylian didn't. It was probably someone’s voice Spaghet had gotten good at recently, since Wiki didn’t recognize it.

“Spaghet,” she said. Wiki strained to hear her now. The Hylian woman was easily fooled by the moblin’s trick. “You’re… you’re very sweet.”

“… … T-Thank you miss, B-But…” Spaghet began to stutter again. “A-as I said, b-back to work.”

“Of course!” She gasped. “I’m.. I’m so sorry!” They exchanged their goodbyes and Spaghet closed the door. The lock clicked and Spaghet’s eyes were immediately on Wiki’s pile of blankets. She twitched. There was no way the moblin hadn’t heard her.

“You,” he said, stomping his foot. “Get out.”

“Sheesh,” Wiki said, crawling out. She flopped onto the ground. The moblin sneered as he looked her over. She hadn’t even bothered to change out of her pajamas. But then again.. the only other piece of clothing she had was rather disgusting. Wiki continued to speak. “.. I’m pretty sure the people next door will ask you about tremors in the morning. I swear, man, control yourself. It’s a wonder how you get any dates at all.” She grinned and Spaghet crossed his arms. What a wicked creature.

“Please, I was fine,” he said, adjusting his glasses. Wiki had successfully dodged getting scolded for nearly revealing her location. Sucess. “Besides, she’s a friend. Nothing more.”

Wiki glanced at the terrier. It had situated itself back onto its bed and was now occupying itself with chewing something. She looked over at the Bokoblin.

“So, is she a Gerudo, at least?” Wiki asked suddenly. Spaghet’s red skin turned even more flushed and his lip twitched. Wiki’s eyelids drooped. Of course.

“W-Wiki, she’s a friend,” Spaghet stammered. “A concept you don’t seem to understand very well.”

“What are you talking about?!” Wiki’s voice suddenly became shrill. Spaghet winced, shushing her. It didn’t work. He suddenly remembered she didn’t drink often, and she was loud normally… “You’re my friend, Spaghet, shit, gotta know the concept to apply it! Pretty sure I’ve been saying that all along.” Spaghet suddenly wished he was anywhere but here, at the very least for his headache’s sake.

However, Spaghet really didn’t know how to respond. He… didn’t know how he felt about Wiki anymore. He certainly couldn’t call her a friend, but he also knew her better than anyone. Spaghet glanced at his violin.

“… Wiki..” he sighed… then grinned. He looked down at her so he could watch her reaction. “… … she’s a Hylian.” The Deku wasn’t the only one who could have fun pushing buttons.

“You’re scum!” Wiki screeched, jumping at him. She clawed, trying to reach his glasses so she could break them. “Scum! Complete scum!”

He rolled his eyes and let her have her little tantrum. He pushed her head down to keep her firmly grounded and away from his glasses. It wasn’t like Wiki was very strong. She eventually calmed down, her feeble punches and scratches becoming even more pathetic. When she was nearly done with her tantrum, Spaghet pat her head and she punched him. This time she punched him hard enough to hurt. He winced. She suddenly slumped into him, shaking her head.

“… Feel better now?” He said after some time, a condescending sweetness in his voice. He stepped back a little, but nonetheless patted her head and conceded to allowing the Deku to bury her head in his torso. Spaghet rolled his eyes. He was tiring quickly of such tantrums.

“… Yeah, yeah sorry man,” she choked out. He stopped patting her and slowly removed his hand from her leafy head. Without moving his head, Spaghet looked down as she continued to speak. “I just … you know how I feel about those flesh bags.”

Spaghet pursed his lips. Maybe she knew that pissing him off too much would probably end up with her out the door. He had actually grown part of a spine in the last couple of years. Recent professional advancements had made him more confident, but also less able to pursue the things that brought him comfort instead of anxiety. Wiki did not like this new development.

The moblin sighed, glancing outside. It was dark out now and considered sleeping. He wanted to wake up early tomorrow to take advantage of his sick day.. plus it was always wise to listen to your body. He really was exhausted.

“I think I'm going to go to bed,” Spaghet said, glancing towards the covers. They did look pretty inviting. He looked at Burrito… he wasn't scratching at the door to go out. Hopefully the Deku wasn't lying about taking him outside. “You.. you can stay up. .”

“Fine,” Wiki said, hopping back into the chair she had basically claimed as her own. Spaghet briefly considered throwing it out after she was done staying here. “But if you dream about me again I demand full rights to the details. No questions asked.” She grinned.

Spaghet rolled his eyes and pushed Wiki off of him. He hadn't realized she was still hanging onto his clothes. He moved towards his dresser, finding a clean pair of pajamas before putting on his robe… so he could remove his underwear and put on a pair of clean ones without the Deku seeing anything. Wiki glanced at him and scowled. He was such a weirdo. He removed the robe and then hastily put on his pajamas before jumping into bed. The moblin shut his eyes and did his best to ignore the light from the lantern. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something leap onto his bed, but relief washed over him when it was just Burrito. Good boy.

