(Hey guys... I... I have bad news. This is not a joke. I know I said I was going to upload every Wednesday and Saturday but.. I can't.. I'm not able to. I'm dealing with a lot of bad things rn and I'm so sorry but I won't be able to upload for a little bit... idk how long... I want to come back as soon as anyhow possible. Thanks for understanding. So sorry for starting off so serious, hopefully this chapter will make it a little better for all of you ❤️.. -Ace)
—-
I wake up in Link's arms and start my day with a smile. He opens his eyes the second I remove his arm from my back.

"Morning sunshine," I greet him with the smile he put on my face. "How did you sleep?"

"Ask me in an hour," he moans in his raspy morning voice and buries his head under the mountain of pillows.

"Sorry," I giggle. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'll just go take a quick shower and be back in 5 to 10 minutes." His body shoots up with a smirk aimed at me. "Solo," I add.

"Oh come on! I'd literally give up sleep for you," he laughs. "I need a shower too."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine."

"For real?"

"Yes. If you need a shower that badly and can't wait for me to go first, you can take a shower in one of the guest bathrooms while I take a shower in my bathroom."

"Oh you're cruel," he sighs and drops back down onto his back.

"I'll be back in 5 to 10 minute," I laugh and get up.

"Good morning kiss," he begs and leans over just enough for me to reach his lips from the bedside.

Grinning like a quokka, I make my way to the bathroom. Not referring to the sunrays falling through the hallway windows, this seems to be another bright day! If I could wake up next to Link every day I would suffer from a dopamine overdose.
After my shower, I head downstairs to snatch some strawberries from the dining table. On my way to the patio, I pass the living room. Father is sitting on the sofa, reading the news on his tablet.

"Good morning," I quietly greet him in a fast pace.

"Zelda," he growls and I instantly stop in my tracks. His tone is serious and the look he gives me even more so. "Sit."

"Right now? I was just about to search for our tennis equipment."

"What for?"

"To play tennis with Link later today."

"You don't play tennis."

"I could start," I shrug, chewing on my lip.

"The rackets are in the pool house," he says. "Now sit."

I take a deep breath before walking up to the sofa. He puts the tablet down and waits for me to take a seat across from him.

"I understand Link stayed the night?" he begins. I knew this would be about that.

"Yes."

"I also understand that none of the guest bedrooms were occupied last night." I don't answer. I simply move my head in a way that could be read as both a nod and a sideways shake. He sighs and interlocks his hands over his lap. "I don't mind providing a quiet place for Link during one of his fraternity's social gatherings... But... I do mind you two sharing a bed."

"I... I understand," I answer, looking anywhere but his direction.

"Perhaps we should revisit the topic of–"

"Nope!" Not again. Never again. I'll die of humiliation if he utters the word coitus again.

"Zelda, be reasonable."

"You have nothing to worry about."

"I am your Father. I will always worry." My mind instantly starts an inner clamour about whether or not to believe him. "You are an adult now, a beautiful young lady who has only recently begun to explore the world of romantic relations."

"It wasn't invented on a different planet," I cringe. "There are kids half my age who've dated more than me."

Another sigh falls from his lips, this one even louder than the first. "I'm just saying I'm aware of teenage hormones and–"

"You called me an adult less than twenty seconds ago, now I'm a teengare again?" I cut in.

"And the desire to be close to your partner," he continues dismissively. "But there is a right time for everything."

"Noted."

"I don't mean any harm."

"I know."

"I want you to be safe."

"I am–will be," I correct myself confused. I'm not sure what he's referring to.

"How about a compromise?"

"What do you propose?"

"You may share a bed with Link as long as you leave the door open."

"What if I stay at his place? Will you stand guard in the hallway then too?"

"How about I have some faith in my daughter?" He sighs for the third time. This must be a new record.

"So you're okay with Link staying over some nights?"

"If you agree to the terms."

"Are we really back to terms and rules?"

"If you want to keep the door shut, you have to agree to seeing a gynocologist."

"Door open sounds good," I awkwardly nod and offer him a handshake to make it official. I can see the relief hiding under his pride when he leans over the coffee table to shake my hand.

"Thanks for the talk."

"Thanks for caring," I mumble at the floor. Even if I act sarcastic during talks like these, I don't actually mind them. Not with him. Because... they're such a parent thing to do. And I love when he does parent things.

