Meet the Starberriez
"Ike seems like a charming guy." Peach commented while fluffing her shimmering blond hair. She, Zelda, Link, Roy, Marth and Meta Knight were heading to the ceremonial hall to help set up decorations for the welcome party that night.
"Oh please, you think any shirtless man to be charming." Zelda informed her.
"So do you, Zelda." Peach retorted. Ignoring Zelda's stammered objections, she asked Link. "How is he? Is he strong?"
Link shrugged, "I only just met him before you lot came in." Everybody rounded a corner and started down a staircase.
"His sword looked heavy," Marth put in, holding hands with Roy. "You'd have to be strong to lift that up."
"So he's one of those power types." Roy shrugged. "Or maybe he's just stupid and went for the flashiest sword."
"Give him a little credit; I'm sure he wouldn't be that idiotic." Zelda defended.
"Is he actually from Fire Emblem? I've never heard of him." Marth said.
"According to Master Hand, he lives in a rural area, so I've doubt you or Roy have heard of him." Peach informed. She suddenly gasped excitedly. "Maybe I could show him around Smashville. I'm sure he'd be excited to have a pretty princess as his mentor."
"What about your boyfriend Mario? Sounds like you're interested in Ike." Link teased lightly, giving Peach a playful nudge.
"Don't spoil the mood for me, I still really like Mario…"
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The ceremonial hall looked alright to Ike. There were certainly a lot of balloons and confetti. A huge purple banner with "Welcome Smashers, New and Old" hung over the stage. Shaking out glitter in his blue hair, Ike served him and Lyn some punch. "Who's your roommate?"
"A girl named Samus, she's a Brawler too. She's one of the few that actually looks like a Brawler." Lyn said and Ike understood immediately. He'd seen pink blobs of marshmallows call themselves Brawlers, a harry gorilla, a yellow mouse that accidentally electrified Ike when he shook its (tiny) hand…
Suddenly, Master Hand spoke on the stage. "Good evening, smashers. I hope you're enjoying yourselves. Before we open the dance floor to the dancing and mingling, let's welcome the newcomers this year. Come upstage when you're mentioned. Alicya, Derreck, Diddy Kong, Ferinand, King Dedede, Ike—" Ike walked up with a bunch of others. He watched fascinated as a crowd of non-human species came up. "—Lucario, Lucas, Lyn, Meta Knight…" On and on it went. "…Sonic, Tingle, Toon Link, Victor…Wacy, William and Wolf. Please give a hand, ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps one of them will become a Brawler this year."
Obediently, a clapping sound echoed around the hall as people applauded uninterestedly. Ike got offstage with everyone and joined up with Lyn again. Suddenly, a breathless Pit glided over. "Ike! Found you at last."
"Hello, Pit." Ike smiled, pleased to see the cute boy again. "Where are your other friends?"
There was a little droop in his wings. "I don't know anyone else here but you. And, um, I'm too nervous to make other friends." Pit bit his lips. Ike suddenly had a wild urge to hug the boy. His blue eyes were especially attractive—huge, cheerful and innocent, they entranced Ike like a hypnosis spell. Unaware of Ike's gaze, Pit pointed. "Plus those girls look scary."
Glancing at where Pit was pointing, Ike saw five somewhat pretty girls staring admirably at the male Brawlers. They seemed pretentious and hostile, as if they'd clobber you with their designer shoes if you showed interest in their guys.
"Them? What's so scary about them?" Ike eyed them curiously. Sure the girls appeared catty but they were as thin as a dead stick. Ike was sure that if you pressed hard enough, you could snap their bones in half without too much sweat.
"They don't look like it now, but they shoved me aside just because I was standing in their view of the Brawlers." Pit insisted.
Ike still wasn't sure what was so threatening about that. If it were him, he'd just shove a cheese cube up their nostrils and walk away. "Don't worry about it, Pit; I'll make sure they won't push you again." Ike said teasingly as he gently wrapped an arm around Pit. Lyn snickered at this display of open affection. Ike shot her a don't-be-jealous smirk.
"And lastly, what you've all been waiting for, I present you our Brawlers from last year. Here's Mario, Luigi, Peach, Zelda—" As each Brawler headed upstage to tumultuous applause and cheering, Ike observed and sized up each one. These were the strongest people in the world. He still wasn't sure what Peach was doing up there. So far, everyone was human-looking.
