Polestar Preschool was devoid of children.  Twoson’s preschool was once bustling with children, but now that the sun was high in the sky, the children had all rushed off home, and Paula returned from school.  She was about to open the door to enter her home when she heard a rather nasty “CRACK!” that sent her spinning around to spy what caused the noise.  Young Onett high school student Ness screeched to a halt, burning the very ground from which he stopped.  When teleporting, it was easy to get up speed; it was stopping that was the problem, “Good afternoon, Ness,” Paula called out to her boyfriend, waving at him.

Ness looked up at Paula, and waved back at her.  She giggled lightly under her breath as she noticed there was still smoke rising from his sneakers; he trotted up to the young woman, making sure to use the stone steps to avoid stepping on her father’s well manicured lawn, “What’s up, Paula?”

“Nothing much, what about you, Ness?” Paula replied, opening the door and announcing the arrival of the two, “Shouldn’t you be at home, doing your homework or something?”

“Aww, you know I study better when you’re around,” Ness explained, taking off his shoes before entering the preschool.  They were still smoking, after all.  Paula rolled her eyes at his lies; he snuck down to meet with her and probably never did a lick of his homework when he went home.  Well, he apparently was getting good grades, so she might as well assume he was being more responsible at home than here.

“Pauuuuuula Darling!!” A high voice that reminded Ness of Paula’s (if it was a few octaves higher and much sharper than hers) resounded through the house.  Paula’s mother opened the door and ushered the two past the schoolroom and into the house proper, “I’ve been working on those Hand-aids for the children, but I seem to have run out of the woven linen.  Could you be a doll and check the den for them?”

“Yeah, Mom,” Paula obliged.  She turned to Ness, who shrugged, “Would you like to accompany me, Ness?”

“To the den…?” Ness squeaked. He took off his yellow backpack, and Paula, being the nice hostess, took it and placed it with her purse on the end table near the door.  He sighed lightly and nodded, “I guess I could come, Paula… It’s just…”

“I know, I know,” The young woman said, taking her boyfriend’s arm and leading him down into the dank den, “It’s not my favorite place either.”

Not being Ness’s “favorite place” was the least of his worries.  The den was pitch black when the door was closed and it was practically impossible to walk down the stairs to the light switch without falling over oneself.  The first time Ness slept over at the preschool during his adventures, Paula’s dad made sure the young man slept in the place furthest from his beloved daughter: the den.  Ness ended up locking himself in the pitch black room, falling down the stairs, and breaking a leg.  Thank God for PSI Lifeup…

Paula was used to the stairs though, so she was able to keep him upright as they walked down.  Ness also hated the den because Paula had to lead him around the place.  Some psychic!  He felt somehow smaller, having to be led around by his girlfriend.  Not that she wasn’t a strong and capable woman, it just didn’t feel right!

“See, Ness?” Paula said, a smile on her face as the two were on firm ground and she switched on the light, “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Ness almost forgot how horrible the den looked with the light on.  The greenish light spread across the items in the room, and even then it was hard to see.  And that’s when he saw it, his arch nemesis: THE couch.  Ness would rather fight Giygas again than sleep on that rough, lumpy, piece of…  Well… maybe not fight GIYGAS… but he sure would rather smack Pokey around a little more.  The night he had to heal his broken leg and drag his tired body (which was still covered from head to foot in blue paint, mind you) onto the couch, he tried desperately to find a comfortable position, heck, ANY position to get himself to sleep, but nevertheless ended up dragging himself up the den’s stairs when morning came after a sleepless night and passing out during a battle with a New Age Retro Hippie.

Ness suddenly felt Paula’s hand on his shoulder, “Hey, Ness, you alright?” She asked.  The young man found that he was glowering at the couch as if it were sentient, and he had been doing so for the entire time Paula searched for, found, and returned with the linen, “Come on, let’s go upstairs.  It’s probably almost time for dinner, anyway.”  Ness nodded at Paula, and the two walked to the stairs.  Ness stopped and stared at the light switch; he then turned to Paula:

“Hey Paula?  Could I go up the stairs, and YOU turn off the lights?” He asked.  His girlfriend smiled knowingly and nodded.

“Boogie Tents you can smack around, but lights?  Pokey should have turned of the light switch rather than the Devil’s Machine, I see.”

“Hey!” Ness objected, “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to talk about it!”

“You know I can’t help it, Ness~” Paula giggled as she turned off the lights and skipped up the stairs, “You’re just so cute when you blush!”

“…” Ness took it as a compliment.

---

Dinner was always a common occurrence, with Paula sitting in between her parents, who sat on either side of the table.  Paula would make nice small talk about school or mention those who weren’t allowed to enter the house (due to new reporters entering the town or new cults planning on using her as a human sacrifice), but overall, it was a nice, quiet time for the Polestar family.

