Chapter Text
Hope died the moment the portals closed.
His heart beating out of his chest, the doors to the facility slammed open. By his side, sleepy waddle dee after sleepy waddle dee rushed after him. A trail of features marked the rampage of a certain king.
The air was thin up here, but he didn't care. Kirby needed him. His minions squeaked after him as he threw off an offending falling wall. This place was barely held together through the years it was abandoned and the battle he sensed that was taking upwards was now finishing the inevitable processes.
Moss coated the walls like an infection, the flowers laughing at his desperation.
He hissed in pain as the broken shards of some sort of glass pricked his talons. With a glare he turned towards his subjects, warning them of the floor. They all gave shaky nods as they froze in place. "P-" the king coughed twice. How long has it been since he last spoke? A half-full teacup still left on his desk, just waiting for his return.
Trying once more, he spoke as softly as he could," Please halt." He waved towards the bottom of the building. "Find a way out."
"But sire-" one of his dees tried to argue back. She was one of the few that refused to leave him, even when he started showing signs of possession. For that, she paid the price and was one of the first dees to be taken over to this infernal laboratory
"But nothing!" He hissed. "Please. I can do this." Another dee tried to speak up, but he looked tiredly at them.
More and more dees chimed, their bodies still wavering. How long have they been running? While his vision may be blurring in the corners, he could still make out the small scraps and bruises on his family's feet. The suffering he caused.
"Please." He begged. They had already stood beside him once before on this horrible land, please just take a break. The beast pack's leader forbade them from taking breaks-only switching them out when they had passed out from exhaustion. A frequent experience for the peaceful dreamlanders.
Tears formed in their eyes, they took one step back, and then another. Good. He should be alone for this. His heart warmed, as the last of the dees left him one by one. He didn't deserve them. Truly he didn't. All he's brought upon them has been suffering. Unable to take care of them without the help of Popstar's magic for a measly couple of months. Pathetic. He was a worthless king.
Clearing his thoughts for the briefest of moments, he inhaled. The image of floating alongside Kirby beside the darkness of Rainbow Resort centered him as he flew across the room. The sluggish movement sparked a small ember inside of him. No wonder why Meta loved flying fast during battle, the slow flight he usually does was agonizing. Kirby needs him now! He should be there for him.
There.
Like the land of the ancients, a magical residue floated in the air, sending a shiver up his spine.
Snap
His eyes darted upwards. A surge of something echoed above him. Dedede needed to be there. He needed to be there now!
His feet met the ground as a staircase to the roof dawned closer and closer. Practically running on all fours, he dashed from step to step. Spon the skyline of the city greeted him. Nothing but a sunrise.
The moon dying behind him, his eyes darted towards a figure on the ground. Their fur was coated with blood as they could do nothing but hunch closer and closer into themself. It was Kirby's friend.
Oh god, it was Kirby's friend.
"Kid you're going to make it." He stepped closer and closer. The small rat flinched at his movement. "Come on kid you gotta-"
"D…" they coughed. "Dede…de."
"That's me kid. Come on we need to get you to a hosp-"
Tears formed as the small creature sniffled into their paw. Blue mixing with blue and red. "Kirby mentioned you."
"Good kid. Just keep talking." He gestured to hold them. A subtle nod answered him as he gently picked them up. They were so small, like the baby waddle dees the mamas would sometimes let him hold. Soft, softer than any blanket or pillow.
Their voice, a broken chime, muttered," They were wondering where you were." Their eyes darted towards the cloudy sky. " You aren't controlled anymore, are you?"
"I'm not," he whispered. The child was so cold. Their breathing occasionally hitch as they struggled for air. "Come on kid, you can do this. I believe in you. Kirby believes you."
Their eyes closed, "Is Kirby there?" They shifted in their spot more. Dashing quickly, Dedede ran back downwards. Kirby wasn't with their friend. Where were they?
That didn't matter now. What matters is healing this one.
"Come on kid talk to me. Please." Dedede looked down from the end of the staircase. From on top of the world, he could make out the distant shapes of his waddle dees below. They were cornered by the beast pack.
Grunting, he held the child firmly as he jumped from the top, crashing towards the bottom. With the speed of gravity plus their combined weight….he only had a couple of seconds to time this to not become a bird pancake.
Inhale
At the very last moment, he slowed their descent towards the shattered concrete. The leaders, sans a certain lion, were talking to his dees. They better not-
The cat meowed. The faintest part of his mind automatically translated her words. They had heard the explosions and were wondering where their leader went. If he was okay.
"Does anyone have a doctor!" He screamed, voice rougher than sand. Taken aback by his sudden crashing, several members of the pack recoiled, as if he had smashed them with his hammer. No..no they weren't taken aback by that.
He couldn't smell it then but he could now.
Blood.
As if a switch was turned, Claworine snatched them from his arms. "They are in critical condition. They might not make it."
"They will make it." He hissed at the cat.
She turned her head towards him, analyzing his appearance before turning to the small child in her paws. "I can do what I can do. However, he needs more healers than I. Do you have any with your people?"
His heart skipped a beat. Were there any doctors among the dees brought here? How shitty of him to not know. However before he could say anything, a jolt of lightning struck him in his side. It would seem that his captives only now could suffer such aftershocks.
Months worth of aching drowned him, as he struggled to stay upwards.
He glared at his former co-worker, "Do you have a healer on your side?" His tone may have been a tad ruder than he intended but she seemed to pause in thought.
"We can try the Waddle Dee town southeast of my arena," she pondered. There was a town? Oh god, there was a town. Some of his dees survived. His breath hitched as his captives grabbed his paw, the young dee looking up to him expectedly. They were about to collapse as well. He needed to find a place for them all to rest. The bare minimum of being a ruler.
"Take us to them," he gestured, "they can't exactly fly across the ocean."
"They don't even look like they can walk right now," she noted.
He scoffed, "they have been running for your master on those star-forsaken wheels for the past couple of days. Give them a break."
Like the shattering of a vase, the animals snapped their necks towards them.
"What wheels?" She hissed.
He rolled her eyes at her, "Leongar placed every single one of my subjects and had them running like wheels in a machine. They are hungry. They are thirsty. If they look like they are about to die they are. We all are. So if you have the smallest speck of kindness in your heart, help us."
Conflicted, she waved for the rest of the animals to move in. Carrying a dee on their heads, the pack began their pilgrimage. Kirby's friend shifted slightly in the cat's arms.
His breathing slowed down more and more.
"Come on, come on" he tried to say, his voice wheezing every couple of seconds.
"I don't know if he's going to-"
"Don't," he cut her off. "Please don't say that. Please."
"Elfilin here needs a healer badly. It looks like he fell stories high. Do you know what happened to him?" She pulled bandage after bandage from her side.
He shook his head, "No, was busy defending the elevator and it was only until afterwards, that I was able to go up." He paused. "Then I saw it with my own two eyes. "
"What?"
He titled his head," You didn't know? As I rode the mocking elevator I witnessed-" he stuttered, "Rows upon rows. Columns upon columns. I freed as much as I could but there might be some more of them left." Tears formed in the sides of his eyes. "There might be some left. Oh, stars."
