Split Souls (an OK K.O. fanfiction)

Chapter 8

It was around 3:30 when T.K.O. finally woke up. K.O. and Dendy had put him up on the couch with an icepack on his head before Dendy left. K.O. was admiring a new pack of Pow cards he'd gotten a few days ago when T.K.O. woke up. 

"What happened?" T.K.O. asked, sitting up and placing a hand on his head.

K.O. looked up. "Oh, you just got really mad when I told Dendy I was taking care of you, tried to attack me, and then passed out again," K.O. said sharply. "Y'know, the usual."

T.K.O. blinked. K.O. usually wasn't sarcastic, unless T.K.O. was in control. "Jeez, I'm sorry," T.K.O. apologized.

"Why were you so mad?" K.O. asked.

T.K.O. panicked inwardly. "Would you like someone telling another person they were being taken care of? It's pretty embarrassing," T.K.O. explained, blushing a little and avoiding K.O.'s eyes.

"I know you're lying, T.K.O.," K.O. said, staring intensely at T.K.O.

"How do you know?" T.K.O. asked.

"Uh, mind-reading?" K.O. said, pointing at his head as T.K.O. had done before. T.K.O. huffed in frustration. This whole mind-reading thing is gonna be annoying. "So, why did you get so mad?"

T.K.O. decided it would be no use lying again, so he just said, "I don't know. There's been so much weird stuff going on with me lately. I don't know what's wrong."

K.O. gave T.K.O. a compassionate look, then sat up and walked over to him. He sat down next to his counterpart. "You can always tell me about it."

T.K.O. looked at K.O. and smiled; this time it was a genuine smile, which T.K.O. rarely gave out freely. "Okay. It's just that I've been feeling all these new emotions lately—happiness, sadness, guilt—all these feelings are so new and overwhelming. I...I don't even know how to deal with them," T.K.O. finally explained. "All I've ever felt was anger, but now I have all of these other emotions. I don't know what to do."

Then to T.K.O.'s surprise, K.O. hugged him. T.K.O. just stared in astonishment, but he didn't move.

"The thing is," K.O. started, "you don't need to be alone. I mean, I'm always there for you."

T.K.O. looked at K.O. "There's the other thing." K.O. let go of T.K.O. and looked at him, puzzled. "I've been with you for my whole life. I thought...I could be by myself for once."

"What's the fun of being by yourself?" K.O. asked. "You can't do much alone. It's super boring! Besides, you're almost never by yourself. Did you see how many people were walking around while you were hiding under that tree?"

As much as T.K.O. hated to admit it, K.O. had a point. Would he really be better off by himself?

"How about this; you at least stay here until your fever's gone and then you can do what you like," K.O. suggested.

"How long until my fever's gone?" T.K.O. asked.

"I dunno," K.O. replied, shrugging. "Probably close to a week."

"A week? Of having to deal with you and your happy-go-lucky attitude?" T.K.O. groaned. 

K.O. was about to reply, when he noticed T.K.O. had a teasing glint in his eyes. "Come on, I'm not that  annoying," he joked, elbowing T.K.O. in the arm.

"Like you would know," T.K.O. retorted, elbowing him back.

"Ow." T.K.O. had elbowed K.O. hard.

"Sorry," T.K.O. apologized. Maybe this week won't be so bad.