He inhaled deeply. Wiki's loud scribblings had stopped and had been replaced by the occasional turn of a page. A smile began to creep across his face. He wasn't going into work tomorrow. Excellent. Spaghet felt quite pleased with himself. Despite the light and Wiki's occasional mumble, Spaghet slowly found himself dozing off.

–----

He was eleven or twelve or around that age. The memory was fuzzy, even though Spaghet was usually quite good with numbers. It was a memory that he dreamt of often, but the details always seemed distant in his mind.

“Spaghet.”

He looked down at his claws, both sharp around this age. They were shaking violently and Spaghet remembered the feeling of terror coursing throughout his body as he sat in the chair. He looked around, glancing at everything else in the spacious study to avoid looking at the man in front of him.

“Y-Yes?” He eventually choked out. He was nervous. So nervous. He could barely speak, barely breathe. This was… this was unusual. He had never had a one on one conversation with Mr. Levett before.

The scrub in front of him looked up at him. His face was stern, although Spaghet couldn't help but notice that it was also quite worn and tired. Spaghet looked down at the ground. Was business bad? Was Mr. Levett busy? The moblin didn't pry.

“… Your birthday was a week ago, correct?”

“C-Correct,” Spaghet stuttered. He was not comfortable right now. This wasn't not a good situation to be in. He looked up.. and noticed the Deku in front of him had begun to write on a piece of paper. Spaghet's eyes darted to side of the room.

“You're technically a man now, Spaghet, have been for awhile,” The Deku said and flashed Spaghet pathetic attempt at what his species called a grin. “Sometimes I wished my species matured as fast as yours.” It was hardly a grin. Spaghet glanced to the side. Even after spending a lifetime around the creatures he still was a bit unnerved by their lack of a true mouth. Very strange. The moblin curled and uncurled his toes.

“… I.. I still have a lot to learn,” Spaghet said, shifting his gaze around the room. It was dark. All he really noticed was the desk, the latern, and the man behind it. If he looked around, he was certain he could see nothing else. Was Spaghet's memory failing him? Spaghet was unsure.

“About that…” The Deku began, “Your father tells me you're… trying to go to law school?” He looked quizzically at the Bokoblin in front of him. Spaghet gulped, but nodded. He scratched at the top of his head, and then adjusted his glasses. The Deku remained silent while he finished his scrawling. The feeling in the bottom of Spaghet's stomach made him want to vomit. He was actually quite sure that if given enough silence, he would.

Mr. Levett finally put his quill down and moved the paper aside. He clasped his hands together and leaned towards Spaghet, the few leaves on the top of him rustling. Even though there was a desk between them, the moblin still withdrew further into the comfortable chair he was sitting on.

“Over past decade or so I've gotten to know you quite well, Spaghet. Maybe even as well as I know your father. Din knows on the nights you stay over you've helped Wiki be more .. well, bearable is a .. rather harsh word to use but,,” the Deku sighed as he trailed off. Spaghet glanced to the side. Mr. Levett began again. “To show my gratitude, I've been making some .. arrangements,” the Deku said. Spaghet felt an instant wave of relief wash over him at the broken silence, but his anxieties were not completely subsided. He still had no idea what the Deku was about to say. “I think I can help you, Spaghet.” The moblin's eyes shot up. He stopped biting the nail he hadn't realized he had been chewing. “Your trouble is with the school in Castle Town, correct? The one with the prerequisite program?” Spaghet nodded. “Wiki told me you weren't going to try again, correct? That they have rejected you twice now?” The moblin again agreed, albeit more shamefacedly this time. “.. I would encourage you to apply again. I believe your results will be quite different this time around.”

Spaghet's eyes slowly trailed from the floor up to Mr. Levett. He uncurled himself from his recoiled position on his chair. His eyes grew wide.

“M-Mr. Levett,” He stammered, sitting up as straight as he could. “T-Thank you!” He attempted to rise to shake the man's hand. But the Deku calmly held up his hand to dismiss him and the moblin shrunk back into his seat.

“Please, don't thank me yet,” the man said frigidly. “I have a few favors to ask of you.”

He bit his lip. Of course. Always a catch. He nodded. It's not like he had much of a choice.

“For the first favor, I need you to get a few measurements done,” the Deku said. Spaghet shifted uneasily in his seat. “Your current clothes won't do for the second interview. Your parents have enough expenses with the next litter on the way. You and my daughter are… very close.” His eyes flashed. Malice? Admiration? Respect? Spaghet was never sure. He always glanced away. “… I'm certain we can work something out.”

Spaghet felt hot. His skin flushed. He felt more than overwhelmed. Mr. Levett was a very kind man. But he was also Wiki's father. And a the man was interested in value more than utility.

