All characters belong to Koijima Inc. I am not making any money off of this. Feedback is appreciated but not mandatory. I was inspired by Solid Snake's Soldier's beautiful fic, 'Simple and Clean' and The Python's fic, 'Dare You To Move' but this is much happier.
First Birthday
By Marie Nomad
Otacon tapped on the computer as the others prepared. It took weeks of planning and waiting but all their hard work is finally coming to fruition. Now, he had to make sure this mission is successful.
Raiden flipped through an open window and landed. "He's coming."
"Did he see you?"
"No." The ninja shook his head. Raiden had been trailing him for several hours trying to stay out of his sight. It was hard for him to adjust without the advanced armory of his previous body. And while Snake's senses had dimmed somewhat, he was still as sharp as a tack.
"This is the moment we've been waiting for. Stations!" Otacon turned off his computer and everyone else went to their designated spots.
The key turned and everyone held their breath. The door opened.
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"
Snake stood at the door staring at the group as they tossed bright confetti all over the place. "Happy Birthday?" He repeated dumbfounded.
"Today's your birthday, Dave." Otacon walked up and bravely put a bright colored party hat on the old man's head. To Snake's disbelief, everyone were wearing the same type of party hat.
"You… didn't have to…" Snake muttered as he sat down staring at the various decorations. They were just so cheesy that it's crazy but adorable at the same time.
"Of course we have to! The point of all this is to celebrate the fact that you were born!" Meryl lightly punched Snake in the arm.
Snake looked at all of the guests. "I… thanks." His voice cracked a little as he looked around nervously. He reached into his pocket and put a lollypop in his mouth. It wasn't as cool looking as a cigarette but it was healthier and made a decent substitute.
"Happy birthday to you… happy birthday too you… happy birthday Snake… happy birthday to you!" The group sang as Sunny walked in with a huge cake shaped like a cardboard box. On the cake were forty-three candles. Snake couldn't help but feel a little sad. He looked eighty but he was only supposed to be middle aged. He reached into this pocket and started taking pictures. He wanted to keep this moment forever.
"Make a wish, Uncle Dave." Sunny said as she put the cake on the table.
Snake closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He blew out the candles and everyone cheered. He was impressed with himself as well. Breathing had gotten easier since he stopped smoking. He wouldn't admit to anyone of course.
"What did you wish for, Uncle Dave?" Sunny asked.
"If I tell you, it won't come true. Nice cake."
"Thanks. We had specialist make this cake." Otacon said as he cut the cake and handed the old soldier a piece. Snake put his lollypop back into his lollypop holder and tasted the cake.
The outside looked just like cardboard but it really tasted like a great cake. "It's good."
"You see, I told you that wasn't real cardboard." Rosemary told Little John as Otacon handed her two slices of cake.
Raiden looked at the cake and mentally turned on his taste function. He ate the cake and kept on staring at it. He chuckled a little. "Snake, do you remember Big Cell and we had to split up to find those bombs?"
"Yeah."
"I found a certain idiot trying to cross a bridge in a cardboard box."
"Hey! I would have crossed unscathed if someone wasn't shooting at me! Besides, you were saved by the box a few times too."
"Am I missing something?" Johnny asked.
"Just a little something that happened a few years ago." Raiden explained. "Snake has a deep love for cardboard boxes that is a little weird. He talked about how that the mission hinges on how I used that cardboard box. That I should handle it with love and care."
"And I was right!"
"Please don't tell me you still used the old cardboard box gag." Meryl moaned.
"No! I upgraded to a metal barrel."
"A… metal barrel?"
"Yeah. It was more durable and I could use it as a weapon." Snake explained.
"It was a handy hiding place in the Middle East; I used one as my bathroom." Johnny recalled.
"I know. I found it after you got caught in it."
Silence filled the room. "You… used my bathroom barrel to sneak around in?" Johnny said as he started to lose his appetite.
"No, I also use it to roll over the enemy with. It was fun."
