EDIT:: Fixed the typo... thanks for pointing it out, Xerzo LotCN!

Wow, I'm a horrible author.

I don't even want to begin as to why this story is so late coming out. School has been stressful, there's been friend and family drama... I've just been really busy. And on top of all of that, I had no inspiration or want to write this chapter. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I didn't know how I wanted to write it. So, I put it off until I forced myself to start writing it.

This time it's even longer than the last chapter (thus being the longest so far) so hopefully that makes up for the long wait. I honestly didn't expect to like this chapter, but I do. I think it goes pretty well.

Please tell me if you see any mistakes as far as grammar/spelling/etc. goes. I use Word to write these and it usually autocorrects my words into something I didn't want to say... I don't know.

Anyways, I kept you waiting long enough, so enjoy!

Friends with Benefits

Chapter Ten : Confrontation

[3rd Person]

"You what?" Zelda stared at Dark in total shock, her voice hushed and high pitched.

"I want to go out to lunch with you." He repeated, still smiling sweetly at her. It doesn't suit him at all.

Zelda saw out of the corner of her eye that Impa had glanced over at them. Worried about bothering her boss, she grabbed Dark roughly by the shirt and walked out into the hallway with him.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Her voice was still very high pitched, trying to figure out what Dark was trying to accomplish. "If it is, tell me now because you're really freaking me out…"

"No, it isn't." Dark leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He honestly couldn't tell what Malon wanted him to do or find out exactly, so he just kept doing this act. He sure was enjoying Zelda's shocked faces, though.

"But, why… what… why?" She sputtered, holding her head in total confusion. Sure, Dark had always made suggestive comments towards her and the other girls in their group, but she never thought they actually meant anything. Maybe the ones towards Midna, but not to her… He certainly took every opportunity he could to tell Zelda she's annoying and nags everyone too much and make fun of her.

"So… is that a yes or no?" He continued to watch her in her utterly confused state.

"I just…" Then it clicked in her mind, and she realized what he was up to. "Is this about me and Link? Did Malon set you up to do this?"

For a split second, his smile went away when he realized that she saw right through him. He quickly recovered, grinning once more, but it was enough to let Zelda know that it was the truth.

"No, of course not. I just wanted to see – "

Zelda cut him off before he repeated himself again. "No matter what your reasoning is, Dark, I have to decline." His smile faded, but he looked more interested in what she was saying now than before. "I just don't think it's a good idea to date friends, regardless of how long you've known them and how close you are. And besides, I don't think I am at a point in my life where I am ready to be in a relationship." She knew this was all an act, but still added in, "No hard feelings, right?"

"Of course not." Dark stuffed his hands in his pockets before flashing his trademark smirk. "I mean, I've been turned down before. Honestly, I would have been more surprised if you had said yes." He shrugged and turned away from her. "See ya later, Zel." With a slight wave he walked away.

Once Dark was out of sight, she leaned against the wall, looking up and taking a big breath. What exactly are they planning?

That evening, on the bus ride home, Zelda had decided not to mention to Link what happened between her and Dark that day. He still didn't know that Malon and Midna knew about their situation, and really didn't want to explain to him that it was her fault they found out.

Zelda really hated keeping secrets from Link or lying to him. He trusted her so much (as did she with him) and she didn't like abusing it when it was necessary.

She clutched her many papers in her hand as she shielded herself from the rain with an umbrella. She walked quickly into her apartment building, being careful not to step in any puddles or trip. The bottom half of her dark blue skinny jeans had gotten soaked, and she was shivering as she waited in the elevator alone.

As soon as she got into her and Link's apartment, she went straight into her rooms to change into a pair of pajama pants and one of Link's old t-shirts. They didn't fit him anymore, but they were big on her so he gladly gave them to her.

As Zelda slid the green shirt on herself, she gently held it to her nose and breathed in. Even though Link hadn't worn it in at least a few months, if not longer, it still smelt like him. She really loved his smell. It reminded her that he was always there for her, even when he wasn't around. Sometimes she wouldn't see him in a few days because he was so busy with work and would come home really late while she'd leave when he was still sleeping. On nights like those, she wouldn't hesitate to thrown on one of those shirts and fall asleep imagining he was by her side.

Of course, Zelda just liked thinking that her good friend was always close by.

It was nothing more than that. No way.

Once she was changed, she walked into the living room and curled up on the sofa, turning the TV on and skimming through the channels.

After a while, she began to doze off, lying down on her side and curled up against one of the throw pillows. It had been a long, tiring, and confusing day, and the exhaustion was almost expected.

Zelda didn't know how long she was asleep for, but she did know she woke up to a door slamming which was followed by a bunch of hushed cursing. She sat up and turned to see Link, very apologetic, standing at the door.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't notice you were asleep until I closed the door." He raised his arms in defense, expecting Zelda to start yelling at him for disturbing her.

