A/N: Heads up! There is a bit of mild sexual content in this chapter. Most of it is just implied, but it's still very much there, so just letting you know because this is rated T so you get a warning.
Zelda was glad that it was school vacation. It gave her the freedom she needed to function.
Stepping out of her car, she stared at her front door, debating using it for once instead of the one in the garage, which felt much more personal. But this was personal. This was her home. And she needed to go inside.
She knew her parents had left that morning, and she knew Link agreed to meet her there after work. She knew no one was home. And yet there was something about entering the house that had her so unsure, like it wasn't even hers anymore.
But all of those feelings washed away when she finally crossed the threshold, turning off the alarm and flipping the light switch on.
The first thing she saw was a note on the counter:
Zelda, if you're reading this, we'll be home in a week. Don't stay here alone, but if you invite Makeela over, you'll need to buy some milk. Left money in the cabinet. Feel free to text. -Mom and Dad
Maybe they knew her a little bit after all; at least they had the foresight to anticipate she'd go home when they left.
Zelda slid the note off to the side and went straight for her room, throwing herself down onto her bed and taking a twenty-minute nap without meaning to. But when she woke up, she began cleaning her room, as if she had been using it all week. She put some of the scattered clothes away that she'd left strewn about on her last rushed clothing run, and she'd begun to reorganize her room. When she needed a break, she went to do some of the laundry she'd brought with her, sitting on the dryer with a book from her floor while she waited a few minutes to make sure she'd done everything right. She'd gotten used to the two trips to the laundromat with Link and Aryll, and worried that she might have somehow forgotten how to use her own.
When she was confident with that, she made a meal, watched television, lounged on the floor, moved the laundry to the drier. It was a mundane day, but it was familiar again. It was a day in her house.
Link would come over at 6pm after getting out of work. She hoped that soon, she'd be able to do the same and lounge on a couch after being tired from a day filled with productive work. She even hoped that she'd be able to complain about how tired she was, or how much she wanted the work day to end. She longed for home to be a place she wanted to go.
When 6pm rolled around, she could hear the steadily louder hum of Link's motorcycle before he parked it beside her car in the garage that she'd opened for him.
Link peeled off his jacket and a shiver rolled through his body. The wind had frozen his face and his clothes, so he took his sweatshirt off as well, feeling more heat that way until the sweatshirt could readjust to room temperature.
She noted the large bandage on his arm and made a point to stare at it.
"Oh, shut up," he muttered, kissing her in greeting. "Tell me how your day here was."
Zelda ran her hands through her hair. "I napped in my bed—"
"What an image—" he interrupted.
She shot him a look. "I also did laundry, made lunch, read some of my book, watched television, and stalked some people online. How was the electronics side of the shop?" Her tone made it clear that she was making fun of him and his rightful punishment for his carelessness with his arm.
Link scoffed. "Boring as all hell. Pipit has the weekend off, and one of the other guys came in and it was just… torture to watch them work. I wish more people actually fixed their electronics instead of buying a new one. Aren't you due to break your phone soon?"
"Shut up. Oh, I started some food too," she said, gesturing to the kitchen. "It's ready, just been keeping it warm."
He took a minute to sniff the air and nodded. "Smells really good. Gods, I wish we lived together."
She snorted and pushed past him, feeling his eyes on her as she walked. With a knowing smile, she spun around, catching his eyes far too low before they darted up guiltily.
"Caught," she laughed, moving towards one of the drawers.
She felt his arms around her waist and his lips on the side of her neck, distracting her to the point that she forgot what she was doing. It was just his lips, his teeth, his tongue.
"Link," she breathed, trying to remember is something was about to burn, because if not, she was going to just give up.
"Yeah?" he asked, teasingly pulling away. "Oh right, food."
Her head was spinning at the abrupt loss of him and she was grateful that he decided to take over setting up because her mind was now gone. They were alone without anyone to potentially walk in on them, and that thought alone had Zelda's mind racing to a hundred other possibilities.
"You're… um…" she started, suddenly feeling too bashful to get any words out. She could feel the ghost of his lips on her neck and leaned back into the counter for support. "You're free tomorrow, right?"
Link returned to her, red-faced and smirking as he reached around her to grab two glasses from the cupboard. He lingered there, his eyes on her lips before slowly making their way back up. "All day."
"All day?" she repeated, biting her lip anxiously.
"I'm free tonight, too."
She started giggling nervously. "I ju… I didn't know if you wanted to… rest before we… hang out. Gods… this is horrible. I'm horrible at this."
Link chuckled, not bothering to hide his own burning face. "'Hang out?' That's your euphemism? Gods, I love you."
"Shut up. I'm just too nervous tonight, okay? I'm back in this house, and I don't even know if I'm staying and it's maybe just too much for tonight. But it's won't be tomorrow. Okay?"