"But… you did wash it first right?"
"No time."
"Ewww. Snake, you can be so disgusting." Mei Ling put away her cake. "I am about to get sick."
"Me first!" Meryl dashed off to the bathroom and threw up.
"What's wrong with her?" Snake asked Johnny.
"Nothing. Let me go and see how she is." Johnny picked up a bag and went to the bathroom.
Snake stared at him and then shrugged it off. Johnny didn't seem too surprised about Meryl's sudden sickness. If the kid was really surprised or worried, he would show. "All right. I'm interested in what presents you got me." He was intrigued. What kind of gifts can you give to someone who won't live till next year?
"Here, open mine first." Mei Ling said as she held a long box. Snake put down his plate and opened the gift. Inside was a beautiful walking stick made out of mahogany with a pair of what looked like a gold snake as the head and a symbol of 'Shou' meaning longevity on it.
"It's beautiful." Snake confessed as he got up and walked with it. It was made for his size and he had been getting a little stiff.
"Yes, I… thought you would need it soon so it will help you. To get through the hardest journey we need only to take a step at a time but we must keep on stepping." Mei Ling said as she looked down.
"I'll use this. Thanks."
"Here's my gift." Col. Campbell walked up with a small box.
Snake opened it and it showed a framed picture of a young woman and a man who he thought was himself only with an eyepatch. "Is this?"
"Big Boss and Eva. I took a picture of them in Hanoi. I never saw him look so… happy. I had a camera with me and I couldn't resist. He got really mad at me after that. I found this while I was cleaning out my house and… I thought you should have this."
Snake put his hand over the picture. It felt so surreal. He could remember the time in Shadow Moses when he found Meryl alive and well. He felt that way and again when Meryl and Johnny came back from Outer Haven. At that moment, he felt closer to his parents than he ever was when they were alive. "Thanks, Colonel."
"Can I see?" Mei Ling asked.
"Sure. Let the others see it." Snake handed the girl the picture.
"Ugh." Meryl walked in being supported by her husband. "What did I miss?"
"Are you okay, Meryl?" Campbell asked his daughter.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I… just ate some bad clams last night and I thought I got it all out of my system." Meryl waved off. "Don't worry about me."
Snake glanced up and down the woman. She seemed different somehow, something was off about her. It was that inner mercenary sense that kicks in even though he's fully retired from fighting. "All right. Your father just gave me his gift."
"It's the picture of Snake's parents." Mei Ling showed the two.
"Wow."
Johnny stared at the picture. "He looks just like Snake, only younger."
There was a moment of silence as Meryl hit her head. "That's because… forget it."
"Here's our present." Rosemary offered as she handed Snake a box.
Snake opened the box to reveal a book of coupons. "Coupons?" No, the coupons are more hand made by the feel of the paper. He took out the book and squinted at it. Grumbling, he reached into his other pocket and took out his reading glasses. Needing to rely on reading glasses was not something he was proud of. It was a sign of his age and he felt so nerdy, although, he couldn't admit it to Otacon. "Favors?"
"Yes, we believe that there are things that you would need and so these coupons are there for you to use when you need something." Rosemary explained.
"You can ask for anything and we won't ask questions." Raiden added. "Except that it can't be illegal or immoral."
"When's the last time I did anything illegal or immoral?" Snake asked. The group looked at the ex-mercenary. "Recently?"
"Anyway, it's our way of making sure that you use these coupons and for you to know that we will do what it takes to help you."
"Thanks, I'll use them. Otacon and Sunny can use them too right?"
"Yes."
"Good. Who's next?"
Meryl handed Snake a card while blushing brightly. Snake could tell that despite its somewhat dull appearance, Meryl was thinking of something big. Adjusting his glasses, he opened the card. His jaw dropped slightly and then he smiled an almost sad smile. "Congratulations." He told Meryl and Johnny.
"What did it say?" Otacon asked.
"The colonel better see it for himself." Snake handed the card over to the retired colonel.
