A/N: Hello again! I know it's been a really long time since I last wrote, but this little thing has been buzzing around my head for a while, and I thought, what the hey, I'll put it up. It's AU ZeLink (of course), but seeing things through Malon's perspective. A bit like Happy Thoughts, but with slightly older characters, and older themes - that explains the 'T' rating. Hopefully, it's not too OOC! It's a little bit angsty in places, so be warned. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Legend of Zelda. I just put the characters in awkward situations for my own amusement. :)
Clearing the Air
He's been acting off all week. She's not quite sure what's up; when she's asked him, he's avoided the question or ignored it entirely. The gap between them increases and widens with each passing moment.
He's not happy. She can just tell. She wants to know what's wrong, wants to help, wants to fix it (they live with each other after all), but in the chaos of their crazy house, with everyone having such different timetables, the opportunity never comes. Even if it did, she'd probably chicken out at the last minute anyway.
He's so frustratingly impossible to read, so difficult to approach. She thinks his current mood has something to do with Zelda (another of her housemates, and her closest friend), and that night out last week, but she can't be sure. She knows that Sheik and Ralph have been laughing about something and giving each other knowing looks whenever Link and Zelda are in the room together. She catches the odd phrase in the boys' banter, but as soon as she walks into the room, they fall quiet, or change the topic rather obviously.
He's hot. There's just no denying it. She – not being of the ice-queen type – can quite clearly see (and appreciate) this, and there's a small part of her that will always daydream about him sweeping her off her feet and declaring his undying love for her. Somehow, though, that image unnerves her. It's completely out of his character; he's the strong, silent type (though sticking him in a box doesn't suit him, somehow), never really opening up to anyone unless he's had a few to drink. Even then, it requires some skilful probing to get anything out of him. And he's her friend – sometimes, he even seems like her brother. Besides which, if her suspicions are correct about what happened the other night, he'll be very much off the market soon enough. She tells herself she doesn't mind, though. He and Zelda would make a cute couple.
She hears the front door slam – shaking the whole house like it usually does – closely followed by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. She leaves her room to investigate, expecting to find one of the other girls she shares the top flat with sorting out shopping or something in the kitchen. She's surprised to see an evidently shattered Link slumped in a chair with his head resting on the kitchen table, the coffee machine on the side nearby already whirring into action.
"You okay, Link? Tough day at lectures?"
He lifts his head up, blearily surprised by her presence. He evidently didn't hear her come into the kitchen, despite the creaking floorboards.
"Mal, hi. Didn't hear you. Sorry. How are you?"
And, just like, that, he throws the ball back in her court, without even answering her question. She suppresses her frustration, and replies.
"I'm fine. Can't get my head around this Old Hylian literature that Impa's set me, but hey. I'll get it eventually. Hopefully."
She's studying some of the original stories about the Hero of Time (coincidentally, also called Link) and his supposed love, the first Princess of Hyrule. The Princess' name has been lost over the centuries, but she's willing to bet that it's Zelda, knowing the uncanny way that history repeats itself in Hyrule.
"Oh good. Well, not good that you're finding it difficult, but glad that you're okay."
Awkward silence.
"Link, you didn't tell me how you were."
"Didn't I? I suppose I'm more tired than I thought. I'm fine, Mal, don't worry about me. Didn't get a good sleep last night, or my morning coffee, so I'm running on empty. Oh, and you should see the amount of work that Rauru's set us. It's criminal, I swear."
"Is he being really hard on you guys this term, then?"
"Well, not really. It's just a lot harder than it was last year. Which I should have expected, I suppose. But it always comes as a surprise, this place." He rolls his eyes and smiles faintly, sadly. "What can you do, eh?"
She smiles back. "I know the feeling."
The coffee machine pings to let him know that his coffee's ready. He pours it out into a mug, careful not to spill any, and takes a small sip.
"Mmmmm. That's the stuff."
She busies herself by sorting out the cupboards and drying up the stack of washing by the sink, whilst desperately trying to think of something, anything, to say to break the silence that's stretching between them. The gap separating them grows imperceptibly wider.
She glances at him. He's staring off into the middle distance, not really focusing on anything, with a strangely blank look on his face, slowly sipping his coffee. She looks away, carrying on her tidying.