“For the second favor … I want to teach you something, Spaghet,” the Deku said very slowly. Spaghet listened, confusion on his face. “It's not something you're going to be very good at. At first.” The moblin stiffened. Now he was nervous. Now he was very nervous.

The Deku slowly rose from his chair and shuffled towards a corner of the room. Spaghet remained seated. In recent years, he had grown taller than the man and the thought of looking down on him frightened the moblin. The Deku slowly shifted through piles of baskets until Spaghet saw something he instantly recognized. There was an audible click as the man opened the horn's case.

“These are very old,” he said as he pulled out a large set of horns. Mr. Levett's voice was soft. He sighed “… but they still play beautifully.” Spaghet began to sweat. He really hoped that Mr. Levett wasn't going to ask him to learn how to play this thing. There was no way.

The Deku slid the horns on before moving towards the gap between Spaghet's chair and the desk. The moblin gulped as the Deku stood before him. The man continued speaking.

“… I'm going to teach you a song,” the Deku spoke and Spaghet listened. “You will perfect it, and you will not tell my daughter you have learned it.” The moblin dared to stare into his eyes. He gulped.

Sunlight streamed in through the thin excuse for sheets Spaghet called drapes. The moblin groaned, tossing his covers over his head. He figured it was .. wait, sunlight? He slowly opened his eyes. Odd. It had been awhile since he had slept soundly throughout the night. There was a quiet tick of his clock and the sounds of breathing, but otherwise the house was quiet. It was early day. Spaghet had.. slept well.

He heard the quiet mumbles of Wiki, and realized that she was definitely tossing and turning. Sleeping. Wiki. Spaghet instantly relaxed. This moment was one to be savored. Spaghet felt like he could sleep for an hour or two more and still accomplish all he wanted to do in the day... but for some reason he was unable to fall back asleep. His lips pursed. He puffed up his cheeked. He bit his nail. Of course he'd want to do that now.

He slowly pulled off the covers, trying his best not to make a sound. Spaghet crept quietly towards his violin, deftly pulling it out of its case. He slowly applied resin to his bow and even took the time to attach his shoulder rest. He stood as straight as he possibly could, inhaled deeply, and began to play.

It was soft at first. But the melody became bolder and bolder as Spaghet began to play. Wiki did not stir, and Spaghet steadied his breathing. He had played this song hundreds of thousands of times by now, his movements were steady and calm, producing sounds more akin to the expected skill of someone with the name Yettin.

----

“Spaghet.”

He… he was still holding onto his violin. He began looking around at his surroundings. Just his home in black and white, the same way Wiki always dreamt it. He looked around the apartment, noticing that parts of it were missing, other parts occasionally reappearing and disappearing into the endless void. Wiki's dreams were always a bit.. unstable. He finally looked down at her. Spaghet frowned. Wiki harder to read in her dreams, but she was always a bit more tolerable. However, Spaghet was careful to try blend into her dreams. He was quite sure Wiki was also a little crazy. If he wasn't in some sort of strange, magical realm, he probably would have started to sweat. His mind was racing and anxiety was getting the better of him. He was always a bit paranoid around Wiki.

“Could you play it again?”

Spaghet's body stiffened. The emotion in that voice was unmistakable.

“Err…” Spaghet stuttered. He… obviously had entered into a dream about himself and her. And he… had been playing something. Obviously Spaghet had no idea what that something was, considering he had just entered as his dream self had ended the piece. And it's not like Spaghet knew any songs besides the two he had practiced meticulously. Wiki was… obviously dreaming. “I.. my hand hurts. I need to stop.” Wiki's blob remained silent, so Spaghet could only assume she had rolled her eyes. She didn't protest.

“So .. I … Wiki,” Spaghet began. He had gotten … too used to the feeling of being in someone else's dream. It had been long since had traversed Wiki's psyche, but the surroundings still felt familiar albeit unnatural. “I have a question to ask you.”

“Huh?” Wiki said while getting up from the chair she was sitting on. Spaghet watched her move towards his bed. As soon as she jumped onto it, the bed began to shimmer and shake in an odd way. He grimaced. “Just fuckin' ask it man.”

Spaghet pondered for a moment. He didn't want to waste the opportunity. She was usually a little bit more open in her dreams. When she was she was hanging around at his house she dreamt about him. It was easy enough for him to blend into her subconscious. He looked over at her and slowly but surely he realized what he wanted to ask.

“.. Wiki, how many people did you kill?”

A resounding groan shook the entirety of the dreamscape and Spaghet jumped. Wiki rolled around in Spaghet's bed.

“We've been over this, Spaghet!” – They had? – “Like.. lots. So many. I don't even want to, like…” the Deku's voice seemed exasperated and Spaghet noticed the surroundings around them beginning to shake. He gulped.

“N-No Wiki, I-I mean.. that night, you know, the one with at the mansion? I..” Spaghet said, thinking of a good excuse. He nervously and glanced around the room. Wiki had been stingy about the details of some of her more recent exploits. It made Spaghet curious. “… I forgot.” Great.