Campbell opened the card and gasped. "Oh my god. Meryl?"
"Yes, Grandpa?"
"I'm going to be a grandpa!" Campbell gushed as he hugged Meryl.
"Congratulations!" Mei Ling joined in the hug and soon everyone was either hugging Meryl or shaking Johnny's hand.
"I can't believe you are going to be a father already." Hal confessed as he patted Johnny on the shoulder.
"Me too. We were hoping for kids but not this fast." Johnny rubbed the back of his head.
"You will make great parents." Snake said as he just sat to the side.
"Snake, I'm so sorry, we were afraid that we would take attention away from you." Meryl pulled away from the hugs.
"I don't mind."
"Of course you don't mind. You don't mind about what other people think about you."
"That's not true. I do mind, occasionally."
"Like when?"
"When people insult me about my age or doubt my sexual preferences. People kept on thinking that me and Otacon are a couple." Snake glared at Johnny who stepped back.
"It was just an honest mistake." Johnny excused. "What do you think of the baby's name?"
"David's an okay name."
"Okay name?" Meryl repeated, "Is that all you can say? We're naming him after you!"
"Really?"
"I knew we should have named him 'Snake'." Johnny snapped his fingers.
"No! We don't want to scar him for life. No offense, Snake."
"What about Pliskin?" Raiden suggested.
"That's just an alias. But it might do for a middle name."
"Why are you naming the baby after me?" Snake spoke up baffled at the conversation.
"Because we owe you." Meryl answered as she took his hand.
"You don't owe me anything. I caused you pain and I don't know why Johnny actually liked me."
"Because you're cool." Johnny answered.
"I'm not 'cool'."
"Yes, you are. You took down Metal Gears on a constant basis, you walked through a microwave corridor and still live, and you spared my life."
"What?"
"Back in Shadow Moses, you could have killed me with your bare hands but you didn't. You just thought to spare my life without even thinking about it and that made you cool. So, thanks for not killing me!"
Snake grumbled and then looked at Meryl. "You really know how to pick them."
"You should know." Meryl retorted.
"Uncle Dave, here's my gift." Sunny pushed a huge brightly colored box into the room. Snake walked up to the huge box. He took apart the wrappings and opened it to see it was full of paper cranes.
"Paper cranes?" He picked up a small paper crane.
"Uh huh. I heard that if you make a thousand paper cranes for a sick person, they get better."
Snake's eyes watered up at the gesture. It must have taken a lot of time and effort to do something like this. "It's working." He came up and hugged the little girl. "I'm surprised you managed to do this without me seeing it."
"Uncle Hal helped me in getting the paper and I just hid the paper cranes in different places where you would never look for them."
"You did a very good job at hiding them from me. I taught you well."
"Thanks!"
"S-Snake, here's my gift." Snake looked up to see Otacon handing him his gift with shaking hands. The former mercenary sighed as he accepted the medium sized box. "Looks harmless enough." He unwrapped it and opened it to bring out a pair of statues on the same board. It was the same type as Otacon collected and displayed but it was different. This pair was Otacon and himself back in Big Shell. Snake was dressed in that green jumpsuit that he used and he looked so young. The pair had their hands clasped together to show the end of their secret handshake. "Wow."
"I had a friend custom made it for me. I had a hard time deciding what to show so I thought that the second time we did our secret handshake was the appropriate time."
"Yeah." Snake sighed as he remembered that time in Big Shell.
"You two had a secret handshake?" Meryl chuckled.
"That's so cute." Rose admired.
"It was for identification purposes!" Snake blurted out as he slightly blushed.
"Can you show us?" Mei Ling asked.
"Please? I want to see it!" Sunny asked using her cute face.
Snake found himself wincing. He could face giant robots, microwave corridors and even an Evangeleon marathon but nothing makes his knees weak more than the perfected Sunny 'cute face'. "Okay. Ready, Otacon?"
"Always."
