See You At Work

Warnings: For those uncomfortable with the thought of crossdressing (dressing up like the opposite sex), please do not read further.

Disclaimer: Nintendo owns everything. I merely rent their characters.

A/N: Thank you very much for all the reviews and favourites! It's great to see people enjoying this story! I also have an announcement regarding this fic at the end; I'd be overjoyed if you would read to that point! : )

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Roy unlocked the door, letting an extremely tired Ike enter the apartment. The taller of the two dragged his feet on the hardwood floor before collapsing onto the couch (which was rather comfortable seeing as it doubled for Roy's bed).

"Tough day at work?" Roy went into the kitchen and extracted two pop cans from the fridge. He tossed one over to Ike but winced when it hit the unaware male in the spine. Ike could only groan as he sat upright on the sofa.

"Well, I hadn't expected such a small cafe to be so popular in the afternoon." Ike stated as he searched for the soda can, which had rolled its way into the deep pockets of the couch. He hoped Roy had heeded his advice and cleaned up. Last time Marth dropped his watch in there, he refused to ever wear it again after Roy fished it out.

"It's in downtown after all. Plus, Fridays are busy no matter where you go."

"Yeah, but it's quite tucked in and hard to spot. The exterior doesn't attract that much attention; I wonder how it became so well-known."

"Maybe the service and food tastes good?" Roy took a sip from his can of cream soda as Ike opened his own.

"I'm not sure about the food. But there is something interesting about it." He thought about mentioning the varied work attire to Roy, but decided against it as that would inform Roy of his winning bet. "Hey, did you know that Marth works there?"

"Hmm, he's told me before the he works at a cafe-- Wait, you mean you work with him?"

"Yup. It's nice to know someone at work right from the start."

"That's great! You get to hang out with him more now!" Roy's face lit up, but the smile was lost when he considered his next thoughts. "Wow, I'm kind of envious."

"How come?"

"You two are out working together all the time while I'm stuck at a stupid video store! I wanna work with you guys too."

"Roy, you said that video store was your dreamland; you rent so many movies and games for free there."

"Yeah, but still... I rarely hang out with Marth, even though we all live together. He and I used to be so close in primary school, like brothers." The look on Roy's face was calm and nostalgic; the air around him growing heavy as his thoughts wandered to the 'good ol' days'. Ike had never seen him that way before. Was Marth that important to Roy...? "I just miss those days."

Ike nodded and tried to lighten the mood. "Happens to everyone when you get older. You probably wouldn't want to take a bubble bath with him at this age though."

Roy's face became redder. "H-How did you know about that."

It seems the plan had worked. "Four hours of working together does entail some conversation from time to time. Your history seems to be good material between the two of us."

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?"

"Should've thought of that when you signed us up to split the rent." Roy frowned and rummaged into the plastic bags on the coffee table, attempting to open the potato chip packaging before offering the well-sealed bag to Ike. The other man simply tore it open as Roy whistled with approval.

"So how is it working with him, anyways?" Ike pondered on the question as they munched away at the crispy chips. He thought back to the very beginning, where Marth seemed to be hiding something as he whispered to Zelda. He even offered to take up all of Ike's nightshifts, but why....? There was one thing he was positive about though.

"The guy is a true gentleman when it comes to work. He smiles and makes the female customers gush," Ike imitated the look of one of Marth's fans, eyes half-lidded and gazing skyward in a dazed fashion, hands clasped together for extra effect. Roy choked upon seeing his friend trying to be a teenaged girl. Ike smirked and regained his usual posture. "He works quickly and does everything in a graceful manner. He truly treats the people that come in like his king or queen! It's amazing when you watch Marth work; you can just see all the customers falling for him the moment they see his face."

Roy laughed, coughing as he had not fully recovered from choking before. This sounded familiar. "Marth's the type of charismatic individual that you almost never come across." (A few more coughs, then a quick sip of his pop). "He's so perfect; it's almost frightening. And what's more, he's not faking it, which makes him even harder to not like."

Ike had forgotten just how well Roy knew Marth. "Wow. Roy, I never knew such an observation could come from you." Roy stuck out his tongue at the comment. "There are others that work at the cafe though. The head waitress is quite nice, although she's a bit violent. She hit me with the menu during the tutorial." Roy laughed again, with bits of potato flying everywhere. Ew.

"Why'd she do that? Were you clumsy or something?"

"No, of course not. I was just... distracted."

"... Was she hot?"