Spaghet could only guess that Wiki was staring at him. Maybe she was trying to discern if he was real or not. Spaghet didn't know why he continued to do this. Jumping into dreams always made him incredibly paranoid. He knew one day he would be found out. Part of him wished that he had never learned this stupid spell.

“… Probably a lot,” Wiki said, shrugging. “I don't really know. I don't really care.”

“At all?” Spaghet said, looking around. He always kept an eye out for signs that his subject was about to wake up.

“Nah,” Wiki said, sprawling out on the bed. The moblin frowned. “I… I never care about that sort of stuff Spaghet. You know me. Only people who really matter are the people who I deem matter,” she sighed. “Like you.” Spaghet saw part of her move and then heard the thumping of mattress. “Come sit with me.”

He bit his lip. This was Wiki's dream. If he didn't do what she said, there was no doubt that Wiki would become lucid. Spaghet.. sometimes really hated Wiki's mind sometimes. He stepped cautiously as he walked towards the bed, looking down at his feet as he did so. The floor was wobbly, and he felt his feet sink into the solid wood as if it were sand several times as he walked. Finally, after what seemed like eons, he made it to the bed and sat down. A shiver rolled down his spine when Wiki touched him.

“Spaghet,” she cooed. “What's wrong? You're tense.” Spaghet nervously glanced around the room. She paused for along while before speaking again. “… … you still hung up over the people dying thing?”

“Yes, I am,” Spaghet said, doing his best to keep his voice even. Too much anger and it might break the illusion. “I.. I am a bit.. disappointed.”

“I can't help it!” Wiki suddenly screamed, parts of the room falling down and sinking into the floor after being disturbed by the sudden noise. “I can't Spaghet. I just… I can't care about people who don't matter.” Wiki sighed. “… I don't even think I can feel the same things you do, man. I mean.. I just think there's something messed up in my brain.”

Spaghet frowned and then began to glance around the room again. Even though Wiki had only screamed once, the furniture and other decorations in the house were beginning to melt and sink into the floor. The moblin began to grow more and more anxious. It was definitely time to go.

“.. I need eggs and milk,” Spaghet said, rising to his feet. His default excuse. “I'll be back.”

“.. Ok,” Wiki's voice was scratchier than usual. Although the dream was fading fast, Spaghet caught her form rolling itself into the blankets on his bed. “Come back soon?”

“Sure,” Spaghet said with a sigh. He focused, feeling the dream world around him begin to fade.

“… I-I'm serious, ok?” Wiki's voice cracked before she returned to her usual sarcasm. “It's cold in the bed when you're not in it, since you're basically a glorified heater with a house. I'd be sad if I lost that asset.”

Spaghet shivered.


--

Wiki awoke to the banging of the door. The Deku groaned, rolling around in her blanket fort. What time was it? How long had she slept? These were all questions that were of no concern to Wiki. She was more concerned with who the hell woke her up. She popped her head out of her nest and spied that little piece of shit. Of course Spaghet would be the one to wake her up. He glanced at her suddenly and looked truly surprised.

“… what?” Wiki said groggily.

“… You were still sleeping?” Spaghet asked, unbuckling Burrito's leash and dropping a few cloth sacks to the floor. “It's nearly late afternoon.”

Wiki cursed. How had she slept so long? The Deku usually only slept for a couple of hours at a time. Anything more than four was truly unusual for her. What a waste of a day. She rolled out of her nest and Spaghet rolled his eyes. What a lazy girl.

“Here,” Spaghet said, rustling through his bags. “I got you som--” Before he could finish the sentence, Wiki had snatched whatever bag he was about to rustle through out of his grip. He pursed his lips. Wiki always found some way to make him regret being a decent person. He watched her shuffle around in it, looking through toiletries and other groceries Spaghet had bought until she found it. An audible gasp escaped her and Spaghet wished that she didn't have her back to him so he could see her expression.

“Wow,” she said, flipping around to show off her gift to the person who had bought it for her. “Shit man, thanks!” Spaghet averted his eyes, as now that Wiki had a new cloak, her nightgown was thrown instantly to the floor

“C-Could you warn me next time?!” He stuttered, covering his eyes.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Wiki said, shoving her head through the hole. Her hands explored all the nooks and crannys of the fabric. “Shit!” Spaghet jumped. “-- This thing has like, four pockets!” The moblin relaxed, a smile creeping onto his face.

“I'm…. glad you like it,” Spaghet said before sitting down in a chair. He suddenly felt.. very tired. The day's events played back in his mind like a movie. That man. He looked towards Wiki, a feeling of loss overcoming him. His expression grew somber.

