Metal Chocobo: Here I am with another fic and it's another Zelink fic. I can't seem to get enough of this pairing, probably because they have great chemistry (pun intended). I don't know what to do with them all, but I figure posting the ones with better potential is a smart idea, right? Right. Because this one has potential, great potential, so don't let the name fool you. It was the in progress name and since it fits well I decided to keep it for the final version. Thanks to Felix Felicis for editing and happy birthday to Ally, which is the main reason I decided to post this now and not in three months after spending all that time wondering if it's good enough to post. It's amazing what needing a birthday present will make you do.
DISCLAIMER: All characters and places belong to Nintendo, in fact, everything but the plot belongs to Nintendo and I bet they could make a convincing case if they wanted to take that away from me too. At least I have action figures of Link and Zelda and I totally own those. Point is, I'm poor, am not attempting to do anything but express my love of Zelink, and am a very bad choice to sue over copyright infringement (because I have not money!).
Swimming Lessons
"How old are you? 16?"
"17."
"17. You're legally an adult and yet you can't swim." Mr. Ingo shuffled his papers. "You know that a certain proficiency in swimming is one of the national graduation requirements, right?"
Link continued to stare down at his bare feet. He had been in Mr. Ingo's office since they fished him out of the pool. Water still seeped out of the drawstrings of his trunks. He refused to say anything to the man who had just pushed him into the deep end of the pool.
"I must say, I'm never seen a boy flail about so wildly. You were well on the way to drowning. It's a good thing I was there to fish you out."
Link stifled a snort. Mr. Ingo hadn't pulled him out. He had frozen, leaving it up to a passing by student teacher to save Link. He now owed Shad a dry-cleaning bill and probably several hours worth of grunt work.
"Since you don't even know the basics, we'll have to send you to lessons. The public school system is so overtaxed that we don't have time to teach you here, so you'll be sent to the local community center after school."
"What?" Link yelped. He had been expecting lessons, but not after school and especially not at another location.
"You should feel lucky that the school is willing to pay for your lessons," Mr. Ingo sniffed. "Frankly, you should feel ashamed you didn't learn how in your previous classes. It's a disgrace. You are dismissed Mr. Wolfe."
'It's not my fault I've never had a swimming lesson,' Link thought bitterly as he scratched his arms. 'I've never lived in an area that actually had enough water to swim in it.'
xxx
Two days and roughly four hours later, Link shuffled into the pool area of the community center. His eyes started watering immediately as the scent of chlorine overwhelmed him. The pool area was empty except for a group of children seated in a corner at the end of the pool. He sat down next to them. Not one looked older than ten and Link had a feeling that none of them even came up to his waist.
A stunning woman in a red one-piece strode over to the group as soon as she saw Link sit down. "Sir," she said politely to Link, "this is an area restricted to the beginning class right now. You can come back later to pick your sibling up."
"A-actually I'm in this class," Link stammered. Link felt his ears burn. "Link Wolfe, I should be on the list…"
She consulted her clipboard. "Right, the high school sent you." She flashed him a smile, making Link forgive her completely. "Well then, I suppose we should get started. Welcome to Introductory Swimming. My name is Zelda and I will be your teacher."
The children responded with a chorus of hellos.
"Now that we know my name is Zelda and that's Link, I would like to find out what everyone else is called."
"Saria," called out a little girl with green hair.
"Mido," said the boy next to her.
"Beth," said the next.
Link tuned them out. They were just annoying pipsqueaks that would be making fun of him for the rest of the class. He didn't need to differentiate between them. What he needed was to keep from looking like a total loser in front of his hot instructor.
"So what do you think, Link?"
Link snapped to attention. All the kids were looking at him. Zelda had a marker ready to write down his next thought. The sheet was titled 'Pool Rules' and underneath it there was the bulletined point 'no running.'
"Water is an angry and powerful tyrant that is bringer of life and death, all-consuming in its doctoral nature by forcing all living creatures to dance to its wicked beat," he said.
"You're hydrophobic, aren't you?" Zelda said.
"Just a touch," Link admitted, holding up his left thumb and forefinger with a gap of roughly half an inch between them.
