"Even though Father promised her he wasn't going to fire her, she apologized numerous times and cried for at least ten more minutes. The maid is probably traumatized. Other than that, it went pretty well. After that, Link left, and Father and I hugged."

"You and Dr. High Rule hugged?" Impa asks astonished. She's been so distracted by the claw machine, I thought she wasn't listening at all.

"Yes," I nod.

"On purpose?"

"No, Impa, we accidentally hugged," I roll my eyes at her.

"Well I don't know? Maybe you tripped and fell into his arms? It's just hard to imagine. I don't remember the last time I saw you guys hug. He didn't even hug you at our graduation. My dad hugged you at our graduation."

"Your dad hugged half the school," I argue.

"Not my point."

"I know. But were you listening? The dinner actually went decently," I say excitedly.

"Sounds too good to be true. You sure your dad's not secretly plotting Link's death?"

"No, I think Father is trying not to like Link but can't help but admire him a little."

Impa turns toward me, studies my expression, and begins to smile. "Well, I'm happy for you then."

"Thanks. Everything is going to change now."

"Yeah? You gonna ask him out now?"

"Yes! This time next week, I will be his girlfriend." I grin from ear to ear. The butterflies in my stomach are as excited as those kids who just won a big plush on the other side of the arcade. They are screaming and cheering so loud that we can hear them through the noisy arcade music.

"Knowing you, you already know the exact date, time, and place, and have written a 5-page long love confession in MLA format with citations."

"I am going to ask him Monday night at the park where we ate dinner on our first date," I say proudly.

"You didn't deny the essay-length confession."

"I didn't write one," I say, looking the other way.

"Ah, you memorized it," she says, pulling a smug face.

"N-er-mh-maybe. It's a big step, okay? I need to be prepared. Becoming someone's girlfriend is scary. Especially since I  am the one who has to ask him."

"Imagine if he just said no," she laughs. I don't. What if he does say no... "Nope, don't even," she knocks on my head, "he's not going to say no so don't even stress over that."

"But what if–"

"Nope, nope," she knocks on my head again. "He's not going to say no."

I take a deep breath. "Okay."

Impa throws another chip into the claw machine and fails yet again to get a good grip on the plushy. "This is such bullshit. You have any idea how much cash I've invested in this piece of fluff? I could just order that stupid plushy online."

"So why don't you?"

"Because I've invested so much cash," she repeats as if it was a logical argument. "I can't give up now, otherwise all my other tries were for nothing. It also just feels fucking amazing to finally win that damn thing."

"How would you know?" I tease her.

"Har-har," she pulls out another chip. "This is my last Christmas chip," she mumbles as it drops into the machine.

"Good because I have to head out soon."

"Why? It's not even 10 PM yet," she says, hyper-focused on the claw arm.

"I'm going to stop by Link's house. I want to see him one more time before the game to give him a good luck note."

"Can't you give it to him tomorrow morning?" She asks as she moves the joystick to guide the arm toward her plushy.

"Tomorrow is not a good time. You know how he gets before a big game. That's why I'm waiting until Monday to–"

"Oh my god!" She squeaks and grips my arm with both hands. The claw pulls her plush up and moves it across the other toys. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" Her nails are digging into my arm but I will suffer the pain and share her excitement. The plushy drops and misses the hole. It lands back in the bunch. "Fucking piece of shit!" Impa kicks the machine with her boot.

"Bummer."

"I almost had it!" She groans in frustration.

"Next time," I pat her back to comfort her.

"Urgh," she throws her hair back, places her hands on her waist, and sighs. When she looks at me, her eyes shift from hail storms to calm sunset skies. "Sorry, what were you saying about Link and his game?"

"He gets into this zone on game days to prepare mentally. He is very meticulous when it comes to that; he calculates every second of the day."

"Yeah? Bet you got his whole game day routine memorized."

"No." Yes, of course I have. "As I was saying... He is going to need his space. I'm likely not going to speak to him before the game tomorrow morning. That's why I'm visiting him tonight."

"So you're sleeping at your house tonight?"

"If I can sleep, yes. I'll be a nervous wreck all night... By the way, you are going to watch the game, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. I want to see the look on Ganon's face when they lose against us, again!" She lets out an evil laugh. Maybe she's the real villain of my story. That would make me her rather harmless sidekick. No, her childhood wasn't traumatic enough to inspire her to give her the motive to destroy the planet. But she would rock villain fashion.

