It was fairly quiet at the Smash House one January afternoon as Ness gathered laundry from the hamper. He had no idea that today, something was going to be different.
The psychic was in a foul mood after losing horribly in a match to Falcon and Donkey Kong. He had decided to start the laundry early to get his mind off it, even though they didn't usually do it until a half an hour later. Samus was almost always down there before him. Maybe for once, he'd beat him downstairs.
Laundry basket full, Ness walked his way to the basement door and swung it open. He stepped on the first stair, which was incredibly squeaky and gave a sharp squeal as his foot connected. As it squealed, Ness heard someone loudly curse. Samus was already down here, but why?
Ness could hear clanking of metal as he walked down the stairs. Setting down the laundry basket, he could see a tense Samus. He seemed frazzled, and his armor was crooked, particularly the helmet. Ness had never seen Samus without his helmet. He always wore it, even during meals. Ness respected his privacy, but at the same time was curious about what his friend's face looked like.
"You're down here early." Ness said.
Was it just the psychic's imagination, or did Samus sound defensive as he spoke? "Well, so are you. What are you doing here?"
"Figured I'd get a jump on the laundry. I need to take my mind off something." He replied evenly. "You're acting strange, Samus. What's up with you?"
"Nothing!" Samus yelled. He lowered his voice as he continued. "I'm fine, Ness. Really. You just surprised me." He grabbed some laundry out of the basket. "Let's start sorting, ok?"
Samus was definitely acting unusual. Ness decided he was going to get to the bottom of this. "What were you doing down here? Come to think of it, you're always here early..." His friend was definitely tensing up. "Are you...hiding something?"
"No!" He said quickly. "I'm not. I just come down here to be alone."
Ness made up his mind. One more question, and then he'd drop it. "Samus, really. You can tell me. I won't spread it around. I swear I won't tell anyone. Please, trust me!"
He stared down at the laundry pile for a minute, before finally raising his head. "Go lock the door." Samus ordered. Ness, not hesitating, went up and locked it with a click. "Thought I locked it when you came in, but clearly I hadn't." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. As the psychic walked back down the stairs, Samus sighed. "If you tell anyone what I'm about to show you, you will not like the consequences." Samus warned.
"I won't tell." Ness promised.
Samus took another deep breath, and removed his helmet.
Except, it wasn't a he under the metal, but a she.
Samus was a girl.
She had long blonde hair neatly tied back into a ponytail. Her face was sharp, and she had stern blue eyes. She appeared uneasy, obviously wary of showing her true self to Ness. Even with her wariness, she looked as though she was ready for action at the drop of a pin.
Samus was actually quite beautiful, Ness realized.
"You're a girl." He managed after a moment.
"Yes."
"You're just now telling me this."
"Yes."
The two stared at each other silently for a few tense moments. Neither seemed sure what to say.
Ness broke the silence by groaning loudly. "If I knew you were a girl, I wouldn't have gotten you boxers for Christmas!"
Samus cracked an amused smile. "Trust me, that was actually quite funny." She said with a smirk. The smile vanished off her face a moment later. "You can't tell anyone, Ness. I've kept this a secret this long. I can't let it get out."
"Why are you hiding it?" Ness questioned, tipping his head like a confused puppy. The psychic couldn't understand it. It seemed like a strange thing to hide...
Samus sighed and turned away. The bounty hunter began pacing the concrete floor, looking for the right words to say. "Ness...you're the youngest here. And you're constantly being reminded of that, aren't you? Falcon doesn't let you forget it, especially when he beats you in matches." Ness subconsciously tensed, balling his hands into fists as he remembered Falcon's words after the match.
"Too bad, kid. Looks like you lost again!"
It made Ness's blood boil. He rarely did poorly in matches, and actually did quite well in the tournament.
Samus continued on, ponytail swishing as she rapidly paced. "No one really took you seriously at first. You've more than proved yourself, and yet you still get patronized sometimes, don't you?"
"Well, yeah...but it's gotten a lot better now. Falcon's the only one who gives me crap." Ness muttered, scuffing his shoe against the ground. He looked up at Samus. "What does my situation hafta do with you being a girl, anyway?"
Samus looked at him with a sharp glance, meeting his eyes. "Ness, do the math. If you're treated like that for being youngest, can you imagine what it'd be like for me? The only woman in this tournament?"
"Jigglypuff is female." Ness pointed out.
"No one counts the Pokemon." Samus rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure only you can understand them anyway." She sighed and leaned against the washing machine. "I wasn't going to keep it a secret, but when I saw I was the only female in that living room on the first day..." Samus trailed off, shaking her head. "I want to be known for my strength. Not for being the only woman here."
Ness was quiet for a moment, contemplating what to do. Samus said nothing, and only started doing the laundry, sorting the lights and darks. Finally, Ness spoke, bending down to help his friend with the chore.
"I know it can be annoying, dealing with idiots like Falcon." He started off slowly. "I've dealt with him since day one for my differences. But besides him at this point...I feel respected. Yes, people judged me at first. But I showed them. I decided I wasn't going to put up with people acting like I was inferior. That first night at dinner, spilling that water all over Falcon...I showed him I wasn't going to be an easy target. And I've fought hard to prove that. The other Smashers and spectators might think of me as "the kid Smasher", but they also think of me as a fighter. A baffling psychic, playing mind games with his opponents. And you know, maybe both roles are good for me.
"Ever since we've been growing in popularity, people in town and the spectators have been supporting us. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're kinda gaining a following. And sometimes, I feel like a hero to the younger people there. I know that sounds high and mighty of me," Ness said with a laugh, "But they really do make me feel heroic. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe being different isn't so bad. If you revealed your true self, I don't think anyone would look down on you. And if they did, you'd kick their rears and prove 'em wrong!"
Samus was silent as she listened to Ness's rambling speech, sorting clothes but barely focusing.
"I'm not going to reveal you, Samus. I made a promise, and I don't break promises. But think about what I said." Ness said softly. Interestingly enough, his words had made him feel better about himself.
Because really, who cares what Falcon thinks?
Finally, Samus nodded. "I'll think about it."
It was later that day at dinner. Ness and most of the other Smashers were sat at the table as Mario and Luigi carried out a steaming dish of beef and noodles. The only one missing, aside from Kirby, was Samus. She had locked herself in her room after the laundry was finished, not even letting her roommate in, much to Jigglypuff's annoyance.
She appeared in the doorway after a moment and took her usual seat.
Then, quietly, she removed her helmet.
Shock filled the room as everyone, aside from Ness, saw her true face for the first time. Finally, Falcon stammered out, "You're a girl?!"
She coolly raised an eyebrow. "How observant of you." Her sharp eyes challenged him to say something, anything. When he didn't, she continued. "I realized today there's no sense in me hiding myself. Clearly I show my strength. Does it really matter?"
Silence.
Samus smirked. "Good. No objections. Now if you're all done gaping at me, let's eat."
Dinner began, with people serving themselves and talking busily. Samus caught Ness's eye from across the table.
"Thanks." She mouthed silently to him.
He merely flashed her a thumbs up in return.
Oh boy, this was fun to write!
I hope y'all liked it. I don't know about you, but I'm still not over Ness giving Samus boxers for Christmas.
Next up, we have a Valentine's Day special! Stay tuned.
Thanks for reading and reviewing. Y'all make my day!
-EBC