Throughout the entirety of his life, he had been to a very real extent stalking Wiki's dreams. Not only did it keep him from his own nightmares, but Wiki seemed to sleep for longer whenever he did. He truly appreciated that her father had taken the time to teach him such a spell for that side effect alone. Spaghet's brows furrowed and he looked down at the ground. Spaghet and her father had always been close. They often exchanged letters, as did Mr. Levett and his father. Well, up until Spaghet's father died, that is. Then it was Spaghet playing the only other song he knew and allowing the two patriarchs to converse even when one of them wasn't alive. The moblin shivered.

“.. Thanks Spaghet,” Wiki said, ruffling the cloak down. She admired it. Damn, it really was nice. She glanced towards her moblin friend. “I… you're just, man, you're way too nice to me.”

Spaghet turned away from Wiki. He didn't want to deal with her false flattery right now. He busied himself with putting away the groceries, trying his best to forget about the day. He lost himself in the repetitious task. There wasn't much to put away, Spaghet never ate much. Not like he had a lot of space for food in the first place. With a sigh, he reached down for another fish to hang and cringed when he felt Wiki's hand reach for the same bag.

“Shit,” Wiki said, jumping back. Her eyes darted to the floor. “Just.. just thought I'd help.” Spaghet cocked a brow at her but wordlessly accepted her assistance, taking the fish from her. In what seemed like moments later, everything had been put away. Wiki scratched at the back of her head and Spaghet did his best to tidy up in his tiny kitchen.

The Deku scrub wandered back to Spaghet's table, plopping herself in a chair. She rocked back in forth in it, watching Spaghet clean specks off of plates. She didn't get it. She also didn't understand why he had bought bananas. What sort of moblin liked fruit? Wiki felt mildly betrayed. Meat truly was the superior nutrient.

Spaghet glanced towards his wig stand and thought about depositing his hairpiece onto it. He had been wearing his wig all day and he was beginning to feel its presence on his head more and more. Wiki looked him over. Spaghet was staring off into space again. What a surprise. She casually glanced over to where his eyes were looking.

“You don't need to wear that thing,” Wiki said.

Spaghet shot a look towards her. The scrub tended to have a good guess to what he was thinking about more often than he would have liked to admit. He bit his cheek and sneered at her. Why did she always dig up old shit? It seemed like whenever a scab had finally formed over one of the many flesh wounds in their friendship, Wiki was quick to rip it off.

“Please,” Spaghet said. “You… you always do this. For once, just, just stop.”

“Do what?” Wiki wasn't facing him as she spoke now, opting instead to return to her journal. “I'm serious man, spit it out.” She said the words nonchalantly, but her body language was anything but calm. Spaghet's eyes narrowed. What had he done since entering into his own home to warrant such behavior from her?

“This,” he spat, slamming his hand onto the wooden counter. Wiki didn't flinch. “Digging up old arguments, acting like a spoiled brat, thinking you're superior to eve--

“-- Let me stop you there Spaghet,” Wiki said, slamming down her quill. “First of all, I am superior compared to most of the other soulsacks walking around mindlessly on this hunk of rock.” She turned towards him, and although Spaghet expected her typical fury, her face showed only boredom. “Two… I'm just trying to give you a compliment. Just accept it.” Spaghet felt his skin flush and he again turned away from Wiki.

“I like my wig,” Spaghet spat. “I really wish you'd stop telling me to not wear it.”

“Well you look better without it,” Wiki snapped back. “Not my fault you don't know how to dress yourself prope--

“-- that is IT!” Spaghet screamed, stomping his foot onto the ground. The last straw. No one, not even Wiki, insulted his fashion sense. The moblin stormed over to her and Wiki quickly hopped out of her chair, throwing up her hands in vain as Spaghet closed the gap between them. She began to back up as he approached, but eventually she found herself pinned against his dresser. The moblin did not care about space anymore. He was furious. Wiki could feel the hot air streaming out of his nose as he towered over her. She gulped. He trembled.

“.. Y-You're the worst kind of person, Wiki,” Spaghet began. Wiki's eyes darted to the side, Spaghet had her trapped. Plus she.. wasn't really sure that scampering away was the best idea right now. Spaghet shook his head. “You don't just burn bridges, Wiki.” He gripped the wooden dresser behind Wiki tightly, his clawed hand digging into it. “You enjoy doing it.”

Wiki looked desperately for an escape. She didn't want to be in this situation anymore. She wasn't used to Spaghet being like this, and frankly Wiki didn't like it. Fuck. When did Spaghet grow so much of a spine?! She looked up at his face and her eyes widened. He… he didn't look angry. He looked--

“-- Wiki, Wiki please,” He sputtered. “I-I'm so tired of this…. And… and I.. ” Wiki could only stare up Spaghet in silence as he struggled to find the words. He put his forehead on the top of his dresser, and attempted to covering his face with his hands. His glasses smudged on his skin and his wig drooped. When he spoke, his voice was an angry whisper. “.. I can't do this anymore.”

