CHAPTER 4
The Night is Still Young

She caught him staring at her from across the bar. Other than the lone bartender and the few Smashers playing pool, they were the only ones around the Smash Mansion's prodigious lounge.

Samus gave the super-soldier a buzzed glanced, sliding away the third Sazerac she just finished. 'He's been staring at me like that since I ordered. What the hell does he want?' she grumbled to herself.

Snake stamped out the empty cigarette butt on the ashtray before heading over to the tipsy woman who barely sat up straight. He asked the bartender—an adorable Waddle Dee with a black bowtie for some ice water and a Bloody Mary. The creature complied with the order quickly and the man couldn't help but wonder how the peculiar species even got a job in the Smash Mansion.

He then turned to the woman who still kept her glower at him. It was difficult to tell whether she was mad or confused (or both) with either an intoxicated or sober variation. He gave her a smirk and she narrowed her eyes, attempting to intensify her grimace.

"What's up with all the Sazerac?" Snake asked.

"None of your business," she replied abruptly. "Why are you watching me?"

"None of your business."

The Waddle Dee came back with their drinks and wordlessly placed it before them on the counter. The two thanked the bartender yet still had their eyes locked on the other.

"Lost your match earlier?" he asked again.

"Nope. I don't even have a match this week."

"Then—why all the Sazerac?"

Samus felt her head tilt heavily to the side. The alcohol was hitting her harder this time. She steadied herself, holding against the edge of the bar and the wooden stool she sat on. Snake was quick to help and he caught her just by the small of her back.

"Whoa! Easy there." He gently lifted her back so she could regain her balance. Albeit the bounty huntress could be tough as nails on the battlefield, she was just as susceptible to the insanely dangerous amber-colored cocktail.

Samus looked at Snake once more. Only this time, her menacing glower was replaced with glistening eyes that promised of tears. Her lower lips trembled slightly and Snake was caught off-guard.

"Sam—hey, what the—? Are you crying?"

She nodded wordlessly, gulping the refreshing ice-cold water. "I'm just so sad, Snake. I've been binging rom-coms with Peach and Zelda and I've realized that I… I…"

"You… what?" he probed gently.

"No no no… It's really fucking embarrassing!"

"Come on, Samus. Maybe it's not that big of a deal."

Samus raised him a sleepy brow. "You don't even know what it is. How the hell could you assume it's not that big of a deal?"

"Romantic comedies? How're they ever a big deal?"

The woman rolled her eyes. She wanted another drink. Spying on Snake's Bloody Mary, she swiftly grabbed the glass. "Hey—! That's mine," he said a second too late, she already had her lips on the straw. It honestly tasted a lot better than the Sazerac. The minty flavor was a nice touch.

"It's not the bloody rom-coms you idiot," she muttered. "It's that I've never experienced what those girls have—not even a damn tiny kiss." Samus slid the drink back to the mercenary.

"Is this what it's all about—why you're crying?" Snake asked incredulously. "For a damn kiss?"

"Told you it was fucking embarrassing," she grimaced, wiping away her tears before they could stream down her warm face. She felt her cheeks numbing and drank some of the ice water Snake kindly asked for her.

The soldier glanced at the drink he held in his hand, the cool exterior moistening his grip. He downed the contents slowly. "Samus, if you just wanted a kiss all you had to do was ask," he teased, with no attempt to obscure his coy smirk and chuckles.

Samus felt her face grow hot at his audacity. She wanted to lash out and point fingers but instead, found herself simply staring at his Bloody Mary. "Snake… no, we can't—it's against the rules. Hell, a kiss leads to all kinds of crazy shit."

Snake shrugged. "Well it can, and it can't—it depends. And since when did 'the rules' ever stop me? Stop you?" He stood from his stool, cognizant of the late hour and that they were the only ones left in the lounge, made his way to the exit. He muttered that he still had a match the next morning.

Just before he reached for the door, he turned around to spare her one last smirk. "By the way, just to be clear… the offer still stands."

