Theme: 33. Expectations
Pairing: PeachxIke
Summary: She didn't expect to be a wallflower, but she also didn't expect to be dancing with him, either.
Rating: K

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Peach loved fancy to-dos and parties. Super Smash Brothers was always full of them to ensure that all the contenders remained friendly with one another, even though it was a tournament. That was one of two main reasons Peach had jumped at the chance to be a smasher. The other reason was to be near Mario.

Though lately she had noticed he was growing rather distant lately...

Peach reminded herself not to let it bother her. She was still pretty and cute...and even though she had kissed Mario as a thank you for rescuing her from Bowser, their relationship remained questionable. The princess wasn't sure what to consider them - friends, lovers or just a simple hero and princess.

Tonight, she was going to find out for sure. Princess Peach was looking absolutely dollish in her dark red dress, shiny red lipstick that made her heart shaped mouth look so kissable, her hair brushed until it was smoother than silk and her small crown perched neatly at the top of her head.

All she could think about was her precious plumber tonight.

So...why was she the only one not dancing?

This particular dance involved many people. Master Hand said dates from back home were invited. The only one Peach had expected to dance with was Mario.

Instead, she was on the sidelines and watching him dance and enjoy himself with another woman.

Luigi had Daisy. Fox had Krystal. Falco had Katt. Peach's two best friends were both asked for a dance. Marth had his fiancee. Yoshi was enjoying himself with his Birdo. Donkey Kong was doing some odd moves to entertain Candy Kong and Diddy Kong was monkeying around with Dixie Kong.

Even the villains were enjoying themselves. Bowser, Ganondorf, Wario, King DeDeDe and Wolf were at a table and sharing jokes. Their loud laughter felt like stings in Peach's ears. She hated everything.

Hated being a wallflower.

Hated the dancers who ignored her.

Hated the villains who were having more fun than she was.

But most of all...she hated Mario for not telling her about Pauline.

Consumed by her hatred, Peach stormed out to the balcony. Why didn't he tell her?! It would have been easier to take, rather than the too-little-too-late sight she had tonight!

"Princess?"

Oh great. She had hoped she would get to be alone, but nooooooooo...

Peach tried to ignore the other voice. It didn't sound familiar at all, do it had to be one of the newcomers. The last thing she needed was a newbie bugging her about which way the bathroom was. She kept her head down.

"Princess Peach? I know it's not my business, but you don't look well. Are you okay?"

Now the newbie was right next to her. What's worse is he's nosy. Crap!

"Nothing's wrong! I'm just a bit breathless, that's all!" Peach replied rather quickly.

The newcomer was silent and his shadow disappeared. Peach sighed with relief, but tensed up when it returned. She whirled around and faced the blue haired mercenary, Ike. He was carrying a small glass of fruit punch.

"This is for you, princess. If you're out of breath, sugar is a good thing to put in your body."

Peach was taken back by the offer, but she accepted the glass and drank it down. Even though she lied about being out of breath, the drink did make her feel better.

"Thank you..."

"Don't mention it," Ike responded. He didn't say anything else, which made Peach a bit uncomfortable. She hated silence like she hated disease. Even the music from inside wasn't helping.

"So, um...why are you out here?" she asked.

Ike didn't say anything at first, he just stared into the distance. Finally, he spoke up.

"I don't like these sort of parties."

"Really?" Peach's eyes widened in amazement. "But they're so much fun! The dancing, the music, the mingling with friends..." The princess began to jabber about how much she loved holding parties in her castle for the common folk and nobles alike. Ike listened with little interest but it began to grow when he realized Peach included common folk as though they were equal.

The mercenary was never fussy for nobles, but he could tell Peach was different.

"...and then one accidentally spilled his drink all over my dress. I think my attendant was more mad about it than I was!" Peach giggled. Ike couldn't help chuckling.

"Final song of the night!" Master Hand announced. Link, who was in charge of the music, flicked on a slow dancing song and announced it was a couple's song. Careless Whisper by Seether began playing.

"Feels befitting..." Peach thought bitterly.

"I suppose I can't let this night go to waste...what do I have to lose?" Ike thought. He extended a hand to the princess and asked, "Princess, would you like to dance?"

Startled, Peach looked from Ike's hand to his face. When she saw he was serious, she decided to go for it.

She also had nothing to lose...and Ike was a nice person.

"Yes, Ike," Peach said, putting her hand in his. They slowly walked out to the dancefloor, ignoring the whispers from the villains' table. Wordlessly, Peach put her arms around Ike's neck and Ike's colour got a bit darker. No woman ever got this close before. He remembered when Titania and Mist taught him slow dancing and he put his arms around Peach's waist.

The first steps were awkward since Ike wasn't a very good dancer. But he soon picked up on a rhythm that suited them both. As the song continued to play, Peach's head came to rest on Ike's shoulder and he blushed even more.

He never expected to be dancing at all, let alone with a princess.

Both their expectations were betrayed tonight. But neither of them regretted it.

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I want to apologize in advance to PeachxMario fans. I really do like PeachxMario, but if I was going to pair Peach with Ike, I had to give Peach a really good reason not to be with Mario!!!

Arg, way too much Daft Punk tonight. -_-;

Next Theme: 17. Blood

Pairing: SnakexSamus