"ROY!"

"I'm kidding! I just figured if you were distracted, maybe it was from her beauty... But then again, I never see you taking interest in girls. Why is that?"

"...I never really think much about it."

"That's not healthy."

"...Whatever." Ike crushed the can he'd just finished and dumped it into the nearby recycling bin. "By the way, Marth's coming home late tonight. Can you start making dinner?" Roy paused. He then slowly turned his head towards Ike with a sheepish smile on his face. Ike sighed.

"At least... cook some rice."

"I can do that!" The redhead went right to it and let their conversation finish. Ike headed to his room, hoping to change into some more comfortable clothes. While retrieving a clean T-shirt, he idly wondered if the rice cooker would survive the menace of the kitchen known as Roy. He'll have to check on him in a few minutes. The blue-haired man took the menu out from his bag. God, studying during the summer wasn't fun.

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Marth checked the clock religiously that evening. He had kicked Ike out at exactly six o'clock, allowing for extra time to change and to make sure his roommate would not meet the usuals. He wanted to head to the back, but the customers were trying to keep him; many of them offering him an extra tip when he stayed for a bit of chitchat.

"Hey, Marth. Busy night again?" The single person sitting by the counter called to him.

"Good evening, Link. And yes, business is booming as expected." The bluenette sighed, knowing the night was far from over. "Here for Sheik again?" The blond smiled.

"Always."

"Why don't you ever come in the mornings?" The blond had been coming for almost half a year, but Marth only catches him at night.

"Work never lets me change my shift, much like yourself."

"Ah."

"Okay, I'll leave you be now and await your upcoming performance." Link went back to sipping what looked like a mug full of milk. Marth wanted to offer him some cakes, but he'd have to do so later. As he walked down the hallway, Zelda burst out from her office, catching Marth mid-step and throwing something into his arms.

"It's finished! I'm so glad I made it in time!" The brunette was overjoyed with her latest piece of work, gasping for air after all that labour. Marth congratulated her, but it was only out of courtesy. "Well, this will be your outfit tonight; I just know you'll look gorgeous in it, dear. Now let's hurry to get changed!" Zelda closed the door again, likely rummaging through her own personal collection for an outfit tonight. Marth headed to the closet dressing rooms and unravelled the clump of fabric that had been shoved into his arms.

Red, silky, and with beautiful embroidered designs.

And he thought the maid outfit had taken all of his dignity already. Tonight, this Chinese qipao was going to top his list of "most mortifying outfits ever". He grimaced at the side slits cut to obviously show some thigh.

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"Well. That wasn't TOO bad."

The employees for the next shift had come in around ten in the evening. Zelda called Pit and Marth to the counter after the replacements changed, telling them it was good to leave for the night.

"Maybe for you; you got to wear pants." Marth took baby steps as they headed to the back, showing as little skin as possible (which, proved difficult) in that silky dress. Pit pulled out the elastic bands that kept his hair in tiny pigtails. He had thought he was safe for tonight, but Zelda had managed to find an old, pink Chinese outfit in the back of the closet. Seeing this as a perfect opportunity, she forced Pit to put it on and act as a female attendant to Marth. As the boss predicted, the patrons of the night loved the pair in their traditional Chinese outfits. The light from the flashes going off while they were in costume was enough to light a city.

"Hey, you got to be a mistress for tonight. Isn't that something to be happy about?" The two headed into the changerooms, juggling to get their casual clothes back on as they conversed through the thin walls.

"I don't think any man would be happy about being a mistress."

"You pulled it off pretty well though; seductive smiles and all. The crowd went wild every time you crossed your legs." Marth tried to think of a comeback, but the statement held truth in it. After working at Hyrule Cafe for so long, he had gotten used to being in-character with the outfits that Zelda provided him. His cheeks become a bright shade of red.

"I-I just hope no one I know was at the shop today." Being a university student, he'd hate to walk around campus and be recognized as "the mistress from the cafe". He plucked off the fake lashes before slipping out of the dress, silently thanking Peach for the make-up that was enough to hide his identity.

"But don't you know Ike from outside work? I think it'd be cute to have him call you 'Mistress Marth'." You can always count on Pit to slap reality mixed with humour into your face. But Marth was a strong person. He could handle it.

"Pit." The senior's back shivered when he felt the atmosphere change. He was ninety per cent sure that Marth was smiling through that wall. "Zelda's been wanting more of our staff to try the outfits she makes for me. I think I'm going to put your name forward."