The scrub looked away from Spaghet's obscured face. She looked at the trembling torso in front of him. Now that he had moved his arm to try to cover up his visage, there was a clear escape from the side. Wiki could easily go hide and deal with this issue after Spaghet calmed down, but decided that this was probably the most entertainment she was going to get for awhile. Spaghet finally made eye contact with the scrub below him and Wiki glanced away. His tail twitched.

“.. I'm not going to live forever, Wiki,” Spaghet said. Wiki's gaze shot up. The moblin had her attention. She instantly attempted to make eye contact, but Spaghet refused. “.. I'm getting older, Wiki. I'm.. what, thirty something now? W-Wiki I'm half dead alrea--”

“-- bullshit Spaghet,” Wiki spat. “You got at least a couple-two more decades left. Don't be an asshole.” The moblin slowly backed away from her, the lack of space between them now making him uncomfortable. Wiki glanced towards the door. “Don't say shit like that.”

“So it's alright when you say things like that, but not me?!” Spaghet said. He gawked at her hypocrisy. “T-This is why people can't stand you Wiki!”

“People can't stand me because I've already decided they're not worth my time,” Wiki said, rolling her eyes.

“No Wiki, people can't stand you because you're a brat,” Spaghet said backing up further and glancing towards Burrito. The terrier had situated himself comfortably underneath the covers on the moblin's bed. Spaghet turned his attention back to Wiki. “Y-You never grew up. You will probably never grow up.”

Wiki stared at him for along while before she began to tremble in anger. Spaghet prepared to dash in case she tried something. She slowly turned around and began to dig around in the nest of blankets. Spaghet watched her intently, expecting anything from a bird to a dagger to be thrown in his direction. When she pulled out an arrow the moblin was not surprised.

“Never grew up?” Wiki echoed, her voice vindictive. “No, Spaghet. I grew up, oh boy did I grow up.” The Deku gripped the wooden stick of the arrow nearly to the point of breaking. “I just learned that the world and the people in it aren't worth saving besides a few. And even then, everyones expendable.” The arrow in her hand finally snapped and her gaze shot down to the splintered remains on the ground. Nothing else in the world mattered right now.

Spaghet glanced towards the door. This was becoming an increasingly dangerous situation. He looked at Burrito. When that dog avoided someone or something you knew it was time to bolt. The moblin knew he needed to grab the terrier before he bolted out the door. Wiki would probably try to skin it. But before he could enact his plan, Wiki continued her rant. Spaghet turned his attention back to her. She was kind of hard to ignore.

Spaghet shrugged. He didn't care about her ramblings. Wiki knew it. She.. she really didn't care what she was talking about at this point either. Wiki stared at him before looking down at the wood floor below. She curled her toes. His floor was cheap. She'd probably have traces of his stupid planks on her feet for awhile. A realization hit her. The thought prompted Wiki to curl her toes further inward.

“… … It's not.. like I don't try, Spaghet. I try, I really do,” Wiki said, her gaze transfixed on the patterns in the worn wood below. “.. I just keep messing up.”

Spaghet glanced towards the window. It was afternoon. He hesitated about continuing this conversation now. To an extent, he would always care about Wiki. He in all likelihood didn't understand the concept of a sunk cost. Her safety was still important to him, as was his hopefully still amicable relationship with her parents. He grimaced, mind wandering. Why hadn't Wiki's father told Spaghet he was ill? Spaghet hoped that he hadn't upset him…

“… Listen I, I just.. I'm not the best at this sort of shit,” Wiki said, scratching at the charred bark on her hands. She began to mumble something incoherent and even Spaghet strained to hear. Her previous anger seemed to have faded entirely and the moblin cocked a brow. Another trap, perhaps, but Spaghet always preferred the state of not on fire to being ablaze. A tame, disgruntled Wiki was better than a Wiki who was trying to kill everyone and everything in sight.

Spaghet stared at Wiki. She didn't mind. She never minded. He grimaced. The routine was common. She would apologize, he would accept it. Later tonight or tomorrow she would blow up at him, but moments before she would have charmed him in one way or another. He picked at the skin under his fingernails.

Why was it that whenever Spaghet thought about her, all he could think of were of the evenings past? Times they had spent curled up with a book, nestled under blankets together as Wiki helped Spaghet with his schooling. How she had always nestled herself closer and closer to him as she drilled him on vocabulary. How eventually Spaghet would begin to doze off and Wiki would take the opportunity to nuzzle up against him. How, in his weary state, he didn't even mind, how he would slinging his arm over her and pull her wooden body close.

Spaghet looked down at the Deku. She was being surprisingly patient. But he .. he knew her better than anyone. The unfortunate part about the past was it was often tinted with rose colored lenses. He couldn't forget all of the times she manipulated him or made him feel less than dirt. He couldn't forget the fact that she was a murderer and a genuine sociopath. Spaghet often considered the very real possibility that she didn't care about him at all and that their entire relationship was fabricated. It's not like she hadn't done such a stunt before, in fact, the moblin had witnessed her brag about such actions plenty of times. His lip curled and he glanced towards his violin case. The gears in his head began to turn.