Hiccuping, he gestured to hold the child. Wrapping the last of the bandages, the small rat-like being still had their eyes closed. "Their name is Elfilin, is it?"
"I overheard it during my clash with Kirby." She mewed. "You two are friends? I suppose?"
"Kirby and I? We are destined rivals." His paw brushed the cheek of Elfilin. "We bonded over our love for food after a couple…incidents. He taught me some things and I taught him right back some more!" A weary smile appeared on his face. "Do you know where they are, Elfilin?"
The child squirmed in his hold, opening their mouth to say something. However, nothing came out.
"I don't think they have the strength to speak," mused Claworine, "We need to get them to a h-"
"Kirby," a small voice cried. He never noticed it before but they sounded younger than even Bandee. Oh god was Bandee with Kirby? That would make sense-but then where were the both of them?
"Shh," Claworine muttered," You need to conserve your energy."
"No!" He screamed. Or attempted to scream. Their voice, so fractured and coughing made it as quiet as well, a mouse. "Kirby, I'm sorry."
What happened up there? He held the child in his arms, tears falling like rain. A chill ran up his spine. A bad feeling squirmed in his chest.
"It's my fault. It's all my fault," Elfilin whispered, their breathing becoming more and more erratic.
"Kid-"
The sobbing stopped Dedede, two leaders looking at each other before speaking gentle reassurances to the child.
"Kirby," they kept muttering their name over and over again. Sorries and apologies echoing as their voice grew softer and softer.
"Kid, you're going to get through this. You can apologize to Kirby for whatever happened. You need to live first-" Dedede tried not to think of possibilities for what might have been. Was it a betrayal? A death? Something else? What?
"Is Kirby there?" Elfilin's voice was a breeze.
"Yes," the king lied before Claworine could do anything.
"Being friends with you," they coughed, "was the best thing that had ever happened….to me" they trailed off.
"Elfilin? Elfilin!" Screamed Claworine.
Lax was the body in Dedede's arms, as the breathing of someone far too young stopped. Out here, away from the technology of his home, away from any defibrillators nor doctors, a child drew their last breath.
Collapsing onto the gray cement, Dedede let out one last roar, a roar of grief for a friend he could never have made amends with.
By the time the sun had set, the somber vagabonds had arrived at the edge of the world. Without even time to rest, a burial was held.
Rain mixed with tears as the fate of his children died with Elfilin. There was nothing else to do but wait.
Five days since the funeral and tensions have been on an all-time high. Leongar has gone MIA since his battle with Kirby and Clawroline has begun to panic. The weeks spent under the control of…something still aches his muscles whenever he walks. There were still many dees missing from the town, in Kirby and Bandee’s haste to reunite with their friend they had accidentally left some behind. He needed to find his dees no matter what. From desert resort to volcanic cavern, King Dedede searched.
Meta Knight has been silent the whole affair, still not resting no matter the unofficial peace treaty between the dreamlanders and the beast pack. By the top of his pillar, he watched the comings and goings of the king and a certain cat.
Clawroline, or Carol as she permitted Dedede to call her, has disappeared from her usual spot. A rift above the skies of the town appeared last night and with it, many animals jumped in. In hushed whispers over a long and tiring day she confessed to a secret, she dared not admit. Holding a cup of not-juice, her tail curled against her side, she brought up a land of dreams devoid of life. Nightmares of her friends all guardians of odd objects.
By the starlit night, a sun burning brighter than anything she has seen before was pulled out of her pockets. Meta Knight held the object in his paw, the orb shimmered with a familiar aura- like talking to Magolor or the three mage sisters. Perhaps if Hyness was here, he would know what such an orb was.
He was supposed to take care of Astral that weekend before the sky split apart. Were the people back at home missing them? Dedede mentioned being stuck here for months so was there some sort of time dilation between the two worlds? Was his knight okay? Despite all the waddle dees captured, Sailor had not been among his kind.
A vile part of him wishes he was. Clinging to his heart like a virus, if such a familiar face was with him then he would feel somewhat better. No. Sailor only being here would mean suffering. The last thing he needs.
He should go train.
As the wind blew from banner to banner, so did tears falling from his mask onto the grass below.
It has been two weeks since he had made it to the town. No sign of any new portal. Clawoline has still been exploring the portal. He is confident that all of his dees have been rescued, but a thought still nags at the back of his mind. A lone dee trapped against the world, suffering in a kingdom of isolation.
Snow caked Dedede’s shoulders and he continued his march into every territory thrice more.
The wintery lands, much like the ones near rainbow resort-however they were. They just simply …weren't. There was no aurora in the sky. No magic in the air. The chilly brought only the smell of death- of a civilization that crumbled beneath the weight of their ambition. Strange tunes of a language undecipherable played from broken stereos.
He picked up a screw from the ground, the metal biting his glove. It was winter when he first arrived here, he had to use fire spell after fire spell to warm the droves of his subjects. Staying in a cave after cave-places that were much more secure than the crumbling obelisks of another kingdom’s hubris.
The screw was so simple, so plain. No magic enchanting the longevity from rot. No duplication casted-so it wasn’t a copy of some master screw. Someone had put the time and effort to craft such an item over and over. Why?
Why was this world so unmagical?
Dedede shivered as he wandered, kicking a rock as the streets grew around him like a labyrinth. He could spot some Awoofies making snow creatures out of the snow. The previous batch had blown away in the wind a while ago but that didn’t stop them. They just kept making.
Perhaps. He should create once more.
Three weeks and still no sign.
There were dees at the king’s door. Or to better put it Kirby’s door. Dedede toyed with the figurine in his paws. The puffball had placed a couple on top of their fireplace, an ice cream one, a figure of Meta Knight, and thirdly the one in his paws right now.
Elfilin, according to the dees, had been hiding out where the town was to be built and helped them move some of the materials. When he…When he had sent the beast gang to their location…
Dedede shuddered.
They had only wanted to help his dees.
And he killed them
God Dedede why are you such a fuck up? When have you ever been a good ruler? You got possessed so many times! Look at Meta! He could throw off possession! Why couldn’t you! Are you that dimwitted to not do so? Pathetic!
No! It wasn’t his fault! It was whatever had him this time!
Are you serious? You don’t even know what possessed you this time! Were you even possessed in the first place!
Yes, I was! How else would you explain the mask?
Oh, a mask. Wow, a mask. You got done in by a mask.
Click
Oh
Something was on the floor now.
A small blue figurine.
Once again, Elfilin faded from his grasp.
Star above, why couldn’t he get one thing right.
Another tally on the wall. Another week has gone by.
Meta Knight made him tea today. He has been a tad antsy lately. Laying in Kirby’s bed, the penguin stared into the cold abyss that was his cup.
“Meta, what happened to this batch?”
The knight scoffed as he sipped his cup. “It's Hibiscus tea.” The penguin could only stare as his knight shifted his wings behind him.
“Hibiscus tea is red. This-This is just black.” he held the tea up in genuine curiosity, “What the heck did you do to it?”
“Brewed it.”