"Don't worry about it; I was just taking a nap." She moved over on the couch to allow him enough room. "Come sit with me."

"Alright." He gave her a small smile before sitting down next to her. "What are you watching?"

"I'm not sure. I fell asleep a while ago…"

They paused as they waited to see what show or movie happened to be on. Zelda turned to look at Link, debating for the last time whether or not to tell him about Dark. She was about to turn back, now sure with her answer of not telling him when she noticed he was acting strangely.

"Uh… are you okay, Link?" She asked, lowering the volume of the television.

"I'm fine, why?" He answered quickly and almost as if he was defending himself.

"You just look really nervous is all." She continued to stare at him, knowing he'll break and confess eventually.

"Well… something… weird happened today." He finally said. "Midna and I were going over our schedules like usual. Then, out of the blue, she asked me out on a date."

Zelda's eyes went wide. She didn't think that their friends would go so far as to having Midna ask Link out. They all knew he had been head over heels in love with her just a few months before, and taking advantage of that situation was just downright cruel on their part.

"Oh, uh…" She coughed due to her throat suddenly becoming very dry. "What did you say?"

She felt her heart pounding. A couple of months ago she knew he would have said yes in a heartbeat, and she would be overjoyed for him. But why, now, was she hoping that he had said no? Not just because she was probably only asking him out as part of a plan. If he had said yes and they started going out, that means they wouldn't be able to be with each other anymore, sleeping together or otherwise.

"I said no." Link shrugged, calmly resting his arm behind Zelda's head.

"No?" She repeated, the word bringing a joy to her. "Why not?"

"When I told her how I felt, she said she didn't feel the same. It made me feel horrible, but I've moved on since then. I don't see her like that anymore." He gave Zelda a sad smile. "She's just a friend to me now, and I don't think I can ever see her as more than that."

"Oh…" Zelda nodded and looked away.

Link swallowed hard at Zelda's expression. "I also told her that I want to someday meet a girl and finally have a mature, serious relationship. I don't think she could ever give me that."

Certainly, she felt relief with his answer. But why? She should have been happy for him either way. But when he said that he will only ever see Midna as a friend now, and how he was thinking about meeting a girl one day… why did that make her heart drop? What about his words made her feel sad?

She knew they had to stop one day, but hearing him say that made her realize that it may come sooner than she expected…

"You've seemed to have a hard day, so I'll go start on dinner." Zelda stood up, clumsily pulling herself away from Link's embrace. "Rest up a bit. I'll make something fast."

"You're too good to me, Zelda." Link chuckled, rubbing her arm as she walked away.

"I can say the same about you." She smiled weakly, slowly searching through their cabinets.

After a half hour, Zelda tasted the finished pumpkin soup. She had to admit she was quite proud of her work.

"It smells really good!" Link called from the living room area, watching Zelda bring over the two bowls excitedly. She placed them down on the coffee table, deciding to eat in there that night as opposed to the more formal table in their kitchen.

They began to eat quietly; the only sounds were Link obnoxiously slurping his soup and the clinking of the metal spoons in the glass bowls. Zelda glanced towards Link at her side, who was being distracted by the television. She couldn't help but feel the warm atmosphere that settled around them. Is this what it would be like if they were dating? She couldn't say it wasn't nice…

She noticed a bit of the soup dripping down his chin, and she raised her hand to make him aware of it.

"Link, you've got a bit of…" She started, but her words trailed off.

"Oh, I didn't notice. Thanks." He replied. She expected him to grab a napkin to wipe his face, but instead he decided to try and lick it up with his tongue.

The sight was admittedly quite amusing to watch, like a dog trying to get a treat off of its nose. But more noticeably, it was kind of disgusting.

"Attractive." Zelda commented sarcastically, grimacing.

"What can I say?" Link chuckled. "I know how to please."

She rolled his eyes and he laughed at her un-amused expression. They went back to eating, and when they were almost done, a knock was heard. Zelda stood up and walked to the front door, looking through the peephole and seeing Malon. Suspicious of why her friend was there, she opened the door slowly. But it was nothing out of the ordinary; their friends tend to stop by unannounced.

"Hey Malon." She greeted happily. "Have another pot for Link to break?"

"I swear it was an accident!" Link exclaimed.

"I know, I know. I just like seeing you freak out." Zelda laughed and turned back to Malon.

Malon looked a bit disheartened, and entered without saying anything. She grabbed Zelda by the arm and brought her over to the couch, kicking the door closed in the process. She sat Zelda down, and sat herself in the armchair that was off to the side.

"Is everything alright?" Link asked, taking one last gulp of soup.

