I wrote this for a prompt on my tumblr (link in profile) and really liked the idea, so here we are!

The first half is very exposition-heavy. Try not to choke.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.

Strange

Link had always known Zelda was a strange person.

When she first introduced herself in high school, she'd bounded up to him, clumps of hair wrapped messily in brightly-colored ribbons, and announced right then and there that they would be best friends. And stranger still, she was right.

Link tried to avoid her at first, unnerved by her boldness, but he soon found he couldn't stay away. She was strangely fascinating. Her sense of style was like nothing he'd ever seen before, almost as if she was trying to wear everything in her closet all at once. It was especially noticeable in the unforgiving world of high school, where reputation drove everything. She spoke without abandon and nearly skipped everywhere. She always had a light-hearted air about her. People whispered as she walked by, but she never really seemed to care.

After a week of knowing Zelda, Link thought she was mental. After a month, he wondered if maybe she wasn't that bad. Six months after meeting her, he found out (accidentally) that she was a very gifted artist. She made him swear not to blab to the school because the activity was very personal. She didn't want to share it with anyone. He became the exception. At eight months, after she sobbed her eyes out when her crush turned her down with unnecessarily harsh words, he realized she was just as fragile as anyone else. At nine months, after getting suspended for beating up her ex-crush, he realized he'd do whatever it took to protect her. One year after his first meeting with Zelda, she had become a close friend.

Two years after their first meeting, he stood holding her hand as she spoke bravely at her mother's funeral. Six months passed before he was finally able to make her smile again, and he realized how precious her happiness was. He vowed that he'd always do his best to make her smile. Two months later, he took her camping for the weekend on Lake Hylia and, long story short, they wound up running from the cops and sleeping in his car for two nights. They laughed about it for weeks. Three years after he met Zelda, she was his best friend.

After three years and three months of knowing Zelda, she surprised him by aiming to get into a prestigious art college. He found her determination and resilience to be rather endearing. At three years and eleven months, he jumped up and down with her as she screamed excitedly, clutching an acceptance letter in her hand. One month later, she did the same when he got his acceptance letter. Four years had passed and the two were inseparable.

Four-and-a-half years after he'd met Zelda, he hugged her tightly as she cried into his graduation robe, nearly knocking her own cap off. And as he stood there rubbing her back, Link had the sudden, sweeping realization that he had a massive crush on his best friend.

College came. They made new friends and paved new paths, slowly stumbling their way through life but never forgetting to make time for each other. On her twenty-first birthday, he surprised her after classes and took her out bar-hopping until the wee hours of the morning. Then he spent the next day helping her take care of her horrible hangover as ungodly strings of curses spewed from her mouth. She was there to keep him grounded whenever he started slacking off, and his couch was always open to her whenever she needed to rant for a couple of hours. Four more years flew by, graduation came and went, and Link hoped all the while that his little crush would pass.

Almost nine years after he met Zelda, when she asked him to split an apartment downtown with her, he knew he was in too deep. His crush hadn't dissipated, it'd just grown. He was completely infatuated.

Link had always known Zelda was a strange person. That being said, it shouldn't have surprised him when the elevator doors opened up to the lobby and he saw her standing there scowling. And it really shouldn't have surprised him when she didn't make any move to leave the small compartment.

He stepped in and she pressed the button to the top floor. Which happened to be the roof. They certainly did not live on the roof. The ride was quiet for several seconds as the elevator slowly crawled higher and higher.

"You gonna tell me what's up, or do I just have to guess?"

Zelda sighed. She was still dressed in her work clothes, hair tied in a bun with a green ribbon. "I'm hiding."

"From what?" Link questioned, glancing at her and quirking an eyebrow.

"The world."

It was silent for a long time. The doors dinged and opened to an empty stairwell that led to the roof. Zelda pressed the button for the lobby, crossing her arms loosely as the doors shut once more. He saw her shift in the corner of his eye and waited patiently for her to open up.

"I'm quitting my job," she said quietly, almost as if she was sad about it.

He faced her. "Why?" She shrugged, deliberately staring ahead so she wouldn't have to meet his gaze. After a moment, he asked, "Will it make you happy?" Her gaze drifted to the floor and she shrugged again.

Zelda had been working at an advertising firm for the past two years, and as far as Link knew, she loved it. So why was she quitting? Obviously, she wasn't happy about it. And she had never been the type to give up; that was one of the best things about her. Whatever had really happened, it must've been bad. Link knew her well enough to know that it was better to keep quiet. He stared at her, waiting for her to tell him the truth.

Suddenly, the doors opened and a middle-aged man stepped in between them. All three of them rode down to the lobby in silence. Zelda didn't move when the man stepped out, so Link shuffled over and pressed the top button. The doors closed. Just as he was about to move away, she shut her eyes and spoke, her voice a whisper.

"My boss hit on me." He froze. She swallowed before continuing. "He hit on me and I told him to back off and then he grabbed my wrist, so I slapped him and I ran."

Link felt rage boiling up inside of him, growing with every word that left her lips. He wrapped his arms around her silently, hoping to offer some sort of comfort. She was trembling, but when he looked down and saw her face, he realized it was out of rage.

"I should've punched him," she seethed quietly.

He felt his anger calm a bit when he noticed tears of frustration dripping on his arm. "Did you tell anyone?" She shook her head quietly. "Why not?"

"It wouldn't matter." She stepped away and rubbed her eyes, not caring in the slightest if she smudged her mascara. "He's too high-up. They'd sooner fire me than they would him."

Link frowned. "No one's above the law, Zelda, and that was sexual harassment. If you tell your co-workers, I'm sure they can help you do something about it."

"No," she said bitterly, balling her hands into fists and crossing her arms again, "They don't care." She took a deep breath and sighed quietly, simmering down. "Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if anyone cares about me."

"I do," he said without hesitation, looking at her pointedly. She met his eyes. His voice was soft, just above a whisper, but it felt loud and clear in the small elevator. "I've always cared about you. I always will care about you."

She stared at him for a long moment, a grim expression on her face, before quietly stepping forward and kissing him.

Link had known Zelda for a very long time now – nothing should've surprised him at this point. But it did. She did.

The kiss was soft and so quick that his brain had barely registered what was happening before she pulled away. She looked at him, a hint of fear in her eyes. But when his shocked expression melted into a smile, all worries were wiped from her mind and she found herself smiling back.

Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat broke their moment and they snapped their heads to the source. The doors had opened without their notice and a woman just a bit older than Link stood there awkwardly. The two blondes sprung away from each other in embarrassment and the woman got on. A suffocating silence filled the air as they traveled the rest of the way down to the lobby, and when the doors opened, the woman nearly ran out. No one else got on and the doors slid shut again. Link cast a sideways glance at Zelda and met her gaze.

And they both burst out laughing. They laughed harder than they should have, until their faces were red and their sides hurt.

Wiping away tears of mirth, he pulled her in for another hug and kissed her forehead fondly. And with giddy realization, Link knew he was in love with his best friend.

"We'll figure everything out," he promised. She nodded her head.

"More importantly, does this mean you're my boyfriend now?"

He let out a hearty laugh and she lifted her head to look at him. Bold as ever. His cheeks dimpled as he grinned at her. "Only if you think you can handle me."

She rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face, and pressed the button to their floor. The elevator started moving. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I can."

She stepped back into his arms and he was the one to kiss her this time.

Link had always known Zelda was a strange person. And he hoped that would never change.

End

And there you have it! Hopefully it was decent enough.

Don't forget to tell me what you think! As always, anonymous reviews and constructive criticism is welcome!

Thanks for reading :)

Vee