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There were many things Master Hand was good at. Being an embodiment of creation made this just a little bit obvious. The one thing Samus didn't expect him to excel at, however, was celebrations. Truth be told, it shouldn't surprise her; the tournaments kept getting more and more grand each year. So, it made sense.
But for New Year's Eve, he had gone all out. Samus had never seen the mansion decked out in this many decorations -- not since Dedede had accidentally taken all of them down the last Christmas. She looked around in awe at the yellow and white banners that strung the halls, the balloons that littered the nooks and crannies of the mansion, and everything else.
Her ears were going to hurt come midnight. If just the decorations had this much work put into them, what was the actual celebration going to be like? Despite that, instead of retreating to her room, Samus tossed on her blue outfit and descended the small staircase down to the cafeteria. The chatter of all the other fighters filled the room, and she couldn't help but crack a smile as she entered. The champagne was already out for the adults, and for the kids, there was an alternative. Sparkling grape juice, if she remembered right. The white and gold theme carried over to this room, as well; the tablecloths were stark white, with yellow ribbons to decorate the rim of the fabric.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, hoping to see at least one or two close friends. Fox and Falco hovered near the edge of the room, laughing while refilling their glasses. Kirby, on the other hand, had inhaled almost all the food by now; Luigi struggled to keep his own plate in his hands. From what she could see, the people she knew were either not here, or they had blended in. She snickered to herself when she thought of Mac; maybe his height had some advantages, after all. If that let you blend into a crowd ...
Samus couldn't finish her thought. "Samus! You came!" Peach hugged Samus tightly the moment she got to the center of the room. "We were getting worried that you weren't going to come! You didn't last year, so ..." She let Samus go, grinning ear-to-ear. Samus let herself laugh and shook her head.
"I remember last year not being that much fun, so I decided to try it out for once. See if I can enjoy myself."
"That's the spirit!" Peach glanced around at the crowd, leaned in close, and whispered in Samus' ear. "If you're looking for Mac--"
"H-Hey!"
"--he's in the corner. Maybe you could go keep him company?" Peach winked. Before Samus could say anything, she had flittered right back to the crowd to mingle. Samus had to admire Peach's foresight, at least. In truth, that's who she came for. She looked around the room one more time, and finally spotted him.
Mac had a glass in one hand, with his other hand stuffed in his pocket. His teal eyes darted around nervously, and he shifted his weight onto his other foot. Samus' smile faded as she grabbed one of the champagne glasses. 'Poor guy's out of his element.' She took a deep breath, exhaled, and went to join him.
The look on his face when he saw her was almost priceless. "Samus! Hey there!" He straightened up and quickly took a sip of the champagne -- and coughed. Samus snickered, which made him turn beet red. "... this stuff tastes weird. I mean, I know I could've had it sooner, but ... I don't like it."
"You only have to have it once a year, at least," she replied with a shrug. Samus stood next to him, and turned to hide her red face. "At least save some for when midnight hits, would you?" Mac nodded, but didn't say anything. After a few moments of silence, Samus let her gaze rest on him. He had clammed up, and he wasn't nearly as chatty as usual. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Er ... uh ..." Mac bowed his head. "I'm not really good with a buncha crowds. I mean, it's one thing when I was on the ring, but it just makes me think of the paparazzi an' stuff." Samus winced in sympathy. All of that nonsense was why she tried to stay out of the limelight; being a world-famous champion, however, was probably even worse. "I mean, 's why I retired, y'know? Couldn't deal with that."
"I'm sorry, Mac." Neither of them said a word for a while, instead opting to just people watch. Both of them laughed when Pit fell unceremoniously, but otherwise, it was uneventful. Samus stole a look every now and again, and noticed him becoming more and more uncomfortable.
That's when she got an idea.
Samus cleared her throat to get his attention; she could see him perk up out of the corner of her eye. "I'm not good with crowds, either. Besides, I ... know a good spot to see the fireworks, if you'd like to check that out." He turned to her with a huge grin, obviously relieved at being given an excuse to leave the crowded party. "Come on."
Samus set her glass down on the first table she passed by, and gestured for Mac to follow her. He tailed behind her as she left the cafeteria. Peach's sly look didn't escape her notice. Samus kept her pace brisk, and Mac struggled to keep up. "We can head out to the garden this way."
"Isn't the garden closed right now?" Mac asked. Samus shrugged his question off and opened the door at the end of the main hallway. "We're gonna get in trouble!"
"Master Hand's more lenient about that sort of stuff tonight." Mac's worried expression made her heart sink, but she had to stand her ground. "Trust me, you're going to love it. Come on." She held out a hand to him, with the door half open. Mac hesitated before taking her hand. Samus felt her heart flutter as she pulled him outside.
The air was just a little too cold, but it sharpened her senses. The night was perfectly clear, and a sea of stars scattered across the sky. Samus gripped Little Mac's hand just a little tighter as she steered him through the darkened garden. It seemed a little less grandoise; the details on the flowers and in the arrangements couldn't be seen that well in the moonlight. The hedges that created the paths were just annoyances at this point, since they couldn't be seen as clearly. Samus weaved through the pathways. Little Mac had caught up at this point, and ran by her side.