“.. I'm tired of your lies, Wiki,” Spaghet said with a grin. Wiki's body stiffened. Even without the aid of his Ventriloquism trick, the moblin could make his voice sound surprisingly guttural and deep. He slowly moved over to the case and bent over. The scrub's eyes followed him but the rest of her stayed firmly planted on the ground. He had an idea, and maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't. Could he tell if someone was lying with whatever knowledge that man had given him? Probably not, but it was worth a shot. Besides, he… was curious.

He popped open the case and quickly procured his violin. Wiki was watching at this point if only out of pure curiosity. Also, it helped that her and Spaghet had history. If this had been some random bum on the street, he would have been set on fire by now. Spaghet inhaled deeply. What he was about to do felt… strange, to say the least. As he began to play, a strange, unfamiliar melody echoed from his instrument. Although he had never played it before, the notes that echoed from the violin were harmonious and beautiful. The Deku's eyes went wide and she sarcastically began to clap. The moblin winced in embarassment. Spaghet knew literally one song. One. Now he knew two?! Amazing. He deserved a medal for being the worst Yettin to ever Yettin. She.. she still had no idea what this song was, however. But she assumed it was magical in nature. She crossed her arms. 'Tired of her lies?' What was it going to do, make her tell the truth or something? As if.

Spaghet felt woozy. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling to him, but it was nonetheless unpleasant. His bow movements became more languid and the room began to spin. The feeling in his fingers began to fade but he continued to play. His body felt numb, his motions mechanical. He played for what felt like an eternity before collapsing into a heap onto the floor. His bow clattered to the ground and his violin hit the earth with a loud crack, the solid piece of wood splitting down the middle.

This sensation was entirely unfamiliar. Yes, sure, he had experienced it today. Once. But the feeling of an entirely different perspective was foreign to the moblin. Said perspective being Wiki was even more disorientating. Thank the Goddesses he couldn't hear her thoughts, but he felt the same chill that ran down her spine as she stared at his limp body.

“… Spaghet?” Wiki cautiously whispered before slowing beginning her approach. “T-This isn't funny man, come on.” Worry. Uncertainty. Hints of Anger. Spaghet's consciousness winced. This was a bad idea. Leaving his body unattended with Wiki? Especially after he had pissed her off? She was going to kill him. He watched, her wooden arms beginning to investigate his body for signs of life. Wiki found his pulse. Relief. But when she couldn't wake him, the Deku's emotions began to change again. More anger. She began to shake him violently before slapping him a few times. No success. If Spaghet had been capable of sighing, he would.

Her eyes darted around, looking for any signs of injury on his body. She probed, touched and ripped apart his clothes. Spaghet was furious – who rips apart a silk shirt?! Desperation. Spaghet's attention was drawn away from his lost material goods. He focused on Wiki's feelings in an effort to distract himself from the uncanny feeling of seeing his own body being frantically assaulted in Wiki's futile effort to wake it.

When Wiki still couldn't rouse him, she began to grow more and more worried. Although Spaghet knew this feeling well, it probably wasn't one Wiki experienced often. The moblin felt smug. Wiki deserved it. He focused on his own feelings of pride long enough to completely distract him from whatever the Deku's body he had inhabited was feeling. When he finally tuned back into her emotions, Spaghet really wished he hadn't.

Of course.

Spaghet's eyes shot open and Wiki jumped back. He gasped for air, feeling dizzy. The moblin had already vomited once today, he didn't need a repeat performance. He closed his eyes and clutched at his head. His wig had fallen off when he collapsed. Great. He glanced over to his violin. Even better. But he wasn't concerned with that right now. There were bigger things on his mind right now, like blocking out the presence of the Deku scrub who sat beside him. He wanted to unfeel it. He did everything he could to try to ignore what he had just felt. This was stupid. This was a stupid decision. Everything about this situation was stupid. Spaghet was so stupid. He took off his glasses, throwing them onto the floor. Wiki glanced at them and back to Spaghet. He covered his eyes with his palms as he faced the ceiling. Why had he agreed to help Wiki? Why had he let her into his home?

“You lied, Wiki,” He said, wiping at his eyes. He snorted. Shit. Wiki was absolutely not going to make him cry. Spaghet looked at her from his position at the ground. Neither of them had really moved. Wiki glanced to the side.

“… Yes?” Wiki answered. Shit. There were a lot of things she lied about. What was Spaghet referring to this time? “Your point?” Spaghet sat up and looked down at Wiki. His face was stern and Wiki's eyes darted away. She seriously had no idea what he was talking about.

“Y-You lied… about the thing you said, you promised, you..” Spaghet bit his tongue. He hated her. He hated her more than he knew he could hate someone.