"Can you give us an easy to understand rule?"
"No horseplay in the pool area."
Zelda wrote it down on the board. "Can you explain that means, Link?"
Link blinked before he remembered that all of his classmates were in kindergarten. "It means no fighting, or climbing on each other, or pushing each other around the pool. You can fall down on the tile or into the pool if a friend knocks you off balance."
"Why would anyone do that?" asked a girl.
"They might think it's funny and not realize that they're hurting someone."
"That's really dumb," another kid said. "I don't think anyone here is that stupid."
'If only the powers that be were half as smart as these midgets, I wouldn't have nearly drowned yesterday,' Link thought as other kids added their ideas to the rules list. All the rules could basically be summed up as common sense.
Then they were allowed to go into the pool for a game of sharks and minnows. Link was a minnow. He didn't really understand the point of the game, but it seemed the only real rule was to not be caught by Zelda. Frankly, he wouldn't mind being caught by her; for one thing, he could stop wading through water that only came up to his waist.
Link was more than happy to leave when the lesson was over. In the parking lot he ran into Zelda. If he wasn't an idiot around pretty girls, they could have safely ignored each other. Unfortunately, Link's inaptitude was not limited to navigating a body of water.
"Hey Zelda!" he called, running up to her.
"Yes Link?" she responded after he had caught up.
"How long have out been working as an instructor for? And is there anyway I can get into a class with… older people?"
"Do you have any experience swimming?"
"…not really."
"I'm sorry, but I can't move you anywhere. You're already in the oldest class for beginners."
Link sighed. "I thought I'd at least ask."
Zelda patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, things will get better tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
Zelda gave him a funny look. "We have class Monday through Friday."
"Great, no one told me about that. What am I going to do about work?"
"I'm sorry, Link," she said. "That's just the way things are. You'll just have to rearrange your schedule." Then she walked away.
That night in bed Link's legs wouldn't stop itching. He spent half the night trying not to scratch. It was awful.
xxx
"Calm down and relax, Link," Zelda said, "You're doing fine."
Link was not doing fine. Every time he stopped moving, he started sinking under the water. They were trying to float on their backs. Every time his nose submerged, he'd claw his way back to the surface. It wasn't fair; kids a third his age were floating perfectly.
Zelda was now trying to help him stay afloat. He was distinctly aware of her smooth hands on his shoulders and the small of his back. For the first time, Link was glad that he found all water equal to mountain runoff in its ferocity. The fear kept him from getting excited.
"Are you calm?" she asked.
"Yes," Link said. 'Actually no, but I think it would be best for both of us if you let go before I develop another problem.'
Zelda let go. Link relaxed. Link sunk. Link didn't rise. Link panicked. Zelda pulled him back to the surface. Link clung to Zelda's neck; he didn't want to sink again, especially when he had yet to recover. The little kids all stared.
"I think I figured out why you keep sinking," Zelda said, sounding strange. Her voice was oddly high-pitched, squeaky.
"Why is that?"
"You're too… muscular. That is you don't have enough fat." Zelda cleared her throat. "Let's take you over to the steps so you can rest."
It was then Link realized that he was clinging to Zelda like an octopus. He quickly let go, only to find himself flailing again. Zelda grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to his feet. They were still in the shallow area.
"Buoyancy, or the ability to float, is affected by your body's density. Fat is less dense than water, so it floats. Muscle is denser than water, so it sinks," Zelda explained to the class after she helped Link over to the steps. "That means Link has an extremely hard time floating because he has a lot of muscle and little fat."
"You float," one boy said.
"I do," Zelda acknowledged.
Link winced; he knew where this was going.
"Then do you have fat?" the boy asked.
Zelda was silent. At first Link was certain she wouldn't answer, but then she finally said, "Yes, I suppose I do. Adult women tend to have more fat than men."
"You don't look like you have fat," the green haired girl insisted.
"Thank you."
"Where is it? Where's your fat?" another girl asked.
"Hey Zelda, when are we gonna start doggy paddling?" Link cut in. "I'm really interested in learning that one."