"Why you looking at me like that?" Impa questions.

"No reason," I shrug and aim my eyes at my lock screen to check the time. "Is it okay if I go now? I don't want to get there too late."

"Yeah yeah, go, leave me hanging, it's fine."

"Don't pout."

"Not pouting," she says, literally pursing her lips with crossed arms. 

"Grow up," I laugh.

"Hey, what are you doing for spring break?" she asks as we leave the arcade.

"I don't know yet. Why?"

"We should go somewhere."

"Where?"

"I don't know? Anywhere."

"We can't just go "anywhere"," I say, using air quotes.

"Uh, yeah we can actually."

"Let's talk about it next week, okay? First we have to figure out where we want to go, then we can plan something."

"Or we can just start driving and see where it takes us," she grins.

"You mean like a road trip?"

"Yeah, why not? We gotta get out of Cali for a week."

"Oh, I don't know..." I rub my arm, already feeling anxious just thinking about it.

"It's fine. I got like two more weeks to convince you."

She puts her arm around me and walks me to my car. Since it's Saturday night, she follows me to the frat house to attend their party. No longer do I have to park two streets away. No longer do I have to sneak in. No longer do I have to fear the whispers and looks that follow me to Link's door. I knock a couple of times but don't receive an answer.

"He's not here, hun," a girl in the hallway says to me. I turn my head to look at her. "He never is," she adds.

He is, he's just not showing himself to you. "Oh, okay," I decide to keep my rude comment to myself. I try to open the door but it's locked. No surprise there. People would constantly try to walk in if the door was unlocked. I text Link to let me in but after two minutes he still hasn't texted back and I'm already sick of standing in the hallway.

The music is as annoying and noisy as always and the people who dance to it even more so. I knock on Revali's door but he doesn't answer either. He doesn't have to. I open his door and step inside. His room is dark and deserted. He is probably downstairs. I just need the key to Link's room, luckily I know where it is. I open the drawer of his nightstand and grab the Key that has a sulky face drawn on it.

I peek my head out into the hallway to see if the coast is clear. The girl left and the only other people in the hallway are two guys near the bathroom but they are too focused on each other to notice me Leaving Revali's room. After unlocking Link's door, I step inside and lock the door again.

Link is sitting on the floor, cross-legged, his back turned toward the door. He has headphones on, no wonder he didn't hear me knocking. This is his routine. Music, silence, and no distractions. His music must be turned up all the way in order to drown out the party noises.

How can I approach him without startling him? I want to just put my arms around him for a surprise hug but I'm afraid he will apply some self-defense out of reflex. 

I kneel down behind him, tap his shoulder, and quickly shield my face with my hands when his torso twitches. He snaps his head back to see who it is but doesn't raise a hand. I witness the sudden change in his eyes when they realize that it is me who has broken in. He removes his headphones and turns his whole body toward me.

"What are you doing here?" He asks delightedly.

I kiss him without a thought behind it. I am suddenly overflowing with joy and I have no idea where it came from! I kiss him again and again. He doesn't seem to mind but he breaks our kiss to catch his breath.

"Good answer," he laughs and turns his body around to face me, then he pulls me in for another kiss.

I lean back onto the floor, bringing him with me. When I decided to visit Link, I told myself I would try my best not to interrupt his focus, yet here I am practically begging him in every possible non-verbal way to make out with me. He places himself on top of me but holds himself up just enough so I can barely feel any pressure on my chest. My hands press against his back, telling his body to rest on mine.

I interrupt our kiss for a brief moment to defend my intentions. "I only came to deliver a note."

"Noted," he smirks and reunites our lips. I break our kiss again and shake my head.

"No, I mean I have an actual note for you."

"Sure you do."

"No really."

"Mhm. Where is it then?"

"In my pants."

"Um," he bites his lips together to stop himself from smiling. "Do you hear yourself?"

"What? Goodness! No, Link, that's not--"

"No, no, I get it. You want me to grab that note for you?" He laughs.

"No, it's in my back pocket," I clarify but his smirk only grows.

"My offer still stands."

"Pervert." I lightly push him off to bring up the note.

"Says the girl who came onto me." Defeated, I hand him the note in silence. His eyes light up when he recognizes the familiar paper. "It's one of your good luck notes!"