Which was why Ness’s appearance at the dinner table was a strange, if welcome, addition to the table.  He was boisterous, and loved to talk.  He was always talking about something, ranting about a stupid teacher who wouldn’t let him read her mind for test results, talking about Picky’s newfound ability to stand up for himself despite a broken family, and the fact that Paula’s mom WAS getting better at making steak.  He said it all in the space of one sentence, while his mouth was stuffed with his favorite food.  Paula’s mom found it a little funny, almost like having a trained monkey at the table, but the young woman’s father was aghast, and Paula was hiding her red face in her napkin.

“Great food, Missus Paula’s Mom,” Ness said after he finished his steak, “Have you taught Paula anything in the kitchen?”

Paula’s Mom giggled lightly, “Oh, I taught her a lot, Ness.  Sometimes when she finishes her homework early, she helps me cook dinner.”

Ness looked happy at that thought, “So when we get married, Paula, we’ll have Steak every night, right?”

Paula giggled as her father twitched, “Sure Ness, as much as we can afford.”

“M…Marriage!?” Ness suddenly heard Paula’s Dad finally snap.  He talked in short, fast sentences, demanding hundreds of questions at once, “Wh… what’s this about marriage?  Since when did I agree to anything?  What are you up to, Mister?”

Ness stared in at the father in shock, and Paula’s Mom giggled lightly, “Oh come on now, Dear.  Ness is a fine man, and we’re only joking (a little) about that.  Don’t worry about it.”

Ness chuckled uneasily as Paula’s Dad glared at him, and continued the rest of his food.  Noticing that perhaps he wasn’t accepted well in the house, the psychic stood slowly, “Well, I guess I’d better be heading home then…”

“Oh, is it a school night?” His girlfriend’s mother asked.

“Huh…?  Why?”

“It’s getting late,” the mother explained, “why don’t you spend the night over here?”

Ness liked the idea, but he turned to look at the woman’s husband’s reaction before agreeing too fast.  He didn’t seem to look too mad.  Perhaps he was telling the truth about him being able to stay over after the universal cosmic destroyer was defeated.  The father rumbled, but nodded lightly, “That sounds fine.  It isn’t a school night, is it?”

“Not here,” Paula replied to her father.  She looked across the table, “Ness?”

“Huh?” He looked up from fiddling with his cup of water, “Oh yeah.  I mean, no.  Not a school night.  Is it really alright?”

“I suppose,” He said with a shrug, “but call your family and explain, alright?”

“I will, Sir!” Ness proclaimed, practically knocking the chair down in his haste to get to the family phone and tell his mom that he’d be home tomorrow.

Paula’s Mom stared after him as he rushed off, and she giggled in delight, “He’s such a dear, isn’t he?” She asked her husband.

Paula gave almost a pleading look to her father, and he shook his head as if in defeat, “I suppose the kid’s not half bad…”  Paula hadn’t smiled wider in months.

---

“Oh, so that’s how it is~” Ness’s Mom said in a singsong tone after Ness explained everything that had been talked about beforehand, “You’re going to be gone for tonight?  You didn’t invite yourself over, did you?  What did I tell you about being a bother?”

“Mom!  Paula’s Mom invited me to spend the night.  I’m not like that!” Ness assured his mother.

“Well, have a fun time over there, and don’t come back with any hickies.  Tracy always asks ME why you’re bruising on your neck.”

“Mom…!”

“Tracy!!” Ness’s Mom called out, completely ignoring Ness’s red faced rant, “We have the night to ourselves!  Let’s paint our nails!” And there was a “click!” and dial tone.  Ness sighed lightly and hung up the phone, and he turned around to see Paula climbing the stairs to the second story.

“Hey Paula,” Ness said, not noticing the fact that he was still red in the face.  He smiled in her direction as she walked up to him, “I mean, I hope this is really okay.  I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Your mother is so nice to think of us,” Paula replied as she snaked her arms around the crook of his elbow, “But Dad knows that I can make good decisions.  He’s warming up to you, really he is.”

“You think?” Ness asked, entirely skeptical about the idea that the overprotective father actually liked him.  He seemed a little surprised as his girlfriend moved to wrap her arms around his waist.  She had gotten this close before, but never in her own house.  He turned even redder, “Uhm… Paula?”

“Shhhh…” She murmured, a light smile on her face, “I want to hear your heartbeat…”

Ness had heard this before, so he relaxed and let her breathe deeply.  She liked to listen to his heartbeat, because it matched hers so well…  He watched the stairs to make sure that her father didn’t come along, and when he heard the dishes being washed by the parents, he calmed down a bit and looked around as Paula listened to the beat of his heart.

