A/N: And here we are with my LiveJournal fics for the challenge of writing fifteen pairings for a fandom. Well, the fandom's obviously Smash Bros, but the pairings are not clear cut as of yet. I have some slots left for requests, but have a read of this chapter to see if you even like my romance one shots for non-FalSam pairings before requesting :P Of course, there are some no go pairings, but more about that later.

For now, enjoy this chapter. I had great fun writing it. Behold, Byoshi's first attempt at writing Snake!

Disclaimer: All characters and settings are copyright to Nintendo or Konami. Only the writing belongs to me :)

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F I F T E E N

P A I R I N G S:

.:. No. 2 - Secrets .:.

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o-o-SNAKE X ZELDA-o-o

Snake was looking for signal. He always was at this time of day.

Tapping into the codec device, his face grew a few more frustrated lines for every attempt. He walked in circles, positioned the radio high and low, but no avail. With a striking resemblance to that of a lost traveller, Snake looked at everything in his view, hoping that something would help him, before giving up and putting the device away.

Finally.

After all, his clunky footsteps and faint mutterings were starting to irritate her. She wanted nothing more than a moment of peace. And so, straightening her back to look as dignified as possible, she called across the table.

"Why not try another time, Snake? Or somewhere else?"

"The signal was right here yesterday. Right here." He stood a metre away, a spot which was apparently meaningful. His shadow fell onto the table, and she watched it slide across her arm and book. "But it's gone. It takes me longer to find a bleedin' signal than it does to make the call. Too much interference, see."

She smiled at the word, and he seemed to notice. He quirked his eyebrow; she returned it.

"Have you ever thought that you might be interference? Your ceaseless efforts to try and get that thing working are interfering with my afternoon of reading."

A shadowy look crossed his face, and then his eyes lit up. "Got it! You're Zelda, aren't you? The smart one."

She was surprised. For someone who made a point of never mingling with others, it was impressive he could put her name to her face. His compliment was laced with what could have been admiration, but she put it down to sarcasm.

"That's correct, Snake. And this is the library. I'm trying to read."

"Really? I had the feeling you were trying to look like you were reading when all the while, you were watching me."

He shrugged nonchalantly, and Zelda grudgingly felt her respect for him grow. Despite his obvious tendency to only communicate with people outside, he was shockingly observant. Then again, rumours had filtered through the Mansion about Snake. That he was a mercenary, and a good one at that. His calculative mind, though not on par with Mewtwo, gave him the upper hand in many matches; his display of strength made even Ganondorf nod his head in begrudged approval.

They had exchanged smiles of acknowledgment and quick waves many times before. However, Zelda had only ever spoken to him twice. The first time, he had asked for directions to the laundry. The second time, he wanted to know how to apply for the fifteen minute Brawl. On both occasions, he had left her bewildered and confused. Given his remarkable skill, did he really need to ask for directions, or check protocol? What kind of mercenary asked the simplest of questions when he most likely knew the answers anyway?

And what kind of dignified princess found a haggard lone wolf so fascinating?

He slumped into the seat opposite, an unreadable expression on his face, an unknown reason for sitting with her. The enigma he carried with him and left behind...perhaps that was what interested her. Zelda, the smart one, always looking for clarity and answers, was stumped by this ragged man.

She twisted her nose to mask her enthrallment at the smell of peppermint and cigarettes; she gave him a perfected deadpan look to hide the smile wanting to break out. Oh yes, she was going to be 'oblivious' to all that, like always.

"What's the matter?" she asked him, trying to sound offhand.

Snake didn't answer straightaway. He pulled out a small cardboard packet and flipped it over, reading the back. Unaffected by the health warnings on there, he took out a cigarette and twirled it round his fingers like a baton. She wondered how he could make it look so easy.

"Question," he said, taking out the codec device once more. "Why do all electronics go haywire in this Mansion? This radio, for example?"

Another silly question, Zelda thought. He had better not make this a habit. If Snake had paid attention to Master Hand's welcoming speech, he would have found out that the Mansion was not capable of catering to every world. People and devices were going to be affected by the clash of modern technology and ancient magic.

"...This Mansion throws logic out of the window. Expect things to not go as planned." She turned a page of her book, only realising afterwards that she hadn't registered a single word. "Or, it may just be Mewtwo playing games with you."

He wasn't satisfied with her answer. Snake brought the cigarette to his mouth and clamped his lips over it, fumbling for a lighter. In a moment of self-indulgence, Zelda considered using Din's Fire to light that cigarette and accidentally-on-purpose, singe that ugly beard as well. However, she took her usual route of virtue, coughed lightly and outstretched a hand.

"Popo and Nana are reading just around the corner. I won't have you smoke around them."

And like a schoolboy who had just been caught eating sweets in class, Snake sighed and handed over the guilty item. "There you go."

She set it down on her book, and watched it roll into the nook in the middle of the open pages. There, it wobbled from left to right before coming to a complete halt and taking away Zelda's reason to look at it. With no cigarette to smoke or even chew on, Snake resorted to his radio to channel his fidgeting. Zelda gave the device an unimpressed look, so that her fascination with it wouldn't show through.

