If anyone asks, yes, this is also on ao3.
I'm sad, not so much of Ike Link like it used to years ago... oh well! Time to get this fandom back right?
As per usual I do not own the characters and... yes, in my headcannon Snake is a lot like Tallahassee from Zombieland.
But are you sure his sword points that way?
"So… I see you like to fish, I like fish too…no, too stupid"
"Hey, how about we go grab some lunch together, right now? No, too direct"
"Link! I think you are a great swordsman…and archer, and pretty much great at everything you do…no! Too…pathetic"
Ike groaned and fell back on his bed, his arms spread on the mattress and legs dangling on the edge. He had been practicing in front of the mirror for almost an hour how to approach the hero of Hyrule and well, ask him out for once.
It had all started way before the official Smash Bros tournament, during the preliminary events and warm ups between contestants. Ike was nervous; he wasn't used to show his fighting skills outside of the necessary, for jobs and to protect his family and company. It was weird to be invited to such event and even more when apparently most of them already knew each other.
It was just then when the screen in front of them light up and showed the next contestants for trials. He sighed in relief when he saw it was him against someone called 'Link', so he made his way towards one of the teleports the tournament had assigned in order to reach the holographic stages.
They had a one on one on the Pirate Ship stage and they gave each other everything they got, reaching to a tie in the end since the clock counted zero's and none of them had flied out of the arena –or drown in what Ike assumed was water-. It had been fun, Link had used not only his sword, he had a full arsenal of bombs, arrows and Ike swore he saw a boomerang for a moment.
Just when the holographic stage faded and they were back in the bright white waiting room did Link approached Ike and offered a hand.
"Hey, nice fight back there" he smiled, Ike shaking hands with the Hylian "I'm Link, my third time in tournaments like this"
"I…Ike" the Crimean replied "first time actually"
"Oh you did amazing; you'll get in no problem about that" Link said while strapping his shield "I look forward to see you on the arena one more time"
If Mist had been there she would have said that was what love at first sight felt like.
After that it was all part of a blur. Ike was admitted into the tournament and managed a decent place in the top ten fighters, making friends along the way like Pit, the angel who was in reality a general despite his size, and rather loud personality, the soldier Snake, who had a strange craving for those spongy cream filled cakes and the quite elegant and rather pompous prince Marth of Altea.
But Link? Link was someone Ike had learned to watch from the distance. Link was a recognized fighter, a hero in his lands, who, for a while, Ike thought had a crush in princess Zelda; Marth had to reaffirm him that was mere bullshit.
"I know the guy Ike" Marth said one night when they were having dinner "and trust me, that's not the way his sword points at"
To say Ike choked with the chicken leg he was currently devouring was a firm statement of what happened after Marth spoke.
"Th… thanks for that"
"Point is" Marth sighed "you should ask him out already"
That conversation took place weeks ago, which lead to Ike now staring at the ceiling in total defeat. Ike had fallen hard for the blond sword master, and he had no way of approaching him.
"Are you moping again for Link?" Marth's voice made him look up "I thought you had asked him out already"
"Shut up" Ike groaned, grabbing his pillow to cover his face. Maybe he could just stay there for the rest of the evening.
"Quit that already and follow me, we are going to train"
"You hate training with me" Ike's voice sound muffled "I ruin your hair do"
"Link is down there"
Ike was up and besides Marth in less than three seconds.
"Just make sure to not use any awful sword related puns"
Ike rolled his eyes, as if he was going to use those with Link. No, puns were specifically used to bother and annoy the prince, even if it was Marth the one who used them more frequently. They walked towards the elevator and waited for it to go down to the basement level where the training room was.
"And don't you go freaking out on him again" Marth added, the lift reaching the floor of the training room.
"Marth for the last time" Ike sighed "I do not freak out on—hey!" he smiled, waving at the blond guy in front of him "hi, hi Link, hi"
The prince resisted the urge to groan at his friend. That was exactly what he was trying to avoid.
"Hey Ike" Link smiled back "Marth, what brings you down here?"
"We were just, uh we were just about to, you know"
""What my highly eloquent friend here is trying to say" Marth cut him off, pushing Ike out of the metal box "is that I was just accompanying him to the gym so he could train some hand to hand combat, find someone to spar with since I have an appointment to fulfil right now" he smiled and pressed the button "do try to keep up with his insane stamina"
Ike didn't have to turn around to see the smug smile on Marth's face as the doors closed. He had just been tricked by the prince and oh was he going to get back at him for this.
"So, looking for an opponent?" Link smiled at the Crimean "I don't mind going one on one if you are ok with it"
"Really?"
"Yeah, we had a few matches before remember? You are good"
Ike felt his neck warm at Link's smile.
"You are way better, I mean, good, I mean ah, you know what I mean" Ike slapped his face; he was totally making a fool of himself over his crush.
"Thanks" Link replied, and Ike could have sworn the tip of his ears turned pink "so… how about a two out of three?"
"Sure" Ike walked towards one of the training mats; he could do that, train. That was simple, that was something he was able to focus on with no problem…
"Loser invites the winner for a movie and dinner of course" Link added just as he stepped in front of Ike "I like seafood just so you know"
Ike had never met the ground so fast in his entire life.