Zelda gave him a grateful smile. "We are starting the doggy paddle tomorrow. Now who wants to play sharks and minnows?"
Link was, thankfully, allowed to sit out of this round of sharks and minnows. He spent the last ten minutes of class hanging out in the hot tub. When the lesson was over, Link was surprised to find Zelda joining him in the whirlpool.
"Thanks for diverting the conversation earlier," she began.
"Anytime," Link grinned. "It was the least I could do, since you kept me from drowning in the shallow end."
"It's my job," she said, smiling back. "Now come on. I can't leave you unattended in the water."
Link sighed heavily, but he followed her out of the area. He felt itchy again, like yesterday, and a shower might get rid of the feeling. Unfortunately, he didn't run into Zelda again.
After the swim lesson, Link went to work. He worked hard, but couldn't stop scratching himself. Sheik, his boss, eventually told him to go visit a doctor because his arms and neck were visibly covered with hives. Link made an appointment to visit a doctor that weekend.
He didn't really think visiting a doctor would help, but it would keep Sheik from freaking out on him. At least insurance would cover the cost of the visit.
After his shift was over, Link went home. He did his homework, ate, and watched TV. He realized that there wasn't much in his life. Being an orphan meant he had no family and since he had only moved to Castle Town from Grundo Desert a few months ago after he became legal, he didn't have many friends. The closest thing to a relationship he'd had was the accidental groping of his swim instructor that afternoon and he'd been too terrified to actually enjoy it.
'My life is really depressing,' he thought.
The rest of the evening passed by in a blur. Link cruised through his classes the next day, just killing time. He only had twenty-some days of school left and with the exception of his swim certification; he had all of his requirements done. The hives, which had gone down since work, were more interesting than all of his classes.
Even the swim lesson was depressing. Zelda worked him harder than any of the other kids in the class. Despite this being the first day of learning the backstroke, he was expected to have perfect angles on all his strokes. Some of the kids had asked him if he was there to be a bad example, to point out what not to do for them. It really hurt him that they thought he was a plant, but it was less embarrassing than the truth.
xxx
"It's official, m'boy. You have allergies."
Link slowly pulled on his shirt. His back was quite sore and wet from the test. Yesterday the doctor had taken one look at his hives and made him an appointment with a specialist, an allergist. At least he had gotten to miss his last class of the day.
"So what is it, pollen? That wouldn't make sense to me." Link spent his childhood in the forest and pollen had never bothered him before.
"What? No, no, no, you're allergic to chlorine," Dr. Lakeside said, bobbling his head on his long skinny neck. The tufts of white fur on his head wiggled suggestively.
"Chlorine? Can you even be allergic to that?" Link asked.
"Oh, yes, yes, yes. Chlorine isn't a common allergy, but it does occur." Dr. Lakeside explained. "You moved here recently, so there has been an influx of new enviromentals, however, your hives—which are still noticeable—only started appearing after you started swimming. I gave you the allergy test of the various chemicals, and while you had no or mild reactions to all of them, which is normal, the chlorine reaction was off the charts."
Link scratched a hive on his neck. He had just gone through his first allergy test. Basically his back had been cleaned with alcohol. Then twenty pinpricks had been made to his back before nineteen of them had substances applied. One of them, the chlorine sample, had a serious allergic reaction.
"Basically, you need to fill this prescription, it's a salve for the hives, and stay out of pools. Understand, m'boy?" Dr. Lakeside asked, slapping Link on the back.
Link yelped in pain. The good doctor apologized for having already forgotten about Link's back. Link quickly filled his prescription and left the hospital for the community center. He was already twenty minutes late for his lesson.
'How the hell am I supposed to pass the swimming certification if I can't get in a pool?' Link thought for the fourth time as he entered the pool area.
"Link's late," the children chattered like monkeys. They looked liked they wanted a bloodbath. Or at least for Zelda to give him a severe dressing down.
"Wolfe, why aren't you dressed?" Zelda demanded.
Link squatted down next to the pool. "I'm allergic to chlorine," he said.
"What?"
