Hello, faithful readers. Here I am with a Snake x Zelda one-shot following the events of Fearless. Since there's still a serious lack of stories with this pairing in the Smash Bros section, I'm doing what I can contribute. I hope you enjoy it. Constructive criticism and reviews are always welcomed.

"Practice Doesn't Always Make Perfect"

The sun stood tall over the land, allowing its rays to give warmth to those underneath it. It was nearly noon, but he had not made any attempts to leave his bed yet. After four days of nonstop brawling, from being eaten, blown up, body-slammed, electrocuted, or shot into the horizon of the sun, it was no wonder that his body was so exhausted .

However, that was something he would need time to adjust to. It was the life of a Smash Brother, after all. Besides, he rarely got to sleep in. If anything, today was the day to make the most out of his blessings.

Unfortunately, as with all good things, it came to a sudden crashing halt. Bitter clouds of smoke ran through the halls of the Smash Headquarters. Those at close-range were helpless against its blinding rage and unholy scent. Others who were lucky enough to foresee the event, took a stroll outside so they could avoid unnecessary trouble. After all, this was growing to become a normal trend.

Seeping its way underneath his door, smoke infiltrated the confines of Solid Snake's room. Harmless at first, it seemed the misbegotten smog didn't bother him. Either it was a minor annoyance or the mercenary was too in tuned with his dream.

It wouldn't last. As if it was his twin brother, Liquid Snake, the smoke rushed into his nostrils and brought him back to reality, feeling more like a punch to the skull than a simple wake up call. He shot out of his bed, headache and all, immediately recognizing the noxious fumes as a threat.

Unlike Metal Gear REX, which could crush rock with relative ease, or RAY, whose laser could slice the likes of metal to ribbons, this menace posed an even greater threat to his being. Sure, it was unconventional, but this was no laughing matter! Only he truly understood the situation at hand.

It was time he put his reconnaissance training to the test. Unfortunately, time was of the essence and he didn't have enough to put on his patented sneaking suit. Bearing only his sweatpants and tanktop, Snake made the most out of what he was given.

He pressed his body gently against the door, placing one hand on the knob and the other around the edge, and slowly opened it. As if it were fully aware of his plan, the door protested with a high-pitched creak. Snake flinched, knowing if he were to have made the same mistake back on Shadow Moses Island a few years ago, the guards would have pounced on him a thousand times over.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Snake made sure to hastily close the door, not giving it any time to cry a second time, and continue his mission. In that same instant, his eyes felt the sting of the thick smoke that filled the hallway. To make himself a smaller target to spot as well as protect his vision, Snake placed himself on the floor and proceeded to crawl, following the dark clouds downstairs.

Once the former solider of Foxhound finally reached the door of the kitchen, his nostrils were viciously assaulted by an explosion of scents, immediately confirming his unwanted paranoia. He steadily opened the door, silently praying that it was just a farce or even a cruel and unusual joke.

That would not be the case today. In fact, the situation was much more dangerous than he had originally thought.

If he didn't know any better, Snake would have suspected that a war had broken out in the kitchen, and poor Zelda was the main target. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, small bits of food rested all over her body including her hair, and a few tears were escaping from her eyes, which were obviously irritated from the vast amount of smoke they had to endure.

Luckily, the princess was so focused on the task at hand, she had no time to notice that she was being watched. There she stood with her back to the door, steadily removing a small pan from the stove. This same pan was the source of the smoke that filled the Headquarters to the brim. As she continued, Snake noticed a trail of countless pots, pans, and bowls that rested in her wake, each filled with a substance that he could not make out even if he wanted to.

His eyes left the battle-damaged elf to the plate which she emptied the pan into. Then it finally struck him.

"A surprise breakfast."

Snake let out a flustered sigh at the realization. The contents on the plate were clearly inedible, and anyone foolish enough to try and eat such a mess would've suffered a most horrible fate. So why didn't he run off and hide the first chance he had? For the love of Pete, staying out of sight was one of his professional traits.

Simply shrugging his shoulders, the mercenary crept back upstairs to await his destiny.

His mind grew furious with him. Not too much of a surprise, really. For the entire month of his newly started relationship with the princess, it seemed he was at odds with himself more than ever before. The usual 'It'll never work' or 'You're not meant to be happy' ran through his head like a broken record everyday it seemed.

Zelda had not done anything to make him think this way, and truth be told, he was rather happy with the changes in his life. Just as he finally made it back to his bed, a familiar throb coursed through his skull, causing the man to place his hand over his forehead. His stubbornness had a nasty habit of giving him the most unwanted migraines.

Unlike the other times though, his mind was being reasonable today.

"You saw what she was cooking in the kitchen. Do you really think you can stomach it this time?"

