Work Text:
The sudden winter air felt cool and crisp as Solid Snake made his way up the last of the seemingly endless staircases in the Smash Mansion. The amount of stairs hadn’t deterred him though, as all that mattered to him was the person waiting for him at the top.
“About time you showed up!” Called a very familiar voice.
Snake looked across the roof a few feet away to see Samus Aran waiting for him.
The two of them had gotten to know each other quite well over the past few months of the Brawl tournament. What had started off as a chance encounter at the local bar had become something so much more. Even though they were from different universes, it was as if they were two sides of the same coin.
“Well, not all of us have spaceships we can fly wherever we want, you know, gorgeous.” Snake said as he walked over to meet the blonde woman.
“You really think I’d cheat like that?” Samus smirked. “I just happen to be faster than you.”
Snake scoffed. “Yeah, sure.”
“You’re the one who said I was a lot more agile without my suit.”
Snake realized he was defeated. “You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you Sam?”
“Nope!” Samus replied with a satisfied grin. The two of them loved to tease each other, especially when it came to their matches. They were pretty competitive and it made it all the more fun for them both.
The two of them took a seat on a blanket that Samus had brought with her up to the roof. The chill in the air passed by Snake again and a thought occurred to him as he looked over to Samus.
“Hey, why’d you decide for us to hang out here tonight? I know you don’t like the cold.”
“Good night for the stars, I thought we could watch them together.” Samus gave a small smile to him. “You had told me about the stars in Alaska and how great they are, figured you might miss them.”
Snake smiled back at her. She was right, he did miss the views he had back home. There was always so much chaos in his life that the quiet and stillness of Alaska made him feel at peace.
“Thanks, Sam. Are you sure you’re gonna be okay though?”
Samus waved a hand at him. “I’ll be fine! Now scoot closer to me so I don’t freeze.” She said with a laugh. Snake chuckled and pulled her close to his side, Samus curled her head into his chest as the two of them observed the night sky.
The two former soldiers watched as the stars came out to light up the sky with their brilliance. All Snake could hear was the breeze and soft breathing of the woman in his arms. This was what he had come to know as his new sense of peace since joining the Brawl tournament.
They sat there, just the two of them, observing the night for what seemed like hours. Content in each other’s presence, talking, laughing, Snake smoking a cigarette much to Samus’ chagrin, as per usual. Their conversation had eventually veered towards the tournament itself.
“So, who do you think’s gonna win this thing?” Snake asked.
Samus shrugged. “I have my theories.”
Snake hummed in response. “C’mon, tell me.”
Samus sighed with fake exasperation and sarcasm. “Ok, you’ve worn me down. I’ll give you a hint.”
Snake motioned for her to continue.
“He’s a newbie to this tournament thing, but he’s a really good fighter despite that.”
Snake thought about it for a second before giving his answer.
“Meta Knight?”
Samus giggled in response. “Not who I was thinking of!” Then said under her breath, “He has been kicking our asses though.”
Snake laughed in agreement. “Can you give me another hint?”
The bounty hunter nodded and lifted up her hand to his face. “He’s really handsome, he’s the only man I know who could make a mullet look good, even if he wears a silly bandana most of the time.”
“Hey, it’s useful!” Snake said. Samus rolled her eyes. Snake took her hand away and kissed it. “But thanks Sam. You really think I could win?”
Samus nodded her head. “I really do. It’s not just because of my certain bias towards you either.”
“What do you get if you win anyway?” Snake asked.”
The blonde thought for a moment, suddenly raising her eyebrows in surprise.
“Huh, I don’t actually know. Bragging rights, I guess? I’ve never actually won, so I wouldn’t exactly know.”
“What? You could easily wipe the floor with everyone here!”
Samus blushed at the man’s compliment. “Well, I’ve never been in this thing to win.”
“What do you mean?”
“When the first tournament happened, I wasn’t exactly chatty with the other fighters. I used the tournament to brush up on my skills, but that was about it. I wasn’t mean to anyone or anything like that, I just wanted to be left alone, I’d gotten so used to it back home, that’s pretty much all I knew.”
Snake knew that Samus hadn’t exactly been the most social person in the past, but hearing another facet of it made him a bit sad. Not out of pity for her, he respected her too much for that, but because it was yet another reminder of how similar the two of them were.
“So what happened with the last tournament?”