"Chlorine, that nasty chemical in the pool water? I'm allergic to it so I can't come in. Break out in really bad hives. I'm already having a bit of a reaction, see?"
Zelda blinked. "This is a problem."
"It is," Link agreed.
Zelda shook her head. "Hang out in the lobby and I'll find you after class. We'll try to work something out and if we can't, I'll get Admin involved."
Link nodded and followed her instructions. His skin was already prickling due to the chlorine in the air. He spent the rest of the lesson chatting up a nice redhead who, at the very least, appreciated Link's looks.
When Zelda finally caught up to him, she seemed annoyed that Link and the redhead were getting along. Link put it down to PMS; she had seemed crabby at the pool too.
"So you're allergic to chlorine?" Zelda said after they sat down.
"That's what I said earlier."
"Sorry." She pushed a strand of wet hair out of her eyes. Link was certain her hair was a few shades lighter when it was dry.
"S'all right."
"Did you have any pervious knowledge of this condition?" Zelda asked, scribbling something on her clipboard.
"No. Before this class, the only time I had ever been in a pool was when my gym teacher pushed me in, expecting me to swim. That's how the school found out I can't swim."
The clipboard hit the ground. "He did what?" Zelda snapped in disbelief. She was furious, not at Link but at the sheer recklessness of Mr. Ingo's actions.
"I don't think he had any idea that I'd have to be saved by a passing student teacher."
"Good Naryu," she swore, rubbing her temples. "And I assume that you were more worried about drowning than the potential for an allergic reaction."
"That about sums things up."
She picked up the clipboard and made a few more notes. "I think I have all the info I need from you. I will talk to my boss and figure out the best option available to you."
"So can I get your number, so I can find out what's going on?"
She actually smirked at him. "Nice try, Link. I'll contact you."
xxx
'Oh shit,' Link thought as he bent down to pick up the overturned stack of fire alarms. Some annoying kid thrown a tantrum and made a complete mess of the aisle and since he was the one of the hardware's faithful employees; he was stuck picking up the mess.
"Link?"
Link looked up as he dropped his stack of fire alarms. "Y-yeah?"
A graceful looking woman strode over to him. She had long blonde hair and dressed in nice casual with heels. Link noticed the heels first, they were amidst his boxes. He grabbed the boxes around her feet and pulled them away.
"You work here?"
Link nodded as he stood up. "Can I help you?" he asked, restacking the fire alarms.
"You don't recognize me." It was a statement, not a question.
Link gave her a weak smile as he reshelved all the battery packs. "I have a really bad memory?"
"It's Zelda."
'Zelda.' Link froze before giving her a big grin. "I'm sorry, Zelly, I didn't recognize you with your clothes on." As soon as he had finished speaking Link realized how wrong that sounded. "I-I-I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I meant that you weren't wearing any clothing because you were wearing a suit, a swimsuit, and not that you were naked. Because you weren't naked, you were well covered so that things were left to the imagination, not that I was imaging you naked or anything…"
The telltale burning sensation in his ears had spread to the rest of his face. He stopped talking because he was just making a mess of everything. Zelda was looking at him the way women occasionally did after he had said something stupid. The look was a mixture of confusion, revulsion, and something Link didn't have a word for.
"I was going to call you," Zelda said.
"Really?" Link couldn't help but feel excited.
"Yes, it took three days, but I figured out how to teach you to swim without chlorine."
Link was surprised. "How's that?"
"Lake Hylia. It's about a twenty minute drive from here and I can teach you all the basic swims styles there."
"I don't have a car."
"I'll drive you."
"Are you serious?"
Zelda nodded. "I'm a professional, and I took you on as a student. I'm going to teach you how to swim. So, where do you live?"
Link gave her his home address and his school address. She'd probably be picking him up from more often from school than from home.
"Wolfe," Sheik said, popping his head around the corner of the aisle, "You're getting paid to work, not to chat with your girlfriend."
"He's explaining to me where the stuff for protecting decks is," Zelda explained.
"Ah, well, I guess that's alright." Sheik pushed a large cart down the aisle and paused next to Link. "By the way, your girlfriend is really cute," he whispered, before going on.