The next Friday night, Zelda would reveal her latest work, causing the cafe to roar and whistle at the sighting of the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, as portrayed by a short brunette. Pit would learn to never again joke about Marth's crossdressing.

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Ike arrived at the cafe at six in the morning, trying to start his second week of work without yawning.

Last night, one way or another, Roy had convinced him to play the recently released game he brought back from the video store. While Roy quickly fell asleep from boredom, Ike was immediately hooked on the tactics game, sending the Lord sprite up in the front lines in every battle as he broke through enemy formations. By the time he had his first Game Over, the clock indicated it was 3 A.M. Apparently strategic planning outside of the gaming world was not Ike's forte.

"Oh, good morning, Ike!" In the kitchen (or make-shift kitchen for the small cafe), the pastry chef greeted the tall bluenette with a smile.

"Hey Luigi, how's it going?"

"Just getting the shop ready to open. Could'ya help me out a little, here? I need to put these desserts up in the front." The short Italian handed a tray full of pastries to Ike, who fumbled with it along with the duffle bag on his shoulder. When he placed the cakes into the glass counter, he noticed Luigi talking to a red-eyed blonde with a ponytail.

"Is this enough for today, Ze-" Crimson eyes narrowed at the pastry chef. "I-I mean, Sheik?" The blond examined the amounts on the trays before nodding.

"This is fine. Is Mario coming in tonight?"

"He said he'd be in around five in the afternoon."

As the two conversed, Ike wondered who this man was. It was the first time he'd seen anyone with such piercing red eyes. He certainly had as much power in this cafe as Zelda, seeing as Luigi was treating him as a higher-up. Maybe he was a manager.

"I'm gonna go for today. Thanks for helping, Ike." The chef signed off and headed to the back again, leaving Ike with the mysterious blond. Pretending to be occupied by positioning the chocolate mousse cake just right, Ike couldn't decide whether to ask the blond who he was or simply remain silent. Thankfully, the other man decided for him.

"It's Sheik, by the way." Ike looked up over the counter. The man stuck his hand out towards him. He rose to his full height and shook it, noting its particular softness that most men didn't have.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ike." They released each other's hand, feeling the awkward silence return. "Um, are you... the manager around here?"

"...You could say that."

"That's, uh, cool." Ike didn't know what to say. He never was one to socialize. Sheik seemed to have noticed and smiled.

"Swallowtail coats are in the closet. That will be your uniform for today." Ike was caught off-guard by the phrase. That sounded like something Zelda would say... "You'll be posing as a butler along with the rest of the crew."

A... butler? That's... classy. "Zelda's wishes?" Ike asked, hoping that Sheik was not requesting this personally.

The other man nodded. "Zelda's wishes." Without another word, Ike walked down the hallway and opened the door to the closet.

He didn't expect to find Marth inside. His roommate sat in a chair, forehead on his arms that rested on the table. Ike took a few steps closer and saw that Marth's eyes were closed.

"He's... asleep?" Ike spoke softly to himself. Marth had once again taken on the graveyard shift last night, leaving the apartment while Ike was absorbed in the game Roy had rented. He could only guess that the older had worked himself to exhaustion and fell asleep once his workshift ended. In truth, Ike had a feeling the evening shifts were harder than mornings. More often than not, Roy and Ike would find Marth coming home from another nightshift, looking like the walking dead. He had no clue how a cafe could be busier at night, unless the city was filled with nocturnal citizens or coffee addicts.

Marth suddenly furrowed his brows and started to pout. Ike had wondered if he was awake, but the other's eyes remained shut as his expression softened once more. Ike didn't know what had possessed him to continue watching Marth, but he found himself pulling up a chair and sitting down at the table, eyeing the sleeping male. The older was wearing a skin tight black shirt, decorated with red paint splatters that seemed to imitate blood stains. He also had a pair of skinny jeans and numerous silver accessories, along with a pair of boots that had too many buckles.

Must've been punk night before... The tight clothes shaped Marth's body perfectly, reminding Ike just how much his roommate resembled a female at times. This was probably the first time Ike had seen Marth's face so up close to his own. He felt an urge to stroke the long lashes of the older.

'With a look like this, I wouldn't be surprised if he was able to pull off a maid dress.' Ike surprised himself with the thought, the image he had worked so hard to get rid of a week ago now coming back to him. 'Speaking of which...' He scanned the room, spotting the maid outfit on the right side as expected. The outfit seemed to have a matching piece of frilly headgear. Ike smiled. He might as well have some fun. That meant getting more acquainted with Marth the same way he did with Roy.