He wheezed, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. It shouldn’t be that funny. It was just some tea. But tears kept falling and falling.
Tiredly, he turned to his knight. There were so many words at the tip of his tongue. Pressing his beak tightly his eyes focused back on the cup. Quickly, he gulped it down, surprisingly not being as bitter as he thought but instead, it just felt like chunks. Sour? No. It was a flavor unto itself. As beautiful as it was ugly, he forced the liquid down his throat-careful not to get a single stray drop on the blanket.
“Meta-did you put salt in here.”
No reply.
“Meta,” his voice grew more desperate, “Meta did you open the bag.” More and more tears formed one by one. He was laughing.
“It's not that funny.”
“I'm not-I'm not laughing at you, I'm just,” he let out a deep exhale, “God we are just really drinking questionable tea in a land lightyears away from home. In a galaxy all to its own. Surrounded by a language we can’t read and friends we hate.” It's just so funny! He can’t stop laughing. He can’t stop laughing. He can’t.
Tears mixed with his cup as he sipped more. Salty. A slightly better flavor.
“I miss Kawasaki’s cooking,” he admitted, staring out of Kirby’s window and into the town. “It just isn’t the same without visiting him.”
“His parfaits,” Meta commented, “I would kill someone for them.”
“Same,” he smiled, “when we get back home, I’ll buy you as much as you can eat. A Kirby-sized meal!”
He could hear Meta contemplating his offering, “Wonderful,” the knight smiled beneath his mask, “it's a date.”
“It's a date,” he agreed.
Another day of Clawoline exiting the rift, a stash of those strange orbs collected in one of the bags the colosseum used. Without an overflowing fountain of dreams like what Popstar had, the leftover magic the dreamlanders had were dwindling day by day. A couple of dees have started creating farms to feed them all, the animal pack sharing edible foods they wouldn't have expected to eat.
Pepper, Basil, and other such spices were running low. Salt was easier to gather considering the ocean to harvest from, but growing the plants needed temperatures they couldn't magic around. Popstar allowed them to make greenhouses with their magic-something which was not possible.
Farming, something the king had not done in a long time. Before he declared himself king of the world, there were only farming communities. It was simple, it was pleasant, but he knew they could do more. They could be more!
Now, they are back to zero.
It can't be that bad, he tries to force a smile upon his face, he has faint memories of such a time, and delegating lands during his reign left him with some knowledge. Currently, they were using a four-crop rotation, but if magic could he would find a way to improve the fields as soon as possible. A few deviations here and there- some of the waddle dees wanted flower fields and who was he to refuse?
Tiny mounds of dirt scattered the lands, but not nearly enough for the hunger of his dees.
If Kirby was here, he could make food out of anything. His subjects wouldn't face starvation under Kirby's eyes.
The hoe in his hands met the earth like thunder crashing in the sky. A faint crack in its wood tore open as the penguin stabbed the earth. Again after again.
He needed to figure something out.
It was all up to him.
Wake up, eat, train, smile for the dees, repeat.
Wake up, eat, train, smile for the dees, repeat.
Wake up, eat, train, smile for the dees, repeat.
Wake up, eat, train, smile for the dees, repeat.
Wake up, eat, train, smile for the dees, repeat.
Wake up, eat, train, smile for the dees, repeat.
Meta pressed his blade against the whetstone. Back and forth. Back and forth. Another day to perform. Another day to be the sole speck of happiness for the town. It was okay though. Everything is okay.
Yawning underneath his mask, Meta starred on the calendar on the wall. How has it already been a month since…maybe more?
No.
He should get back to training.
Sillydillo smiled as Tilt-and-Roll Dee passed them the rest of the fertilizer. The flowers in the main square of the town needed to be taken care of. It wasn’t that the dees that usually took care of them were sick or anything-Sillydillo just wanted to try taking care of them. Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Purple. So many colors! Much unlike the sands of its home.
Tilt-and-Roll Dee was the only one awake at this time, something about cleaning up the store and looking around for lost balls. He was searching around the flower beds before Sillydillo asked for their opinion on its arrangement.
“I’m really liking the new grass that was put down last Saturday,” sighed the dee, “but man it's kinda hard to find stuff.”
Sillydillo gave a small laugh, “It’s a good thing we found that behind that one bench.” Tilt-and-Roll Dee looked down towards the tiles of the main center, the warp star floating in the middle. “Pretty isn’t it?” Sillydillo placed the shears it was using on the ground near them.
“The tiles?”
“Yeah, that as well but the glowing star.” Sillydillo gestured.
Tilt-and-Roll dee placed a paw on their head, “The warp star? I guess I haven’t seen much of them lately. These must have come here with us from Popstar.”
"Oh? These…Warp Stars are native to there?"
"Nah they are found all around the Gamble Galaxy…the milky way galaxy… other places. " they smiled.
"Yeah, those things are definitely not from here." Sillydillo paused, "I wonder what else is out there."
"You can try asking Sir Meta Knight! Cooed the dee. "He's so cool. And pretty. And look how well he fights!!! He's amazingly knowledgeable!" Their blush marks deepened, "Item Dee was talking to me about how Sir Meta Knight taught them how to tie a super tight knot for that new signpost they wanted to put up and-oh I'm rambling aren't I?"
Sillydillo waved, "Oh please do tell!"
They flapped their paws excitedly, “ Okay so Item was thinking about concocting a new type of drink and was looking for some test subjects-don't tell them that I called their patients' test subjects please- and so they were like “oh what if I added the healthy ingredients and these special ingredients” and they are trying to make a defense up as a fourth item. Claworline has been buying a lot of his stuff lately so I’m pretty sure that he wants to make sure that whatever he makes won't poison her and that's nice I like that. Item making was something their mother usually did back on popstar so they do know the basics for making the items and modifying them so don't worry their test subjects are in good paws!”
Sillydillo gestured to the bench and the two sat down as Tilt-and-Roll continuously. “Lately they are messing around with the invincibility candy to concentrate the pureness to get invincibility for whoever drinks it! Meta Knight knows how to bake those as well and that's so cool! Who would expect that he knows so much about candy! He even fixed up the ice cream machine that the king made for the cafe the other day! Sailor was so happy! Apparently, the Halberd has a couple of soft serve machines and they have been craving it for a while!”
“What’s invincibility candy?”
Their eyes sparkled, “I am so going to get you some. Wait right here, I’ll be back!”
“Mety, what happened to the town square while I was in the shed?”
“I….I don’t know.”
Dedede grumbled as the new construction for the houses slowed. The wood and stone they usually used-the most similar to the types on Popstar- were… not running low. However, within a couple of years, it will! Soon they’ll need to experiment on materials of the forgotten land.
A good leader should have the foresight to plan! Wispy Wood’s relative wasn’t looking forward to helping the beast pack-apparently they were also under the control of whatever was possessing the king and there was some bad blood. Asking him now for wood would be salt in a wound.
Hmm…using plant magic to grow the saplings they have already planted would be good-but magic burning out was something that no one in town should deal with without a doctor. The last time something like that happened on Popstar, well it was a good thing that they had Hyness on speed dial for such a case. That doo was still taking potions to this day and it's a miracle that they were thankfully spared from the rift.