The hotness, which had been receding, burned back into his ears. By the time Sheik had passed, Link was bright red again. Zelda gave him another look.
"So, is he your boyfriend?" Zelda asked.
Link shook his head. "Do you really need to coat your deck or was that just a clever excuse?"
"Actually I do need it. That was the entire reason why I came. Although finding out you work here may be useful to me in the future."
"We're here to serve here at Hanch's Hardware," he said. "That's our motto. I think they could have worded it better."
"Quite."
Link led her to aisle six, where they kept all the paints, stains, and sealants. He carefully explained the different choices for each product type to Zelda and offered his own opinion on which was the best. She brought his first choices and thanked him before leaving.
For once, Link felt like he wasn't a nuisance to Zelda.
xxx
Link cautiously stepped out of the restroom. It was cool enough that he had developed goosebumps and Link felt extremely exposed outside in what basically amounted to a pair of boxers.
Luckily the restroom wasn't far from the beach. Link shuffled to the shore across the sidewalk and onto the pebbly said. He stood on the sand and looked around for Zelda, figuring she wouldn't be out yet. Girls took longer to change.
"Link!" Zelda yelled.
Link finally spotted her. She stood by the lifeguard's stand talking to a couple of people. As he jogged over to her, he realized she wasn't in her usual uniform. Instead of the red one-piece swimsuit he had seen her wear in the past, she was wearing a yellow bikini. This made him stop in surprise.
The redhead in a cow print bikini grabbed Zelda's arm and whispered to her when she saw Link. Zelda pushed her off with a smile. The third person, a man with blue hair, appeared to be a lifeguard. He smiled at Link and pulled him into the group.
"So you're Link, eh?" the man said, "Zelda told me a bit about you. Don't worry. If something happens to Zelda, I'll make certain you stay okay."
"Thanks," Link said, feeling embarrassed and a little resentful. He didn't like this man pointing out his faults to the world.
"Link, this is Mikau, he's agreed to help make certain you stay safe because swimming in a lake is a lot harder than in a pool," Zelda explained.
Link gave him a nod. Just because the man was going to save his life a few times didn't mean he had to like him.
"Introduce me," the redhead said.
Zelda ignored her and pulled Link toward the water. "Shall we get started?"
"Definitely."
As soon as they were in chest-deep water Zelda started the lesson. She had taken him out that far to get away from all the little kids playing in the shallow area. They needed space for learning. Link also hoped it meant they wouldn't be paying attention to his failures.
"Basically, we have three weeks 'till G-day and during this time to meet graduation requirements, you have to learn the backstroke, the breaststroke, the crawl, and how to tread water. Technically, you should also know how to float, but you're rarely tested on actually being able to float."
What if they do test me?"
"You'd better float."
"But if I can't…?"
"I'm going to make you learn. Don't worry; we've got lots of time to learn new skills. You'll learn how to float."
"But that's only three days per topic."
"Three days? Link, we have a total of twenty days and lots of hours each day, you have time to learn. I promise."
Link groaned when he realized that he had just sighed away all of his free time. "Doesn't that go above and beyond the call of duty?"
"Nonsense," Zelda said, grinning.
'Well, there goes my job,' Link thought. 'Sheik'll fire my ass for missing this much work.'
Sheik was surprisingly understanding of Link's predicament. He agreed to let Link go missing in action for three weeks, but keep his job. Link had a feeling that part of the reason why he was allowed to take a leave of absence was because he was going to be off with that gorgeous blonde. Sheik seemed of the opinion that Link didn't get out enough.
And Link spent a lot of time out in the water. He actually learned the four different swims easily enough—Zelda's method of teaching included physically pushing Link's limbs into the correct position whenever he messed up—but he had no actual endurance for swimming. Different muscles were used in the water than when Link ran or climbed. He was completely taken aback by how tired and cold he was after each swim lesson. Zelda nearly had to carry him to his apartment when she dropped him off a few times.
Zelda promised he was doing great. In two weeks, he had learned four swims, floating, and could manage an entire lap at a time without stopping. This was still a bit shy of the four laps per swim requirement (and the ten-minute water treading requirement). Link was hopeful that he'd get better though. It wasn't like all three swims and the water treading were back to back. He still couldn't float worth anything though.
