An Interesting Alliance (Ridley x Dark Samus) Metroid fanfic

Acceptance

The fire crackled softly in front of the Dark Hunter as she carefully singed the wood with her arm cannon, her eyes knitted in concentration. The core underneath began to show, signaling her progress. After what felt like an eternity, her hand swiped the excess shavings and dust off of her little creation, a tiny smile coming to her face. It was nothing special, just some sort of stick that was spoken of in an abandoned books she found while traveling. To her, it felt somewhat comforting to do this again. To create cute little trinkets. She rotated in her hand, eyeing it down for any cracks or splinters.

Eve was snapped back to reality when she heard the loud gusts coming from Ridley's wings. He landed softly, holding two native creatures proudly in his mouth. "That was quick." Eve said, going back to her creation. He set his game on the ground, a smirk on his face as he shrugged. "Heh. Almost too easy for me." He tossed her share to her before tearing into his own. Eve looked back towards him, something catching her eye. "Couldn't you just use your fire breath to, you know... cook your food?" She asked, motioning towards his raw meal while she cooked her own. He was silent for a second, then chuckled awkwardly.

"Force of habit, I guess"

She looked away, "Right."

Ridley noticed the little craft beside her. "Hey did you... make that yourself?" "...Yes." Ridley examined it where he was, his face resting on his knuckle. He smiled, "I like it."

Eve looked up at him, surprised by his reaction. "Really?" "Well, yeah!" He replied, sitting up more, "It'd be easy to stab someone with!" He laughed at his words. Eve snickered under her breath. She then looked towards the ground. Everything was silent.

"Hey." Eve questioned, "Can I ask you something... kind of bold?" Ridley Looked up from his now finished meal, "Um, sure? What is it?"

"What have you been through?"

Ridley froze. That was pretty bold! He tried to recollect himself, "W-well, what exactly do you mean?" "I mean..." Eve sighed,

"I've heard... things, about you. But, I don't really know you!" She sighed again, more frustrated. "Like, why are you leader? Is it a lot of pressure? H-how do you only seem happy when you're hurting others?! And-" She paused. "...Why me? Why am I your second in command? I mean, we don't even know each other!"

She soon hugged her knees, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. It was hard to speak.

"I was raised into this."

Eve looked up, "...What?" Ridley sat up fully. "My mother took over when I was a toddler, and said I'd be the next leader. I didn't object either! I mean, that was really all I ever knew!" The dark hunter leaned forward more, finally getting answers! Ridley noticed, a single chuckle escaping him.

"And yes, it's a lot of pressure, but I manage. Thank God I get to relax every now and then though, otherwise I'd definitely lose it! Now, getting a serotonin boost every time I turn a man into a bloodstain is simply me satisfying my more..." His yellow eyes seemed to become more, captivating as he smirked, "Primal desires~."

Eve looked for a second, feeling herself blush. He chuckled at her reaction. He glanced down as he remembered her last question.

"And... as for you," He began, feeling himself blush a bit, "I remembered what was technically our first meeting. How you forced phazon into me, and made me a prisoner in my own body." He shook his head slightly, "Now I don't really blame you for what you did. No doubt I would've done the same thing! But I remember being forced to watch everything going on, and..." He looked towards her again, sensing her hint of guilt. He moved to now sit next to her, resting his hand on hers as he found the right words.

"I saw how you fought. How brave and agile you were, while managing to stay so calm despite the odds stacked against you! I couldn't help but admire your prowess! It was, inspiring!" Eve looked his way as he now held her hand in both of his. "You inspired me. Not everyone can do that you know. A-and with what happened before, on the ship." He paused. "The fact that, you practically saved my life, when you could've easily left me. That spoke volumes to me." He smiled warmly, his blush growing a bit brighter. 

Eve froze at how genuine he was being. She felt a lump in her throat as she tried to speak. "Th... thank you."

She removed her hand from his as she stood up. "I'm... going to check the perimeter. I'll be right back." She said quickly. Before he could question her, the space dragon was alone. He sat there for a moment, a concerned look on his face. Why would she need to do that? And why now?

Despite his best to ignore his suspicions, he eventually decided to follow her, just to satisfy his curiosity. And thanks to his advanced senses, he was able to pick up her trail rather easily.

It took some time, but he ended up finding Eve near a pool of water, gazing at the stars above. He hid behind the trees, spying on her.

She look around, causing Ridley to move to a different hiding place, this new one allowing him to see her from the side. He heard the dark hunter sigh with relief, before hearing her...

Singing?

His jaw dropped slightly as he listened. It was even more beautiful than he imagined! He turned away and leaned against the tree, closing his eyes, giving her voice his full attention.

As Eve sang, her suit began to dissipate, revealing the zero-suited body within. The environment around her glowed with life, transferring itself into Eve as she walked. And soon, her body began to change. She began to look more... human.

Once her song was finished, she kneeled down and looked towards the pool, anticipation etched on her face. But said feeling turned into disappointment as she saw herself. "Not enough..." she thought.

With that, she stood back up and left, allowing her normal suit to return.

And throughout all of that, Ridley was there, a blissful smiling on his face. His yellow eyes opened slightly when he felt how warm his cheeks were, along with his rapid heartbeat. Yet his smile only grew.

He finally excepted it.

He was in love with Eve.