Should they use birch? Cedar? Spruce? Redwood would be amazing for the larger not-waddle dees of waddle dee town. Although, during his search for the rest of the dees the image of redwood trees has been strangely absent. Perhaps they don't exist here? A couple of waddle dees journeyed to the wastelands and other locations to find clues if more than 400 dees fell. A couple of stragglers on the edges of the world made their way back home-but that wasn’t enough for the adventurer dees.
Two of them were triplets, one was looking for their wife, and another was just moved by Kirby’s courage that they needed to make sure everyone was home safe. They stopped by a couple of times in town, giving gifts they picked up to the friends they made here. He had spotted the fossilized remains of some sort of plant during one of their exchanges, so perhaps that breed of tree had existed- it's just that they went extinct.
Stars. He missed Whispy. All this talking about trees would be right up his alley. The minute he gets back he is going to have a picnic underneath that guy’s branches. Just him and the tree. He should bring alongside some eggshell treats for the guy to feast upon. Also bonemeal. Could you even make an eggshell bone meal dessert? He should ask Kawasaki when he gets back. Like some sort of pancak-
Wait.
Dedede unfurled the map in his paws. There are maple trees west of here. Maple trees. Maple Syrup. Maple Wood. Tapping his fingers against his side a brilliant idea took form. Killing two birds with one stone, for the first time in a while he smiled.
3 months now.
Summer burned his claws as the iron and steel beneath him creaked. Oil was hard to come by and even then he hated using such a material. Things would have been so much simpler if he had magic to help.
But no, the dees forbade him from using his magic. 'You need to rest!" They pleaded. Ugh. Did they not trust him? Understandable, he has failed them several times before. But this time Meta and Carol agreed with them! He scoffed as he held the blow torch closer. Luckily he had crafted this bad boy and t.. the mask… a while ago. It was just a welding mask. You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. You can-
Lose it hung on his face, strong enough to protect him but easy to take off in a jiff. Course he had an immunity to heat, but he shouldn’t get any sparks on his face.
Carol's visits were becoming more and more infrequent, her home in the town beside the tower was developing the smallest layer of dust. Meta, likewise, has become obsessed with the Colosseum. The dees still smile at his performances, so in the knight's eyes, it was worth it. Anything to make them happy.
The hamming of nuts and bolts, like the drum he used to play. A band had started up in town, and his heart pounded at the sheer skill his dees displayed. Like a parent, he cheered them on every time he passed. They asked if he wanted to play a tune, but he had stuff to do. Never mind their pleading looks, he needs to do this. The machine he was making was to help with monitoring the growth of the plants. A protector to check for infections in the plants, trees needing help to go upwards, and other such tasks.
He should name it something.
Without the magic of dreams to breathe life into it, it would not think nor feel, but they deserved a name nonetheless!
Writing a column of numbers onto a clipboard, a list was born.
A waddle dee and an awoofy sit on a bench, a worn-out journal between them. The band in the corner of town was playing a couple of tunes from both worlds. Sailor Waddle Dee stared up at the endless void above them, the gray clouds were a rarity in dreamland. Kracko would usually just cause rain and then sleep for the rest of the day or night-here however it was much different.
They haven’t told their captain about their secret project, but ever since they arrived here they have been charting down the temperature and weather for the town. If the rest of their family was here, they could have asked their family for help. Their mother was the lead meteorologist for channel PPP and at least they could bounce off ideas on organizing all this data.
Sailor cursed under their breath, their laptop was still on their twin’s desk all the way back on Popstar. Having a spreadsheet would be so nice. The book they had now was created without the help of magic and it was beginning to age. How unnatural-no wait aging is natural….but magic is also magical? Wait where would you put spells on the natural to artificial scale. Ugh, questions to ask Meta later.
If Bandee was here, they could rope their twin into helping them out. Then again if they were here they wouldn’t need to chart the weather phenomenons in order to make a semi-accurate forecast-since for them to get here they would have some sort of portal from wherever they are and if they have some sort of portal then they could get back home and-
The awoofy besides them purred in its sleep louder and louder. Gosh, these creatures are so cute. Sailor scratched this one behind its ears, their purring becoming louder and louder like the engines of the halberd. If their calculations over the months in comparison to other planets such as Earthfall or Neostar were correct then in about a week or so nimbostratus clouds should appear and with them; rain.
Rain, such a beauty to behold. While their lime-green poncho was back home, they…should notify the seamstresses and tailors of what's to come. Also whoever is in charge of making umbrellas. Meta Knight is probably going to forbid the kids from playing in the rain, thus minimizing the chances of people getting sick now that magic to heal is slowly diminishing, but everyone knows you can’t stop a waddle dee from playing around. While most would listen, if the storm lasts more than a day people will exit their homes.
Wait-who makes umbrellas? They had some out on the hot summer days but the name of who was crafting them evaded their mind.
“Do you know who makes the umbrellas?” They patted the awoofy on the beast’s head, the furry face nudging into their paw. They gave a small internal laugh as they gathered their things.
It was raining.
Gray clouds, unlike the ones of his pal Kracko. "Kracko," Dedede mused. "He once mentioned being connected to the skies of every world and dimension. Was his friend here? Was he watching over them?"
Before he could think any further, a rapid set of knocks tapped on Kirby's door.
It was Carol.
Wet, cold, and shivering, he lit up the fireplace as she off-ed her cape. Covering herself with Kirby's blankets, her breath still shaking.
"I saw him," she pressed her paws together. "He was in some sort of sphere." Eyes met eyes as she continued, " He wasn't breathing."
Oh.
Oh god.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I'm so so sor-"
"That's not all." While sitting right in front of him, her mind was a million miles away. "It wasn't him. It roared in his voice but it wasn't him. His body twitched with each movement, like a puppeteer figuring out their creation."
"He was possessed as well." Dedede clicked on a stove he added a while ago. Putting water in a kettle, he began to boil.
"Most likely," she raised her chin and then immediately hunched over. "I… I always knew something was off but."
The pitter-patter of the rain mixed with the whistle of the kettle.
A high-pitched scream came from the kettle as well as the cat. Rushing over Dedede held out his arms to hold her as she sobbed. "How long has he been gone? Unaware of what he and I did? Was I even talking to him those nights the pack searched for Elfilin?" Her voice cracked, “I loved him yet I never saw past the puppeteer.”
"When I," he pulled away and placed his gloves on her shaking shoulders, "When I was possessed, I had moments of lucidity. So he knew how you would stick by him no matter what." He tried to smile, “I think he would have loved your devotion.” Biting his tongue he did not say how those moments were the worst. Seeing his family screaming for him to stop. Fighting his partner. Fighting Kirby. The rays that should have been hope burned his eyes.
The tea was done, glass half empty for them both. A lovely delicious golden marigold.
It was Fall or Autumn as Meta Knight likes to call it. Carol and the knight seemed to be getting along, they must have talked some time. He smiled as the three of them joined in on the harvest and replanting.