'The weirdest thing about all this,' Link thought, slyly glancing at Zelda in the driver's seat, 'is that I don't mind hanging out with the most beautiful, sophisticated woman I have ever met while basically wearing only underwear.'
"You aren't trying to wiggle off that towel and onto my upholstery now, are you" Zelda asked, turning the wheel.
"No ma'am," Link said.
"And stop calling me ma'am," Zelda said, socking Link in the arm. "I'm not that old."
"How old are you?" Link asked, grinning.
"Why do you keep asking me that?"
"Well, I know a lady never reveals her age," Link started.
Zelda couldn't help but laugh. Link's grin grew as his ears warmed. He loved startling Zelda into laughing. The sound was magical.
"But I really want to know. Please tell, Zel."
"I'm nineteen."
Link twitched in surprised. He hadn't expected Zelda to respond. She had refused to reveal any details about herself in his previous attempts at conversation.
"So does that mean you're in college or are you just working full time?"
"I'm in school, majoring in government."
"What does that entail?"
"Mostly it involves learning about bureaucratic procedure, creating bills, diplomacy, body language, a little economics, history, writing, and public speaking skills."
"That's a lot."
Zelda shrugged. "Naw, it's really not a big deal." She parked the car. "Well, we're here."
"Do you want to come in?" Link offered. He didn't want Zelda to leave yet. "Or we could go out for coffee… but you don't have to of course. You're obviously really busy with college."
"Coffee'd be nice."
"Great," Link grinned. "I know this place nearby where I get most of my cooked food."
xxx
Link shifted and rolled over in bed. He burrowed into the warm mass, trying to return to deep sleep. However he couldn't recapture it, so around ten in the morning Link woke up. He lay there for a while, not really thinking about anything as he watched little particles dance in the sunlight.
'I feel really good,' Link thought lazily.
He stretched, wondering if he needed to get up soon. His fingers got tangled in something, which made Link frown. He shouldn't have anything in bed that felt like that.
Rolling over, Link looked up. His hands were entrenched in a mess of yellow strings. He pulled his hands out of the tangled yellow mess, but then stroked it gently. It was incredibly soft. Link tugged it lightly. It appeared to be attached to something, so Link pulled harder.
A groan emitted from the pile of blankets. Link blinked before hurriedly digging into the pile. To his surprise, he found Zelda. He stared at her for a little while as the previous night's events came tumbling back to him. That blush Link seemed unable to shake around Zelda came back again.
The blush left and Link turned pale. Reality had set in. 'I slept with my swim instructor,' Link though as he crawled out of bed. He searched for his boxers. 'I had sex with Zelda.'
After the boxers were found, Link pulled them on. Zelda was still asleep. He went out to the kitchen and made a bowl of cereal. He needed to think.
From everything he had learned from the Grundo women, Link was supposed to make her pancakes and coffee that should be ready when she woke up. Link didn't have any pancake mix or coffee. He drank tea. He could go out and buy the supplies for her, but Zelda might wake up while he was gone. The number one rule was to never ever be gone when the girl woke up. They'd want to cuddle, or at least not feel used and ignored. These rules were especially true the first time.
'Is there going to be a second time?' Link wondered. 'I'd never done it before, but I think she liked it… was it a faux pas having her provide the condom? I've never needed any before, so I didn't have any to provide. Did she notice that? She must have, she's clearly done it before because she was just… wow.' Falling back into last night's memories Link grinned happily. 'I didn't even know that was possible. I mean, they never mentioned that in health class.'
Link's eyes landed on his swim trunks. They were innocently flopped on the kitchen floor. The good mood left him. Link had slept with Zelda, his swim instructor, which meant that he had just invalidated any sort of grade she could give him. She couldn't pass him because they had an intimate relationship now, which meant there was no way he was graduating.
Link went back into his bedroom. Zelda shifted in her sleep. He watched her sleep for a while before coming to another realization. I'm in love,' he thought, 'or at the very least in lust, but if it's only lust, I am very very very in lust.'
