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Language:
English
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Published:
2023-08-01
Words:
300
Chapters:
1/1
Comments:
6
Kudos:
40
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3
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237

It's Still Inside

Summary:

After being defeated by Kirby, King Dedede has a moment of lucidity.

It is quickly taken away.

(Based off of the bad ending of "Kirby's Dream Land 2".)

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

With his cheek on the ground of the balcony and a throbbing in his temple, he feels more lucid than he has in days. With a groan and hiss at all his sore joints and that cut along his chest, he groggily lifts himself up to a stand. Cool drops of rain gently patter against his feathers and the stone of the balcony, and for a moment, his mind just takes in the peace.

Then, deep within his muscles, something slithers.

It's still inside him.

It passes from shoulder to shoulder before the feeling dissipates, but that doesn't stop Dedede from slamming his back against the castle, his breathing picking up as he remembers. That annoying kid, Kirby, they came all the way here with their good-for-nothing friends and—and...

...tried to save him.

It skitters in his neck toward the top of his head.

His crown topples over and falls onto the ground ungracefully as he grips at his head, a huge and sudden stab of pain piercing through his temples, enough to make him yell out. He slides down the wall, falling onto his back as he pants.

It skirrs and scratches along the grooves of his brain. A quiet chirrup vibrates in his skull. In the swirling dark clouds above him, he swears that he sees an eye, staring directly at him.

His heartbeat calms down as the fuzziness of fatigue lies over him gradually, snuffing out the panic like a mother cooing to her infant. There is hardly any room for any of his own thoughts.

Is he dying? No, no, it doesn't want him dead. It wants him alive.

...He's so tired.

Gently, he rests his cheek against the floor and allows slumber (and it) to claim him once more.

The rain continues to fall.

Notes:

I wasn't sure whether to tag this as Major Character Death or not because technically he isn't dead, but, uh, it's debatable if he's still there, so to speak. So might as well be safe.

I also had the goal of making this into some sort of drabble and managed to get it into a triple drabble, so I consider that a win.