I was saddened by the lack of modern AUs for this pairing, so this is my humble attempt at writing one for them. Key-word being 'attempt'.

Smooth

Drinks and Pumpkin Pies

Link was a natural at handling kids, he understood them and didn't find them annoying or needy like his peers thought they were. That was why he was the number one choice for babysitting the town's kids in his teenager years.

Kids liking him had its advantages, he was always spared from whatever pranks or plans they cooked in their mischievous minds and he always got sweets handed to him every day (he really should stop eating those regularly though). He was happy with them, he wasn't blessed with a family to call his own so he appreciated the fact that they looked up to him as if he were their big brother.

Though kids liking him had its disadvantages.

"Can you teach me how to ask a girl out, Link?"

Mainly that.

Today, while eating a quick breakfast at Telma's diner, Colin shyly entered and sat across his table, looking as though he had a lot on his mind. When he asked what was troubling him, Colin answered with that.

Link almost spilled his milk in his surprise. "What?"

Colin looked down, as if he found a sudden interest in the table. "There's this... girl in my school I want to ask out but I don't know how..."

He wasn't sure if he was the right person to take advice from; after all he only had one girlfriend in his entire life, Ilia. Not to mention that it was her who asked him out first back when they were in the ninth grade.

They broke up two years after that, reasoning that they worked better as friends. And true to that, they were still friends to this day.

Later, he got too immersed in his work at the Ordon ranch to bother dating. And now at twenty one, he was as knowledgeable as Colin was regarding asking people out.

He wanted to say 'no'. He wanted to tell him that he really, really wasn't the most suitable person for that. But the way Colin was looking at him pleadingly got him to sigh in defeat and agree to teach him.

"Uh... first, you try to be subtle. For example: offer to carry her books or buy her a drink - juice or milk in your case - If she refused, back off. You don't want to annoy her now, do you?"

Wow, I almost convinced myself, who knew I had it in me?

Colin absorbed his advice, paying him all of his attention.

He continued, "If she accepted, try to be as casual as possible and then confess your feelings. Hopefully then, she'll agree to go out with you. If she didn't, be mature about it."

Colin nodded and then asked the question that ruined his act, "How can I offer her a drink then? Can you show me?"

Shit. "Sure..." Someone help! He looked around and saw a lone young woman sitting at the table behind them, and Colin pleaded with his eyes for him to try this 'offer someone a drink' move on her.

Link stood up and walked towards her, desperately hoping that everything would end well. "Hello."

She looked up, her dusky (or ruby red?) eyes questioning.

He couldn't help but to stare at her in awe.

Black was what she wore, a sleeveless shirt, a leather pants with high-heeled boots reaching below her knees and only a thin blue scarf broke the apparent black theme of her clothing. Her hair was fiery red, the contrast between it and the pale grey-ish skin of her bare shoulders was captivating to say the least.

She was, on all accounts, a very attractive woman.

A very attractive Twili woman, the first one he's ever seen in his life.

"Yes?" she finally voiced her confusion at the fact that he was just standing there, staring at her like some sort of an art work.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he quickly asked, breaking from his trance and not caring about how nervous he sounded. He then saw that she already had something to drink and mentally slapped himself.

She looked at him for a while then, her confused expression turning into an amused one. "Sure, why not?"

"Thank you," Link said and offered a small smile before he returned to Colin.

"So...?" the boy started.

"And that's how you offer someone a drink, Colin. You have to be prepared for rejection," Link proudly declared, hoping that this lesson would be enough for today.

"She didn't."

"She didn't what?"

"Reject you, I mean," Colin noted, pointing at the lady.

And much to his surprise, when he turned to see what Colin had meant, she acknowledged him with an amused smirk.

"What? But I thought..."

Colin excused himself at that, and with a knowing smile, he wished him good-luck before he left.

"Do you always run off when girls accept your offer?" she asked the moment he sat across her table, looking as though she was having the time of her life.

"Not always," he mumbled, blushing to his ears. This is embarrassing.

"Well, I'm waiting for my promised drink," she smirked widened before she leaned close, whispering, "or were you lying about that?"

He shook his head, he wasn't one to break his promises and he wasn't going to start now.

But...

"How about I order a pie for you? Telma makes the most delicious pumpkin pies in this town." He offered again with a smile. He really didn't want to force her to get another drink when she had one already, and it also would look rather foolish if he still pretended that he didn't see it, it was right in front of him!

She looked unsure for a moment before she shrugged. "I never had a pumpkin pie before, but I'll take your advice, maybe I'll end up liking it."

And what do you know, she did.

"This stuff is good!" she exclaimed, happily munching on her third slice of the pie. She honestly looked rather adorable with her cheeks puffed up like that, he wasn't sure if he should voice these thoughts though, maybe she wouldn't be as amused as he was about them.

So, he settled for beaming brightly. "Told you it was delicious."

They talked for a long while after finishing the pie Telma made for them, and Link was surprised about how easy it was to have a conversation with Midna (he told her that he found her name to be pretty, she countered that she found his name to be hilarious and proceeded to make some puns with it). He found himself going from silly topics: like the fact that he can't help himself from petting every cat that comes in his way, to serious ones: like the fact that he lived all alone with no living relatives to count on.

He thought that it was scary that he was opening up to someone he only just met, yet it somehow felt unbelievably right.

Midna, in return, told him few things about herself. He learned that she was twenty four and that she was on vacation when he asked her about why she was here (it was a known fact that the Twili only lived in major cities where the portals to their realm were maintained. Seeing her on the small town of Ordon was a surprising to say the least).

He wanted to ask why she was in a vacation in the first place but he chose against it, he felt that it was a matter she didn't want to through.

Soon, though, it was time to leave.

He wouldn't admit it (maybe she would find him to be creepy or something) but he was really sad to see her go, he really had fun talking with her. It's not an everyday occurrence to talk to someone from out of Ordon, especially not someone as interesting (and attractive) as Midna.

Is it silly for him to think that he already likes her?

He was about to say 'It was nice to meet you.' when she handed him a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he couldn't but to raise an eyebrow in honest questioning.

"You're serious about this? You're seriously handing me your phone-number."

"I don't know if you're adorably oblivious or if you have something against me, but yeah, I'm serious." Much to his surprise, she wasn't smirking in amusement or looking annoyed, she was smiling genuinely at him.

She had a really beautiful smile. He couldn't help himself from smiling in return. "When should I call you?"

"Anytime you like," she replied, offering a wink before she left.

His eyes followed her trail until she was out of his sight, and he looked again at the note under her number:

[You still didn't buy me a drink.

Try again.]

When did she even write this? "Alright," he chuckled, utterly amused at her antics, "I'll try not to fail next time."

TBC

This is going to be one shorty of a fic, you won't have to put up with me too much I tell you that.