"—Kirby, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu—" Nope, not anymore. Ike showed more interest when Samus walked on, clad in her shiny power suit. She certainly looked like one badass woman. It was hard to believe that was a girl.
"There you go everyone, our Brawlers!" Master Hand roared over numerous whoops. "Now go and enjoy the party. Remember, curfew is still 11pm. If you're caught out past it, you'll be dropped into Brinstar's acid. Good night!" As he floated off, the dance music cranked up several volumes and, whooping, everybody began to spill onto the dance floor.
Ike watched musingly as everybody immediately scrambled to be a Brawler's dance partner. Drinking from his punch, he spied on masses of boys swarming Peach, Zelda and Samus. Mario didn't seem too pleased as Peach was engulfed by hungry males.
"Want to dance?" Lyn offered politely to Ike.
"Sure, none of my friends in Fire Emblem will see…" Grinning at the elbow jab Lyn gave him, Ike led her to the dance floor. He glanced at Pit and felt bad ditching the angelic boy, even though Pit gave them a cheery wave and an envious smile. To him or Lyn?
"You're a terrible dancer." Ike observed straight-faced.
"Shut up, you could do with a couple dance lessons yourself." Lyn laughed. After a minute of dancing, she asked. "Ike, do you like Pit by any chance."
"Sure I do, he's a fun guy."
"Ike, you know what I mean."
"…" There was a pause as Ike and Lyn gazed at each other. Then he decided there wasn't any harm in confiding to her. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's not love, you can't feel love if you've only known somebody for a few hours. But I am attracted to him."
"Well I guess that's sweet." Lyn shrugged. "Doesn't it bother you that he's a guy?"
"Does it bother you?" Ike inquired back.
"No." Lyn replied slowly.
"Then what's the point of your question?" Ike asked politely, making Lyn scowl.
"Must you always make conversation such a workout?" Lyn cried. Ike merely laughed at her.
They continued to dance for a few more minutes until Lyn broke the silence again. "So you're going to protect Pit, huh?"
"Are we still on this topic?" Ike frowned. "You sure are nosy."
"You said it right in front of me, Ike." Lyn pointed out.
"Well then if you already knew, why did you ask me the question?" Ike replied.
"Argh!! Stop complicating my life!" Lyn snapped. "You going to protect Pit or not?"
"Um, I guess so. I doubt he'll need it though. It's not like those girls will bother with him anyways." Ike shrugged.
Lyn gave him a small smile. "Oh yeah?"
That made Ike frown. What was with her sardonic tone? Turning around to check on Pit, he realized the snobby five girls were surrounding Pit, talking to him. And by the way Pit was biting his lip again, Ike assumed it wasn't a friendly chat.
"Excuse me," Ike detached himself from Lyn and strolled over to Pit. He caught snitched of their conversation as he got nearer and nearer.
"—disgusting, right Oriko?" A snotty redhead scowled.
Oriko, a brunette with an abnormally-large nose, bobbed her head. "I know, Star, god this boy is so clueless."
"Um, I try my best." Pit mumbled weakly, his eyes darting for an escape route.
A short blonde with heavy makeup scoffed in a very high. Squeaky voice. "Mini doesn't like people trying. Mini likes people doing."
"Is there a problem, ladies?" Ike piped lazily, standing next to Pit. Pit's face flushed with relief and his eyes shone hopefully. He edged behind Ike, grabbing his arm for reassurance.
"Uh, who are you?" Star asked, looking at Ike with disgust. A pink-haired girl with the name "Jessy" tattooed on her hand nodded with Star. Clearly Star must've been the leader of the girls.
"Who are you?" Ike inquired brusquely back.
Star drew herself up arrogantly. "I'm Star from the Starberriez, and I'm head of the Brawlers fanclub. I'm also favoured to finally become a Brawler myself this year."
"That's nice, but oh, you're not. That's what really matters." Ike smirked, much to Star's (and her Starberriez posse) fury. "Now what were you talking about to Pit?"
"Why should we tell you?" Star snapped, putting her hands on her hips in a commanding way. "This convo is private, you nosy—"
"They're mad because I thought Marth was a girl." Pit said quickly and pressed himself closer to Ike when all five girls glared at him furiously.