"I wanted to deliver it tonight because I know you won't be very approachable tomorrow morning with warm-ups and team meetings scheduled."

"You're so thoughtful. Thank you," he plants a kiss on my cheek before he gets up.

"Do you feel ready for tomorrow?" I ask, getting up too.

"Pretty much."

"How is your leg?"

"Feels good. Stretched my knee a lot today, gonna do the same tomorrow. Should be fine."

"Delightful. I know you don't want to hear this, but if, at any point tomorrow, you are in pain, I mean unbearable pain, please remember that it is okay to take a break. You're not fighting alone and it's much more important that your health remains balanced over the years than to sacrifice every last drop of energy for one single game."

"Yeah," he says, minding eye contact. I know he would rather break his knee again than let down his fans.

"I just want to make sure that what happened during your last soccer game doesn't happen again."

"I know..." he looks at me again and gives me a soft smile.

"Okay," I whisper, returning the smile. "I'll go now, leave you to your meditation."

"You really just came for the note?"

"Yes. That kiss was not my intention, I promise. Of course I wanted to see you as well but that was just a fortunate consequence of dropping off the note."

"Fortuinate consequence? You could have left the note with Ravioli," he says, pleased with his witty remark.

"Maybe next time I will," I say, equally smug.

"So you're leaving then?"

"If you'll let me. I mean... don't you need the quiet?"

"Quiet? In this house? On a Saturday night?"

"So you want me to stay?" I ask shyly.

"I wouldn't mind," he shrugs coolly.

"What about your pregame routine? The absolute isolation. The mediation, the silence."

"Again. In this house?"

"You're already dealing with the noise, do you really want to add a crowded bed to the list of obstructions?"

"I'd love to add a crowded bed to the list. Any list."

"But you need your rest and space..." I can't risk being a distraction before the game. But he's right, this house isn't exactly free of distractions as is. "Maybe you should stay at my house for the night."

"Huh?"

"It's quiet, you'll have your own bathroom in the morning, your own space and privacy, a balanced breakfast–"

"A man who'll kill me," he casually adds.

"I told you he likes you."

"I don't think he likes me that much."

"It's not a big deal. If I tell him that you can't sleep at your own house because of the noise, he will do anything to help you be well-rested for tomorrow's game. Even if that means he has to offer you one of our guest rooms."

"Guest room?" Link's interest in the idea immediately drops to a low 2 out of 10. "Would you sleep in the guest room too?"

"Father wouldn't allow us to sleep in the same room, Silly."

"I thought he liked me."

"Not that much," I steal his line.

"Just stay here," he snakes his arms around me from behind and kisses the back of my neck. My heart pace increases and a cold shiver runs down my spine. Those are Link's lips on my neck, I try to remind myself. It was just a tiny kiss, yet all I feel is Karusa pressing himself against me. 

"I didn't bring any of my things," I say, distracted by the sting on my skin.

The door next to Link's room slams shut and hushed giggles travel through the wall. A girl is giggling breathlessly and a guy's voice appears to accompany her. I can't understand what they are saying since the music is biting the sound waves, but when both start moaning, I understand exactly what is going on without the need for words.

"Who needs ocean or rainforest sounds when you have this to fall asleep to," Link jokes, forcing an exaggerated smile.

"I agree. You can't tell this apart from animal sounds anyway," I shrug, trying to mirror that disturbed smile of his.

We both fall into laughter. "I'd rather get chopped up and shipped back to Japan by your dad than to have to listen to them... Mating."

"Then let's go. I'll call Father and let him know that you're spending the night."

"You sure?" At the same moment as Link second guesses this plan, the wall next to his bed starts shaking from the very physical activity that is happening next door. Link and I just exchange a quick nod. "Okay, let's go to your place."

He grabs his bat, baseball uniform, knee support, and clothes, and leaves the room with me. I wish I would have checked the hallway first. A group of girls on their way to the bathroom freezes in time as soon as their eyes land on us. We just keep walking, trying not to pay any attention to– well to the attention. 

We say goodbye to Impa, who is once again winning beer pong against Prissen, and shake off all the people who try to talk to Link on our way out. Father doesn't answer my calls. He is either asleep already or absorbed in his work. Either way, I'm glad he didn't pick up; he would have heard the party in the background and judged me. By the time we get to the house, he still hasn't called back.