Folding his arms and sighing lightly, Snake could only nod his head. This wasn't Zelda's first time trying to conjure up a meal.

"As a matter of fact," he muttered, slowly remembering the events of the past. "She was the one who started this."

That memory was as clear as the ones from Shadow Moses- ones he were better off forgetting. It was like any other day, but unlike the others, Snake, upon Zelda's advice (or pleas), decided to come along and mingle with everybody. By 'mingle', he merely sat at the kitchen table and glared at everyone, but as far as his girlfriend was concerned, it was progress.

Mario had just won the latest tournament, and Princess Peach was preparing a cake to help celebrate his victory.

"It's smells quite divine," Zelda sighed, inhaling the lovely fumes the pound cake was emitting. Peach, with a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, only smiled. "How on earth did you learn to cook to such a degree?"

"Hours and hours of practice," the mushroom princess replied as she carefully stirred the contents in her bowl. "Being cooped up in a castle by yourself can lead to boredom on occasion," she added before finally stopping to pour the substance onto the waiting cake. "Luckily, I had an entire kitchen with loads of cook books all to myself."

Zelda, not having the same freedom the blond had, frowned slightly. "You're lucky. I never had to chance to set foot in the kitchen, let alone try and cook anything," the brunette confessed, feeling her cheeks flush. However, she was quick to the vast amount of sweat coming from the her friend's forehead. "I must ask though, why do you cook? It seems like it's so much work."

Much like the Princess of Hyrule, the Mushroom Princess felt a hot blush rise on her face. Her sky blue eyes looked away in a lame attempt to hide her embarrassment. "Because it's fun!" she hastily replied before softly brushing her hair back. "And I usually do it for Mario."

"Why?" the elf bluntly asked, edging closer to her companion.

"A man likes a woman who can cook, I think..."

Closing his eyes, Snake couldn't help but smile. Zelda was the type to do everything in her power to make people happy. Whether it was for her friends, kingdom, or boyfriend, the Hyrulian Princess who give her soul just for them. He ran his hand through his silky hair and sighed inwardly.

"She's got a heart of gold," he murmured before shaking his head lightly. "Best to make sure I never break it."

A sudden knock behind the door knocked the mercenary out of his trance. Not wanting to ruin the elf's surprise, he closed his eyes and retook his sleeping position. Meanwhile, Zelda crept as silently as she could into the bedroom, although it was a difficult task opening the door whilst balancing the large tray she carried. The numerous plates and glasses on the tray clattered noisily together as she set it down on the bedside table next to where Snake was sleeping.

Despite his professional background, the solider had to use a great deal of strength to stifle his growing laughter. This was most troublesome. Had the princess lighten him up to an extent? The small smile on his face would suggest so. After what seemed like several minutes, Zelda finally sat down on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on one of his blanket covered legs. The older man let out a low growl as he stretched his limbs, slowly opening his eyes.

He sat up with his patented stoic expression and muttered a simple, "Morning."

"Morning," she replied as she nodded towards the tray resting behind him. She smiled, although the blush on her face was plain to see. "I made you... breakfast," she hesitantly stated.

"You didn't have to," he bluntly responded, causing the young woman to cringe slightly. However, he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It seems like you slaved over the stove. You even got food in your hair," he added.

Zelda's eyes grew as wide as saucers at the comment. It seemed in her busy state, she had not noticed the small beads of dough that stuck itself within her beautiful hair. She tried to pull some of the waste out, but it seemed most of it was stuck, as if it didn't want to leave its new home.

"I wanted to," she responded, looking away to hide her embarrassment. "I wanted to do something special for you, but I have to accept that I'm a terrible cook."

Before the princess could say anything further, Snake leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on the woman's forehead. "If you're not careful, you'll end up spoiling me," he whispered before placing his lips on hers for a brief moment. "You smell like oatmeal," he quiped, earning a well-deserved punch on the shoulder from the brunette. The couple shared a moment of laughter before Snake finally took the nearest bowl and utensil in hand and simply smiled reassuringly. "Practice makes perfect, Princess."

Snake raised his brow at the concoction, but he quickly left his fears behind, lunging the spoon into his mouth.

"Practice doesn't always make perfect," he thought, working the materials around in his mouth before finally finding the nerve to swallow. "...but maybe it will with time."

As she watched her loved one eat his meal, an idea popped up in the elf's head, causing a wide smile to form on her face. "Perhaps I should try baking a cake the next time?"

That very instant, it felt as if Snake's entire stomach did a somersault and back-flip but botched the landing when a sharp pain ran through. The mercenary's face turned a shade a green before his mind left him with a passing message.

"Hopefully sooner than later..."