Another taller blonde with short hair shrieked a girly laugh (personally Ike thought it sounded like somebody was being tortured). "I can't believe you didn't call Marth 'Prince Marth'. Don't you see how horrible that is? It's like he thinks he's friends with Prince Marth."
Oriko nodded feverishly, her huge nose bobbing up and down. "Such a loser."
Ike stiffened. What was their problem? "Marth's just another human, no need to get all touchy about your crush. Quit being so prissy. And why is your nose so big, Oriko?"
All five girls did a dramatic gasp together and Oriko, flushing bright red, quickly covered her nose. "So not funny, mister, right Tibby?" Star looked at the tall blonde, who nodded in agreement and scowled at Ike.
"Mini doesn't like this guy." Mini spoke in her falsetto voice. "Mini wants to leave."
"Let's go talk to Prince Marth and Roy." Star sniffed. "Ditch the tacky twosome, girls." And they flounced off, giggling as though "tacky twosome" was the most brilliant insult ever, next to "hairy bastard" (something Ike wanted to say to Star's face).
Pit sighed in relief. "Thanks a bunch, Ike." He said brightly. "They're really scary when they gang up on you like that. You're really brave."
"Call me again if they cause any more trouble for you. I mean it." Ike told him softly. "By the way, were you standing here the entire time I was gone?"
Shaking his head, Pit responded. "I went to ask whether Mar—whoops, Prince Marth wanted to dance. Turns out it was a boy. I swear it's hard to tell from the back. Did you have fun with Lyn?"
"Oh right, her." Ike glanced over his shoulder and saw Lyn dancing with a guy dressed in camouflage. If he remembered properly, his name was Snake, another newbie. "Look, do you want to dance with me? That way I can keep an eye on you all the time."
"I can take care of myself." Pit frowned, offended. "I took down Medusa a year ago all by myself. That's why I was allowed to enrol into this school."
"Yet you falter when five girls with heavy perfume corner you." Ike reminded. "Ouch! Alright, forget I ever asked you to dance." Annoyed, he began to leave, but Pit quickly clung onto his hand.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hit that hard." Pit apologized. "I d-do want to dance with you. It's just that we're guys."
"So?" Ike said impatiently. "Look there, Marth and Roy are dancing, Fox and Falco are dancing, Meta Knight and Kirby are pirouetting together. Let's go already." Ike pulled Pit to the dance floor and held the boy close to his body.
Blushing but no longer arguing, Pit slowly put his arms around Ike's neck. Ike responded by lowering his head next to Pit's. After a pause, Pit then rested his head on Ike's shoulder, nuzzling his blue shirt. They swayed like that for a while, both boys' eyes were closed. Pit was comfortably warm, and his wings were very soft to touch.
"Your hair smells girly." Pit murmured. "Like daffodils."
"Thanks," was Ike's reply. "I used 'Sexy Updo'."
Pit pulled away slightly, wrinkling his nose. "What?"
"Something that my roommate, Link, owns." Ike said. "Who's your roommate?"
"Red, the Pokémon Trainer, he's a newcomer like me." Pit informed as he laid his head on Ike's shoulder again. "You're really warm, and your shirt smells nice too."
"Quit talking." Ike said, tightening his grip on Pit's waist.
"Sorry, I talk when I'm nervous." Pit explained in a small voice. Ike smiled at how cute he was and lightly kissed Pit's cheek.
They swayed for a little longer until a girl's voice giggled. "Wow, you two look comfy." Ike glanced up and saw Peach smiling cheekily. "But you know, you guys have been dancing for a while and some others are waiting their turn." Her eyes lingered on Ike. "So?"
Ike separated from Pit but didn't hasten to Peach's side. He glanced at Pit, who was looking away. "I'm—"
"Come on, angel boy, let's dance." A blond woman wearing a skin-tight blue outfit pulled a bemused Pit away. "You have your time with Ike, Peach."
"Thanks, Samus," Peach waved and then gently grabbed Ike's hand. "Come on." Shrugging, Ike wrapped his arms around Peach's waist and together they swayed to the music. He stared in amazement as Samus and Pit danced together.
