The A Team
Author note: I do not own Criminal Minds nor do I own Super Smash bros. And I don't own Dr. Spencer Reid, Samus Aran, or Pikachu, either... I also do not own the song that inspired this fic, 'The A Team,' by Ed Sheeran.
This oneshot is kind of more Valentine's Day-ish (sort of), and I know that Valentine's Day is in February, but I couldn't wait that long to write this, obviously.
Warnings: Sort of AU, possible OOC, and...Broken ankles and possible pairing between Samus and Spencer if you squint? Oh, right, and their backstories are mentioned, so sorry about any spoilers.
Constructive criticism would be great as well as reviews, and I hope you enjoy! Thanks!
If anyone looked at Samus Aran right now, one could describe her face as 'crumbling like pastries with sheer annoyance.'
She wasn't having the best week ever. From who knows how many losses in her brawls against the Smashers in the tournaments, to Captain Falcon and Snake trying to gain her affections, almost everything that had happened so far this week had irked Samus.
Even worse, today was Valentine's day.
All of the Smashers had been chatting to each other about who they were going to give gifts to; Samus had spotted Snake buying red roses (probably for her) and Kirby attempting to bake a cake for Jigglypuff (but the Star Warrior ended up eating the cake, unfortunately). Link and Zelda were probably going on a date today at some café here in Smashville.
It just...annoyed her. She wasn't interested in a relationship. She came to this tournament to fight, not get all lovey-dovey with the other men in the tournament. They didn't even know that she was a woman until the Melee tournament.
Then again, there was always Pikachu to cheer her up since the Subspace Emissary, and the electric Pokémon was trying his hardest to keep her optimistic as they treaded down the icy sidewalks of Smashville. Samus hated the cold, wrapping a large, warm coat about herself before she left Smash Mansion; but she supposed a walk could help her sort out her thoughts, even if she was breathing in snowflakes everywhere she went. She also decided to grab a small box of pastries to share with Pikachu when they got back to the Mansion. It would be a nice gesture. After all, Valentine's day didn't have to mean celebrating just love between couples. It could be love between friends, too.
There was one spot on the sidewalk where it was particularly slippery. And she ended up stepping on it.
She slipped.
Before she realized it, she had crashed into a person and books, Pikachu (he was on her shoulder), and the box of pastries went flying. Pikachu landed on Samus' face and she slipped onto the ground, landing on her rear. As Pikachu got off Samus, a book smacked her in the face, bouncing onto the icy ground.
"Oww...I'm so sorry!" the other person spoke quickly, and Samus looked to her left to see him. He brushed some of his dark brown hair out of his face, revealing his brown eyes. His skin was pale, and he wore a red scarf around his neck, as well as a black coat and tan-coloured trousers with black shoes. He was struggling to get up, and the bounty hunter stood, holding out a hand. He hesitated before accepting it and still struggling to get up. Samus eventually grabbed his other arm and helped him stand. "Thanks..." he paused for a moment, cringing in pain. He looked downwards, testing his left ankle. "I think I broke my ankle..." he muttered quietly. "This isn't good..."
"I can call an ambulance or something..." Samus dug in her coat pocket, taking out her cellphone before realizing, "Oh...shoot. I forgot; it ran out of battery...do you have a cellphone?"
The man checked his pockets, before taking out what looked like a smashed piece of machinery. "I think mine broke when I fell just now..." he sighed. "So much for that idea..."
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu looked up at the two, concerned.
"I'm alright Pikachu." Samus responded to the electric mouse as she helped the man sit on a nearby bench. "We're going to have to get this guy to the hospital..." she turned to the man. "I might as well introduce myself. My name is Samus Aran, and this is my friend Pikachu. Yours?"
"Sp-spencer Reid." He stammered in response. Samus shivered slightly as a cold breeze swept over her. "Umm..." he took off his scarf and extended it towards Samus. "You sensitive to the cold? You-you can use it if you want. It's not good to have your neck exposed to this weather."
"Yeah...um...thanks..." Samus accepted the scarf eagerly and wrapped it about her neck quickly. "You sure I can use this for now?"
"Yeah..." he looked down at the sidewalk. "Shoot, my books..." he tried to stand again, but he cringed in pain again.
"I'll get those for you." Samus and Pikachu grabbed the books and then realized- "The pastries! Darn it..." The box of pastries was completely flattened. Samus figured either she or Reid fell on them or a book squished it. The books were pretty heavy, after all...
"Sorry-aaah!" the last part was because Reid tried to get up again, but he fell flat on his face. "Oww..."
"I don't think you should try moving that ankle anymore. You're going to end up smashing your face on the pavement again..." Samus trailed off, helping him up again as Pikachu picked the somewhat squished pastries in his paws. "We really need to take you to a hospital."
"Um...okay..."
Just then, Samus saw a yellow car in the distance. Could it be...
"TAXI!" Samus screamed, waving one of her arms. "TAXI! HEY! TAXI-"
WHOOSH! A barrage of snow smacked everyone down as the taxi drove by. They got up, shaking as much snow as they could off each other. "PIKA-PIKA!" Pikachu shouted, not looking happy.
"Curse you taxis!" Samus shouted as the taxi drove away. "Curse you!"
"I'm not sure if that was a good idea..." Spencer trailed off, a little shocked by the other two's reactions. "It's most likely that taxi already had passengers..."