Wiki stared at Spaghet for a long while. Her eyes narrowed. What was he talking about? She had said billions of things in her life and she wove over a million webs of lies. Which specific one was the moblin referring to? Wiki glanced towards his violin.

“I mean, if it was that .. uh, whatever, uh, shit, dream song, I read my dad's journal a few times. I knew. Like, ten years ago, I knew. So it's not like I wasn't aware of it,” Wiki said. Spaghet's eyes grew wide. “Didn't know you'd be dumb enough to try it when I was awake, though.”

Spaghet put his hands on top of his head. So it was possible to hate someone more than he had hated Wiki a moment ago. Today really wasn't his day. He slammed his head back onto the hard floor in desperation. He groaned. So stupid. Wiki rolled her eyes.

“You know exactly what I'm talking about, Wiki,” Spaghet spat. Wiki flinched. Whoops. The moblin stared up at the ceiling. He didn't want to look at her right now. “Think back in that wretched little brain of yours and then try to be a decent person.”

Wiki glanced around. She… sheesh. It was pretty rare that Spaghet stumped her instead of the other way around. She scratched at her leaves. Wiki assumed Spaghet had probably learned a new song. Or it was that dream song she had glanced at and could never really wrap her head around that she had read once in her father's journal.. and he was... trying to practice it on her while she was awake? So it brought his lifetime total up to two or… three. Wow. Amazing. She stopped her eye's lazy trail around the room. She glanced down at Spaghet. He was trying his best not to show anything on his face and failing horribly. He was biting at his lip while gripping at the top of his head. Wiki rolled her eyes. She hated that stupid thing. Her dad had recommended Spaghet get it about half way through law school and the moblin stupidly agreed. At least it stopped him from scratching at the top of his head. But he always looked so much better without his stupid rats nest of hair. Her eyes widened. She covered her snout with her hands and gasped.

“Whatever the fuck you think you think, it's wrong,” Wiki sputtered. She suddenly stood up. Her eyes darted around the room quickly. No way. Absolutely no way. Spaghet closed his eyes together painfully when she finally understood. “S-Spaghet, come on man.” Wiki didn't know what to do at this point. She didn't see an escape route in this conversation. She quickly glanced towards the door. She was deeply considering it.

Spaghet sat up and looked at the Deku. He clutched his knees close to him and watched her begin to stir and shake. He looked away and did his best to steady his breathing. He was stupid to have trusted her all of those nights ago. Back when Spaghet was just starting to consider going into law and Wiki had asked him what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. When he and her stayed up way later than either of them should have talking about their dreams and goals and aspirations.

When Wiki admitted she didn't want to do what her dad did for the rest of her life. When Wiki nearly woke up her parents screaming at him to not give up on his dreams. When Spaghet realized he probably liked Wiki a lot more than a friend. When he admitted it to her and Wiki 's response was to tell him that she could never feel like that about anyone. How she told him about how her parents had to explain to her when she was three that other people felt pain. How she promised him that she could never feel the same way. How, when he started crying, she had jumped up into the bed they had set up in her room for the long weeks he stayed with the Levetts. How she had shushed him and spooned him and promised him it would be ok until he fell asleep. How, after all these years, even after finally admitting to himself that Wiki was a toxic, vile person, he still continued to allow her to stick around. How he found out something he really wished he could forget.

“… For how long, Wiki?” Spaghet finally croaked out. The Deku's body turned cold. She wasn't admitting shit. Spaghet didn't know shit. He was bluffing, trying to get her to slip up again and say something that he didn't originally know. She scratched at her hands and looked away from him. He scratched at the floorboards. Neither of them spoke for a long while, but when they did, Spaghet was the first to speak up.

“I .. expect that if... I pursue that case against that guard, you'll go to that trial, at least?” Spaghet asked. His voice quavered. He rubbed at his forehead and closed his eyes. “I.. I don't want to waste my time, Wiki.”

“.. Y-Yeah,” The Deku said, still looking away. She picked at the bark on her hands. She had no intention of going to that trial either. She just didn't feel like arguing with Spaghet right now. She at last looked at him. “… So.. uh…” Spaghet's eyes slowly opened. She looked away. “What now?” Spaghet moved his gaze away from Wiki. He stared off into space for a long time. At last, he spoke.

“.. the status quo, of course,” he said slowly. Wiki stared at him. He refused to make eye contact. She stopped picking at the bark on her now trembling hands. Spaghet cleared his throat. “I assume you'll be out by morning?”

“Yeah...” Wiki whispered, looking towards the door. “It's.. uh, probably not the safest thing if I stay in town.”

Spaghet nodded silently as he stared off into the distance. His mind raced. She stared at him for a long time, trying to get him to look at her. He didn't.

Wiki really hated this feeling.


=============

I feel dirty.

give my characters their stupid roops.