An hour later, Link finally crawl out of bed and joins me for some breakfast. When I tell him that I prepared the tennis court, his eyes light up with joy. He clears his plate like a vacuum cleaner. I'm full after one bagel and just watch him in a trance of admiration. When he's done, I take him to the tennis court.

I haven't used the court in years. I wish I could blame my lack of physical activity or being born without an athletic bone in my body, but that would be a lie. I did get very skilled at golf and equestrianism at some point. I just never pursued a career and eventually stopped practicing altogether.

Link and I spend a few minutes stretching our bodies before we take our position on each side of the net. I already know I'm going to look like a fool. Link has played tennis all his life. He attended tournaments. Even with two broken legs he could still beat me at this game.

"It feels so good to be holding a racket again!" He squeals like a cheerleader and even performs a cute little hop of joy.

"You're a dork," I yell at his side of the court.

"You love it," he laughs, giving me another cheerleader pose that accentuates his butt. What a lovable idiot. "Ready for my super powerful serve?"

"Just don't hit me," I beg, hiding behind my tennis racket.

"It'd be good for you if the ball headed in your direction."

"Not if the direction is a straight pathway to my nose."

"I'll aim to your right. Okay?"

"Okay," I murmur, getting ready for his super painful power serve.

He tosses the ball into the air and swings the racket. I shut my eyes, tense my muscles, and cower behind the racket I wish was an iron shield. A few seconds of silence pass before I reopen my eyes.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I missed the ball," he informs me disappointed. "Haven't played in a while. Let me try again."

"Take your time."

"Did you have your eyes closed?"

"Maybe?" I peep.

"Don't close your eyes during serves," he laughs. "I won't hurt you."

"I'm more scared of hurting myself."

He picks up the tennis ball and returns to his position behind the line.

"Here we go. Ready?"

"Y-yes!"

The ball flies up, his racket cuts through the hair, and swoosh! The ball hits the ground next to me before I have time to react.

"Yuss!" His fist punches the air in victory.

"Your celebration dance is a bit premature don't you think? You're only one point ahead of me."

"It's 15:0 actually."

"Oh... well.... I can still win!"

"Of course you can, babe." My stomach flutters. This is the first time that nickname felt natural. He picks up another ball. "Ready?"

"Bring it on!"

"I like the spirit!" Without delay, he tosses the ball up and jumps to hit it at its apex. His jump surprises me so much that I once again fail to react to the ball. "Holy shit!" He roars and my heart drops, imagining the pain he must be going through right now! "That felt amazing!" Wait what?

"Everything alright? Are you hurt?" I have to make sure he's not aggravating his injuries.

"No, I feel great! It honestly feels so good to be moving again!"

I let out a long breath. I get worried so quickly. I don't ever want to see him hurt again. I know that's just make believe but I really hope he won't get injured again for a very long time.

"30:0!" He boasts.

"Enjoy it while you can. You're about to witness the fastest backhand move in the history of the human race! Yes, even faster than Rafael Nadal's backhand in 2007!"

"It's sexy when you talk about sports."

"His ball was moving at 69.8 miles per hour," I continue, ignoring the smirk on his face.

"I'm starting to think you looked that up while we were stretching"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Do you even know what a backhand groundstroke is?"

"Absolutely not," I shake my head with a childish grin.

"I will admit, your ability to memorize information is impressive. Your researching skills not so much. There have been faster backhands since Nadal."

"Nerd."

"Jock," he hurls back with his tongue out. "I'm ready when you are."

"Born ready!"

"Show me those backhand skills," he says as he serves the ball.

"Goodness! What is that by the pool?" I gasp in shock and hit the ball as he turns his eyes away from the court. Still focusing on the pool, Link misses the ball. "I scored! Take that!"

"Hey! You tricked me!" Link laughs, scorning me with an amusing glower.

"2:1, better watch out!"

"Pfft. You can have the point because I pity you."

"What an awfully sweet thing to say to your girlfriend."

"If you want to be good at sports, you've gotta be mentally strong. A little criticism will give you a thick skin."

"In that case, thank you for insulting me?"

"Anytime, honey," he blows me a kiss and winks at me. His nicknames for me are already throwing me off but the wink—?! He knows exactly what he's doing. "Want me to teach you how to serve?"

"I got it," I shrug unbothered.

"You have to hit it diagonally."

"I know," I lie.