"Okay. Schedule me in whenever is best for you," he said, smiling, and kissing her as he passed with the glasses.
She let out a deep breath and went to follow him before stopping and realizing that there wasn't even any food.
Link passed her again, this time, playfully spinning her so she was facing the dining room. "Just go sit, Zel. I got the rest."
Zelda managed to make it through dinner without dying of embarrassment. It was Link, after all. Why was she so nervous?
They'd both changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt after they ate, getting comfortable for the night. Their plans were to finish season three of The Twilight Throne.
She'd brought Link inside her room for the first time. He hovered in the doorway for some time before finally stepping inside. His eyes darted over all her trophies. Archery. Archery. Volleyball. Archery. A theater ribbon. Archery.
"Why'd you stop?" he asked, gesturing to the trophies. "Theater, you said, but why did you pick that one over archery?"
Zelda slid up beside him and crossed her arms, letting out a deep sigh as she looked them over. "It can get lonely when you're just shooting at a target. Even when people are watching you or cheering, it's just you up there. I liked being around people, so I chose theater. This year, I wish I'd gone back to shooting things instead, but oh well."
"Where's your bow?" he asked, wriggling his eyebrows.
Zelda snorted and pulled her closet open, grabbing a striking blue metal bow from the corner and tossing it to Link. He caught it and looked it over intently before wrapping his fingers around the grip.
"Wait, you're a lefty," Zelda said, grabbing the bow and readjusting Link's hips so he was facing the other way. She held the bow out for him and he took it in his left hand this time.
"Feels weird this way."
"Because this bow was made for a righty. The grip is backwards, so it wouldn't be too comfortable for you."
"Show me how it's done then."
Zelda made a face and took the bow from Link's hands, immediately pulling back on the string in a perfect position. Her eyes drifted to Link, smirking as she let go of the string and it echoed with a reverberating thunk.
"Hot," Link said, winking.
"Mhmm," she laughed, putting the bow away. "Maybe some day you'd want to go to a shooting gallery with me?"
"I'd love that."
Link made his way around the room, marveling at how much bigger it was than his own and how she could bare to tolerate his when this was her alternative. And he realized just how much Zelda must have either loved him or hated her parents when he laid down on her bed, letting out a long moan as he stretched out.
"Oh gods, this is heaven."
Zelda joined him on the bed and, yes, she had to agree that she had one of the most comfortable mattresses she'd ever felt.
Link rolled over and made himself even more comfortable. "I could get used to this."
With a laugh, Zelda threw herself on top of him, causing him to groan as she abruptly knocked the air from him.
"I could get used to you being here, too," she said, playing with the strings of his sweatshirt.
"Yeah?" He slid his hand under hers to brush against the skin of her back, and Zelda laughed, pulling the strings of his hood tight.
"Maybe not," he muttered, blinking under the pressure of the tight string against his forehead. His hand quickly went to Zelda's hood, pulling it up and over her head, covering her eyes.
She pushed it back, leaving her hair a wild mess in front of her eyes. Crawling over him, she grabbed the corner of her pillow and smacked it down into Link's face, keeping him pinned beneath her as she straddled his waist.
Like the rest of the bed, the pillow was soft and didn't do anything but wildly send his hair out in every direction. One hand went out to block her next swing, while the other went to her hip to steady her as he sat forward.
She knew that he could easily flip her over, stand up and carry her, basically do anything to gain the upper hand. And while she liked a good one-sided pillow fight, there was something she wanted just a bit more than senselessly hitting him with her very nice pillow.
"Okay, Mr. I-Used-To-Get-Up-And-Run-Every-Morning, you're clearly out of shape these days."
Her taunt wasn't lost on Link, and he snorted, flipping them both over. He relished the sound of her laughter as she clung tighter to him, bringing him closer as their mouths met again.
"This isn't Season 3 of The Twilight Throne," Link said between breaths.
"Spoiler alert: it kind of is."
His eyes glinted mischievously as he watched her for a moment. But it was too long for Zelda, who grabbed the collar of his hood and pulled him back down to her, leaving him laughing into her mouth before he could rein it in.
Being with Link was easy. She could be weird. She could be nervous. None of it made her feel bad, or unworthy. She didn't need to putt effort into the things she said. She didn't need to tiptoe around topics. Maybe that's how everything was supposed to be. Maybe she was always supposed to feel so free. Or maybe it was just something about Link. She wasn't sure if she'd ever figure that one out.
But gods, she was hooked on how she felt around Link, and she wanted more.
Grabbing his hand one more time, she moved it to her waist where her shirt had ridden up before letting go. He smirked, getting the message as his fingers lightly traced the fine curve of her waist and then behind her to her arching back, then close to her neck—
Link jerked backwards in realization. He'd followed her skin all the way there… without interruption from any kind of fabric.
