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A STEP DOWN

FROM PERFECT

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o-o-CHAPTER 11: LEAVE ME WAITING-o-o

If it had been any other day, Samus would've liked the idea of taking a walk in the warm light of a spectacular sunset, but it was more an ominous setting for her as the walk was a prelude to her confession, her secret being revealed.

They left together after dinner, stomachs full from lasagne. The lake sparkled, dotted orange and yellow; Peach's castle stood proudly on the horizon, nearly blotted from view as the sun began to sink behind it. There was no wind either. Such a nice evening, and Samus was going to waste it.

Others, however, made the most of such a tranquil moment. While she and Falcon walked laps round the grounds of the Mansion, Young Link and his band of friends played tag (Samus assumed, from the way the kids ran from Popo, screaming). It was only Ness who was absent from this group; Pichu was trying to join in, but she didn't seem to get noticed.

Fox was sat atop a bordering wall, overlooking Falco, who sat at its base with a sketchbook. Apparently, Fox hadn't been joking when he said that Falco was an artist. Samus couldn't quite meet Fox's gaze when he smiled and waved at her. Falco 'greeted' her with a sour look. Of course he was still angry with her. The other day, the space animals had gone into their matches as middle tier Smashers. They had handicaps, items and simple stages; a mass of insults to Smash Mansion's finest. Fox had blasted Roy off the map within a minute; Falco didn't even resort to Smash attacks to finish Mario.

For a long time, Falcon and Samus exchanged no words. Samus was sure he was waiting for her to start the conversation, but a mixture of fear and embarrassment was holding her back. This could, after all, be the last time Falcon would ever walk next to her.

"Talk to me." Falcon finally broke the prolonged silence. "Samus."

Dry grass crunched under her feet; although prickly and unkempt, it was inviting and Samus had to sit down.

"Samus," Falcon said again. Sat next to her, Samus watched as he picked at some dying blades. "Days have gone and you haven't been yourself. I know Master Hand mucked around with you and put you in top tier, but I can't help but think there's more to it. Did he say something? You've been down all week."

"Master Hand's just being...Master Hand," she answered. "I'm sorry if I've seemed down to you."

"Well yeah, course you have!" Falcon replied. He threw the grass he had plucked and they scattered lifelessly by his outstretched legs. "You keep away from just about everyone, and you don't even talk to me anymore. I'm starting to worry. Did I do something that upset you? If I did—"

"You didn't," she interjected. "I did. I've been nothing short of a moron this week."

Falcon made an odd movement with his arm, as if he was going to reach out to her but had to stop. "...Don't be so hard on yourself. We all make stupid mistakes. Come on, talk to me. I promise you'll feel better afterwards."

It was tempting, Samus had to admit, to get it off her chest and talk to him freely about her crime. But the sight of Marth had stopped her voice from working.

He and Zelda were taking what was supposed to be a romantic stroll, but on closer inspection, Marth looked like he was complaining about something. Samus thought his eyes met hers, but she put it down to a trick of light, for no sooner did she think so, did Marth crack into a smile, laugh loudly and pull his girlfriend towards him, his angry mood gone and having eyes only for her.

Marth seemed to have set a trend with going outside. More and more Smashers opted to sit in the sun rather than stay indoors. Link – only a few feet behind Marth and Zelda – was being pestered by his brother to play tag with them. Roy had already joined in.

Round by the lake, Samus could see a big purple and white mound nearly hidden in the grass, which she knew to be Mewtwo taking a snooze. His favourite spot appeared to be close to the pool of water, just as the ground began to dip. Peach sat metres from him, chatting happily to Game and Watch, who was bestowing gift upon gift on her (all of which disappeared as soon as he gave them).

But it was Marth who stood out the most, his golden hem sparkling in the light and his laughter ringing through the air. Five days ago she would've dreamed of being in Zelda's place, being taken by the hand like that. Now, post-kiss, she could only look at the swordsman and his beautiful girlfriend and remind herself that she had no place in their lives.

"Do you remember a while back? When you said that I loved the idea of Marth?"

She spoke plainly, but it seemed to make Falcon nervous and flustered, for he waved a hand and said quickly, "Oh, crap, Samus, you know I didn't mean it, don't you? I was assuming stupid things...! Is that why you're—"

"I think you were right, Falcon." She tucked her knees under her chin and exhaled. "I never did love him. I just liked the idea of it."

"...Samus, I didn't want to make you doubt yourself." His tone was soft and careful. "You've loved Marth for ages. I was talking rubbish, as usual. I don't think I actually had a point—"

"Stop being so damn nice, Falcon, you knew it all along."

She didn't mean to sound so clipped. Falcon wasn't offended, however. He rested his elbows on his knees and managed a sympathetic smile.

"I kissed him, Falcon."