Zelda woke up and yawned loudly. She rolled over and blearily looked around the room. Link sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Morning," Link said, smiling nervously.
"Morning," she replied, propping herself up with an elbow.
They stared at each other. Again, Link didn't know what to say. It was moments like these that made it painfully clear to Link that he was missing key social cues. He fiddled with the hem of his covers, wondering if he was supposed to say something.
"So where's your shower?" Zelda asked.
"Oh, um bathroom's right next to here with towels in the cupboard."
"Great." Zelda climbed out of bed, taking a sheet with her. She flashed a smile at Link and then walked out of the bedroom.
Link scratched the back of his head. 'So does this mean she likes me?'
About twenty minutes later, Zelda emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing Link's bathrobe. Link had yanked on clean pants by that point and put Zelda's things into a neat pile at the foot of the bed.
"Got any orange juice?" Zelda asked.
"Milk?"
"That'll do."
Zelda pulled the milk out of the refrigerator and quickly found a cup. Link watched her apprehensively. She seemed to be completely comfortable in his home. Either she did this sort of thing more often than Link liked to think, or she felt safe around Link. He hoped it was the latter.
"So…" Link began.
"Yes?"
"What does this mean, for us?"
"In respect to?" Zelda asked, squinting at Link like that could make his question clear.
Link swallowed. "Well, after last night, what does that mean for my test?"
"Oh, nothing," Zelda said, gulping down her milk. "I know for most classes your teacher tests you, but I was hired as a third party. No, normally you'd have the test with your peers or after school and there would be a certified instructor there. Since you're allergic though, you'll be taking the test at a lake or pond. Hey, maybe you'll have the test at Lake Hylia. That would be good. You're already used to the water there."
"That makes sense," Link said, shoulders sagging. He should feel relieved that he hadn't just messed up his chances to graduate, but he didn't. "About last night…"
"Don't think I'm going to be any easier on you," Zelda said grinning. "The only reason I'm mean to you in the first place is because I want you in shape for the final. It would be a shame if you failed after all the hard work I put in."
"So, do you want to go get something to eat?"
Zelda shook her head. "Naw, I have to go home and study. Finals week, you know?"
Link nodded, but he didn't really know. Zelda dressed quickly. Right before she left, she kissed Link on the cheek. It felt like she was kissing him goodbye.
xxx
"Wolfe, Link."
"Here ma'am," Link said, hesitantly raising his hand.
"You are on time. Good," the older woman said. She scratched a few things down on her clipboard, it reminded Link of Zelda. "I am Impa Shadow and I will be accessing you. Now get in the pool."
"Yes ma'am," Link squeaked, hopping off the deck.
It was D-day, or G-day, or whatever other big final important name day. Link had his swimming final. All of his other tests and finals were done. Technically, he should be wasting his time in class watching movies or something, but instead he had been excused to take his swim test. Impa Shadow had been sent out by the Board of Education. The Board didn't seem to trust his school to access the performance of someone who was chlorine challenged.
"Perform a float. Any type will do," Impa ordered.
Link took a deep breath and relaxed. He sunk down a bit, but then came up again. It was the dead man's float; the only one Zelda had been able to successfully teach him. He stayed in position until he ran out of breath and then resurfaced.
"Good. Start your laps now."
Link swam and he swam and he swam. He didn't keep track of how many laps he swam or where he was going. As soon as he got tired of one type of lap, he switched to another one. When he was too tired to continue, he finished his last lap to the dock.
"Fourteen laps," Impa said. "Excellent. Now for your treading water test."
"Can I have a few minutes?" Link asked.
"You may. Now get out of the water."
Link climbed out of the water and lay on the deck. The sun was hot against his skin, making him want to take a nap.
"You are doing quite well. Let me know when you are ready to continue."
"Really? Wow, you know until three weeks ago I had never been in more than a bathtub full of water."
"You have made stupendous progress then," Impa said. "Who was you teacher?"
"Zelda Harkinean, I think. She works in the East Town community center in Castle Town."