"It's instant with that, isn't it?" she said. "Communicating with people. I have to wait a week for my letter to reach my father, and wait another one for his reply."

"That blows," he remarked fervently, but a sharp glint in her eyes told him he had said the wrong thing.

"No, it doesn't actually." She tried to cross one leg over the other, however, one of his heels rested on the hem of her dress and prevented her from doing so. "Waiting adds value. To wait so long for something makes that end result all the more special. Patience is a virtue, Snake."

"Patience is just suppressed impatience."

And to make up for the silence that now followed, he nudged the radio forwards, asking her wordlessly to take it and examine it for herself. But she declined, deciding that seeing it was enough. It was a very complex box, dotted with grey buttons and a flickering screen. It almost looked alive. One time, Fox had tried to explain to her the technicalities of electronic communications, but she could only simplify it to fit her world. A signal acted like a postman, a necessity for two people to connect, just faster.

Such a handy item didn't deserve to be doubted or frowned upon; such a decent man didn't deserve her derision. But that was what escaped from her, in the form of curling lips and stony eyes.

"Does it scare you?" he asked suddenly.

Another stupid question, Zelda noted. Surely this was intentional. Why would she be afraid of a radio? But when Snake elaborated, she found he wasn't being so stupid after all. In fact, he was deadly accurate.

"Not knowing, I mean. Radios, electricity...people, even. Does it scare you? Not having knowledge or facts to fall back on. Just guesswork."

She stared at him, but didn't give into those dark eyes yet. Yes, she wanted to tell him. She was brought up to scrutinise and make decisions based on facts, to leave no room for mystery or as Snake put it, guesswork. It frightened her, in the bizarre sense that it made her feel unsafe; at the same time, it was what drew her to him.

"It might do," she answered vaguely.

He sighed, leaning forwards across the table. Peppermint skipped across the gap between them, dancing around her nostrils and becoming dangerously familiar and comforting.

"I thought as much. For someone as uptight and smart as you, realising you don't have the answer to everything can be daunting."

Very accurate. She couldn't find a clever retort. She could only say, "...I'm not uptight."

This was, Zelda decided resolutely, entirely her fault. She had let her guard down around him, shown her wariness but growing interest of the modern technology and ultimately, him. His mystery, the secrets he held...it all intrigued her, and he knew it. He was probably aware of how often she stared at him, and how every time he tried to make contact, she'd pretend to be unaffected. Wear the mask of an ice queen and fool them both.

That mask was long gone. He probably saw through it right from the beginning. She had never been good at concealing her curiosity.

Snake picked up the radio, jiggled it a little and made it bow like a person. "...Codec says he's sorry for not being good enough for you."

It was a pathetic attempt at a joke to make her forget how easily he had insulted her. Nevertheless, a smile worked its way onto her face, although it was only for a second or so. She thought she saw him return it, but a lot of him remained in shadow as he sunk back into his seat.

"I need signal," he said after a moment. Getting to his feet, he tossed the radio from one hand to the other. Zelda stood up, although the reason for doing so wouldn't come to her.

"Here." He threw the radio, and she caught it in cupped hands. "Want to help? I could do with it."

Yes please! her heart screamed.

"...I don't think I'd be much help," she answered instead. Snake didn't express any disappointment. He merely strode over to stand opposite her.

"I'll take that then." He reached for the radio, but Zelda couldn't recall if he ever did get it. Her fingers had gone numb as soon as his thumb scraped them; peppermint paralysed her and swiftly blew away any rational thoughts she had.

Would he mind if she tried to kiss him? He was just there, after all. Right there, in front of her. Exactly what she wanted.

Instantaneous. Like codecs, like him, she could get what she wanted, right when she wanted it...

Her lips brushed against his rough cheek and beard. He moved back, but not before she felt him grin. He seemed to look a bit brighter, less scruffy, as though elegance came with every gradual revelation she made of him.

"Patience is a virtue," he quipped, radio in hand. "Waiting adds value to the end result. I learned that today."

And with suppressed impatience, Zelda watched him turn on his heel and go. He had left her with all his secrets in tact, and hers, completely and utterly exposed.

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E N D

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A/N: I have never played Metal Gear Solid - let's just get that clear. I typically think of Snake as a mysterious, cool guy who's super-technical and smart. I'm not sure how fitting that is to his character, so this one shot may be pretty horrendous for all I know. In any case, I'm pretty pleased with it, but really, that's for you to decide.

If you have any thoughts you'd like to share on this, please do. I'd appreciate some feedback. Also, if you have any request pairings, give us a bell. In a nutshell, I will write any het pairing so long as it's not RoyxPeach or involving Pit or Sonic. Please also bear in mind I might not be able to fulfil your request, due to limited slots.

Anyhoo, that's about all I have to say, except for happy Friday 13th! Thanks for reading, please review and see ya next time!