“Well, a lot of new faces came with it. I was planning to just keep my head down and focus on the matches again. But Peach and Zelda were there, and you know how friendly Peach is, so they took me in as their friend, even though it wasn’t exactly my idea at first.”
Snake chuckled, thinking of the two princesses who were often seen hanging around the mansion with Samus. Princess Peach was the more bubbly of the trio, always trying to get the latest gossip around the house, much to everyone’s annoyance, but sweet all the same. While Zelda was the more subdued of the group. Demure, regal, and willing to reign in some of the others when necessary.
“Got you out of your shell a little bit then huh?” Snake asked.
“Yeah, it really did.” Samus replied. “It was an adjustment at first, especially having female friends, but it’s…nice.” She smiled and Snake smiled back, he loved seeing her happy.
“And here in Brawl?”
“By this point, we’re all kind of like one big family. Most people seem to like me here, I’m not exactly close with everyone here, but the ones I am close with, I keep.” Samus looked up at the brunette man. She had a look in her blue-green eyes that meant business. Snake leaned down and caught his lips with hers, knowing who she was talking about. It was hard to deny how close they had become.
“Besides, it takes a certain level of trust for me to be able to be outside of my suit in a match.” Samus stated after the kiss was through. Snake hummed.
“Maybe you should be a bit more social, Snake. Might do you some good to not hang around just me and your nerd friend on your codec.”
“I’ll have you know that if my codec was on right now, Otacon would be very hurt to hear you say that.”
Samus rolled her eyes once again. “I’m sure he hears far worse from you. I’m just glad we won’t have another incident like a few weeks ago, remember?”
Snake shuddered at the memory. There are certain things that the codec is not supposed to hear, and hopefully never will again. Snake quickly changed the subject.
“It sure is relaxing up here.” Snake said as he folded his arms behind his head, leaning backwards until he was laying back on the blanket Samus had brought them. Samus followed suit, with her leaning on her side with her head laid firmly on his chest and her arm lazily stretched across the man’s body.
“That’s one of the reasons why I’m in these tournaments. I can just…relax, at least for the most part. There’s no planet I have to blow up, no Metroids, just gotta focus on the matches and the downtime in between.”
At some point, silence had fallen upon them once more.
“You know, I think the others are beginning to suspect something.” Samus said.
“About what?”
“Us. This thing between us.” She motioned back and forth to the both of them.
“And?”
“I’ve had Peach bugging me about my love life for the past month. Everyone probably thinks we’re a couple, like that could possibly happen.”
Samus’ statement perplexed Snake immensely. He wasn’t expecting that to come out of her. Samus noticed Snake’s face drop.
“What? What’d I say?”
“Then what have we been doing this whole time?” Snake asked. He looked down at her face. She wouldn’t look at him.
Samus was quiet as Snake continued.
“I mean look at what we’re doing right now, seems pretty couple-y to me. But if you don’t see it that way, fine.” He said with a bit of edge in his voice.
Samus didn’t want him to talk about this anymore. “I have no idea what you mean Snake, I don’t understand why you’re so wound up over this.”
“Come on Samus, you’re smarter than this. You have to realize how that sounds.”
Samus felt a pang of guilt go through her, but it was for his own good. Samus sighed in frustration. “You know what? No I don’t. Enlighten me.”
“It’s not that hard to guess that something’s been going on between us. We’re with each other a lot. We go on dates. We sleep together multiple times a week, and you can’t tell me the soundproofing in the mansion is that good. Of course people are going to believe that we’re a couple, and if they do, let them talk!”
Samus’ face grew red with embarrassment. She knew she had been caught, she couldn’t keep this up anymore. She spoke again.
“Snake, it’s not like that.”
“All I’m saying is it’s pretty cold to hear you deny all of this. After so much time together you somehow don’t think of us that way. Imagine that coming from someone you love.” Snake’s eyes widened as he realized what he just said. Samus could feel the mercenary’s heartbeat beat faster and faster against her ear. She pulled away from his chest to look right at him in his steel blue eyes.
“W-what?” Samus asked, shocked at what she just heard.
Snake sighed, his frustration melting away, he had finally said the words he hadn’t intended to say for a while longer. He definitely didn't want to confess his feelings in an argument like that. He wasn’t one to express how he felt much, but when he did, he wasn’t the most subtle. He looked over at Samus who had pulled away from him entirely, looking off into the distance, with a sullen expression on her face.
“Sam, I-“
“I wish you hadn't said that just now.”
“Why?”
