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Bayonetta woke up to messy tufts of blonde hair, the familiar weight of Samus's arm rested comfortably around her stomach.
She blinked the sleep from her eyes and reached for her glasses on the nightstand, a slight fumble to her movements as she put them on. Her outstretched arm flopped back onto the bed, but the resounding noise wasn't nearly enough to stir Samus out of her slumber.
The witch's attention drifted to the woman nestled beside her — her breaths coming out in small, steady puffs against her shoulder. A soft smile crossed Bayonetta's features. She shifted onto her side, and gently brushed the stray strands of long hair away from Samus's face.
Spending mornings a little longer in bed, listening to her breathe, admiring how peaceful she looked... She decided that she liked this part of being in a relationship.
Sometimes Bayonetta would catch her smiling — innocent, tiny little smiles — and on those days she wouldn't wake her up. The blonde didn't dream a lot, that she was certain. She figured she could spare her the cruelty of breaking her immersion by letting her wake up on her own.
Well, that didn't happen nearly as often as Bayonetta would've liked, but it wasn't a problem. A sleepy Samus was an adorable Samus, and having to wake her up every morning was far from a burden.
Staring at her for a little longer, the witch figured she could let her enjoy a few more minutes of rest while she got ready for the day. She (regretfully) peeled herself off from the sleeping blonde, lifting Samus's arm from its cozy position around her midriff and settling it back beside her.
By the time Bayonetta exited the bathroom, all fresh and clad in her black hair suit (oh, the convenience of being an Umbra Witch), Samus's position had shifted, her back now facing the witch underneath a newly crafted blanket cocoon.
A sure-fire sign that Samus had woken up. Just... unwilling to do anything.
So Bayonetta returned to where the blonde was dozing away, sitting close enough to her that she felt the dip in the bed, and she cooed in the most singsong voice she could muster, "Rise and shine, sweetheart~"
Considering that Bayonetta could effortlessly launch her into the bathroom with a swift kick, waking Samus up was an easy task. But she did have at least an ounce of care for her girlfriend, so she settled for prodding at her arm like a playful little kitten.
"Sweetie, wake up. You wouldn't want to miss breakfast, would you?"
The blonde let out a small groan of protest and burrowed further into her blanket, but Bayonetta's jabbing only became more insistent.
"Hey. Sam. Darling."
Again, another disgruntled noise. Before Samus had the chance to drill herself a hole into their bed, Bayonetta grabbed hold of the covers and yanked them off from her. What greeted her was Samus's furrowed brows and sleepy morning death glare, and Bayonetta stifled a laugh.
So adorable.
"Come on, up and at 'em, sweetheart."
Samus held her gaze for a while longer — her eyes narrowed into slits — but Bayonetta had the calm of a panther and the smug of a crow, and it wasn't long before Samus was forced to admit defeat with a scowl. A drawn out "fuck," was her first word of the day, and the sheer eloquence of the word made Bayonetta grin in approval.
"Okay, okay..." she mumbled while rubbing her eyes, her voice still thick with sleep. "I'm up. Christ..."
Samus began to shift upright, and Bayonetta took it as a cue to stop leaning over her like a vulture. Not without playfully rolling her eyes, though. She knew better than that; Samus only really woke up at the sight of food.
"You know the drill, Sammy. We've got a match today."
The blonde replied with a noncommittal grunt, then sluggishly began to untangle herself from the covers, swinging her legs over the bedside while Bayonetta watched her push back the mop of hair covering her face, yawn and stretch her arms. Her... delightfully toned arms...
Bayonetta couldn't help the smile that found its way into her expression. She kept her gaze on her girlfriend as she plucked her clothes from the dresser and trudged into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
She was a lucky woman, alright.
With the beauty now out of her sight, Bayonetta was now faced with the mess of blanket on their bed. She plucked a lollipop from the void and hopped into their stolen swirly office chair, setting it into a gentle spin. One hand occupied with the candy as she popped it into her mouth, she made practised gestures with the other, and Madama Butterfly's hand emerged from its demonic portal. Bayonetta pulled at the strings like a puppeteer, and in a few moments, the blanket was neatly folded, the pillows arranged against the headboard and sheets free from creases.
She smiled to herself before bidding farewell to the demoness with a fist-bump, then rested her arms behind her head, savouring the sweetness of her favourite treat. In actuality, Bayonetta wasn't really all that concerned with her and Samus's battle performance. The two of them had been on a roll the past season — clinching their own spots in the top tier yet again — this match was simply a good reason to spend more time with her beloved girlfriend.
She wondered if she was getting a little clingy with the way she hung around Samus, but the blonde would've let her know if she was getting on her nerves.
Bayonetta let herself wander in her thoughts. She would've never thought their relationship would work out as well as it did now. Samus was someone who was perfectly fine being alone, what with her years of living in isolation. In contrast, Bayonetta had issues with staying on her own, as much as she hated to admit it. For the longest time she spent her days idly drifting around people, listening in on their conversations with no ill-intent, no expectation for anyone to notice and talk to her instead, just the simple desire to have some form of life buzzing around her. To have people around her.
Even now, the muffled sounds of the shower running in the background was the only thing keeping her from pacing around the room.