The two friends did the handshake flawlessly and Snake chuckled to himself. He may have not quite remembered all fifty state capitals of the US but he can still do physical moves. "Still got it."
"Cool!" John applauded. "I want to have a secret handshake too!"
"You can work with your father on that one." Snake advised. He looked at the statue still in one hand. He smiled as he put it down. "Thanks, Otacon. Thanks for the gifts, everyone. I'll keep them safe." He put his hand to his face trying to hold back the tears that threaten to come down.
"Snake?" Otacon glanced at his face. "Are you… crying?"
"NO!"
Snake sighed as he sat on the sofa as the party goers were trying to hit a piñata that looked just like Metal Gear Rex hanging in the middle of the living room.
"Hit it, Akiba!"
"I'm trying!"
"Why am I last?"
"Because you could take it down in one swipe, Mr. Cyborg Ninja."
"Shouldn't you go and join in?" Campbell asked as he sat down next to Snake.
"I had enough fighting metal gears for one lifetime. Besides, I'm just happy to watch."
"Yeah."
Silence followed between the two as they watched the gang try to take down the piñata.
"Do you remember the day we first met?" Campbell asked.
"When I joined Foxhound. It felt like ages ago."
"I know. I remember seeing and thinking 'Boy does he look like Big Boss back when he was younger.'. I thought you were a long lost son of his."
"And then it turns out I was his clone."
"All the stuff that happened with him and the Patriots and I never knew a thing. I wish I knew; I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For not finding out how little time you had left. I'm so blind. All the stuff that was going on around me and I never knew. Big Boss didn't even trust me enough for his plans to take down the Patriots. The Patriots didn't trust me enough let me into their plans. I'm just a fool stuck in the middle."
"And you are the last one standing. That's something to be proud of."
"I suppose." The colonel sighed as he looked up. "I'm going to dedicate myself to helping those who are suffering from SOP syndrome. Meryl would have suffered if it weren't for Johnny."
"I still can't believe that kid managed to survive ten years in the battlefield without any genetic tinkering or nanomachines."
"Kid? He's only seven years younger than you are."
Snake closed his eyes and held his head. "Damn."
"I know. Any regrets?"
"Nah. I've fight the good fight. I made friends and I will actually die of old age. It's a little sooner than I thought it would be but… I'm okay." Snake took off the party hat and stared at it. "Today I feel a little more human."
"I'm glad. Everyone worked hard for this party." Campbell stood up and stretched. "I'm going to get some punch. Want some?"
"Nah. Go ahead." Snake waved off.
Campbell went to the punch bowl and poured himself a cup. He spoke up as he walked back to the couch. "I knew Big Boss back when he was still calling himself 'Snake'. He was a real character. He had me join him in a mission to liberate this secret base. We were all alone and I had a broken leg and a bad bout of malaria. I tried to tell him that I can't fight with him and he told me that I can just drive the truck and shoot a gun. Heh. He… he would have been proud of you. I know I am." He looked down to see his friend nodding off. "Snake…"
"Got it!" Otacon cried out as he smashed the piñata down. "No wonder Snake likes doing this. Want some?" He paused to see Campbell watching Snake snore. "Oh…"
"He fell asleep? In a middle of his birthday party?!" Meryl exclaimed as she went up to wake him.
"No, don't. He needs his rest." Sunny halted the woman.
"She's right. Let's go outside." Otacon gestured and everyone went outside on the porch. "Thanks for coming, I'm sorry we had to cut this party short. Snake gets tired easily nowadays."
"We had fun. And Snake really enjoyed himself." Mei Ling hugged her friend.
Rosemary observed. "I wonder what he's dreaming?"
"I don't know. But, he has been resting better than before the final mission." Otacon observed. He smiled slightly. "But, he has stopped dreaming of wars. Maybe, he might actually have some better dreams."
In Snake's pocket, his camera was full of pictures. One of them was of Raiden trying to hide from him. The old man put his hand on his camera as he kept on dreaming of bright confetti and cardboard box cakes.
The End…