Samus continued to stare off into space. Refusing to look Snake in the eye. “It’s not what you think, I promise. Do you really think I’d be so cruel to do something like that to you?”
Snake thought about it, and she was right. Samus was a kind woman despite her exterior and he hadn’t had a reason not to trust her as long as they’d known each other.
“…No.” The man replied. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fly off the handle like that. If this whole thing is too much, I can just go.” As he said that, he got up to leave, until Samus grabbed his hand with her own to keep him from walking away. Snake looked back at the young woman, kneeling on the ground before him. Her eyes looked pricked with tears. He couldn’t stand to see her like that.
Snake leaned down to be back at her level, taking one of his hands and cupping her cheek. “David, please, let me explain.”
David. His true name. Now he really knew she meant business.
Samus sighed, not really knowing where to start. “I said those things not because I don’t want a relationship with you, but because I didn’t think we’d have the chance.”
“What do you mean?”
“When we first got together, I just thought it’d be a fling and we wouldn’t become attached to this point.”
Snake thought about it and he figured the same was true for him at first. He wasn’t expecting really much of anything to come out of this, especially not love.
“But then we started spending more time together and I couldn’t help myself. You’re too good to not get attached to.”
“I can say the same for you, Sam.”
Samus blushed a bit and got back to her explanation. “We never had a conversation about us being an official couple or anything, so I didn’t really think much about it. So when people started asking questions about us and started grilling me over our status, it made things seem so real all of a sudden.”
Snake realized he was a bit at fault for this. “I should have brought that up a lot sooner. I just figured we both had an understanding about us.”
“I’m getting to that, if you would let me continue.” Snake kept quiet.
Samus exhaled a breath, this was the difficult part. “I thought that if I just pushed away the idea of us being anything official, the idea of us being attached, denied a true commitment between us then it would be easier for the both of us when the tournament ended.”
It started to make sense to Snake. He shouldn’t have doubted her like that. He shouldn’t have blown up at her like he did.
“I’m sorry for how I act-“ He was interrupted by the bounty hunter yet again. “No. I’m the one who should be sorry. I was a coward, I was in denial and I tried to drag you through it too.”
“It’s ok.” Snake said to the blonde, gazing softly into her eyes. “I just…want you to be honest with me.” Samus nodded.
“Listen, Samus, I’m not going to run away from my feelings like I have in the past. The simple truth is, I love you. You’re beautiful, smart, kind, and you have a good heart, even if you don’t see that. If you don’t feel the same right now, that’s fine. I jus-“
Suddenly, Samus had wrapped her arms around Snake’s neck and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Hands went into hair, the cold wind couldn’t even be felt by the pair, the warmth they shared was too strong. The two fighters gripped each other like they were each other’s lifeline. When the two broke apart, they found themselves on their sides facing each other. Samus, breathless, finally gave her response.
“I love you too.”
A sense of relief filled them. The two of them were like that for a moment, it felt like forever, the argument itself finally dissolved, but with the silence came the lingering question that had been afraid to be brought to the surface.
“What are we going to do once the tournament’s over?” Snake asked.
“I was afraid you’d ask that, and if I’m being honest…I don’t know.”
Samus got quiet and slowly the tears that had threatened to come out before were doing so now. What would be a happy occasion for any other couple, a confession of love, was bittersweet for them. Not because of the feelings themselves, but the future that lied ahead.
“You see now why I didn’t wanna bring this up? I’ve never been in love before, this is a new thing for me, especially when we’re not even from the same universe! We wouldn’t work out once we left separately, you have to understand.”
Snake reached over to hug her. Samus softened in her lover’s embrace.
“I do understand. But what are we supposed to do? Just cut things off and just move on like nothing happened between us once we got home?”
“I don’t want that.”
“I don’t either.”
They parted from the hug and looked at each other. They needed to think of something. They just couldn’t go back to their worlds like they hadn’t been changed forever.
The two pondered for a minute, then Snake spoke up.
“What about the Hands?” Referring to the omnipotent brothers who seemed to run the show.
“What about them?”
“We explain the situation to them, they snap their fingers and work something out for us.”
“Like what? We can’t just stay here in limbo forever.”
“Well…you could come over to my universe, stay with me.”
The thought of her coming home from a mission to his loving arms. Having a true home for the first time in years. Samus’ heart melted at the thought. But as much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn’t, there were too many obstacles, at least for now.