The smile was gone in an instant. Three words plus his name had such a strong effect on him, blunt and frank in their delivery. Perhaps Samus should get up and run away now. The quiet was getting to her. "It was a stupid spur of the moment thing...anyway, five days later Marth hasn't said a word to me. And I don't know what to do."

Falcon rubbed at his chin a little. Then he unbuckled his helmet and took it off, so that Samus had no choice but to look at him properly. "Samus, if you haven't told Zelda already, tell her. Other than that...I don't really have much else to say. I'm just...surprised and a bit disappointed, to be honest."

Here it was. His nice attitude gone, Falcon had admitted his true feelings. Disappointment. Samus felt disappointed too. Fooling herself into falling in love with Marth. How much of her life had she wasted on feelings that hadn't ever existed?

"Sorry...I wish I could say more but..." Falcon attempted to break the silence. Hands fidgeting with his helmet; eyes on anything but her.

"It's all gone wrong." Samus sighed into her arms. She found it was easier to talk if she kept Falcon out of her viewing range. The drumming of his fingers against his helmet however, served as a rhythmic reminder that he was still there. "Everything's gone wrong. It started off with me being excluded from matches. Master Hand has it in for me because he's playing games with Mewtwo. Now, as a result of me being thick enough to stand up to him, he's wrecked Falco and Fox's reputation, thrown me into top tier and has Game and Watch follow me around. I'm confused with what I feel and who I love. I kiss Marth in plain view of that stupid spy and now the only thing that keeps him from telling Master Hand is Mewtwo."

She ripped up some grass and clenched a hand into a fist, sighing in exasperation. "Master Hand will worm it out of him. Game and Watch is a coward and the thought of being punished by his boss is probably more frightening than Mewtwo. Master Hand will play around with me a bit more, destroy the lives of everyone else I care about and see to it that I'm fired. I'll be leaving this Mansion and giving the Federation a disgraced name. Master Hand will target you next, I'm sure of it. He'll mess with your mind to get revenge on me—"

Falcon punched her shoulder lightly. "Hey. Don't tell me that's the reason you've been avoiding me. I'm not going anywhere. Master Hand can come at me with all the mind games he has, but I won't give up on you, Samus. Look at me."

Reluctantly, her eyes met his. In this evening light, they could almost pass as hazel.

"You're not the kind of person who gives in. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, and it's happened all at once, that's all. You've landed yourself in the biggest mess possible, but with some time, it'll work out."

Where had his disappointment gone? He had resumed his usual role of cheering her up and going to excessive lengths to put a smile on her face. Right now, Samus didn't want comfort. She wanted the cold, hard truth: exactly what Falcon thought of her, all of her problems, and how she had brought them upon herself.

"Marth doesn't talk to me any more," she told him again. "But I feel nothing. And...and Zelda waves and that...but I haven't spoken to her. Fox won't stop pretending he's okay with me, and that hurts more than everything Falco had to say. I liked life before when I just got on with everything. Where I didn't have to worry about being liked or being responsible for someone. I come to this Mansion thinking it's so straightforward. And now...I'm at a loss."

By the lake, Ness set up his own game of tag with Kirby and Pikachu. Pichu, having given up on trying to join Young Link's group, now tottered over to Mewtwo, who still slept in the grass. Samus could see the rat shoot out tiny sparks of electricity in nervous excitement when she crawled over to Mewtwo's unmoving form.

Crazy Hand abruptly slid himself along the ground, just past Falcon. His presence had made Samus jump a little as she had initially thought it was Master Hand, but it was only Crazy Hand who would crawl through grass that wasn't nearly long enough to hide him and ramble on about nonsensical things.

"Oh yes, it's all coming together now, admiral," the hand muttered to himself (or the admiral). "The grasshopper will join the others with strings attached to his arms. He'll think he's hopping his own way but we will make him dance our dance."

Crazy Hand's presence had punctured Samus' conversation with Falcon. For what seemed like an eternity, he just stared ahead of him blankly and fidgeted with his helmet. She, in turn, picked at a patch of grass until the soil started to show.

"Do you know he has a cricket too?" Crazy Hand called to them. "A right mission to control, I'm sure. We crickets are like that!"

"What's he going on about?" Falcon asked her, using Crazy Hand's weird remarks to kill the silence. Samus shrugged and forced a grin onto her face.

"Your guess is as good as mine." She cleared her throat a little, aware that the conversation had once again, gone as soon as it had come. However, Falcon made an abrupt movement and sat closer to her, coughing a little.

"Listen. Erm...you're probably aware that I don't really like Marth that much."

In all honesty, Samus wasn't aware of that at all. Since when had Falcon openly admitted his dislike for someone? He was nice to every Smasher, tolerant to the very end. Samus had seen him at that lunch, happy to converse with Marth. Now Falcon was telling her he didn't actually like Marth?