"I've never seen such produce!" Her eyes sparkled.
"Yep!" Dedede plucked fruit to put into their baskets. He had spent the rest of the summer making freezers to hold the harvest and after days of testing, they were ready just in time! Smiling, he patted Meta Knight on the head.
The knight laughed as he flew up, patting the bird twice as hard. A heavy weight falls on his shoulder as the knight makes his rest on top of the king. Carol sighs as she plucks more fruit to put into the trio's giant baskets.
"Of course, if you want to try any of these lovely dreamlandic dishes you best not give Mety over here the ingredi- ouch!"
Meta scoffed as he dug his shoes into Dedede's coat. A harmless little jab for a harmless little jab.
"What's your favorite dish?"
"Mine has to be the pumpkin soup," Meta Knight stated. "The spices are surprisingly pleasant."
"Oh!" Dedede smiled, "Some of the dees found some greenhouses left behind by whoever the heck was here before us! We might have some spices ready this month!"
Meta flapped his wings happily, " Superb."
Carol pulled out a clipboard as Dedede harvested more and more fruits from the row the trio chose to harvest. "Sillydillo and Gorrimondo are harvesting supplies to make the houses in town more insulated for the winter. The colosseum banquet in three weeks is going according to plan. Clean water is good but still needs a backup…" she drew a star on the side to indicate priority.
"After that," Meta summed," we should have enough resources to attempt building a ship."
A chill ran through his feathers. Going home.
Wow.
God.
Oh, stars….
"It's been a year since I landed here." He stuttered, eyes as wide as saucers. "Holy moley."
"And about," Meta paused, "Seven for me? Shocking how quickly the time passed,"
"Well, I've got someone like you to help me through it!" Dedede nuzzled his knight as Carol looked on.
"You.. are you good Carol?"
"I just," she breathed, "wish Leon could have been here."
Meta hummed," We can place some food at his grave later." To her bafflement, he quickly explained, " It's a Popstar thing."
"Food was so ready and free that your people could just.. leave food." She mewed.
"Popstar was a small place capable of miracles. Of course, we had our ancient societies that rose and fell but what happened to this land was so recent." Meta replied.
Dedede smiled," we just gotta leave this place better than when we found it!"
"I'd like that," Carol smiled, "We would all like that."
"Dedede is this really necessary?" Meta grumbled underneath his mask.
"It's the holidays, Meta!"
"WINTER JUST STARTED!"
Dedede smiled as he bopped the Santa hat's puff on the blue puffball. "You look soooo cute wearing it!" He smirked. He could practically see the blushing Meta had hidden.
"If I give you a kiss can you not do this?"
"Do what~" Dedede giggled as he cooed at his partner. "But sure!"
With a swift click and a swift kiss later, Meta threw the infernal hat to the other side of Kirby's house.
"Oi!" Shouted Dedede, "That's barely a kiss! Just a peck!"
Meta smirked," Then why don't you show me what a kiss should be?"
The two laughed as they leaned closer and closer in. Every moment felt like magic as lips met beak. Like a drug, they smiled as they parted.
"Dedede," Meta smiled as he put back on his mask. "The doctor dee sent a letter this morning. Said that you can start using magic by next week if you take it easy."
Oh. OH!!!!
Dedede laughed, perfect! He can get back to helping his trapped subjects.
As the knight left the house, Dedede pulled out planning sheet after planning sheet. While he was barred from magically making there was nothing they could do to stop him from making blueprints!
He needed to get bags of holdings down for storage. The freezers were good enough but the more the better. Getting a hold of cooking essence would be difficult, but if he could make an oven similar to the printer he made a long time ago; creating copies of sweets this time round.
Finally, things were looking up.
“Tell me about Dreamland,” Carol poured a drink for the masked knight. Sitting beside her on another fishing chair was Meta Knight. While it was still chilly outside, the two of them were still comfortable in such weather.
“What is there to talk about? Do you wish me to describe the flora and fauna? The many cultures that call it home? It’s history?”
Drinking from her cup, a floral engraved ceramic teacup, the leopard began to cast her fishing line.
“Gorrimondo's leading of the agriculture for the coming spring has made me think about some things." Her tail twitched behind her as she continued," The anniversary of… everything's coming up soon."
"It is."
"I'm sorry."
"You've said that countless times."
"You don't understand!" She hissed, her eyes steady on the lake, "I should have known something was up from the moment Leon started speaking that strange language! If I was just strong enough I could ha-" Carol closed her eyes.
"..." Meta Knight pulled his fishing rod out of the lake and placed it on the ground next to him. "Dwelling on what could have been is unhealthy. It's only what we can do now for everyone else that truly matters."
She scoffed, "So what? Do I just not care? Feel nothing? Like what you are doing now!"
"Don't you even care?"
Meta Knight didn't answer.
"It's going to be a year soon." She muttered into her claws, "How can we just sit here? You haven't even cried since I met you all those months ago. You're their friend! Didn't you love them?"
He should feel some sort of anger at the cat's accusations. Anything.
Slowly, she wiped more tears from her eyes as the bitter chill of winter finally set in.
"You said Popstar was a land of Miracles, do you think Kirby is getting help back there?" Her voice was hoarse as she steadied her breathing. "Do you think he survived whatever was controlling Leon?"
"I told you before, Kirby is strong. They can survive anything," the knight spoke softer, "There are numerous ways I believe Kirby might attempt to get back here."
"I hope he comes back soon."
"So do I."
The waddle dee theater was showing new movies. Adaptations of Kirby's old adventures. When he returned to this land, the dees wanted to surprise them with it.
Humming to the beat of Meta Knight's song, the king finished the final touches on his latest creation. This one was to help with electricity creation. They would salvage usable metal from the destroyed cityscape and make wind-blowy things out of them. Dedede paused. The word was on the tip of his tongue. Not windmill-mills are devices used to cultivate wheat and such to make floor and he had already improved that process a while ago.
Generators? Technically yeah but surely wind power generator wasn't the word.
"Heck it," he muttered to the hunk of metal, "Your name shall be WPG."
"WPG, huh?" Meta's voice came from above. "Not DPG?"
"Coming from the guy who named Heavy Lobster Heavy Lobster." Dedede rolled his eyes as he paused the robot. "Shouldn't you be-"
"Sillydillo is doing some sort of art thing." Meta descended to the hard tile floor. The waddle dees, while still not happy at the King's lack of rest, still made him a shed for his birthday.
Dedede hummed, "You've been working nonstop. It's good for you to take a break."
"Okay Pot, " Meta said jokingly.
He rolled his eyes, "If you want, you can help me with this device, and then we can go relax afterwards." He smiled softly, "I mean when was the last time we made something together?"
Meta picked up a wrench from a table, "I'm not too familiar with Wind Turbines but the technology on the Halberd is quite similar- what's with that look?"
Giggling into his paw, Dedede laughed," Just the mental image of you recreating the Halberd over here. Calling it the Halberd 2-no wait 3. How many times has it been destroyed?"
"Almost as much as Castle Dedede." Meta Knight replied. They shared a quick laugh as Meta examined the blueprints. Pulling out a pencil from his inventory, he marked down some notes for improvement and parts he was impressed by. "I see your skill hasn't wavered."