Samus stopped the memory from there, slowly gulping the last of her AMF. She was twenty-eight years old at that time, and for the first time in her life, had realized what it really felt like to crave a man sexually. Those events happened about a year ago, moments before she and Snake had begun their dangerous little dance. It was against disciplinary protocol to engage in "intimate and sensual activities within the premises of the Smash Mansion and Smash Arena" and Master Hand had intricately elaborated on that—seven whole pages in the Smasher's Handbook. Samus wondered to herself if the younger Smashers needed to have an adult orient them on that.

She wanted to try and remember more of what happened between her and the soldier when two heavy hands slammed on her shoulder.

"Pack up! We're getting an upgraaade!" Peach sang excitedly but sulked suddenly when the bounty hunter didn't share her enthusiasm.

"Fuck no. Foremost, Toadstool," Samus began, thinking that her friend was being overindulged. "We're here on a girls' night out—emphasis on girls. You pleaded Zel and me for this night and when we managed to say 'yes', you run off deciding that we go with the guys. Second, fucking Snake and Marth are there. Need I say more?"

"Oh my God! Snake's there?!" The giddy princess' excitement returned. Peach tried to hide her beaming grin behind her fingers but her eyes spoke on their behalf. Samus immediately noticed this and was all the more convinced not to give in to her friend's bullshit request.

Link and Zelda's arrival at the small table went unnoticed as Princess Peach was too preoccupied pulling the uninterested Samus to the mezzanine. Mario did what he can to calm his fiancée down despite knowing how futile his efforts would be.

"Peach, Samus is right," Zelda called out, her hands gracefully placed in front, unperturbed by the bewildered faces her friends made. "We should stay here and enjoy ourselves. Our purpose here is for a girls' night, remember?" She then turned apologetically to Mario and Link who silently made their way back to the mezzanine.

Zelda brushed her fingers against Link's and gave him a knowing smile. The Hylian knight's eyes opened wide, sparkling in recognition of his princess' cunning plan. He gave her a small bow and hurried to catch up with his red-clad comrade.

"Zellie! What the fuck was that?!" Peach cried out, nearly in tears. "I expected you'd help me convince Sammy here to head up with us!"

"Yes, I know, Peach. You made your point quite incontestably," Zelda replied in her usual calm and regal tone. "However, we see the guys almost every day and as you've said, we're here for each other. Just us." Her placid smile almost made Samus feel uncomfortable.

"What're you doing…" she muttered to the chestnut-haired princess. Zelda merely shrugged and glanced at her empty glass.

"Oh, we're out of drinks! Peach, would you be so kind as to get us some more?"

That did it. Her smile and those words were codes Peach undoubtedly recognized. The blonde princess beamed and made her way over to the bar.

Samus raised a brow. "That was weird. What're you two planning at?"

"Why wouldn't you like to head over to the mezzanine, Sam?" Zelda asked, ignoring her question. "It's just Marth and Snake—they're harmless. Well, not unless you're in a match against them…"

"So, this is your game! What the hell—I don't need to explain myself."

Zelda blinked nonchalantly. She watched as her friend fold her arms and avert her gaze towards the distance. This did not faze the princess and she kept her icy, uncomfortable stare locked at her friend.

Samus gave a quick glimpse at caught Zelda's deadpan stare. It was making her go insanely uneasy. She wanted to leave but knew she'd only be making a fool of herself even further. Zelda was right. The men were harmless and they were, at the most, good and trustworthy allies. It was just…

"It's awkward," Samus finally said. "All right? I don't do awkward."

Zelda nodded. "I don't think any of us do, Sam. But then again, it's supposed to be a night to remember, right?"

Peach finally returned, quite unexpectedly, with a small tray carrying a bottle of Grey Goose and three clear shot glasses. "Vodka shots!" she bellowed. "Now let's get the real shit going!"

Zelda whispered Samus, "Think about it," before downing her shot. She hoped that concluded their conversation and that her little manipulation went well.

Peach poured them a second round. "So, what'd you girls talk about? Who's got the best peni—?"