"I know her," Impa said. "She was quite proficient at her job. Good with children."
Link sat up. "Was proficient?"
Impa nodded. "She was quit three weeks ago. It was a shame really. Some sort of scheduling problem, I believe."
'But she's been my teacher for the last three weeks,' Link thought.
"Are you ready to finish the test?" Impa asked.
Link nodded and slowly climbed back into the pool. Impa pulled out a stopwatch before beginning the next phase of the test. It was a difficult test for Link because he was already tired from the laps. He also had a lot on his mind after finding out Zelda was no longer employed. Still, he came to no conclusions before the test ended, so he left the water as confused as he had entered.
"Congratulations. You passed," Impa said. She handed him a white card with a gold sticker that had the Board of Education seal on it. "Give this to the head of your physical education department, it will allow you to walk with your class. My report won't make it onto your transcript by tomorrow evening."
"Thank you," Link said, gratefully accepting the card.
He walked away from Impa Shadow feeling oddly relaxed. With the exception of returning to class before his last hour and the dress rehearsal tomorrow, all Link had to do was graduate. Link sat down at the bus stop.
'Why did she quit her job?' Link wondered, 'Could she have quit for me?'
A familiar car pulled up to the bus stop. "You want a ride?" Zelda called from the window. Link grinned as he climbed into the towel covered passenger seat.
"I'm sorry I missed your test, my last final ran longer than expected," Zelda apologized. "I wanted to see you pass… you did pass, right?"
Link held up his new card to Zelda. She flashed him a thumbs up.
"Congratulations! You're graduating tomorrow," Zelda said.
"Wow, thanks! I'm surprised you came."
"Why is that? I promised I'd be there 'till the end."
"I kinda thought yesterday was the end since teaching me was just your job," Link said.
Zelda said nothing.
"Except Ms. Shadow said you quit your job three weeks ago. Why have you been helping me if you quit?"
"I've been planning on quitting for a couple months. The kids can be sweet, but they're also a pain. Plus, I'm sick of all the paperwork involved. Did you think I quit because if you?"
"Of course not," Link said feeling sheepish.
"I did however, agree to take you on as a freelance case. The community center simply isn't equipped to deal with newbie swimmers in your situation."
"Why'd you decide to take me on?"
"Honestly? I thought you were cute and very sweet. I also like your blush. Yeah, just like that."
Link rubbed his hot ears. "You think so?"
"Yes, I do."
"So you don't mind that I've got no experience in… anything at all?"
"No, of course not! Life is a process of learning and—wait, you're referring to something specific, aren't you?"
"Yeah. I'd never done it before."
"Are you a virgin?"
"Well I was," Link said. He thought it would be tacky to add on 'until you came along.' Zelda might be insulted and offending her was the last thing he wanted to do.
"Oh…" she said. Her tone was off. Link didn't exactly know what was wrong, but she was hiding something.
"Why does that matter? Did I change your opinion on something?"
"I did not realize you were a virgin. That would explain why you were…" She trailed off, trying to think of a word that wouldn't offend Link. "…clumsy."
"Clumsy?"
"Yes."
"Are you saying I'm bad in bed?"
"You fumbled a lot, like you didn't know what you were doing. Inexperience explains everything."
"Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"It's a fact, babe."
"Babe am I now?" Link asked, grinning as he gave his best Yoda impression.
Zelda glanced at Link out of the corner of her eye. "You prefer something else? Because I can think of more endearing names if you'd like."
"Babe's good."
"Since I know there's an hour before you're due back, I'm taking you out to lunch."
"Wow," Link laughed, "I never thought I'd be an older woman's boy-toy."
"Oh, shut up."
Link laughed happily. He now had an amazing woman interested in him and he was graduating the next day. Life was finally looking up. Link couldn't be more thrilled.
Now aren't you all astounded by that awesome fic? No? Well, either way you should let me know by reviewing. They don't take a very long time to write and they really brighten up an author's day. Even if you didn't like the story that well I want to know (and I wouldn't mind finding out why, be it massive plot hole, or you didn't like my author's notes). Thank you for reading, and once again, happy birthday Ally.