In a place, somewhere far away from whatever was normal, a lonely boy lay sprawled on the grass in the midst of twilight, the stars reflected in his droopy eyes. He reached up to the sky, longing for such magnificent light to reach him on the ground, dulling out any sensation of cold and emptiness he knew so well. He heard a sound, so hollow though familiar.
"Sandy, what's wrong?" A form of violet and brown flew around him, its essence blending into the confines of the horizon. They perched above him, their shape somewhat ethereal and translucent. Sandy narrowed his eyes in not a profound sense of disgust but rather a fear of the past. Long had he tried to bury what lay behind him, but it always came flowing back to him, on days like these, where he had nothing but himself and his thoughts to confide in.
"Go away," He said reluctantly, his eyes trailing to the grass. He watched the blades move back and forth in the faint, evanescent breeze.
"Why? I'll always be here, y'know. Friends and your so-called family . . . In the end, you won't tell them anything. You'll always come back to me." The figure replied smugly, their silhouette lapping over Sandy's view of the stars and dimming him of the view of the moon. The world plunged further into darkness.
"I . . . I don't need you." He replied, his voice wavering.
"Hah," The figure chuckled, their violet eyes leering over Sandy in a bright, glaring sheen. "I'm starting to think that you like seeing me. No one else can fill in the empty space you try so hard to hide, yes? How pathetic."
"No," Sandy mumbled. His body trembled, and he scratched at his neck, refusing to look up as the sky dulled further. He seemed as if he was more so trying to convince himself of the fact, but the figure nonetheless furrowed their brows in interest.
"Hm?"
"I've found someone," Sandy pleaded. "I don't know what I see in him, but, when I'm around him, I forget about everything. I never worry, never think about anyone else . . . It's just me and him, him and me." A sudden warmth made its way to his cheeks, and Sandy's eyes suddenly glazed over, as if he were recalling past moments. The beginnings of a smile played on his cheeks, and the view around him brightened, if only for an instant. He felt warm.
"So? What then?" The figure gloated, "You won't let them in. Even you know that." Their eyes glinted further, and, for a second, Sandy felt as if they bore through him. "Of course, you're nothing without me. Without me, you're dead. He's just an obsession . . . I'm a given."
Sandy paused for a moment. He glanced at the moon, which he could vaguely make out behind the dark shroud of the figure. Its shine was welcoming, promising. "Maybe," He murmured, "Maybe I'm nothing. But you lost the right to tell me whether or not I'm worth something the moment you left me, mom."
The figure's features suddenly darkened. Their piercing violet eyes waned, the colorless sheen of their silhouette fading along with the curtain of stars behind them until all that remained was a black, empty screen.
Just like that, Sandy woke up.
In the seconds prior, he'd been peacefully sleeping on Leon's shoulder. They were seated in the living room of Leon's house, and as Leon clicked away on his GameBoy, he couldn't help but notice as Sandy trembled in his arms.
"Sandy??" He held him by the shoulders, shaking him awake. "Is everything all right?"
"Huh?" Sandy croaked, drool oozing from his chin. His eyes, half-open, swept from Leon's face to the TV, and then back to Leon. "What- Why am I here?" He adjusted his gaze to the faint shine of the porcelain lights hanging above them.
"You don't remember?" Leon raised an eyebrow, "You're sleeping over tonight." He grinned.
Sandy stared at his hands and flexed his fingers, trying to recall what had happened before his bizarre dream. All that he could remember was a figure with glossy violet eyes and a night sky. "I was just . . ." Sandy murmured groggily. "I think I saw my mother." The red and blue lights of the television reflected off of his nearly expressionless face in the dimly lit room.
"Tara?"
"No, my-" Sandy winced, and he cast his eyes to the ground, ashamed. "The woman who gave birth to me."
Leon's grin faltered, his mouth going agape. "Oh." It was as if a beat dropped throughout the room, and suddenly the two boys sat in a vivid silence, so palpable that one could slice it with a knife.