"Well, I'm sure he's a good guy and that," Falcon added hastily, "and it's not his fault. I just resent him, you know?"

Why was he telling her this? Some sort of indirect jab at her and the kiss? Perhaps he was trying to tell her that Marth was an idiot and Samus was one too for kissing him of all people.

She looked past her knees at Ness' group, whose game of tag now dominated the banks of the lake. Young Link was still tagging after his brother, pulling on the latter's arm forcefully and trying to bring him into his game of tag. Link had to do an awkward hop to stop himself from falling face-first on the grass; he gave in, though, and not long after, he too began to run from Popo. And by the lake, Pichu had successfully clambered onto Mewtwo's side without waking him, and she now fell into a snooze of her own.

Samus turned back to Falcon.

"...Why don't you like him?"

"Because he's perfect."

It was a reply that struck an inexplicable chord somewhere in the depths of her. The very reason for him to hate Marth was exactly the same as her reason to love him. What was that about? Was he digging at her again? Mocking her perception of him?

Falcon was beginning to look increasingly uncomfortable, so fidgety with his hands that he accidentally pushed his helmet out of grasp. It rolled down the hill towards the lake and hit Mewtwo's back.

"...I'll pick that up," Falcon muttered. He was about to get to his feet, but Samus quickly grabbed the elbow closest to her. He stopped moving.

"No, wait. You...you said you didn't like Marth because he was perfect. Tell me what you mean by that."

She didn't like how pleading she was beginning to sound, but it was something that was taking control of her, even overriding her feelings of shame and fear.

"...I mean that I don't like him and how perfect he is." Falcon had his eyes on his helmet, apparently talking to that. "How he makes a fool out of you and me. You've had your eye on him for what seems like forever, and me? I've been struggling to be better than perfect. How stupid is that?"

Samus licked her lips. All of a sudden, she felt rooted to the spot, barely able to move. Even her eyes were battling against the tightened muscles to blink.

"...I don't understand what you're talking about," she said. But really, she had the feeling she knew exactly what he meant.

"You know, I can't swing a sword around like he can. I can't turn on the charisma as easily as he does when he makes a prat out of himself. I can't...I dunno, dazzle everyone with some goofy smile. I can't do any of that." Falcon exhaled. "Granted, Marth has something about him. It's no wonder why you prefer someone like him. But if you...if you ever do want to settle for second best, someone with flaws, someone who's a step down from perfect...you can rest assured that you'll...well, you'll be loved back."

At some point, Samus' fingers had begun to tremble. Her heart was beating so fast. She had to let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in.

How long had he loved her? Since their first sparring session? The day Marth arrived? Or right from the beginning, right when he introduced himself to her?

For how long had he pined after her, wishing for her to look at him the same way she wished for Marth?

Why had she not noticed?

"I'll admit...I got my hopes up a bit too soon when you said you don't actually love Marth." He flicked a greenfly off his boot, eyebrows furrowed. "...But really, it hasn't made a difference. I'm still as imperfect as ever. Please say something, Samus. I'm telling you everything here and you haven't said a word."

She finally met his gaze, and it seemed to tear her into two. Those eyes. How much time had they spent watching her, waiting for their loving look to be returned?

Falcon wasn't just a friend; he wasn't just a sparring partner. All this time...the hugs, the laughs, the support...

"I can't." Her voice was hoarse; she hardly sounded like herself any more. "...At the moment, I'm confused more than anything. I...I just need time to think..."

"What are you confused about?" His hand reached for hers, and though her head screamed for her to pull it away, her fingers would only gladly entwine themselves in his. It took every ounce of her effort to keep her eyes on him.

"I've done it once," she told him. "I don't want to fool myself into falling in love with you too."

His grip on her hand slackened. Rejection had probably hit him as hard as the Blue Falcon at top speed. He raked his hair, looked away from her and let out an audible sigh. His hand disentangled itself from hers.

"Right," he muttered, "fair point..."

"I'm sorry. I know I'm going to leave you waiting but it's just...confusion. Everything is just confusion...You know, timing."

"It's all right."

Samus looked up to see him smiling a little, waving away her words.

"Time is all you need, right? I can wait. Better to leave me waiting than to leave me altogether."

Falcon's hand had found hers again, but this time, he used it to pull her towards him. Samus couldn't quite explain it, but his actions did not go unrequited. Samus had already found her head at the base of his neck. It felt so right, or at least, Samus believed it did. This was what the danger was: she could quite simply be feeling this contentment because it was what she wanted to feel.

But who was she fooling? Made up or not, she was in Falcon's arms once again. Just like the time in his room when they argued; here they were, bathed in the light of a brilliant sunset. No one seemed to be paying any attention to them. He was warm and comforting and so right, and her arms had worked their way around him, pulling her nearer to him in the hopes he'd relieve her of her burden.