Dedede smiled from beneath his welding mask as the two of them talked about their days.
"Sorry for snapping at you earlier," Carol yawned as the warmth of her cabin got to her.
"Okay," Meta Knight replied, going over some paperwork in his paws. Paperwork, truly an opponent worse than the heroes of yore. Pages of architecture, roadways, and other such planning needed to be considered and quoted. “You have lost someone important to you, it's natural for a person to grieve. Especially in the way he passed away.”
Sitting down on her couch she breathed in heavily, “It was so strange. I tried to present all of those orbs but it wasn’t enough. A butterfly appeared and landed on his prison…then they all turned to dust. Leon was gone without a trace. I don’t even know if he’s alive or-”
Meta Knight placed the sheets of paper on a table and froze. “What color was the butterfly?”
“Huh?” Carol looked up. “Red and yellow?”
Staring out of the window, Meta watched the blue town square slowly illuminate with the dees replacing the torches of the lanterns. A beautiful orange hue. Orange like a knight of legend. Orange like the flowers Kirby liked to plant outside his house. “For a friend!” he would always smile and move on. So simple. So Kirby.
“There is a legend of a butterfly back on popstar-no perhaps it would be more correct to sway back in the corners of the galaxy,” through the window he could see the dark sky. “This world is so far far away from anyone else, the light of our own galaxy can't even be seen by a telescope. Trust me, I’ve tried.”
He smiled, “I don't think I answered you the other day when you asked about..my home.” He turned to face her, “Perhaps I should start with that legend.” Waving his paw he continued, “Now, of course, I’m not an expert on storytelling so I apologize if I come off as blunt but here it goes...”
Kirby used to giggle as he borrowed crayon after crayon in the halberd’s break room. Trident was usually in charge of making sure they didn’t leave that big of a mess, but that was unnecessary most of the time. There is a sketchbook in the wooden cabinet, filled to the brim with years worth of doodles. Adeline showed Kirby a fun little technique, where if you cut out a good doodle you did on loose paper you can just glue it on an empty page. Soon the sketchbook became a scrapbook. Learning how to add pages to it took forever to learn but Dedede added some clear pages for Kirby to stick interesting leaves into.
Bandee loved flower pressing. His favorite was to press the fruit tree’s petals that fell during spring. Pink; like his very best friend. He was not the only person to give flowers. Magolor sent over some flowers that meant “Apology” in his language- not that Kirby knew what they meant. They were just cool blue flowers to him. Flower crowns from Ribbon, made with daisies and daffodils, a palette of roses from Adeline, and asters from the knights.
There was one flower that stood out among the rest. A flower that he only saw bloom once, in the divine terminus. Glowing at the altar and in Kirby’s paws was a flower that felt like death. Despite it all, Kirby still treated it like any other plant. When asked about it, he just laughed and said a friend gave it to him. For a week or so, the assumption was it was from the mages or their father, but they denied it.
Asking again, Kirby talked about the friend that gifted them it.
A friend that played with him before he had any friends on dreamland. Gentle. Their laugh was like a bell. Red. Yellow. A butterfly.
Meta Knight had read tales of knights of hades, many wondering if there was multiple or just one traveling through time and space. A warrior. Sometimes red, sometimes blue, sometimes a knight, sometimes something else all entirely. Despite it all, they were kind. They bring souls to peace because they believe everyone deserves a rest. Like Popstar, they gave long naps and good food. Delivering children to their parents, reuniting lovers, and offering the choice to reject their offer.
“I have my own thoughts on such a knight. Kirby isn’t the best character witness and while I trust them with my life… never mind. I hope that Leon was granted peace.”
“The next time I see a butterfly like that, I’ll point them out. If they were the reaper you claim they are, it brings warmth to my heart that he finally got to rest. Even if- can you hand me that tissue?”
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
"Sir Meta Knight! King!" Squeaked a dee as the conversation between him and his husband halted. Drawing out his sword from his handle, Meta Knight gestured for the dee to speak up. Shaking, they asked, " Do you two know how to ask someone out! Please" Tilt-and-Roll dee's voice cracked.
"..." Meta Knight put his sword back into its scabbard as he turned around. He didn't need to answer such trivial questions! Love is something that-
"Oh don't worry about him!" Came a laugh from beside him. "He's just a disaster at"
"I have you know!" He stated sternly, "While I am inexperienced in the art of," he parrotted the dee's tone, "'asking someone out' I know the best way to do so!"
Dedede snorted as he rested his head in his hands, smirking. "You do?"
"Yes."
"So," he grinned, "How did you ask me out?"
"..."
"..."
"Because, " His grin was ear to ear, "I don't recall you being the one to ask-"
Meta huffed," Do not act so coy! You didn't ask me out either!"
Dedede blinked, "Wait." Straightening up in his seat he began to do some quick mental math, "Did either of us ask each other out?"
Meta froze. "No….? The few times we truly discussed our relationship was ..." He titled his head, pressing his paw to his chin, " Would you call our wedding our 'asking out ’ ?"
Dedede waved his hands defiantly, "No way! Maybe when we made the tower?"
"No….? I don't remember us truly talking about that? We were both just going on feelings and emotions."
"I'm so happy Kirby invited Magolor to fight us. Gotta beat the shit out of him on our day. Then he switched him out for Bandee… then Gooey…" Dedede blinked, "Oh my I don't think we ever asked each other out."
"Well fuck."
"Language dear!" He semi-glared, "Tilt is still here-oh wait where did he go?"
Soon it was Spring.
Soon it was Summer.
Soon it was Autumn.
Soon it was Winter
Spring again, Summer again.
Autumn.
"So we carve out funny shapes into these…pumpkins?" Gorrimondo raised the pumpkin in the air, observing it from every angle."
"This texture reminds me of cardboard," noted Sillydillo, "'cept, of course, it's smooth! Like a melon!"
Carol shifted empty bowls closer to her friends, "That's what Chef Dee said. " With a couple of quick swipes, the stem of the pumpkin had been decapitated. She sniffed the insides, slightly recoiling at the smell. "I don't get it but the carving part is fun."
"Oh!" Sillydillo smiled, "Do you have a design in mind! I was thinkin’ to make one of my dancers!"
"Banana."
"Oh, that sounds delicious!"
":)"
"What are you humming?" Dedede asked from his chair.
"Just a tune Gorrimondo made for the Colosseum. " Meta twirled a pencil in his paw. "I think he's trying to take over my position."
Dedede rolled his eyes, "You deserve to get taken over. Take a nap!"
"It would be a good idea for me to temporarily shift priorities-look at this!" Meta Knight held up an elegant sketch.
"Is that a fountain of dreams?" He could not keep the excitement from leaking out of his voice."
"Unfortunately no," said Meta Knight. "However the Star Rod on top is something that I've been thinking about for a while." Pulling out some more paper, he continued," I was telling Carol and the rest of the beast gang about the artifacts of Popstar and Fleurina posed an interesting question on how the star rod works."