"Cheers, Peach!" Samus cut her off. Their drinks clanked and the women down the clear liquid like sailors on a bountiful day. The bitter tongue-numbing aftertaste almost immediately kicked in and the girls squinted in repulsion, sticking out their singed tongues.

"Oh ow… that burns."

"This might be a bad idea," Peach chimed, fanning her tongue as if it was on fire.

"I… I think I'll need one or two more," Samus said, pouring herself a new glass. If Zelda is right about tonight—might as well drown myself in this shit.

The two princesses watched as their friend simultaneously take on two shots. Though Zelda felt a burgeoning tinge of worry, Peach's eyes were as wide as her grin. Hell, it was only a matter of time.

The deafening laughter from a group of buzzed Smashers combatted the music playing on the dancefloor. A tipsy Samus, seated between Snake and Ike, jerked her tears away before playfully slapping the soldier by the arm. "My God, Snake! Were you always this funny?!" Her hair was a mess as she rocked her seat back-and-forth trying to contain her laughter.

Marth seethed through his teeth. He breathed in, then out, doing the mindfulness techniques he had learned from Mewtwo and Lucario's workshop. He tossed himself a coin—deciding whether he should just get himself blacked out and forget everything that would be going on, or drink 'till his confident enough to just swoop her over and hope Snake just passes out. The result from the flip only made him sulk even more.

"It's great that you two were able to get Samus up here," Mario grinned. "It would be a lot more fun with you ladies around." He winked to Peach who was giggling at his flirtatious gesture.

Just then, Ike approached the table and slammed a deck of cards, a digital dice roller, and a Balkan 176-proof Vodka. "I initiate Russian Roulette!" he exalted with the best Russian accent he could muster.

Everyone cheered excitedly, the loudest coming from Peach, Samus, Link, and Snake. After setting everything up and briefly explaining the rules, Ike initiated the game with a dice roll.

"Four—let's see," he said. He picked up the filled shot glass that was placed on top of a Four-Diamonds card. His fingers trembled the slightest as he tossed the clear liquid into his mouth. "Oh, yes! Water!"

Marth and Link let out loud boos. Peach then stood from her seat and grabbed the dice.

"All right, my turn."

It rolled to a two. Picking up the small glass placed on top of a black Two-Spades, she eyed the drink curiously before taking the shot. She gasped, "Oh… just water." Samus and Zelda shook their heads in disdain.

The game intensified when only Samus and Marth were left to take the shot. "This game is stupid," Marth grimaced to Ike as he did his turn to roll the dice and take the shot. Nonchalantly, he downed the contents in a swift gulp and his widened at the sudden burning sensation that lingered on his palette. The prince gagged at the disgusting aftertaste and everyone stood in their seat, hollering wildly.

"Shit," Marth bawled, his eyes swarming with tears. "That was horrible! What the fuck, Ike!"

The mercenary ignored the comments and merely gave him a smirk. "You know what that means Marth," he grinned. "I. Dare. You."

Marth rolled his eyes. "Come at me. You never give good dares anyway," he taunted.

"Oh really? Well, I dare you… to do a body shot on Samus."

The mad roars and hollers from the group were ear-splitting. Link laughed uncontrollably, shaking Marth on the shoulders as he led him towards the dazed bounty huntress who was waiting. Snake gave Ike an unreadable glance as he raised an inquisitive brow. The man simply shrugged and exclaimed that it was anyone's game.

"You scared, Marth?" Samus asked and gave a low laugh, sprinkling some salt on her exposed collarbone. "It's just an itty-bitty dare."

"Do it Marth!"

If any, Link's direct attempt of encouragement was more than enough. Marth got up and poured half a shot on his glass, lightly licked the salt off Samus' collarbone, and proceeded to take the foul-tasting shot. She placed a citrus wedge on her lips and gestured with her eyes that he take it. Marth placed his hands behind his back, and with only his mouth, took the wedge off her lips.

The group gave their applause—all but the slightly buzzed soldier who remained indifferent on his seat. Marth taunted him with a nod before sinking back on his comfortable seat with that sly, confident grin plastered on his face.