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Marth woke to a soft buzzing. His phone was vibrating on the table where he left it last. He flipped it open and read the white font that the caller ID was displayed in.

Roy.

"...Hello?" His voice sounded a bit raspy, having not fully woken up yet.

"Marth! Hey! I'm going to the market today before work, but I lost your list! Could you tell me the items again?"

Marth groaned. He didn't feel like thinking about his grocery list the first thing after waking up. "I hope you can at least find a pen."

"Always, after we've gone through this so many times before." The older could only sigh. Roy could remember to keep pens in sight, yet he could never remember where the goddamn grocery list was. He promptly listed each item clearly to Roy, making him repeat it to Marth to make sure nothing was misheard. The younger thanked him and hung up. Another sigh; the boy's future would be a complete mystery to anyone who knew him.

He stood from the table, but he felt his feet weighed a tonne. Looking down to reassure himself his appendages did not become solid rock, he realized he was still in last night's outfit, in which Zelda found it a great idea to put Marth in skin tight clothing and various accessories. Not to mention the pair of boots that probably totalled a whopping ten pounds; that four inch sole was impossible to cater in. Half the time he stood by the counter while he felt eyes following every curve of his body. The customers could be real perverts at times, male or female.

He unbuckled the boots, slipping them off and shelving them appropriately. The accessories alone took him quite a few minutes to remove. Gathering his casual clothes, he pulled back the curtain of the changeroom.

PAUSE.

"Hm? Whoa!"

"AH! SORRY."

Swish!

With the curtain closed once more, Marth ended up stalking barefooted to the other side of the room, hanging his head in an ashamed manner.

Usually he was more careful about his actions, but this time he may not have fully awakened from the rest he acquired earlier. The blood started rushing to his cheeks and he felt his body temperature rising.

He just opened the curtain on Ike changing. And what's more, he found himself checking out Ike's muscular body.

The curtain was pulled back once more behind him, the taller male stepping out from the space. The older turned around and faced the object of his embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, Ike. I honestly didn't mean to walk in on you changing! I had no idea you were in there!" Marth bowed his head along with the apology. Ike could only laugh.

"It's okay, Marth. I at least had my boxers on." Ike had been changing into the swallowtail, but having never worn such a fancy suit before, it took him awhile to figure out what went where. He wasn't quite fond of the tie not being a clip-on though. "Some eyecandy for you in the morning, I guess."

"I confess," Marth put up a hand to his side, blush still visible and looking slightly heavenward. "You have one, fine toned body, Ike. I'm so jealous." The last sentence was spoken in a mocking tone, earning him another laugh from the other bluenette.

"Thought so." He rolled up the white sleeve and flexed his muscles, showing off the bulge on his biceps. "Working out pays off." He winked at Marth playfully before rolling the sleeve back down. While Ike put on his swallowtail coat, Marth couldn't help but notice the out-of-place tie.

"Here." Marth reached forward and tugged at the knot of the tie, letting it fall loose. "You won't look like a butler if you can't even tie your tie nicely." Ike watched as Marth's hands moved fluently around his collar. Within seconds, he had the tie neatly in place and tucked into Ike's vest. He patted Ike's chest, satisfied with the result. "Much better."

"Thanks, Marth." Ike's attention was drawn to the top of Marth's head for a bit. He smiled. "Don't you have to get going? The six-thirty bus leaves in five minutes."

The university student jumped at the fact. "Y-You're right! I'll have to change quickly and run out to catch it! I'll see you at home, Ike." The man quickly shuffled into the dressing room. Ike simply headed out to the front. What Marth didn't have to know about was the missing headpiece from the maid outfit on the right side of the room.

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Marth heaved a sigh of relief when he got home at last. He had never changed so fast before, but in his frenzy to get to the bus stop, he hadn't double-checked in the mirror to make sure no hairs were sticking out. He got to the bus on time, and even had a few girls giving him a few looks. He was used to it though; working at Hyrule Cafe often meant all eyes would be on him when he was in costume.

When he stepped through the door, the cheerful redhead was not found on his usual sofa/bed. It was a miracle that Roy had woken up at six to begin with, though. The yellow post-it on the fridge was something he didn't see yesterday though.