"No." Malon replied, looking down. Zelda and Link gave each other a confused look and watched their friend carefully.

"Did something happen? Is it you? My brother? Midna? Dark?" Zelda asked. Malon was the type of person that it was more likely to see her smiling than it was to not, so her current state was freaking them out. She was usually so full of energy, but at the moment she was strangely solemn.

"No, nothing happened. Nothing's wrong with Sheik, Midna, Dark, or myself." She finally met their eyes. "It's you two."

"Excuse me?" Link asked. Zelda gulped, knowing that he still hasn't found out that Malon and Midna know about them.

"You have to stop." Malon stated.

"What are you talking about?" Zelda raised an eyebrow, but she had a feeling she knew what she was talking about.

"You two need to stop sleeping together." Malon looked away, not knowing how they would react to her statement.

"What do you mean?" Link sputtered, laughing awkwardly. He knew Zelda would kill him if he gave anything away.

"I know about you two, so don't try acting dumb, Link." Malon said. He turned to Zelda, who gave him an apologetic look. "It's not healthy for you. You both haven't gone on an actual date in months, and it will only continue if you keep sleeping together."

They looked at each other. They had spoken once or twice about calling it off permanently, but they never did. Deep down they knew it could only lead to trouble, but they didn't care. But now that someone else is pointing out the same things…

"Link, you told Midna that you're looking for a serious relationship." Link nodded at this. "And Zelda, you told Dark that you aren't interested in dating right now, especially a friend."

He looked at Zelda in surprise, but her eyes were downcast. Did she really not want a relationship now? In the back of his mind, he always wondered what she would have said if he one day asked her out on a date, just to see how things would work. He never really thought that he would do it, but now he knew for sure he wouldn't.

"I had thought that it would be great if you two got together officially, but now that I know what you both want, I don't think that's possible for you two. I think it would be better if you stick to being friends." Malon stood up, slowly walking to the door with the others following her. "Just friends. Nothing more."

Link's arm wrapped around Zelda loosely, his hand rubbing her waist. She leaned into him lightly.

"Honestly, we have been thinking about calling it off for a while now." Link said, looking down towards his feet.

Zelda looked up at him in surprise. Is he…?

"Oh?" Malon said. She really wished she could have gotten them together, but things were too complicated for that.

"And you're right. It would be better if we stopped." He continued.

Zelda looked away from both of them. She always knew it had to end sometime, but now? Not even a day more? They had always agreed that they would call it off if one of them wanted to, no questions asked, but this was so out of the blue. Deep down, she knew it was for the best, but she hadn't imagined it this way…

"I'm glad you're looking at things more realistically now." Malon smiled sadly.

She thought they would have put up more of a fight. She expected them to tell her that it wasn't any of her business and that she shouldn't worry about them. It really wasn't her business, really. But she was so concerned for her friends she couldn't help but get involved. If they didn't want to listen to her, that'd be fine.

"I should probably get going now…" Malon said, looking towards the door. The pair nodded. Before leaving, she whispered to Zelda, "If you need it, you're always welcome at our place, or Midna's." She turned the knob and slipped out into the hallway with a quiet, "Goodbye."

Link and Zelda stood in silence for a moment, watching the closed door and listening to Malon walk down the hall. Zelda cleared her throat.

"I guess I should clean up the bowls…"

She began to release herself from Link's hold, but he just held her tighter. She looked up at him in confusion, wondering why he kept his arm around her. When she turned, he wrapped his other arm around her as well.

"I lied to her, you know." He said, smiling.

"What?"

"I lied." When he saw she still didn't understand, he continued, "I wouldn't have called it off that easy. But now, they'll be off our back, thinking we've stopped."

"Really?" Zelda's eyes went wide and she too began to smile.

"Yeah." His face suddenly went dark. "Well, only if you want to continue..."

Zelda brought his face down to hers and kissed him lightly.

"Of course I do."

Did I scare you with that?

Probably not. I mean, we're only on Chapter Ten.

But as I said before, I actually like this chapter, which I wasn't expecting. I'm really looking forward to writing the next two chapters... in fact it's been the chapters I've been wanting to write ever since I came up with the story. Actually, I think I'm going to enjoy writing all of the chapters from now on. They're pretty fast past and exciting, so I am looking forward to them.

The only problem is, I am not quite sure on how to end it yet. I have a general idea, but I don't know for sure. So, if you think of a way you want this story to end, how about telling me in a review? If I really like your idea, I may just use it!

I'm sure you've learned not to trust me when I say I'm going to try to come out with a chapter faster this time, but I can guarantee that you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter as you had to this time.

So, as always, leave a review if you wish, and favorite/follow if you like the story and you have already! See you next time!

- Kreszentenia