"It gathers memories of a user and remixes back the ones with the most heart attached to it?"
"Yes," Meta Knight scribbled something down. "So if it takes your memories to play them back in your dreams, can it.." He waved his hands in the air, struggling to think of the best way to explain it. "Just look at this doodle."
Curious, the dreamlander analyzed the illustration, "So you want to? Play a memory like a tv show? Why?"
"..."
"Meta?"
"It's been more than three years now and we still don't have a hospital. The dee and the beast gang are trying but it's not enough." He gripped the pencil tighter. "You are going to veto this idea."
Dedede narrowed his eyes, "if you think I'm against this idea, why are you doing this."
Meta Knight's face darkened as struggled to open his mouth. Yes, it was a bad idea but it's just for a short period. He can be fine! He is fine. He is always fine. "Do you remember our first meeting?"
Dedede leaned back, "it's been years but of course. I remember us arguing at the fountain. Our fountain. You were worried about sleeping in dreamland since you've never experienced the gift of the fountain."
"Unbeknownst to me at the time, meeting you was to be the core of my dreams." Red tinted the penguin's cheeks as the implications of Meta Knight's words set in. "I thank you for that."
"Meeting you was also one of the best days of my life, Meta!" Dedede smiled. "... Meta? What's with that look?"
Pulling out a map, several layers of notes on top of each other piled in the corners. Northwest of their town was the forbidden location, marked with a pin engraved with DDD's logo.
Northwest was the lab.
"If I can retrieve the technology required to make a miniature star rod-I know I can't make a new fountain. I know I'm not smart enough to craft one nor enchant it to such a masterful level. However, to create a device that would help me remember would help the town!"
Narrowing his eyes, Dedede hesitated, "Remember what?"
"...That blasted mother computer healed my wounds for the upgrading pro-"
Dedede slammed his fists on the table. "Are you implying you want to repeat the memories of THAT time? No. NO! That's… stupid! You know better than this!"
Meta Knight hissed, "It's only temporary! I can just write down what I learned during the vivisections and-"
"Are you hearing yourself?" His husband pleaded. "You don't need to do this!"
His wings jolted out, "I do need to do this! What if a disaster strikes! A plague? An earthquake! Anything can happen and we need people to heal! It's been seasons since we landed here and we need to fix that!:
"We just fixed the food problem. We should rest." Dedede hissed, "You will burn yourself out! I know this! You know this! I know you know better!"
"Dedede.."
"Meta."
The knight exhaled, "Fine. I'll try to remake a hospital without the knowledge I could have had. Would that make you feel better?"
"...Meta?"
"Yes?"
"... It's nothing." Dedede wanted to plant a small kiss on Meta's cheek, but he could not keep his face from glaring. "Don't overwork yourself."
Rolling his eyes, "Okay kettle." Meta collapsed back into his spot, wings shifting back into place. "Can you pass me my cup?"
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
Kirby’s home was a welcome respite from the chattering of the townsfolk. Usually. If Meta Knight was really going to go thru with his…idiotic plan…then…
Dedede, with the strength of his hammer swing, threw a large sheet against the wall. Against the corner of Kirby’s circular home was a special secret made of maple wood. Perhaps Meta Knight had looked underneath the cloth once out of curiosity, but that did not matter. Gouge in hand, he made a quick apology to Kirby for the mess he was going to make.
He should put up a tarp-no way that would ruin the element of surprise! While he had another gift planned for Meta Knight’s birthday, and another gift planned for their anniversary, it was always nice to shower a person with gifts. If he was going to do such a plan, giving him hope would be the least he could do.
The blueprints for both his and the give for Meta were finally ready. He only had one shot to do this before the element of surprise was ruined. Of course tune-ing, it would be an issue but he was confident he could find someplace loud.
“Flowers flowers come back to me, come back to me ‘o flower flowers~” Sailor sang as they cleaned the docks. With the town expanding more and more, sea travel was one they were adamant to have. While the idea of a 2nd town won’t be possible for a long time, they still wanted one. “Sing me a song by the flower flowers til the sun time showers.”
“Sailor.”
“Eek!” Sailor jumped, knocking over a bucket in the process. “Oh! Meta, it's just you! Do you need something?”
“You managed to make a motor boat,” he noted calmly.”
They gave a small laugh< “yep! Worked really hard with Mr. Gorrimondo on that! They seem to have a knack for-” Sailor took a step back. “No.” They said firmly. “No.”
“You haven’t even heard-”
“No.” Sailor Dee glared at their boss. “Vul may tolerate you driving the Halberd but you are not going to drive my precocious BanBoat.”
“Is that their name?”
The dee narrowed their eyes even more, “Yes. It's a pun. Notice the yellow paint and the blue sail. If this town isn’t going to make a statue for my twin, they should at least get this.” The knight said nothing as the two of them watched the pier. A group of dees was setting up some sort of quest board-errand board as a simple way to ask the rest of the townsfolk for help with random stuff.
“If Magolor was here, this seems like the type of place he would set up shop.” Meta Knight noted.
“If Magolor was here, you’d force him into magical exhaustion for us to find a way home.”
‘That’s not… inaccurate,’ the knight thought as a gentle breeze picked up. Besides him, Sailor laughed at something. “Hmm?”
“No it's nothing sir,” Sailor sat down by a not wet part of the docks, they gestured towards him, motioning the knight to sit down beside them. “It's just, this place reminds me of Orange Ocean. “ They turned upwards, “Red sky at night, sailors dee-light.”
“I thought you hated that pun?”
They tapped their paw against the wood, “I only hate that joke when Trident makes it five times in an hour!”
“So if they said the joke four times you would-”
“Meta!” They shoved their friend lightly. The knight laughed at the dee’s expression, causing Sailor to smile. “Heh, it's been a while since I’ve heard that laugh! Heh…..” their laugh slowly faded as the sun continued to set. “Hey, Meta?”
“Yes?”
“When do you think Kirby and Bandee will come?” they put their paws to their face. “It's been nice living here after escaping from the beast gang- but I miss them. I miss Trident, Axe, Sword, Blade, Vul- everyone! I miss my mom.” Like the ocean below, their face felt wet. Rubbing their face, Sailor continued, “It's been so long since we’ve seen them all and I miss them. I miss doing the daily tasks on the ship. The scent of the kitchens the day after docking. Going around the galaxy helping out people in need!” They grabbed a pebble beside them, skipping it across the rough waters.
“Sailor,” He gave them a long slow look, the warm light of the sunset illuminating the mask he was still wearing. This was the part where he should comfort them. The part where he should pat them on the back and say everything will be okay. Everything will work out and you will finally be able to see your family again. Soon you can hug your sibling tight and never let go of them again.
He should have done that.
“Your silence speaks volumes,” Sailor sat up from their spot, their face turned away from the knight. After a moment they spoke again, “We might not be able to see them all but...I hope so. I hope that one day I can hold every single member of our crew in the galaxy’s strongest hug. Vul might squawk and complain but we both know he-” Sailor hiccuped as they imagined a better future, “I could play games with Axe on the console Susie gifted you as an apology gift. We can play that monster game he loves so much.”