Samus sighed. "So much for that idea...alright, I'm taking you to the hospital. Hope you don't mind me half-carrying you since your ankle is broken."
"Wait...sorry...whaaat!?" Reid's voice seemed to go up an octave at that point. "Um...you seriously mean you're going to carry me?" he asked, seemingly mortified at the idea.
"How else am I supposed to get you over there? I can't drag you; that just wouldn't work and would be more damaging to your ankle, genius." A bipedal jackal turned the corner, staring at them. "Lucario...good timing. We need to get this guy to the hospital and stuff...he broke an ankle when I crashed into him. Blame the ice."
"Samus? What's going on? I could sense you by the time I got onto Main Street...and I'm sure I heard you yelling curses to taxis." Lucario asked, walking over to them.
"I'll explain on the way to the hospital. Can you carry the books?"
"Thanks for...helping me." Reid spoke quietly. He currently sat on a bench beside Samus, his left ankle wrapped in bandages as well as a small band-aid on his face. It turned out the ankle did break, and when he fell on his face earlier, he also got a small cut. The doctor had told them it would take at least five weeks for Reid's ankle to heal as a result.
Lucario and Pikachu had gone to grab some coffee for the two, so they were the only ones in the hallway.
"It's no problem," Samus reassured him. "Believe me, this sort of thing happens a lot at Smash Mansion, especially if the floors are still wet. I can see why it's easy for people to get injured in the winter now..."
"What exactly were you doing with those pastries, anyway?" Reid asked. "Were you going to give them to anyone for Valentine's day?"
"No I wasn't..." Samus groaned in response, face-palming herself. "They were for Pikachu and I to share when we got back home, but unfortunately they got destroyed due to earlier..." she paused for a moment before asking, "And what were you doing today? I thought guys like you would have a date or something."
Spencer seemed to blush lightly at that comment, his eyes averting her blue ones temporarily before he spoke. "U-um...I was looking at some 15th century literature in the bookstores, actually. I figured I could read some of it to my mom...next time I visit her..." he looked at Samus now, with full eye contact. "I send a letter to my mom every day, you know."
Samus smiled a little. "That's sweet."
"Yeah...I write one everyday because...then I won't feel so guilty about not visiting her." Samus was confused slightly. Spencer hesitated before speaking again. "Did you know that...schizophrenia is passed genetically?"
Oh. Samus' smile faded as she immediately got the picture. Reid's mom must be suffering from schizophrenia, and was probably put in some institution or something. Reid was probably...concerned for his mom's well-being and that's why he sends letters. Samus couldn't help but feel bad for the guy; that he had to struggle with one of his parents having mental problems...
"What about your dad?" Samus couldn't help but ask that question. Reid had never mentioned his father up until now.
"...He left. A long time ago."
"Oh..." Samus paused for a moment. "I'm sorry..." she paused again before continuing. "At least...at least before that...you had parents that could take care of you..."
"My mother gave all her effort to raise me. What do you mean by 'could' take care of me? She gave it her all, even after dad left, even when her illness got worse. That's what matters." Spencer didn't seem happy about what the other had spoken just now, snapping. He then looked away again, taking a deep breath before giving eye contact again. "Sorry...it's just that..."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way." The two were silent again before Samus broke the silence. "My parents are dead. They were killed when I was three years of age."
"H-how?"
"Ridley. The leader of the infamous Space Pirates." Samus bit back a growl as she continued. "They murdered my parents. Every time I've seen that monster since, I've killed it...but it keeps coming back. I resolve to keep killing it until it stays dead..."
"But...then who took care of you? Did someone adopt you?"
"No. A race by the name of the Chozo found me and raised me the best they could. I soon applied to join the Galactic Federation, but I left. I just work as a freelance bounty hunter now."
The two were silent the for the third time in a row. Spencer had a good feeling he should probably change the subject. He briefly looked out the window before turning to Samus again. "You know...the clouds out there...they look kind of like angels, don't they?"
"Yeah, I guess..." Samus paused for a moment. "But seriously, what sort of angels would go out there? It's cold outside for them to fly... I think it would be too cold for them to die out there, though. Maybe frozen, but not dead."
"I'm not sure if angels have the ability to die."
"Oh, good point about that." Samus looked at the clock. "Shoot...my friends and have got to get home soon for dinner..."
Spencer also took notice of the clock. "Same goes for me." he replied. He sighed. "But...we can't really call a taxi...our cellphones are broken."
"Reid, there are payphones in the hospital. I'll call a taxi for you."
"Thanks...Samus."
"Thanks for everything today." The taxi was pulling up to the curb as Reid spoke.
Samus nodded in response. "It's no problem." she opened the door for him as Reid got into the car, along with a crutch and his books. "Hey...Happy Valentine's day, Reid."
Spencer smiled back quietly. "Happy Valentine's day to you too, Samus. See you around."
"Bye." The door closed, and the taxi drove off. Samus turned to her other two friends.
"Let's go home."
"Pika-pika!"
"Sounds good, Samus. We did good today..." As the three started walking back to Smash Mansion, Samus couldn't help but smile a bit more. Her day had definitely brightened up for sure.
In the taxi, Spencer couldn't help but think that this wasn't going to be the last time he would see Samus Aran, bounty hunter, for sure.
Author note: Okay...so...what do you think? Too sappy or short? Maybe a bit rushed? Tell me what you think in the reviews! Thanks so much for reading this fic!