His mouth fell open, a question of her intent clear in his eyes. He watched her take a deep breath and nod.
Link returned his lips to hers with a soft, tender kiss that didn't stay that way for long. It seemed like the natural first thing to do was to kiss each other, so they did. They didn't realize that the familiarity of the other's mouth on theirs was calming in many ways now. It was something they understood, unlike this new territory.
Zelda writhed in the best possible way until she found herself choking.
"Wait," she muttered, coughing once and feeling the loss of Link's hands on her all too keenly. "My sweatshirt is choking me."
His fingers splayed along her stomach, the tip of his index finger tracing a small pattern into her that had her shivering long before his words could have the same effect. "Want it off?"
The way his eyes raked over her, it was clear his question was decidedly not just about her sweatshirt. Surprised only by his directness though not actually his question, she nodded and sat up, pushing him up with her. "I thought you were shy, Link."
He scoffed, tugging playfully at the hem of her shirt. "That's because you can't feel my hands shaking yet, Princess."
There was no way he didn't know that she'd been shaking too. Maybe the knowledge that they were both a wreck helped calm them both down a bit. "Nervous?"
"Hell yeah," he admitted with an anxious chuckle.
"Me too. But I'm good… if you…" she didn't bother finishing her sentence. While she'd called for a rain check earlier, she wasn't interested in one now. Not while she felt unnaturally comfortable in her own skin, especially given the situation.
"Let me know if you're ever not."
"You too," she laughed.
So, when Link pulled away and felt Zelda grab at the hem of her sweatshirt, he stilled her hands. "Oh, Zelda, if you do it that way, your shirt will be inside out."
He was making fun of her, of what she'd said to him on his birthday. Her mouth fell open in indignant surprise and humor at his taunt. "Okay, fine, I don't care," she laughed.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said, peeling her layer off for her, leaving her in loose shirt she'd intended to sleep in.
His hands reached for the fabric, but Zelda shied away. "Fair play, Link. You too."
She could visibly see him swallow, but he held his hands up in surrender, breathing faster as he let her slowly peeled his own shirt away.
It was a give and take, and all night, she savored every breath he took.
/
"Yeah, so… we did that."
Makeela's mouth hadn't closed since Zelda had begun to tell her what had happened the night before. As it was, they were sitting on the couch downstairs, and Makeela simply had lost every thought she'd ever held in her mind.
"You… what else? You can't stop there. What happened? Tell me everything. I mean it."
Zelda couldn't stop grinning to the point where she needed to cover her mouth with her hand. "I… I don't know. It's kind of private."
"You either tell me what happened, or you tell me if Link is well-endowed."
"Makeela! Gods!" Zelda laughed, her face burning. "Fine, I'll tell you. We… gods, um, the first time was—"
"Wait! First time?"
"Y-yes."
"How many times we talking about since last night?"
Zelda shielded her eyes, laughing as she held out three fingers.
"Girl!" Makeela finally closed her eyes and leaned back. "And you're walking around. I had higher hopes for you than that."
"Stop it! You're going to kill me."
"Okay, keep going."
Zelda rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. So the first time wasn't the worst. It was awkward. We were both bumbling a bit. But once we got that first time out of the way… it got… better."
"How much better?"
Biting her lip, Zelda fought back a grin.
"Oooh, girl!" Makeela practically screeched. "Keep going!"
"I don't know! Um… we did a lot! I don't know what you want from me!"
"I want details!"
"You're not getting details!" Zelda laughed. "I'm not giving you a play by play! You're literally making me sweat."
"Did he make you sweat?"
Zelda rolled her eyes and forced out a deep breath. "He's going to be here, like, any second. And I will turn the tables on you and make you and Pipit uncomfortable if you say anything while we're all here. I want to watch Moonlight Howl in peace."
The loud roar of Link's motorcycle pulling up had Zelda making a triumphant face. "He's predictably punctual."
"Is that an innuendo?" Makeela giggled, grabbing a pillow to shield herself from Zelda's glare.
Link stepped through the door that Zelda had left unlocked for him and Pipit, though he was coming from work and Pipit was off, so they'd agreed to come over separately.
"Hey, Link!" Makeela chimed. "I heard you had a really fun night last night. Watched an awful lot of tv, didn't you?"
"Good gods," Zelda muttered, crumpling to the couch.
Link hadn't expected any other kind of greeting from Makeela, who, as he knew, was notoriously nosey. He recovered quickly from his shock and dropped his backpack so he could lean over the couch that faced Zelda and Makeela.
"I hear Pip's taught you a few things in sign language. Let's see…"
Makeela watched him think for a moment, careful to chose what he was saying. She watched him gesture to him and to Zelda, but the next sign was lost on her. Zelda's reaction, however, was not.