“I wish it was that simple. Apparently, there’s some rule of no universe hopping, says it could break the universal continuum or something.” She exhaled in annoyance.
“Like rules have ever stopped us before?” Snake said with a smirk.
“Snake, I’m not exactly trying to get on the Hands’ bad side. Especially because if they found out, we’d probably be banned from the tournament and never see each other again anyways.”
Snake grumbled. He knew she was right. He also knew how much it’d hurt her to not see the others in the mansion again either. He would hate to see her ripped away from another family of hers.
“Besides, I still have space pirates to take care of, and you still have the Metal Gears.”
“Seems we’re at an impasse then.” Snake muttered. He had his duty, she had hers. He knew that all too well, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt him nonetheless.
Samus spoke up once more. “Snake?”
“Yeah?”
“I really do want to come with you, y'know. I’d want nothing more.”
“I just want you to think about my plan, please? You just go through the portal to my universe with me. I know you can be stealthy when necessary.”
“And what if we got caught?”
“I’d be willing to take that chance for you.”
Samus looked over at him, this impossible man who could practically see right through her, looking at her with a true sense of love and determination in his eyes. She knew he stopped at nothing to achieve what he wanted, and neither did she.
Her mind was made up.
“Ok. I’ll think about it. That being said though, if I can’t, I wan- no, I need to see you again.”
“Any ideas?”
“Well, If I can’t do it this time, we’ll just wait for the next tournament.”
“You think there’ll be one after this?”
“This whole thing is a crowd pleaser. Trust me, there’ll be another tournament.”
Snake couldn’t exactly argue with that statement, especially when thinking of the size of the crowds he’s seen at the matches.
“What about the space pirates?”
Samus grabbed one of Snake’s hands and squeezed it reassuringly. Her eyes locked on his with a look he’s seen countless times on her in battle.
“I will do everything in the meantime to make sure every last one of those bastards is a pile of ash.”
“I know you will, Sam.” Snake paused. “…Can I say something?”
Samus nodded curiously.
“You’re beautiful when you’re fierce like that.” Samus’ heart felt like it could burst out of her chest. Snake had the ability to know just what to say to ease her mood. They needed it after such a heavy conversation.
The couple leaned back flat on the mansion’s roof, huddled together for warmth. The night sky seemed even clearer than it was before somehow.
“Maybe we can come up with a better idea, but that’s all I’ve got right now.” Snake said. To his surprise, Samus smiled at him.
“Look Snake, the tournament doesn’t end for another few months. We can finalize a plan closer to time, but right now, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
“Oh? So what do you want to do then?“
“No matter what happens, I just want to enjoy my time with you, however long that is. Are you in?”
“I’m in. That’s what boyfriends are for, you know.” The statement felt strange coming out of the soldier’s mouth, but it felt right at the same time.
“I suppose you’re right.” Samus beamed at him.
Them being official would definitely be an adjustment, but the fact that everything was out in the open between them filled them with a new sense of hope. This new status of theirs made them both feel normal they had never really had in their lives, even though the situation surrounding them was definitely out of the norm.
It had been a long night, and Snake could tell Samus was beginning to shiver, the cold was finally getting to her. Snake stood up and held out his hand to her. “What are you doing?” She asked.
“You’re getting cold, and don’t try to deny it, you’ve already tried to deny a lot tonight as is.”
“Fine, you caught me, I think it’s time to go back to my room for the night anyway.” Samus replied.
“It is getting late, I’ll walk you back.”
“Thank you, Snake.” She happily took his hand in hers as he helped her back up to her feet, while gathering back up the blanket she had. “Oh, by the way.”
“Hm?” Snaked muttered.
“You sure you have your codec off right?”
“Yeah, wh-?” Snake stopped. Oh. Oh.
“Let’s just say I have a lot to make up for the whole misunderstanding earlier.” Samus said as she moved her hands to rake up Snake’s torso. Snake knew exactly what the bounty huntress meant, and he responded in kind.
“Well now that you mention it, I do too. You got anything in mind?”
“You’ll just have the wait and see.” She had a mischievous glint in her eye that always drove him crazy. That’s my girl, Snake thought as she grabbed his hand in hers and was about to move with Snake following behind her when she suddenly stopped and turned to face him. Without a word, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to her level for a quick, fervent kiss, of which Snake much obliged. When they pulled back, the two of them grinned at the other.
The lovers had only one more thing to say before they ran off hand in hand into the night.
“I love you, David.”
“I love you too, Samus”