His lips lingered millimetres from her cheek; Samus could feel his steady breaths. But where she thought he'd kiss just by her mouth, he suddenly broke hold of her and got to his feet. She wanted to call after him, ask him to hold her just that bit longer, but her heart told her not to.

She had rejected his love for her. It wasn't right for friends to share an embrace as intimate as that. It'd be proper to never do it again.

Falcon picked up his helmet, prying it away from Pichu. Samus could hear the rat's giggles as she leapt from the helmet onto Mewtwo, scrambling up his side and very carefully, walking down the long purple tail as if it was a tightrope. When Falcon turned round to go back up to Samus, he called to her in his usual carefree tone, as if he had never confessed.

"Tier lists are out!"

Samus looked behind her, and sure enough, Smashers were distributing the lists to one another. She didn't really feel like getting up at the moment. Not only was she still deep in thought about Falcon, the fact that tomorrow's matches were top tier ones wasn't incentive for her to go and fetch a list.

"I'll go get you one."

Falcon seemed eager to leave. He headed towards the Mansion's entrance, and Samus only had Pichu and Mewtwo for company. She half-smiled when Pichu spotted her and moved her paw in front of her face, almost as if she was saying, "Ssh." Mewtwo still hadn't moved or kicked up a fuss, even with a rat playing on him like he was a climbing frame.

Falcon soon returned with small slips of paper for the four. Samus noticed that he didn't look at her when he handed her a list. However, he sat next to her, shoulder scraping her own.

"Look at that," Samus muttered. She gave the list a once over, and her stomach dropped with every word. It was so weird, reading the set matches for top tier and seeing Fox and Falco missing, replaced by her own name and—

"Link?" she read. "He's the final top tier member?"

A part of her had wished for Falcon to be in top tier with her. Master Hand's compliment towards the racer had put Samus under the impression that Falcon would no doubt be the final member. That and he was on par with Samus. But Link's name was there, as clear as anything.

Link vs Marth, Samus vs Peach.

Link and Marth vs Samus and Peach.

Those two battles and then a four-way match afterwards. Samus had never appreciated the comforts of middle tier until now. There was no way she'd even make it past her match with Peach.

She looked behind her up at the Mansion. Smashers had already formed their usual groups to gossip about the matches tomorrow.

Samus got to her feet and began a weary walk back. Getting the top of the hill and on the front lawn provided her with an ominous view of Master Hand, who stood in the entrance hall with his brother. Game and Watch was beeping frantically. Fox was poring over the match list with his tongue between his teeth, and Falco was smirking about something.

"Samus?" Luigi read incredulously. "Why is she in top tier?"

"Why is Link?" retorted Dr Mario.

But Young Link looked positively delighted.

"Oh wow!" he exclaimed. "You did it, you're in top tier! Ness always said you'd never get in, but see this paper? It proves him wrong! Oh wow..."

Young Link did an odd, probably-self-invented little dance around his brother. However, and Samus was not the only one to notice, adult Link had gone ashen and quieter than usual. His mouth formed words that were never spoken; his eyes had gone wide. Samus had the horrible feeling that, unlike her, Link had never given his consent to be put into top tier.

"That's unexpected."

Mewtwo had finally woken up from his nap and a match list floated in front of him. Peach looked pensive, seemingly able to concentrate with Game and Watch screeching by her.

Samus could feel eyes on her, invisible beams drilling into her and demanding an explanation. How had she replaced Fox and Falco? How had Link? They were both 'normal' Smashers; nothing unique or outstanding about their fighting at all. Why did Samus deserve such a prestigious position? After her reckless behaviour?

She saw Falcon standing with Peach and Game and Watch, helmet tucked under his arm. Though he was technically the same old flashy Falcon...he looked somewhat different. Now that she knew.

"It looks like Master Hand is pulling out all the stoppers in our fight against him." Mewtwo had managed to get onto his feet, and though he tried to hide it, he wobbled precariously. Pichu stood a foot in front of him, arms outstretched and walking backwards.

"Pichu! Pi!" she called. A low rumble escaped from Mewtwo's throat, and his yellow eyes caught Samus.

"...She says she'll catch me if I fall," he said. His amused half-smile disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, and Mewtwo dragged himself inside, Pichu in his wake. Popo tried to stroke Pichu as she darted past; Young Link was still overjoyed with his brother's success.

But Link, finally getting a hold of himself and moving his muscles, screwed up his match list and shoved it in his pocket. "Forget that," he spat. It was the closest anyone had ever seen him to angry. The words killed Young Link's dance, Popo's conversation with Nana, and even Ganondorf stopped complaining.

For a minute, it was just silence and Link's furious glare. Then, the sound of booming laughter echoed through the hallway, out the door and into the grounds, as Master Hand wheeled round to go back to his office.

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END CHAPTER 11

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