"Link! What are you doing?" she started laughing.
Makeela narrowed her eyes, and Link smirked, repeating the gesture. She couldn't, for the life of her, reason it out, though she was fairly certain he was saying something about him and Zelda's escapades, given her reaction and the fact that, as he continued, Zelda grew more and more red.
She could see his mind going, choosing words that would not inherently give away their meaning from his gestures. He even went slow for her, but she got nothing.
When Link had finished, Zelda began laughing harder. "Oh, gods, Makeela! I guess Pipit hasn't taught you those signs yet. I'm sure he will eventually."
On cue, the door opened and Pipit walked in, making a face at the three of them who had gathered into a rather suspicious triangle. He could tell something was happening, Makeela's unhidden annoyance ringing clear.
Link turned to Pipit, leaning back. "Your girlfriend is being nosey. We're just making her a little uncomfortable for it."
"Not my girlfriend."
"You sound like me when Zelda and I started hanging out."
Zelda snorted, feeling Makeela seething with curiosity as to what was being said, knowing she couldn't well ask them to speak aloud given Pipit's deafness.
Pipit looked around, making a show of changing the subject. "No Ilia?"
"She wanted to stay home tonight," Link said.
Zelda patted her pocket, where her phone was. "Actually, she texted me earlier and said she wanted us to have a nice double date."
"She did not," Pipit signed with a gruff noise.
"I can show you."
"Hey," Makeela said. "What's happening?"
Zelda smiled sweetly. "We're talking about you."
Rolling her eyes, Makeela sat back and crossed her arms. She had, in fact, asked for it by immediately goading Link.
Link, on the other hand, walked around the couch to kiss Zelda. "I should have known that nothing would be private with Makeela, right?"
"Not the first time, anyway," Zelda admitted.
"She did nothing but sing your praises if that makes you feel better," Makeela snickered, unable to stop herself.
Link chuckled and leaned forward a little more so Makeela could see him. And he gave her the finger. "Know this one yet?"
Makeela smirked and leaned comfortably against the side of the couch. "Is that real sign language? If that's the case, people have been trying to teach me for years."
"Wow," Pipit signed, moving to sit on the empty couch. "I missed a lot today, apparently. What's this all about?"
"Zelda and I slept together, and your girlfriend can't stop herself from making comments."
"I'm not entirely surprised," Pipit laughed, digging out his whiteboard, pointedly ignoring the girlfriend comment this time. He pulled out the whiteboard and scribbled something quickly before turning it around. 'Congratulations.'
Makeela burst out laughing, and Pipit started chuckling as he wiped the surface clean.
Makeela got up and moved to Pipit's couch, high fiving him as she sat.
Link slid into her old spot beside Zelda and narrowed his eyes.
"Gods," Zelda whispered, not actually trying to be quiet, especially since her hands moved for Pipit's sake. "They're so perfect for each other. They're both the actual worst."
"That's why you lovvvve us!" Makeela laughed.
Link shook his head, translating for Pipit before adding in, "Tolerate."
Pipit grabbed the marker again and translated for Makeela, who looked up indignantly.
"Tolerate! You're the worst! You think we're meant for each other? You two are just mean." She couldn't keep a straight face as she tried to pout.
Zelda glanced at the clock. Still an hour to Moonlight Howl.
So with a controlled expression, she got comfortable and glanced at Link, far more comfortable than just in her position on the couch.
She couldn't imagine ever being this at-ease with Revali, Ruto, and Darunia. Not the way she felt around Link, Pipit, and Ilia, since her absence didn't change the fact. And Makeela had always been there. She had always been her go-to person, and despite the teasing, she was glad she had someone she trusted still. Zelda knew that if she'd truly asked Makeela not to say a word, she wouldn't. Makeela could read her like a book. She knew when she could tease and push, and when she needed to back off.
And she knew that tonight was a teasing night.
So, with an hour to Moonlight Howl, they both shot each other a knowing look, playfully challenging the other. It was the same look that Link and Pipit shared.
This was going to be a long night.
Reviews: ElenaGilbert24: Hahaha they're precious and I loved them dancing way too much! They're definitely both working on themselves at the same time that they're with each other, which I think is a very good thing. And Link literally cannot stop flirting with Zelda haha! Draegor: Good reading you again too lol! Thank you! Nightwing2013: Hahahahahaahha! You're one of the few people brave enough to call Sidon an airhead and I am highly supportive of it! But yeah, I think they work surprisingly well lol. Just-AWESOME-old-me: That's absolutely plausible and I will say that I love causing pain for my characters and I totally have *not* (cough cough totally have) thought of anything similar to that! Lol I don't plot ahead though, so you never knowwwww!