Link and I walk up to the door like two strangers; neither looking at nor talking to each other. Cado greets us, the maid opens the door. There is no going back now. Link remains walking behind me as if I was a shield against the evil that is about to attack us. We walk across the house to find Father. When we get to his study, I can hear him typing on the other side of the door.

Link and I haven't spoken a single word since we entered the house. I give him an insecure look as I exhale slowly, then I knock and open the door just enough to peek my head in.

"Unless it's Liechtenstein, tell them I'll call back later," Father says, not looking at us.

"It's me," I say timorously, drawing his eyes to me.

"Oh, hello, Dear. I assumed you were the maid."

"I have a question."

"Questions are meant to be asked."

"Okay?"

He stops typing to look up at me. "So ask."

"Would it be alright if a friend... I mean... Would it be okay if Link spent the night?"

Father's lips part involuntarily and his brows furrow. "Pardon?"

"Link's roommates are having a party and the noise makes it really hard for him to sleep. He needs to be well-rested for his game tomorrow so I offered him our guest room."

"You have already offered him our guest room?"

"To be quite frank..." I open the door a little further to reveal Link's presence. "He's already here..."

Father sighs. "Hello, Link."

"Good evening, Dr. Hyrule," Link bows his head. How can he switch so effortlessly between reticent, silly, and respectful? I can hardly control my inner personalities, let alone the way I behave on the outside.

"Since he is already here, it would be rude to send him away," Father says against his liking. "I will tell the maid to prepare one of the guest rooms."

Let me guess; the one furthest away from my room, all the way at the other end of the hallway. "Thank you, Father."

His eyes have returned to his laptop when he tells us to close the door on our way out. Satisfied, we leave his study and head upstairs to my room. I feel the pressing urge to hide Link, to sneak around like burglars and make sure nobody sees or hears us. But that's not necessary anymore. We can walk the hallway leisurely, exposed, and without worrying about anyone else. This is so freeing. It feels strange. But in a good way. 

I can't believe Father agreed to this without a fight. This time it didn't even seem like he was trying to avoid an argument or agree to it out of fear of losing me. He genuinely seemed to care about Link's well-being. Obviously he didn't greet him with open arms or open a bottle of champagne to celebrate Link's stay, but he didn't seem appalled by the idea of him staying either. 

I grin at Link as if we just successfully entered the secret safe of a French museum from some cliche thriller movie. "I feel like we just stole the world's most expensive diamond," I whisper exhilarated.

"Plot twist, you're the diamond."

"We should write a movie scripts," I sarcastically remark. 

"Excellent idea, 007," he gives me a high five. I love that I can be a complete dork around him and he just plays along without even questioning my sanity.

"Now what?"

"Now I'll finish my meditation and go to bed? That was the plan, right?"

"Right." I almost forgot why we came here. For a moment I thought we were going to have a fun sleepover. Some other time. Tonight, it's all about preparing Link for tomorrow's game. "Can I help with anything or do you need your space?"

"I'm... not sure," he ponders. "Wanna meditate with me?"

"You're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It might distract you? I don't know..."

"I don't really notice my surroundings when I meditate."

"I see." So I will disappear right next to him.

"Wanna go outside for it?"

"Okay," I smile. "We can go to the pond."

Link leaves his bag in the guest room and follows me back outside. We head to the pond, sit down next to each other, and start meditating. The air is mild, and apart from the occasional frog trill, it's perfectly quiet around us. The sky is almost free of clouds and a couple of stars can be spotted from up here. It's quite pretty out tonight. It's a shame that our goal is to shut our surroundings out.

Link teaches me some breathing exercises that help me relax my mind and body. This is actually sort of nice. I am familiar with yoga and enjoy reading about the effects meditation can have on the human brain, but I have never experienced this kind of relaxation before. Link seems to be an expert at creating a sense of peace in his mind. I have a lot to learn from him.

He shows me how to sit, how to breathe, and how to guide my thoughts away from my problems. He talks me through the whole experience and even shows me a way to let go of some of the anger I hold inside. I feel as if I am slowly sinking, physically as well as mentally, and it truly feels amazing. As if I am leaving my body for a few timeless minutes to untangle my mind.

"It's been thirty minutes," Link says in a low voice after some time has passed. I open my eyes to find myself still sitting by the pond.