Eventually, they came across the lone hill in the garden. Samus climbed it with relative ease, and sat on the top of it. The unkempt grass tickled the small of her back, and she had to fight back a laugh. She didn't want to ruin this. Not now. "I always see a few people watch from inside, but I don't think they've ever considered watching from here." She heard Mac sit beside her. He didn't let go of her hand.
"I mean, that's breakin' the rules ..." he replied nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I can understand why, I mean--"
"I don't think Ganondorf, Wario, or some others really care about the rules." Mac paused, opened his mouth to say something, and then sighed. 'Got him.' Samus outright laughed. "Master Hand can live. This isn't the worst thing he's had to deal with." The boxer shrugged in defeat and finally made himself comfortable on the grassy hill.
She knew they had been holding hands just a little too long, but it felt nice. She wasn't going to complain. No one could see them out here unless if they tried way too hard, and everyone was wrapped up in the festivities anyways. Samus was grateful for the dark; her face was redder than she could ever imagine, and she knew it.
"... Actually, Samus?"
"Hm?" Samus stared down at Little Mac. "What's wrong?"
"Just wanted to say thanks again fer gettin' me outta there." Mac's eyes darted over to her a few times, but it took a few seconds before he could look her in the face. Samus' heart hammered in her chest: he was just as red in the face as she was. "I, uh ... considerin' I've never had a New Year's kiss or anythin', it's ... I was gonna feel so left out if I stayed there. Would've been awful." He froze and looked away. "Sorry, that was prob'ly awkward. Didn't mean it."
Samus studied him for a bit. His hand that she held had started to sweat profusely, and she saw minor shakes of nervousness. His jaw had clenched, and he couldn't look her in the eye. Either he was embarrassed, or ...
"I haven't either," she replied. This seemed to shock Mac; he swiveled around to face her, jaw now hanging open. "What?"
"But yer amaz--" He stopped himself before he could finish the sentence. While Samus knew exactly what he planned to say, she still wanted to hear it. Instead, Mac just cleared his throat. "I mean ... yer ... that's kinda shockin'. I mean ..." Before he could finish his sentence, both of them looked towards the mansion. The noises had gotten louder, and they could hear the other fighters counting down. 'It's almost the new year.'
The next couple of sentences escaped her lips before she could stop it. "Well, would you like one? A new year's kiss, I mean?" Samus asked. Mac swallowed nervously as he squeezed her hand. She shifted so she faced him, and gently cupped his chin with her free hand. Mac stared up at her; his breaths had gotten more shallow, and the shakes had intensified.
'... Nine! Eight! Seven!'
"Do ya w-wanna? I mean, I--" he stammered out. Samus only smiled, though she couldn't deny that her nerves had started to get the best of her, too. The way his eyes betrayed his excitement made her heart melt. Now, she didn't want to screw this up.
'... Five! Four! Three!'
She leaned in just a bit, and pressed their foreheads together. Mac's breath hitched in his throat, and he made no move to pull away. It killed her, but Samus had to wait just a couple more seconds.
Two ... One ...
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Samus pressed her lips against his. She let go of his hand, only to wrap her arms around his shoulders. Mac shuddered at the contact, and simply did his best to return the kiss. While his movements were clumsy, she still felt elated. The leftover stubble from a shoddy shaving job scratched her skin, but nothing felt as good as him being this close to her.
She dimly heard the fireworks in the background, and while she was perfectly content to ignore them, it had jolted Mac out of the moment. His eyes widened as he pulled away. They darted from her, to the fireworks, to the mansion ... eventually, they settled on her. "Did I go too far? 'm sorry." Samus shook her head. Mac let out a sigh of relief and bashfullly grinned. "That was ... that was nice. Thanks, Sam."
The words she wanted to say got caught in her throat, but she knew she'd regret it if she didn't say them now. Samus exhaled slowly through her nose to gather her thoughts. "That doesn't have to be a one-time thing, you know. I do like you, and ..."
"Whoa, seriously?! Nuh-uh!" The sheer shock in Mac's voice left her reeling. This was not the reaction she had expected. "N-No way! Yer too good fer me! There's no way!" Mac couldn't form any more words. Samus pulled him closer to her, and smiled to reassure him.
"You're the nicest guy here. I enjoy sparring with you, I like talking with you, and you're ... really, you're a sweetheart. I'm not too good for you -- if anything, it's the other way around." She stroked his hair lightly as she spoke, and Mac simply leaned into her touch. "I'd like to at least go on one date."
"If yer sure. W-We can ... we can try!" Mac squeaked when Samus moved in for another kiss.
While the fireworks went on in the distance, they had nothing on Little Mac. His sheer energy and the fire in his eyes were much more captivating to her. She couldn't help but smile at the mere thought of it.