His eyes fell to her hair, so nicely tied up in two adorably red ribbons, and he shifted lightly, raising his hands above her head, “Hmm?  Ness…?” Paula asked of his movements.

“I don’t really think…” Ness began, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair down.”

“Ohhh~” Paula replied, snuggling closer to his chest, “By all means…~”

Ness fiddled slowly with her hair to avoid tangles, and stuck his tongue out a bit as he undid one of the ribbons.  Her pigtail fell about her, and Ness dropped her ribbon to run his hand through her hair.  She squeaked lowly in pleasure, and her boyfriend gulped, feeling a little hot.

“Uhm…” He looked down at Paula’s head and he fidgeted unnervingly, “C… can you take out your other ribbon…?” He asked, “I don’t know… if…”

“Mmm,” She got the idea and released him hesitantly, “Even little Ness isn’t much better than the hormone driven boy, is he?”

“Just because I’m psychic doesn’t mean I’m emotionless,” Ness muttered, bending down to pick up her ribbon as she took out her second one, “Uhm… I’m sorry, I stepped on it.”

Paula giggled, “I’m sure it’ll live,” She said, taking both and retreating into her room.  Ness followed like a puppy with its master, and leaned in her doorway as she placed her ribbons down and picked up a brush, “So, do you want to go shopping tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” Ness replied, shrugging a bit.  He looked about her overtly pink room and his eyes spied a familiar sight, “Hey!  You still have that plush bear from the cave!”

“The Cave of the Past?  Why, of course,” Paula replied, “You bought it for me, so I might as well have fixed it up after all those battles.  I named him ‘Teddy’.”

“So original…”

“Look who’s talking, I mean, ‘King’?”

“In my defense, King was named well before I was even born,” Ness whistled under his breath as he thought about it, “It’s a wonder he’s still alive…”

“Count your blessings, eh Ness?” Paula replied as she placed the brush on the vanity and turned around.  She fluffed her hair out a bit as she approached her boyfriend, “I’ve prayed every day for him, you know.”

“Aww, you didn’t have to…” Ness said.  It was then that he felt a sudden chill run down his spine, and he turned around to stare into the eyes of Paula’s dad.  He looked down at Ness and crossed his arms.

“It’s well past Paula’s bed time.  I hope you’re planning on letting her get some rest?” He asked.

“Oh!” Ness turned to Paula, who shrugged, and then looked back at her dad, who glowered, “Right, I’ll just head on out of here.  Good night, Paula.”

“Night Ness,” She said, giggling as he planted a kiss on her hand (the best thing he could find without getting disemboweled ritualistically by her dad).  She waved as he walked down the stairs towards the dreaded den.

He had just reached the first floor when Paula’s mom held out a comfortable afghan for him, “It belonged to my grandmother,” She explained, “I hope you sleep well with it.”

“Hey, thanks,” Ness said sincerely.  He took it gratefully and started down to the den, but Paula’s mom called out to him.

“Where are you going, Ness?” She asked.

He turned around expectantly, “Well, you know, the couch in the den is calling, right?”

“Who said anything about that flea infested rat trap?” Paula’s dad asked as he walked down the stairs and crossed his arms.  Ness blinked, “I told you, didn’t I?  I’d consider letting you sleep on the bed in the living room… and…”  He put his hands on his hips, “It seems you’ve been taking care of my little girl.  She’s much happier now that you’ve been visiting.”

Ness stood silent, as if debating whether or not the father was going to relay good news with his speech.  After all, what if he was really going to talk about how her being happy with a guy was really a bad thing?

“So… I suppose…” He seemed to be torn as he spoke, and Ness shuffled in place, suddenly finding his shoe strings to be very interesting.  Finally, Paula’s dad spoke up, “I suppose you can sleep on the couch in the living room.”

Paula’s mom smiled, “We had a long talk about it, and I think it would be best for you.”

“Really?  Up here?” Ness asked, looking excited at the prospect.

“But the upstairs is off limits!!” Paula’s dad fumed.

“Yes Sir!” Ness gave him a two fingered salute, and immediately rushed to the couch.  He kicked off his shoes and practically flew into it.  After removing his cap and placing it on the end table next to the lamp, he tucked himself in with the afghan, yawned lightly, and went to sleep.  Paula’s parents looked at each other, shrugged, and walked up to the second floor to their own room.

Ness smiled as he faced the couch and inhaled deeply.  One time, he and Paula had sat together on this couch, watching an old Godzilla movie.  Paula had put on perfume for the date, and even now, it smelled just like her…

That was only the beginning of the many fond memories the young psychic was going to have with that couch.  The couch in the den would forever be a forgotten memory…