"It couldn't have been." He shows me his lock screen to prove that it has really been half an hour since we sat down but I don't look at the time. Instead, my eyes are stuck on his wallpaper. "Link? Why do you have that as your wallpaper?"

He takes a look at his phone and returns his eyes to mine. "What do you mean?"

"The night we kissed for the first time, you told me you don't care about wallpapers. We went through all your photos; photos of your family, friends and teammates, places you've visited, delectable food you've devoured, and yet you chose to use the photo of a girl you had just met."

"True. But it was a funny picture."

"But you've changed your wallpaper since then. Did you choose this photo as your new wallpaper because it was funny too?"

"Kinda? This one was more to tease you. But... I mean there's a reason why I have you as my wallpaper." I give him a confused look. He chuckles lightly and leans back, supporting his body on his elbows. "There are a lot of things I care about. Like my family and sports. I never really cared about wallpapers though, but I liked your idea of setting it to something that makes me happy so I can feel that happiness every time I unlock my phone. I went through all my photos but couldn't decide which of those things I loved the most. Now I know," he shrugs and smiles at me. 

"That's why I'm your wallpaper?"

He nods. "Because out of everything, I love you the most."

"Link..." I shake my head.

"What?" He scratches the back of his neck. "Should I... not say that stuff?"

"You're..."  I whisper, cheeks hot as Death Valley. My heart is racing and I can hardly keep the words from tumbling out. "I... You... Mh..." I press my lips together. This is not the time and place, I didn't plan for this to happen tonight. I have a whole speech prepared, I'm not about to just blurt it out like that.

"Did your screen freeze?" Link laughs and leans over to tap my forehead.

Every breath I take feels like a tornado that gets sucked into my stomach. My hands are caught in a nervous tremble as they dig into the grass and my throat is dry. "I'm yours," my lips betray me.

"What?" His smile is slanted and his eyes study mine as if they were searching for a sign. A sign that this is a joke, a trick, or something completely trivial.

"I want to be your girlfriend."

"You–" he interrupts himself with a chuckle, then his smile grows out of control. "Really?"

I nod slowly, screaming on the inside. I'm holding my breath, too scared to move a single muscle. Please say something before I go insane!

"I'm confused, does this mean you want to date?"

Is he really going to make me spell it out for him? I can't breathe. "Yes," I nearly whisper and gulp from the nerves.

"So..." he still sounds confused but excited nevertheless. "Tonight? Like, today I mean? Officially?"

"If that's alright with you," I say with the little air left in my lungs.

"Uh," he laughs again and shakes his head in disbelief. "Of--of course it is! Yes, Zelda, please be my girlfriend."

I give him a frenzied collection of tiny nods before my grin breaks free. His hands cup my cheeks and pull my face in for a passionate kiss. I would like to return the gesture but my smile is making it difficult to properly kiss him. 

When our lips part, I finally take a breath again, my first breath as Link's girlfriend. I look at him. Him; my boyfriend. I just can't help the colossal smile that is poking my cheekbones. I want to diminish that grin so I can kiss him but I can't do anything about it. And by the looks of it, neither can he.

"This is not how I planned it," I shake my head again. I'm disappointed in myself.

"How did you plan it?" he grins.

"Doesn't matter now, does it?"

"Hey, why are you crying?"

"I am?" I touch my drenched cheeks. "I don't know. I'm just so happy..."

"Those are happy tears?"

"They better be. There is nothing to be sad about," I sniffle, wiping more tears.

"But you're okay?"

I nod and laugh at my silly emotions. "I've never been happier."

"Good," his thumb brushes over my cheek to catch a tear. He kisses that spot, then the other cheek, then my lips. As he leans his forehead against mine, he wipes another one of my tears. "What's today's date?"

"February 21st."

"February 21st," he repeats in a soft whisper. "I will remember that date."

----

(Hey guys :) hope your week is going well! How's 2022 so far?? Anything good happened yet?

I hope you liked today's chapter! I read all your comments on my last author's note and legit started crying because I couldn't handle the overdose of love I received from you guys!! Seriously, all this support, it's so overwhelming and BEAUTIFUL! I cherish everything you guys said about this story and how it's been affecting you... Some of you told me that this story literally helped you through depression and hard times and that it made 2021 special and I-- I just.... I'm so happy about that... I'm genuinely so freaking happy that this story had an impact on you.

I love you guys so much!! Thank you for all the love and support! Hugs and kisses - Ace)