The presence of people was something she took great comfort in, and for the longest time, she was content. She never thought it would be something that had to be changed, and she never thought she needed it to. It never occurred to her just how lonely she was. How her childhood as an outcast flavoured her interactions with people — or lack thereof.
So hearing Samus tell her how much she genuinely enjoyed her company? Samus, who had been through countless missions on uncharted planets; who desperately needed a time-out to herself after meeting her threshold of social interaction; who lived in comfortable isolation for good, long portions of her life... Hearing Samus tell her how much she liked being around her? It evoked new, uplifting emotions in Bayonetta's heart. She never knew how much she needed the affirmation, and hearing it for the first time made her feel so unfathomably warm inside. So appreciated. So loved.
So she kept the blonde's words close to her heart. So close that they clung to her emotions and attacked them at their very core, and no longer did her feelings for the bounty hunter border on platonic. She couldn't possibly let go of the notion: being her girlfriend, her companion for life. She had to do something to soothe her heart.
And she ended up being the one who confessed.
The witch almost cringed at the memory. She couldn't remember the last time her mouth felt so dry. You'd think Bayonetta would be well-prepared for just about any situation involving a real life human being, but when genuine, unfamiliar feelings come into play? It's a whole 'nother story.
The worst part of the confession was the fact that Samus (bless her) didn't know what to do, either. It took another round of incoherent bumbling over her own words before the blonde reacted, and it was humiliating.
Then Samus pulled her into her arms, and quietly told her, "I like you too", and the relief that surged over the witch was overwhelming.
In retrospect, it was quite amusing. From an outsider's point of view.
But the panic that ensued when Bayonetta's feelings for the bounty hunter turned out to be more than "just a friend thing" was ridiculously real.
With no candy left to feed her thoughts, Bayonetta chewed on the poor plastic stick. Samus was just another blue-eyed blonde. A blue-eyed blonde with an incredible build, she had admitted, but even then Bayonetta hadn't caught herself adoring her physique as much as she did now. She had never expected to fall for anyone during her time in the Smash universe.
By far the most alarming thought she'd had before the revelation was during one of their escapades outside the boundaries: Chilling together under a tree on a lush green hill, watching Samus make dorky hand gestures at the stars, and going, "I want to hold that hand".
She heard the bathroom door open, and out came her companion, dressed in a pair of baggy black sweatpants and a plain white singlet. It was a habit of hers to bring her clothes into the bathroom with her to change into, mostly because she despised the cold on her skin if she stepped into their bedroom wearing only a towel.
Bayonetta watched her swipe her hairband from the nightstand, her grey gaze almost wistful. Samus was a good person to fall for, she thought. Even if she did seem distant at times. She possessed a heart of gold, an iron will, and she was so... sincere. So genuine with her words, and more so her actions. Bayonetta couldn't count the number of times Samus left her stunned by doing something she never would've expected; presenting her with thoughtful gifts out of nowhere; enveloping her in tight, warm hugs when Bayonetta had been anticipating otherwise; showing her her own "Samus-y" brand of affection: every action undoubtedly earnest.
Bayonetta figured she could learn a thing or two about sincerity from her.
"What's with that moony look?"
The witch blinked, focusing on the blonde who had donned on an orange track jacket during her internal dithering. Oh, man, if Samus could pick that up, Bayonetta must've been visibly smitten.
"Come on, you dork." She smirks. "We've got a match today."
Bayonetta's rebuttal was immediate. "You're one to talk, bedhead."
Samus only replied with a smug smile before turning around to unlock the door, and Bayonetta huffs.
She finally got off the swirly chair, tossing the chewed-up lollipop stick into the bin with a clunk. Without warning, Bayonetta threw her arms around her girlfriend's shoulders, shifting her weight entirely against Samus's back, letting her legs go limp underneath her.
Buried in the crook of her neck, she heard Samus make a noise of amusement and exasperation. "Really, Bayo?"
"Really."
Samus rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face betrayed her irritation — if there was even any in the first place. She gently patted the hand hanging over her chest. "Come on... Let's go."
The witch would be lying if she said the fondness in Samus's voice didn't spark a familiar kind of warmth in her chest. Her frustration, albeit mild, vaporised in an instant, and she let go of the blonde's shoulders, following her out of their dorm before Samus locked the door behind her. A necessary precaution, considering the last time they left the door unlocked, they found Villager, Ness and Lucas carrying out an impromptu jam session with Samus's guitar and some wooden spoons they found in the kitchen cupboard.
The gears turned in Bayonetta's head. She had to get Samus back for calling her a dork.
"Hold on, Sam. I forgot something."
The bounty hunter paused mid-action, looking at Bayonetta with question in her pretty blue eyes. Smiling innocently, the witch stepped towards her girlfriend, not breaking their eye contact.
And dished her a quick peck on her lips.
It took a while for Samus to process, her cheeks flushing a bright pink before she blinked and averted her gaze to the floor, an embarrassed smile tugging at her lips.
After all this while, she's still Samus.
The witch felt something brush against her hand. She watched the bounty hunter interlace her fingers between her own gloved digits — a warm and familiar gesture — and Cereza's heart fluttered.