Author's Notes, FOR ONCE: This is actually the first Brawl fic I wrote. Looking back, I...

... Sorry, I forgot what I was saying. Anyway, is my BURNING LOVEPASSION for Pit obvious enough yet? No? Don't worry, it'll become more and more hideously obvious as I churn out these fics.

This particular fic takes place after the Subspace Emissary, so there are spoilers for Brawl's beloved Adventure mode. TURN BACK NOW if you don't want to see them. (Btw, I saved Zelda in my game. Obviously. Yes that tidbit effects the fic.)

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Time had passed, and still Pit had to remind himself to breathe every now and again.

Friendships had been forged from the blackened ashes of animosity, and peace had once again settled over the various provinces of the world they had explored; all was silent, all was good, and all was happy. There was no denying that they were heroes that had conquered a false God and saved all life, love, and good from the clutches of certain destruction, and still some of his allies were basking in their glory and pride. Many giggled and laughed and jested or teased - they played, they fought for fun, and they entertained themselves in a way that kept everyone relatively safe and content.

And yet the angel caught himself looking over his shoulder time and time again, half-expecting hoards of those that opposed them to come running. There was smiles and there was laughter, but he noticed when his comrades faltered - oh, how he noticed. Every now and again he would catch Samus letting Pikachu onto her lap, gently running her fingers through his fur to remind him that everything was alright - nobody was going to hurt him now; he would spot R.O.B. hanging his head and shutting his eyes when he thought nobody was looking; and he would note that the Pokemon Trainer was lightly patting Lucas on the head in silent reassurance towards the unknown future.

It troubled him, to say the very least. Even the gentle lapping of the water against the shore couldn't quell his unspoken fears, it seemed; he was incapable of cheering up. The abruptness of Tabuu's first attack had been alarming enough, as it had struck without warning - after all, he had seen the very instant that the bomb detonated, and he could recall the moment with crystal-clarity. Shortly thereafter Palutena had summoned him into battle, and he left, eager to assist his heroes. He was thusly sucked into the epic fight that strung unrelated beings together and left them secretly paranoid and waiting for the next thing to go wrong. Nobody wanted to wreck the joy that they shared, so he took it upon himself to dare and challenge the peace - how long would this glory last? When would it all go awry?

Pit's entire body jerked at a sudden motion behind him, his heart hammering against his chest. He whirled to face what he could only assume to be an aggressor, a serious look cast over his young face; though said seriousness was instantly replaced with relief when he noticed exactly who had stirred behind him - the Hero of Time, looking as silently thoughtful as always.

"Hello, Link," Pit greeted, hoping his tone wasn't melancholy enough to give his thoughts away. The swordsman merely nodded in response - he never did speak much, anyway - and took a seat at the angel's left, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist. They were silent for a while, their legs dangling over the drop-off, boots and sandals alike skirting across the top of the water. Pit felt a little better having someone by his side, as unused to it as he was, but it didn't feel good enough to keep him from heaving a deep sigh for all of the battles, both lost and won, and the question mark that obscured the events that Fate had not yet unveiled. The elfish ears of his companion twitched, and the green-clad hero looked up in alarm.

Two sets of blue eyes met, and suddenly Pit was back at this very place in a past time-frame, facing Link as an enemy, mercilessly attacking, him, making him suffer, all over a simple misunderstanding...

"Do you forgive me?" he blurted, grasping two clumps of grass in his fists to fight the desperation he felt. Link blinked and sat upright in well-disguised alarm, furrowing his brows in a gesture of confusion. Pit felt his cheeks color in humiliation. "I mean, back when... When you saw Mario and I fighting the Princess, but she wasn't really the Princess because she was a clone, and you thought we were hurting her, and we took you and Yoshi out and--"

Link held up his palm, effectively cutting Pit off mid-sentence. He smiled kindly and nodded, and that was all that needed to be said on the matter. Feeling cleansed and sinless, Pit smiled right back at him and returned his gaze to the lake's waters.

But there was still the matter of the eventual end to the peace. His smile sagged downwards, his wings slumping with another deep, drawn-out sigh. Beside him, Link stood up to leave, but first he placed his hand heavily onto Pit's shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, you know," he said, his voice soft. "Breathe easy." The angel turned slightly in order to once more meet the eyes of the Hero of Time, a man he now recognized as one of his biggest idols. He hesitated.

"... I know," he responded at last. The gauntlet-clad hand clapped him affectionately on the back, right between his wings, and with that his company was gone.

Pit still had his doubts, but he didn't realize until much later that he no longer needed to put a conscious effort into breathing.