'Can't cook dinner tonight. Work split my shift to half morning, half night. FML'

Despite the Roy's messy way of doing things, he had beautiful cursive writing that anyone could easily recognize. He was sure 'FML' wasn't Roy's signature though. That aside, he thought about the current situation: 7 A.M. No roommates. Empty apartment.

Result: UNDISTURBED SLEEP.

Discarding his coat and bag onto the floor, the student made himself comfortable on the couch, free-falling with a hard thump onto the soft material. Roy would probably be home in an hour, but still. One whole hour was all he needed to himself.

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Ike watched as the crowd for coffee lined up at the counter. Mornings were great business for the cafe; it seemed everyone needed that coffee buzz to get their day started. However, he felt guilty for being not much for help.

Sheik was manning the coffee bar, taking care of all the orders as Ike simply catered to the few that had time to sit down and relax at a table. Pit wouldn't be in for another half hour, so Sheik was fast becoming a one-man workforce. As much as Ike would love to help with the coffee-making, he still had trouble telling a latte and an espresso apart. To him, coffee only meant one thing: dark brown liquid and very bitter. They all tasted the same to him. Marth and Peach had attempted to help the newcomer make sense of the different components, but soon discovered he was meant to help in the kitchen. Breakfast sandwiches were easy: you either get chicken or vegetarian (he personally preferred the former).

"Ike! Are the sandwiches ready yet?" Sheik, from what Ike could decipher from the blond's swift movements, needed things to be done at a fast-pace.

"C-coming!" With a messy wrapping job, he took the sandwiches out to the front, delivering them to the appropriate customer.

"You'll have to restock on the chicken sandwiches; just make as many as you can, as fast as you can."

"Y-Yessir." His theory proved true. Ike noticed the slight smirk on Sheik's face before he returned to the kitchen. Unsettled, he really wished that brunette senior of his would show up early to help.

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Five grocery bags. Roy came home with five large grocery bags worth of food and snacks after an hour of battling with old ladies at the market. The aggressive bunch seemed to always go for the batch of fruits or veggies that he wanted to pick out. But Roy didn't give up. By the end of his morning, he managed to get every item on the impossibly long list that Marth provided him. Sure, he shoved a few elders to do it, but he had no choice. Two grown men depended on him for their week's supply of food.

He dropped the bags onto the floor the moment he got back; taking of the shoes and pushing them with his foot into a pile with the rest.

"Marth! You back yet? I got all of your-" Roy stopped when he stepped into the living area. His senior had fallen asleep on his bed. ...What the hell is that thing on his head?

Black.

Ribbons.

Frill.

It was a little girl's headpiece, that's what it was.

Roy covered his mouth, trying not to wake his pretty friend. This sort of prank could only be pulled by one as childish as he. Digging into his pockets, he fetched his trusty cellphone and turned to the camera option. Such a memorable sight must be remembered through digital film.

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As the crowd subsided at the cafe (Pit had generously showed up to work on-time to provide aid), Ike headed to the washrooms, wiping a bit of sweat that had collected from the work he'd just accomplished and the layers he had on. A vibration came from his pocket at that time. It was a message from Roy.

'A present for me? You shouldn't have~ But really, nice one man. You managed to make him look prettier than he already is.'

Ike laughed audibly when he read the message. He already knew what the attachment to the text was about. Nonetheless, he was obligated to open it.

The image was a close-up of Marth sleeping, much like he was when Ike arrived at work. The garment on his head suited him perfectly. Thanks to the high quality of Roy's camera, the photo showed just how long Marth's lashes were. It would be a sin for this man to use mascara; any girl would've been jealous of its natural volume. It was definitely a nice shot of his roommate. The lighting shone on Marth's skin, making it a smooth cream white. The guy even had a natural blush when he slept; how cute.

The image was just a pleasing shot all together.

At least, that's how Ike explained it mentally to himself when he hit the 'Set as Wallpaper' option.

It was his phone; he had the right to customize it as he pleased.
He'd just guard the device with his life to ensure no one finds out.

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Author's Note:

Another long chapter to compensate for the wait time. And yes, the announcement? This fic has influenced the making of a dating-sim game, 'Hyrule Cafe'!

Similar to the one described in this fic, you will get to play as yourself and be a customer to Zelda's lovely cafe! The waiters will pamper you endlessly, of course. The creation part is already underway, with preview images on my profile page. I just hope for your support throughout the course of this fanfic; thank you again to every reader! Any suggestions, questions, or comments are forever welcome.

- Fhal