"Ooh, Marthy!" Peach flipped her hair. "That was sooooo hot."

Ike placed a heavy hand on the prince's shoulder, startling the man who at a moment's thought was a fuming SOCOM-wielding Solid Snake.

"Hey. You're welcome."

The next round was quicker as Peach, being the third to play, already got tagged. "Alright you pussies," she slid the glass across the table, away from her. "What'll it be? Nothing that would ruin a royal reputation, hopefully."

Marth, definitely drunk from ordering an additional Aperol Spritz in celebration of his body shot with Samus, stood from his seat and struggled to keep his balance. "T-This one's a classic! Yeah, you gotta—You gotta striptease Mario!" He laughed at his joke, wobbling around the room with Ike acting as his crutches.

"Psh. That's it?"

"Do it 'till he's got an erection," added Snake.

The rest burst out in hollers and laughter. Samus buried her heavy head on Snake's shoulder, trying to steady and recover her trembling body from her uncontrollable chuckling.

"Why Snake," Mario wiggled him a finger. "You're even dirtier than Link himself!"

"What can I say? I'm this fun at parties," he shrugged.

Samus then set up her high-tech bracelet to play some slow, rhythmic Kelly Rowland hit, "Motivation". She pumped up the volume and gestured for the blonde princess to take the dancefloor. "Don't keep your man waiting, Princess," she smirked.

Peach flipped her soft locks and posed in front of Mario. She slowly moved her hips side-to-side, up, then down in perfect synchronization with the beat. As she swayed, she leisurely pulled up her dress, teasing the man with a tempestuous display of her upper thighs. The men tried to glance away, a futile effort as they felt their eyes hopelessly swoon over to the dancing princess. Samus raised her hands, screaming her lungs out in a juiced cheer while Zelda had her fingers over her lips the entire time.

Just after a few more swings, Peach leaned closer to Mario. She took hold of his gloved hands and led them to caress her lower waist. "Oh, Mamma…" was all Mario could whimper. The blood from his head rushed downwards, and with not more than a second, Mario went hard. Peach then abruptly stopped her dancing and exalted her victory.

"Hah! Done it!"

"Oh man—I'm gonna get blue balls," Mario complained as he looked down on his still erect friend.

"Took you longer than I expected though," Ike kidded, giving the princess' fiancé a playful nudge.

"Whatever, Ike." Peach took the drinks and prepared for another round. "Alright, let's get a move-on people!"

Link scratched behind his pointy ears. "This game is so fucked up."

Before the next round began, a few Brawlers excused themselves for a restroom break. While waiting, the soberest of the group cleaned up the table, wiping away the spilled vodka and picking up the multitude of scattered shot glasses on the floor.

"We should, like, replace all the water with vodka, and the vodka with hydrochloric acid," Samus suggested between drunken giggles.

"Thanks—but no thanks Sam," Zelda replied, picking up the last glass and neatly placing it on the side of the table where she organized the empty bottles, glasses, plates, and trays.

One by one, the Brawlers returned to the room and slumped into their seats. As soon as the whole group was complete again, Link rubbed his hands, enthusiastic for the next round. "Alright Princess Toadstool, start up the new round!"

Peach proceeded to roll the dice and bravely took the drink. "Oh thank goodness," she laughed, relieved that she didn't have to do any more dares. "WATER! Fucking water."

"Okay, my turn—" Samus took one drink and gulped it in quickly. "Is this mineral water? Distilled? Purified?"

Their lethal little game continued until only three players were left: Link, Zelda, and Ike. The Hylian knight picked up the glass on a Three-Hearts, bringing it towards his nose and sniffing in the contents.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Marth exclaimed.

Ike chuckled at the poor man who struggled to stay sober. "It's fine, Marth," he said. "As long as he doesn't put it back."

Link paid no attention to the other swordsmen as he consumed the shot, sipping it instead of gulping it down like how it's supposed to. He squinted in his eyes, swallowing the bitter and powerful spirit that instantly burned up his throat. He coughed out violently, feeling his neck warm up in embarrassment when his princess started rubbing his back in circles.