"And you're supposed to hit it from behind the baseline. But since you're a rookie you can serve it from where you're standing, it's cool."

I playfully roll my eyes at him and reposition myself behind the white line in the back. I don't think I've ever performed a successful serve in tennis. But he doesn't need to know that. Maybe my bluff will magically win me the point.

"Ready for my serve, broadly known as merciless lightning bolt?"

"That is one odd name," he laughs.

"At least it's more creative than 'super powerful'."
"Sure. Whatever you say."

"Are you ready now?"

"Ready!"

"Maybe you'll learn something from my serve."

"Maybe I will. If you stop talking and finally serve the ball," he laughs.

I throw the ball up way too high, get blinded by the sun when my eyes try to follow it, but still manage to somehow hit it with the racket. Unfortunately the ball gets caught by the net. Oopsie.

"Not looking so hot now, am I?" Maybe we should go back to playing golf. At least there I stand a chance at winning. Or at least I'll look like I know what I'm doing.

Link drops his tennis racket immediately and jogs toward me. What is he doing? I'm too stunned to move when he hops over the net, making it easy for him to pick me up in one swift motion.

"Link!" I screech and begin to laugh unrestrainedly. "What are you doing?"

Scared of getting dropped, I wrap my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. He's holding me by my thighs and meets my cosmic grin with a confident smile.

"Still looking hot," he says breathlessly right before he kisses me.

I'm afraid of the staff seeing us but I'm enjoying this way too much to stop him from kissing me! A long and passionate kiss is exchanged before I back away, giggling with a joy overload.

"Why are we acting like this?" I ask between my laughter.

"Like what?" He grins, kissing me all over my face.

"Like this! All silly and affectionate!"

"It's summer break, school's done for a while, we're going to Japan, we got a good night's rest, we're in the sun playing sports, and most importantly, all our problems are starting to slowly go away! Long story short, we are happy!"

"Is this what happiness feels like?" I giggle.

"Yes and I intend to make you feel this way a lot more throughout our lives."

"Eek! Really?" I'm so excited for no reason! "Same to you! I'll make it my life's mission to make you smile at least once every day!"

"That won't be hard. Just show me your pretty face and I'll be grinning from ear to ear."

"Stop!" I cover my eyes. He kisses both my hands and when I split my fingers to look at him he moved his arms to my back to pull me into a hug.

"Let's take a break," I suggest.

"We just started."

"You're the one who's out of breath!"

"Because I'm the one who's moving!"

Sharing giggles and laughter, we take off our shoes and socks and take a break by the pool. Our legs are floating in the cool water while the sun warms our skins.

"So, I talked to Father this morning. He said you can stay more often."

"Did he really?

"Mhm."

"What's the catch?"

"You have to watch Planet Earth with me and fold your clothes before you go to bed."

"Those are his conditions?" Link raises a brow.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"No, no, not at all. Just a bit creeped out that your dad knows that I leave my clothes on the floor," he smiles. "You know, you could just ask me to watch documentaries with you. No need to blackmail me."

"It's not blackmail. It's a service you provide in exchange for the experience of sleeping on clouds."

"You clearly got your business-making skills from your dad."

"So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"Joke aside, is he really fine with me staying?"

"Er, well, yes. But..."

"Knew it."

"Well, he requested we leave the doors open."

"Ah."

"Just at night."

"Mh."

"So would you like to stay another night?"

He tilts his head to give me a smile but the sun is in his eyes and his smile turns more into a squint. "I would. But I have to do my work out and get a change of clothes or at least put these in a washer."

"We have a gym," I remind him. "As for your clothes..." I give him an unexpected push and burst into laughter as he plunges into the pool.

"Oh! Just you wait!" He warns, pushing himself up the edge to get out.

He's drenched from head to toe and dripping all over the place! I squeak when he tries to grab me! Quickly, I attempt to run away but his arms snake around my stomach, picking me up from behind! I wiggle my legs but escaping is impossible! He hugs me extra tightly, making sure to press his drenched body against my back while he stumbles back to the pool.

"Don't you dare!" Are my last words before we dive under.

Link pulls me closer under water and gives me a bubbly kiss. We reach the surface, prioritizing our laughter over gasping for air.

"I'll drown you, come here!" I pant.

"Come and get me!" He says, dashing toward the other end.