"That's the person underneath all that armour?" Ike cried, shocked. "She's actually pretty hot." He'd been expecting somebody with wrestler muscles and a hard face, not a slim and curvy beauty, though he admitted her face and movements had a degree of toughness to it.
Peach giggled. "Hard to believe? I don't blame you. That blue outfit is Samus' zero suit. Ah, but if you're falling for Samus, allow me to warn you. She's a tough, hardcore woman. Unless you're a decent fighter, she won't even consider dating you."
"I see," Ike noted straight-faced. Sizing her up again, he thought she looked very athletic. "Is she strong?"
"Of course she is, all the Brawlers are." Peach boasted. "She uses her laser gun when she's not wearing any of that bulky metal suit. What do you use to fight, Ike?" She asked, smiling.
"My sword, Ragnell," Ike replied shortly, turning his attention back on Peach.
"That heavy gold one?"
"Yup, that one."
"Wow, can you really wield such a heavy weapon?" Peach gasped.
Ike gave her a raised look. "If I couldn't wield it, why would I use it? It'd be more of a burden than a weapon."
"Oh good, you've got sense. I really like that." Peach exclaimed, leaning towards Ike. She suddenly nestled her head on Ike's shoulder and Ike caught a sweet scent of peaches and nectarines from her hair. He pulled her in closer and gently pressed his face into her blond hair. "You see," she murmured, "so many guys here choose a weapon only for its looks, not whether it's useful or if they can wield it. It's ridiculous, fighting isn't a silly, fashionable thing. It's serious, people can get hurt."
Startled, Ike blinked over and over again. He'd never thought he'd hear such words from Princess Peach. His respect for her rose a few inches. Ike was starting to see why she was a Brawler now. Maybe she's stronger than she looks too. Ike really couldn't wait to challenge the Brawlers. "So why does Princess Peach want to dance with a newcomer like me?" Ike asked curiously.
"I make it my rule to dance with every hot guy at the welcoming ceremonies." Peach winked flirtatiously. If Ike hadn't met Pit, he might've been hoodwinked by her attitude. The tower clock suddenly struck ten times. "Oh drat, it's already 10pm. I'm going to have to cut this short. There's still eleven other guys I need to dance with and Mario's getting impatient. See you later, Ike!"
Giggling, Peach floated away, leaving a seductive scent of peaches behind. That was a short dance, Ike thought to himself.
Stuffing his hands in his pocket, Ike scanned the room for Pit—he had just parted with Samus. Excellent, Ike made a beeline for him. He intended to dance one more time with Pit.
A flurry of movement caught Ike's attention. The Starberriez were heading towards Pit, no doubt about to scold him for dancing with a Brawler. Ike quickened his pace. Pit just noticed the incoming girls and panicked.
"Come on." Ike took Pit's hand and guided him over to another side of the dance floor, away from the girls. Pit followed closely. "How was dancing with Samus?"
"It was cool, I actually danced with a Brawler." Pit exclaimed. "Samus is really funny too; I had a lot of fun. Only she is a little scary with her metal power suit on."
"At least you were enjoying yourself." Ike smiled. "That's good."
"Yeah," Pit suddenly bit his lip in thought, "but she does have a major flaw."
"Which is?"
Pit smiled sweetly up at Ike, wrapping his arms around his waist in an affectionate hug. "She's not you." He said slyly and rested his head back on Ike's shoulder. "I wish you were my roommate." He whined softly.
Ike gave a small smile and gently brushed his lips against Pit's forehead. "Me too," He whispered into Pit's ear, and the two resumed swaying to the soft melody playing from the speakers. In the back of Ike's head, he decided. Perhaps school life at SSBA wouldn't be as boring as he's thought. Ike was beginning to enjoy himself here.
O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O
At last!! I finally uploaded! Sorry for such a long wait, I have no excuses (except for most of summer where I had to study for my Chinese exam, TT^TT let's pray that I did well). Hope you like this chapter, I apologize to all IkexLink/Marth/whatever else fans if they were hoping for their pairing to show first. BUT DO NOT FRET! My story is going to visit each pairing in depth in the later future, so keep reading please!
AND REVIEW, PLEASE!!! It's what makes the world go round and round :D:D
With love, CookieCreamXP