"I'm sorry," Leon said, after a moment.
"I-It's nothing," Sandy replied. He closed his eyes and forced a smile, "Tara's the greatest mom I could ever ask for. I shouldn't think about it."
"I'm always here if you need anything, ya know. The doors of my room are wiiiiide open." Leon inched closer to Sandy, who giggled.
"Thank you," He mumbled, rubbing his eyes. His face was shaded from the dim light, though Leon could make out the now genuine smile on his face. Sandy bit his lip.
"Welp, I guess that just leaves the two of us here," Leon smirked slyly. "Alone." He winked, "Together." Leon placed a hand on Sandy's cheek and pulled him closer. Sandy's heartbeat grew so loudly that he could feel it wrenching out of his chest. Pink blossomed on his cheeks, and he immediately shied away from Leon's touch, swatting away his embrace. Leon looked disappointed.
"Um," Sandy blurted, "Where are Nita and Bo?"
Leon sighed, digging into his pocket. He brought out his lollipop and tossed it into his mouth, quite impressively. "I don't know, I think that they went to train. Nita's working on her coordination with her bear, Bruce." He picked up his GameBoy, which was thrown to the side of the couch previously, and scrolled through playable characters on the television. "I have to admit, they're a pretty great team. Not as good as us, though." Leon nudged Sandy, gesturing to the console. "Speaking of teams, wanna help me pass this level? I've been stuck on it for the past half-hour."
"Sure," Sandy remarked. Leon handed him another controller, which he gladly took. "What are we playing?"
Leon grinned, "It's called Phantom Bounty," He explained. It was almost as if a fire lit in his brown eyes, and Sandy stifled a laugh. "The goal is basically to gather those points over there, by defeating the mini-bosses-" Leon pointed to an outstretch of deserted land on the TV screen, littered in about thirty glowing, purple sparks of light. Sandy noticed small drones peeking out from behind the sparks, shielded under the cover of dusk. "-And then, once the timer on the top runs out, a larger boss comes. The more points we collect, the weaker the King Boss is."
"That sounds fairly easy," Sandy tapped his chin. Leon shook his head.
"No, I . . ." Leon took a deep breath, visibly troubled. He looked left and right as if to make sure no one else was watching, and then his voice dropped to a low tone. "At best, I've only been able to get three points."
Sandy's eyes bulged, and he had to put his hands over his mouth to keep himself from bursting into laughter. "Are you serious?" He muttered in disbelief after he had gathered himself.
Leon looked like he was about to cry. His lip wobbled and his eyes watered, glazed in the colorful reflection of the TV. "Yes."
Sandy patted Leon on the head, confused on how he could be so invested in the game. "It's okay," He reassured him, "I'll help you win in no-time!" chirped Sandy.
"I hope so," Leon sniffled as Sandy continued to pat him on the head. He seemed to be enjoying it.
Leon pressed a button on his controller and the game began in full swing. The two of them spawned on the right of the map, far from most of the wisps. Sandy's avatar's field of vision was clouded by a litter of bushes, which he innocently walked into. Leon, on the other hand, looked at the screen warily. He pressed a chorus of buttons on his controller, causing his character to scout the nearby terrain, though all that he could spot was a smattering of plants and peaceful animals near their location on the map. With that in mind, he charged his character into the bushes with much force, leaving a trail of dust behind him. Sandy at first stared at the screen in awe, though his surprise quickly faded as he watched Leon's avatar bump into one of the mini-bosses in the midst of his charge. He was promptly killed.
Sandy laughed as Leon threw down his controller, "I tried." He concurred adamantly, crossing his arms as he sluggishly leaned back on the couch.
He was so invested in Leon's reaction that he didn't notice a drone had already cornered him in the bushes.
"Huh?" In an instant, Sandy's avatar on the screen had been sliced to bits. Sandy shivered, "These NPCs . . . They're more overpowered than Belle!!" His eyes were as wide as teacups and his gaze moved to Leon's, in need of support.