Peach chuckled at the man's misery, even pointing out that he had to do what she tells him to. Link recovered himself and sent her small grimace—she still was a princess and one shouldn't make faces at royalty.

"Oh dear, oh my—well, this will surely be interesting!"

"Bite me Peach," Link tested. "What're you gonna do? Make me eat grass?"

Peach pursed her voluptuous lips into a tight smile. She scanned the room, thinking of all the ridiculous shenanigans she could make this self-assured Brawler do. She had to admit it was a challenge to come up with a dare for Link—a man who is not afraid to get his reputation tainted for doing downright dirty deeds. It was only when she laid eyes on the silent brunette princess next to him that made her thinking cap light up.

"Since I'm nice, I'll let you down easy. I want you… I want you to slow dance with the beauty beside you to some really cheesy music. Like melodramatic wedding-vibe slow music." The glimmer in her eyes intensified, and the woman could barely contain her excitement. "Ask her like it's prom!"

Blood rushed to both Hylians' cheeks, staining their usually pale faces a vivid red. Link was silent in his seat for a moment, but his body language spoke volumes. Boy, I wonder where all that confidence has gone now, Peach smirked to herself.

"Ooh, this gon' be good," Mario laughed, taking out his phone to record this momentous happenstance.

At Peach's request, Samus played "No One Else Comes Close" on her bracelet's stereo. Feeling a surge of confidence factored in with the liquid courage, Link was compelled to carry out the gesture he never imagined he would ever do. "Zelda, uh—will uhh, umm," he stuttered. It a shaky start but he did not falter. "May I, erm, do me the pleasure of a dance?" He kindly offered his hand out to her.

Zelda blushed deeply. Goddesses, Peach… Thank you, she sighed under her breath. She reached out to Link and felt his warm hand envelope hers. They had touched hands with one another many times before, yet this time, strange sensations seemed to unravel between them.

Link placed his free hand by her lower back and Zelda held on to his shoulder. Everything felt extremely awkward at first. Both of them were trembling and neither said a word. The group roared in their approval but were immediately shushed by Peach.

The song eventually chorused, and the two imperceptibly and unconsciously closed the gap between them. Zelda wanted to place her head on Link's shoulder but was still felt afraid, thinking of how he just sees them as really close friends. She didn't want to rush things nor did she want to creep him out. This did not go unnoticed by Peach, so she decided to wing some more.

"Hey Link!" she cheerfully called out. "Um, when I said slow dance—I meant, more intimacy, please."

Link rolled his eyes at her. Using his hand behind her back, he gently brought the princess closer towards him. His touch was as gentle as her mother's lullaby—a singular sensation that sent her mind into a frenzy of both confusion and contradiction. She wanted to be more than friends, but did he? Can they? She briskly shook away the thought and immersed herself in the moment. They were so intimate—so close; she wondered how she would ever recover from it.

Zelda placed her head on his shoulder. Link was taken aback but allowed her to linger, the feeling was all too nice. He recalled those days when he was surprised to see her as a Brawler and had not expected to become close friends with her, let alone be on speaking terms with her. But that's all we are, and all we're ever going to be—close friends, he sadly thought.

At that, the song ended along with their little dance. Link smoothly separated from Zelda who concealed her disappointment by glaring at Peach. Marth, Samus, and Ike cheered in their seats and raised their shot glasses.

"Link! You sly dog, you!" Ike grinned. "Enjoyed every second, didn't you?"

"Hell, you just enjoy watching me twirl my ass."

"Maybe I should've been the one to dance with you!" Drunk Marth chimed in.

The moment the two got back to their seats, Link poured himself a quarter of Mario's Jack Daniels. He wanted to numb his senses but was careful to never forget the dance.

The Brawlers kept at their game until everyone got a turn. Albeit the night was still young at three-thirty in the morning, the Brawlers decided to head home to the Smash Mansion.

…

A special shoutout to sippurp123 for all the reviews. Here's a basketful of gratitude crystals just for you! To all those who favorited and/or followed this story, a huge thanks to you all as well!