Then, suddenly, he speaks. His words come as a shock.
"You did know that Zelda and I got together the other night, didn't you, Mal?"
She can't quite believe that he's broached the topic. She's so caught off guard by his question that she doesn't reply for a couple of seconds. When she does, she's careful.
"I had my suspicions. Ralph and Sheik are useless at keeping their mouths shut. But I didn't actually know. Neither you nor Zel would say anything."
"Well, we did. And now it's really awkward between us. And I don't know what to do about it."
Oh dear. She can see his dilemma - getting with someone in a club is awkward enough the next morning, without them being your housemate, and having to see them every day on top of that. She pauses in her drying up, and turns to face him.
"You see, I do actually like Zelda. I'm not entirely sure how much, but I do. I don't want to upset her, you see. Or make things more awkward than they already are. And if it was just a one night stand for her, then I don't want to go diving in the deep end and find out that that's all it was."
She's still a little shocked that he's being so open, and wonders for a moment if he's been drinking. But he seems sober enough. Which makes her feel even more baffled. She doesn't know what to say; she's a bit useless with advice, really. She's more the "sit-with-and-be-a-shoulder-to-cry-on" friend than the "have-an-amazing-plan-and-sort-everything-out" one.
"I don't really have any advice, Link, I'm sorry. You know I'm a bit useless with this kind of thing. I guess the one thing I do know is that Zelda isn't the type to mess around with any randomer that comes along."
"But she's so closed! I can't read her at all!"
"Link, Zelda's difficult to read even if you're best friends with her. Believe me, I should know. And you're easily as difficult to read as she is. You'd make a great pair." She grins at him, raising her eyebrows, but somehow, the joke doesn't quite reach her eyes.
He looks at her witheringly. "Ha, ha, very funny. Anyway, I always thought I was blatantly obvious. Hmmm." He pauses for a moment, staring off into space again. "What do I do, Mal?"
She's torn. She knows that Zelda likes him – she's drunkenly confessed her affections for him at least three times in the past month, only to steadfastly deny it as soon as she sobers up. Another reason they match; they're both more open when they're smashed.
She wants them to be happy. She wants them to realise that they'd work really well together, that they'd make a great couple. And, at the same time, the nasty part of her wants them to stay as far away from each other as possible. She doesn't want him with anyone else; she gets wild – completely irrational – pangs of jealousy the moment he even looks interested in someone other than her. She doesn't want him having more excuses to not spend time with her than he already does.
And she knows that's selfish. That there's nothing between the two of them, and that he and Zelda deserve each other. Besides, if he did like her, they wouldn't currently be discussing the situation he's found himself in.
"I don't know, Link. I honestly don't. I mean, I think-" You know, the voice in her head says, "-that Zelda does like you. She certainly hasn't mentioned that she likes anyone else. And, as I said, she's not the kind of girl who'd get with a random guy in a club just for the sake of it. She's a... a great girl, Zelda is."
"She is, isn't she? Maybe I should just go for it. Ask her on a date, or something. I mean, it's awkward already. At least it'll clear the air a bit, get us both on the same page." He downs the rest of his coffee, dumps the mug in the sink, and gives her a quick, one-armed hug. "Thanks, Mal. You're great too, you know that?"
She snorts derisively, and raises her eyebrows, but plays along with him. "You think?"
"Yeah, of course!" He's teasing her now, she can tell. She gives him a look.
"Thanks, Link. Let me know how it goes, alright?"
"Right. I imagine you'll know simply from my face. I'm not that good at hiding stuff."
"Yeah, well. At least you won't have to do the whole awkward 'telling-everybody-you're-together' speech if we can just see it from your face."
"It has its advantages. Well, thanks, Mal. I better go do Rauru's stuff now. It's not going to do itself, much as I'd like it to. Ugh."
With a groan, he slumps out of the kitchen. She hears his heavy footsteps on the stairs, shakes her head, and returns to Old Hylian literature, trying to distract herself from that boy and his ability to constantly surprise her.
A/N: So there you have it! What did you think? I kind of ran with the idea that Malon sees Link as her fairy-boy, and is perhaps a little bit protective of him, but can see that he and Zelda belong together. Reviews make me a very happy person - please press the little button below and give me some feedback; constructive criticism is very much welcomed.
Much love,
xHHEx