Meta Knight took a step forward as Sailor took a step back, they tapped their paws against a pole, ”Meta Knight.”
“Yes?”
“I’m scared.”
“... Me too.”
When Dedede was twenty he picked up a violin for the first time. He didn't stay with the instrument for long, the instructor he sought out advised him toward the double bass. There was just something about the instrument. Perhaps it was the height of it, or maybe it was just the way it was held. In any case, he played the bass, feeling lighter the more better he got at playing.
Drumming was something he did not expect to like. In all honesty, the next instrument he wanted to try out was one of the horns. The people of Floralia gave him a proper tour after the dreamsalk incident, and it was just standing in the corner. Taranza played his cello beside him as Dedede tried out a simple tune. Perhaps later he could find a way to borrow the deadly dees’ drum set but for now, this will do.
Strings in place for his gift and for his double bass, the rushing sound of a waterfall crashing behind him. He played.
Chords to chords, measures to measures, it was a simple tune. Bandee had tickets to an orchestra off-planet that he wanted to show him and it was really catchy. “Hmm hm hm hm do do doo do~” he muttered as he adjusted the instruments accordingly. Bandee loved watching him play instrument after instrument. While the dee loved the sing, when he played any instrument he was as tone-deaf as Kirby using Mike for the first time.
When they reunite, they should watch that concert together again.
"I never even got to finish that game Dark rambled on about." Meta Knight said as Dedede hummed, swepting more dust out the door. Meta Knight flapped his wings, the duster in his paws becoming more and more caked in cobwebs. "You remember that one RPG he kept talking about? He and Marx kept repeating the laugh from it?"
"The flower’s laugh?"
"Yeah that one. I was stuck on the undying fish lady. I don't get why Skirby likes it so much. From what I've played it doesn't seem as funny as they joked about". He kisses his king. It’s improper, he is a noble, and a knight. On other worlds, such bliss would be impossible. A conflict of interests, but at the moment that he just can’t care. Dedede’s paws cup his cheeks, and light purple blushes burn his face. He cradles his body with infinite tenderness, and he can only barely register in this room.
It’s the first time he hasn’t been tense in...
It doesn't matter.
Dedede grins like a fox as he leans away. “I have a gift for you.”
“Oh?” the knight tilts his head as the king uncovers a box in the corner of the room, nearly as tall as the king himself. “How long has that been there?”
Dedede rolled his eyes, jokingly, “You keep passing out the moment you come home. It's scarily easy to hide these things in plain sight from you.”
“Har har.” grumbled the knight as Dedede placed the present in front of him. “When did we get wrapping paper?”
“Sillydillo found it about a month ago and a couple of the shops started stocking some.” tearing open the paper Meta Knight gasped at the present.
It was a violin.
While a tad pointy around the edges, with no varnish nor waxing, and a different wood than the one he had at home…it was perfect.
“D-did you make this?” Meta Knight flapped his wings up and down, “Holy fuck Dedede! You even applied resin to the bow so it glides among the strings better!”
“Heh. Among,” Dedede smiled as he leaned over to hug his husband. “I’m glad you like it! It took a while to remake, there aren’t exactly ones in this world I could reference so drawing up blueprints in my mind took a while. ‘Course I did it, I’m just that good.” His heart beat faster as his husband’s smile made him melt. Right hand on the end of the bow, the instrument resting on the other paw, he played. He and the violin stammered, starting and stopping as thoughts on what to play warred in his mind. Dedede pulled out his instrument, twinning in the appearance of Meta’s. The notes he played were low and long, his double bass singing calmly.
With violin in hand, Meta Knight answered the call. The song they sang was the practice song for the orchestra Kirby helped to make. It was perfect to just get accustomed to the art of playing again.
Then Meta drifted in tune, but soon Dedede followed. Years ago his mirror doppelganger hijacked the halberd’s speakers to play his mixtape, and it was only now that he felt happy for such a prank. Strings changed from major to minor as it matched Meta’s heartbeat. Dedede, not too far behind, kept a slow reliable pace as he got used to the new tune.
It was calm, it was hectic, it was them.
A croak escaped Meta’s throat as he froze. “Stars..” he lowered his violin. “I miss them.”
“I do too.”
“It's been years. Why haven’t they come back yet?” Meta’s body shivered.
Dedede placed his hand upon the knight’s side, “I don’t know. All we can do is believe that we will be reunited.”
“I know!” A small tear escaped his eyes as he wiped it away with the backside of his paw. “It's hard,” he choked, his heart splitting apart like fragments of a mirror. Emotions he tried so hard to keep low rose like the tides outside. Where was this coming from? Why now! He was being dramatic. He was overreacting! It's no use for him to cry! He has a job to do and crying would just get in the way of protecting the town. Shaking, his legs lost balance. Bit by bit he pushed such a tsunami down deeper and deeper.
Dedede rushed to his side, cradling his partner in his arms, “I’m here. You need to rest.”
“I can rest later.” Meta Knight grumbled. He shouldn’t be wasting time on a hobby. He has a list of things to do! He needs to-
“Meta please,” Dedede begged, “For me.” Meta crumbled in the penguin’s strong arms like a puppet with cut strings. He let out a shaky breath as his body refused to stop shaking. “Please Meta, you need to relax. Bandee and Kirby-”
A laugh stopped him.
“Hm?”
“Funny isn’t it?” more tears fell down his face, “We had such a conversation before.” he gave a tired grin. “We were such different people back then but I guess we never changed!”
“You wanted to rid the world of laziness and I wanted to take naps all day,” Dedede petted the puff’s wings. “Of course last time you wanted to stab me.”
“I wasn’t going to stab you…”
“Meta.”
He laughed, “Yeah, you are right. Past me was so…murdery?”
“We were such disasters back then,” Dedede’s heart broke at the sight of his husband tearing up. Soon he was on the verge of sobbing as well. “If we were in this situation… stars I don’t think anyone would be alive.”
“Past me would have fallen to whatever controlled you and Leon.”
“Probably.” Dedede sighed as he got up onto his feet. “We should probably drink something.”
Meta perked up,” Carol dropped off some more tea boxes she tried her paw at making. Hibiscus, Marigold, and other such flavors!” He grabbed a napkin from the table and wiped his face.
It was the first time either of them haven't been tense in...
Dedede let out a sigh as a small smile appeared on his husband’s face. What ifs and worries didn’t matter now. What matters is now and now, they are okay. Sure they sometimes had the occasional nightmare sure sometimes it feels as if the world was going to drown them and sure it was lonely without everyone back home. However, they had each other. They had the town. They had the new friends they made here. Everything will be okay.
Everyone in the town slept safely that night, lured to sleep by the lullaby of sworn partners playing the rest of the night. Despite everything, they had made this place their home. Statues of their heroes gleamed in the moonlight as darkness covered the land.
But, in the depths of a coliseum, a spark began to grow brighter and brighter. Like the rifts of another dimension, a glowing star tore its way into the fabric of their world.
White fur, red horns, and glowing eyes seethed behind the rift. It was going to have its revenge, no matter the cost.