#nessjeff

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A myriad of muffled voices reaches Ness’ ears. He can’t manage the strength to provide a response when sleep has him by the throat. His mind is on the brink of consciousness, barely holding on. He wants to reach out to the hands of the voices, yet he can't resist to give into his stupor.

The snap of a finger grabs his attention by the handle. The bags under his eyelids hang low, adding onto his groggy expression. “Yeah…?” He wobbles as he pulls himself forward. His hand lays flat on the table to prevent him from falling over.

His classmates ignore him, because they understand. He allows them to disregard his problems in avoidance of being labeled a burden. One of them gives him a pillow, and he accepts. It’s better than a cold, hard desk.

This continues all the way to History class, and, oh boy, he forgot he had a test today! He didn’t bother to study the material at home no matter how much he willed himself to. It was best for him to spend the rest of the class stumped until he couldn’t take it anymore and caved, closing his eyes before the teacher could notice.

Eventually, he did, and instead of scolding Ness for sleeping in class for the billionth time, he said something that Ness wouldn’t dare forget:

“It’s alright, you don’t have to finish the test today.”

And so starts a cycle that Ness has no willpower to break. And it’s something his friends have no idea how to fix, in spite of their efforts.

“You fell asleep in class again?” Paula asks, irritation settling in her tone.

“Yep!” Ness laughs hopelessly. “It’s okay, though. The teacher allowed me to retake the test!”

“Come on, Ness, don’t you think this is getting out of hand?”

Ness flails his arms over the railing. “Not really. I’m kinda used to it by now. It’s been a thing ever since I was little.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ya don’t know?” Ness leans forward. “Apparently I got this condition where I get tired randomly during the day.”

“So… narcolepsy?”

“It has a name!?”

Paula giggles, a hand covering her mouth. “Everything has a term attached to it, Ness!”

“I know that,” Ness says. “I just… I dunno. Been callin’ it the sleepy genes this whole time”

“I’m not sure if it’s hereditary…” Paula puts a hand to her lips. “It would be pretty interesting if that were the case, though.”

Ness yawns, expects nothing but the worst. “Say, can I sleep on you for a bit?”

“We’re in the middle of a sidewalk, Ness! You can sleep when I escort you home…”

“How about ya carry me?” He jokes.

Paula tries her best not to laugh. Instead she jabs Ness in the shoulder. “Let Jeff be the one to do that for you. Now come on, before the sun sets!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

He picks up the pace, yet it proves difficult due to his lethargy. Nonetheless, he finds a way to workaround falling down in the middle of the road.

He thinks about… well, he thinks about a lot of things. His hyperactive imagination causes him to think of multiple things per second, from the weather, his favorite things… maybe his own feelings, too. His feelings aren’t something he wishes to think about. Like Paula says to him everyday, he’s going to have to confront them somehow.

This is especially the case with the Giygas situation. Ness has been plagued with nightmares of him since then, which adds onto his narcoleptic condition. Despite the multiple medications he takes during the day, he can’t shake off his afflicting thoughts on the cosmic destroyer.

Finally, he reaches home. Paula took the initiative to pass by her house to make sure Ness gets home safely. As much as he appreciates the hospitality, he can’t just take advantage of her kindness like that. He sighs. Might as well give it to her straight.

“I can take care of myself, yanno.” He smiles to hit his statement home.

“Of course you can,” Paula says while she twirls a lock of hair. “I just wanted to make sure that you can manage on your own. Don’t want you falling asleep standing up.”

“I’m sure walking a few extra miles can get the blood pumping,” Ness assures her. “You don’t gotta worry about me, okay?”

Paula eventually gives in, heaving a sigh to make that point concise. “Alright, Ness. You… you stay safe, you hear?”

Ness laughs. He doesn’t know why, but he laughs. And he doesn’t stop laughing, even when he hacks a lung. “You’re really worried about me, huh…?”

“Of course I am!” Paula says, hand joined at the hip. “We’re friends, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I get that,” Ness drops his gaze. “I just don’t wanna worry you more than I already have, yanno?”

Paula fiddles with the straps of her brief case. Slow and steady breaths. “I’m going to worry about you whether you like it or not.”

Ness drinks deeply in the silence between them. She’s right. There’s no way for him to prevent her from worrying about him, but he wishes to be left alone. He can face his problems head on without any help. And she’s getting in the way of that!

Instead, he backs down. “Can’t argue with that.”

A small smile presents itself on Paula’s lips. “Good. I’m assuming you’re planning to come to school tomorrow, then?”

Snippets of Ness’ conversation fade from his mind as he focuses on the sensation that blossoms inside his chest. His heart beats out of his chest once Jeff’s lips meet his, and he can’t control his emotions from spiraling out of control. However, he’s not sure if this is a good thing or not.

With a slew of emotions, comes the inevitable enervation that rattles his bones and quells his overactive mind. He breaks away from Jeff for a while, blinking with each second that passes in that moment.

Jeff doesn’t dare to ask what’s wrong. For all he knows, Ness could be overstimulated or uncomfortable. Whichever it is, it doesn’t stop the guilt in his eyes from forming. He only puts a hand on Ness’ back, using gentle strokes to diffuse the situation.

“I’m fine,” Ness says. “I’m not tired or anythin’.”

Jeff merely crosses one leg over the other. He knows exactly what’s about to happen. “It’s alright,” he says. “If you need to sleep, there should be a bed over there.” It’s dark, so he can barely tell where his bed is.

“Nah, seriously,” Keeping his eyes open is becoming a chore. “I’m not tired, I can… I can stay up…”

Jeff’s soft smile forces Ness to ignore his own thoughts. He’s going to disrespect his wishes and he knows it.

“We don’t need to stay up if you feel like you can’t,” Jeff says. He stares at the watch that encircles Ness’ wrist. “It’s getting late, we should be getting to bed anyway. I’m sure you won’t have trouble getting home if you tele-“

Jeff is interrupted by Ness lying down on him, his arms dangling on the ground. Jeff simply smiles, then hauls Ness over his shoulder and tries to avoid waking him up as he travels from the chair to his bed.

He’s not surprised that it’s come to this. Giygas truly has a hold on him, giving him nothing but sleepless nights. He’s always had sleep problems, but it totally got worse after their adventure together. Jeff has no idea how to work around such a predicament, but if one thing’s for certain, he should suggest a therapy session.

It’s hard to carry Ness on his shoulders due to the weight that overwhelms him. Ness has been described as light as a feather by Paula and Poo, but to Jeff, he weighs like a pound of bricks. Maybe more than that… who knows? Hmm… maybe Jeff should consider lifting weights sometime.

Eventually, Jeff reaches a corner of the bed, thrusting Ness on top of the mattress. Ness only groans in response, but Jeff is too lost in his thoughts to acknowledge his other senses. A warm hand encapsulates his own, and once he sees that it is, in fact, Ness’ hand holding his, he doesn’t hesitate to squeeze whatever’s left of his irresistible touch.

Ness’ eye snaps open, half asleep. He gives Jeff a look that suggests he wants him to stay with him in the serene glow of the night. And Jeff accepts that invitation. If anybody’s going to keep Ness’ behavior in check, to diffuse the situation when need be, it’s going to be Jeff.