"I know, Sandy," Leon lamented as he looked at the screen distantly, overcome with emotion. "I know." He pressed the play again button, and once again the two of them spawned at the right side of the map, unknowing of what was to come.
The forlorn look on Leon's face made Sandy deflate. "Come on, don't worry. We have all night to complete this level, so there's no need to get so hopeless after our first attempt."
"Well, I was hoping that we could do something else later tonight . . . " Leon trailed off.
"On your left, Leon!" Sandy shouted, his arms thrust at the screen. A cluster of bosses had gathered on the left of Leon's avatar, closing in on him. Sandy shook in apprehension, excited to see how Leon would approach the game.
Leon's demeanor immediately changed. His grip on his GameBoy tightened and he sat up, his eyes quickly scanning the controls. In less than a second, he had already clicked through half of them, releasing a barrage of attacks. His avatar swiftly maneuvered away from the mini-bosses whenever they striked at him, though such a large swarm of them didn't exactly guarantee him enough space and flexibility to fight at full power. For a moment, it seemed that he was winning, though the chances were surreal. In spite of the immense pressure, Leon's avatar still managed to whittle its way through the health of four mini-bosses and collect their points. However, the earnings didn't come without a cost, as more gathered around his character. He was killed shortly afterward and so was Sandy, but the performance was still impressive.
"Wow Leon, that was so cool!" Sandy beamed. Leon smiled, somewhat more confident than before.
"Give me an hour," Leon tilted his head and winked. "I'll find a way to work around all of them, I promise."
An hour later, nothing had changed.
"We keep losing!" Sandy pouted. Leon stared at him, his eyebrows furrowed. He stifled a laugh. "How are we supposed to pass that King Boss, anyway? Imagine how strong they are, if we can't make it past the first stage." His eyes watered.
"You could get us some more snacks," Leon suggested, putting his arm around Sandy. Sandy didn't seem to notice, leaning into his embrace as he violently clicked at his GameBoy.
After the game ended and a stark white GAME OVER encompassed the screen, Sandy turned to Leon. "We've had enough to eat, Leon." He sleepily motioned to the pile of empty bags of chips scattered across the coffee table in front of them. "And that won't help us win, anyway. I'm so tired."
"How about you go back to sleeping on my shoulder, then." Leon proposed.
Sandy's blush deepened, and he looked away. "I'm going to get snacks!" He said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms.
"Okay," Leon chuckled. A smirk crossed his face.
Sandy abruptly stood up and plodded to the kitchen, shuffling through the cupboards of food and snacks. He could hear the dulled, indistinct sounds of the videogame from the living room where Leon was clicking away at his controller, attempting to pass the level for the 15th time. Sandy laughed, imagining Leon's reaction after another loss. He knew that he took gaming seriously, but he didn't know it would have such an impact on his mood.
Sandy opened a nearby cupboard and stood on his toes, reaching up to grab a jar of lollipops. He glimpsed outside the window, watching as a slew of fireflies fluttered near the window and brightened the backdrop of trees behind them whilst under the moon's shine. As quietly as he could, Sandy scuttled over to the window, placing the jar on the kitchen table beside him.
Immediately as he opened the window, a rush of cold air washed over him. One of the fireflies fluttered towards him so Sandy held out his hand and observed expectantly as it flew and settled in his palm. He cupped his hands and watched as the shine of the firefly encompassed his fingers, as if he were holding a beacon. Pools of light peeked out from between his fingers.
"Sandy!" Leon called from the living room, "Hurry up, I think I found a way to beat the boss. You have to see this!"
Sandy smiled, and then opened his hands, letting the firefly glide back into the night. He waved at the firefly, who likely didn't notice, and closed the window, before walking back to the kitchen table and picking up the jar of lollipops. "Coming!" He exclaimed, and rushed back to the living room, without a care in the world.
NOTE: Next one-shot will be Piper x Shelly, though I am open to write more requests. Feel free to comment some!
Thank you for reading!!