"This is the second time we're in the pool fully dressed!" I get a hold of his t-shirt and pull him back just as he reaches the pool steps. "Where do you think you are going?"

A hearty laugh falls from his lips with a short high pitched break in his voice! It's the cutest sound I've ever heard! My stomach is swarming with butterflies, making it hard to catch my breath!

"Ahem!" Father clears his throat, suddenly standing by the poolside.

I let go of Link so abruptly that he drops face forward into the pool.

"It is a Sunday morning and you two are being awfully noisy," he berates us.

"Apologies, Father."

"Sorry Dr. Hyrule..."

"And where is your swimwear?" He asks unamused.
"Sorry," I repeat mousily.

"Dry up before you enter the house, I don't want a warping hardwood floor," he says before turning away.

Link and I stifle our giggles until he disappears back inside.

"This is all your fault," I whisper. My cheeks are sore from smiling.

"You pushed me!" He whispers back.

Link and I get out of the pool and wrap ourselves in a big towel, shivering despite the high temperatures. I take a seat on the lounger while he takes off his shirt. Or tries to.

"Need some help?" I chuckle.

"It's just hard 'cause it's wet."

Once shirtless, he lets the t-shirt flop onto one of the other loungers. The skin around the scars on his back has turned a bit red. Especially around his most recent scar that stretches down his spine.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"I'm good," he says and turns around to face me again. His body has changed in the past couple of weeks. His abs have been coming back. He's not in the same shape he used to be but he still looks—

"My eyes are up here," he laughs.

"S—sorry!"

He walks up to my lounger and stop right in front of me. He has positioned himself exactly between me and the sun, casting a shadow over my body. His hand cups my cheek and slowly guides my chin up to look at his face.

"How are you feeling?"

"A bit breathless if I'm honest."

"Me too. Haven't moved like this in a long time."

His smile withers for a split second and I know exactly what he's thinking. He thinks that he's out of shape and that without sports, he is worthless. I wish I could convince him of the opposite but some insecurities can only be defeated by ourselves.

"You're so handsome," I say at the same time as he says "Your dad's been really nice lately."

"What?" I ask as he thanks me for the compliment. "What did you just say about my Father?"

"He's been pretty nice."

"He just scolded us for having fun."

"Yeah but he took us golfing, gave me a shit ton of money and a job, and let me stay the night."

"I suppose, yes."

"Last year you two couldn't even be in the same room for more than a minute without screaming at each other."

"Yes. He has come a long way."

"You both have. I mean that in a good way."

"No, I agree. We've both had our heeded moments and bad tempered arguments but overall I think we did decently..."

"We should do something nice for your dad."
"Like what?"

He takes a seat next to me and ruffles his hair with the towel. "I don't know. What's something that could make him happy?"

"Anxiety and dictatorship."

"Come on. Think."

"Stocks and politics. So basically anxiety and dictatorship." Link gives me a look that requests a moment of sincerity. "I don't know what stuff makes him happy. If he wants something, he'll just buy it for himself. And it's not like he'd appreciate something handmade like macaroni art."

"How about food?"

"I say macaroni and you instantly think of your next meal," I laugh.

"For your dad, Genius. What if I cooked something for him?"

"Seriously?"

"Why not?"

"Because he dines at five star restaurants and has a personal chef."

"Are you saying my food isn't good enough?"

"On the contrary. I'm saying that my father will never be pleased by another meal ever again once he gets a taste of your holy dish. He might even want to hire you as our new chef."

"Perfect. Looks like I'll be making more than enough cash to pay for school," he smirkes.

"In all seriousness, I think it's a great idea. May I help?"

"If you want the food to taste like coal."

My jaw drops in a loud gasp! "Low blow!"

"Just spitting facts," he laughs, both hands up in surrender.

"Let's do it tonight."

"I'm not going to make a joke on what you just said because I'm a mature business man now," he puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me closer to give my head a big kiss. "Tonight's probably too short notice for you dad. I gotta go home to change anyways. Let's just ask when it works best for him. Maybe sometime next week."

"Good idea. I'll go ask him right now." Determined and well-spirited, I get up to head inside. Link gets a hold on my arm and pulls me onto his lap.

"We have to dry up first," he whispers into my ear with amusement and playfulness while his arms wrap around my body.

"Oh. Right." I blush, already forgetting why I stood up in the first place. Now I'm just worrying about being too heavy on his legs while feeling more content than ever.