war of the roses pt. 2

Zelda woke up that morning on Link's floor. She was wrapped up in a blanket, having changed out of her dress into a tank top and some shorts. She rubbed her eyes drowsily as last night's events came back to her. Her getting ready for her date… Her waiting for Pipit for what felt like an eternity… Link picking her up and saving her from possibly getting hypothermia that night…

She yawned, shifting a little in her blanket, surprised at how comfy she felt on the floor. She could hear the water from Link's bathroom running, which meant that he was taking a shower. She considered getting up and going to the kitchen to get something to eat and maybe even cook breakfast, but she was worried that she'd have to face Pipit.

Zelda was many things. Smart, obstinate, and confrontational when she needed to be. Ever since everyone had to evacuate the dorms, she's had a damper put on her abrasive nature. She was desperate. She needed a place to stay, and Shad's place was her best bet. If she were in the right financial and emotional state, she would have stomped over to Pipit's room and asked him what's good. But there was a problem with that. Two, in fact. One, she wasn't in her right state of mind, and two, her emotions and will to see the benevolence in Pipit hindered her from any negative judgements. She could hear voices from outside Link's room, evidently belonging to Shad and Pipit. Shad was calm and collected while Pipit sounded a bit more shaken.

"You know," a voice called out to her, breaking her out of her reverie, "You should probably go talk to your lover."

Zelda jumped a bit at the voice, turning quickly to be met with Link's cold stare. His muscular figure was exposed, covered only by a small towel that was barely tied around the lower half of his body. He didn't keep his eyes on her for long, turning around to rummage through his drawer for clothes. She arched an eyebrow, startled at how quietly he had slipped out of the bathroom.

"Which one?" She asked bitterly, knowing that he was teasing her.

"The one that stood you up on your date, obviously." Link shot back, rolling his eyes.

Zelda blushed, looking away when he dropped his towel in front of her casually. He looked back at her as she kept her gaze averted, opting to stare at the floor. An amused smirk crossed his features as he got himself dressed.

"You're waiting for me to press you, right?" He asked.

"…What?" Zelda asked, befuddled.

"Ask you about why you were stupid enough to try and date two guys at the same time." He explained as he put his shirt on.

"You could have asked me last night." Zelda said.

"You wouldn't have been able to answer. You were a wreck. An emotional wreck."

Zelda huffed.

"I know I was. And you know that I like Pipit. So why are you being so cruel? I don't like Shad, not like that at least!" She snapped, "So just stop being an asshole about it! Why make me feel like crap about it? Why don't you go up to Pipit and chastise him for going out with his roommate's crush –"

"Shut up." Link commanded, now fully dressed and walking over to Zelda to lean down so that he could look her directly in the eyes. "You know how Shad feels about you yet you choose to sneak around with Pipit. I didn't get the chance to tell you last night, but I'll say it to you now. You don't get to be mad about him standing you up. Both you and Pipit are equally bad and you'll get what's coming to you if you don't end this nonsense now." He walked over to his desk, organizing a few papers on it. It looked like he was preparing for a day of studying.

"Oh?" Zelda asked, her cheeks flaring red. She stood up and followed him, positioning herself so that she was in front of him. Even though she was significantly shorter than Link she still found herself emboldened with a fierceness that was intended to intimidate him.

"And do you get to be mad about me getting you fired from your job?" She said challengingly, secretly enjoying the angry expression that appeared on his face. "That's why you're mad at me, huh? That's why you talk to me like this, and disrespect me like this. Because YOU had to be an asshole and ruin things for yourself, then try to make me feel like it's my fault. Well you know what, Link? Fuck you." She spat.

Link's own aggravated expression softened slightly.

Did she just… tell me off?

He couldn't think straight for a moment, too blinded by his anger towards the tiny blonde to be able to formulate a coherent sentence. What she had said was true, but his fear for his future and that of his family's was what mired him from accepting it. And before he knew it, his opportunity to get the last word in was slipping. She was already stomping towards his door to leave. Sure, she was worried about facing Pipit, but now she was willing to do it if it meant getting away from Link.

"H-Hey!" He stammered, not used to being flustered, running over to her.

She didn't turn around, didn't even acknowledge that he was calling after her. Since when was she so bold?

She simply opened the door, storming out of Link's room dramatically in her tank top and shorts, capturing Pipit and Shad's attention immediately.

"You don't know anything!" Link snapped angrily, "And… I'm taking my pass back!"

THAT definitely got to Zelda.

She turned around, looking at him enraged.

"What!?"

"Have fun primping yourself in the communal shower, bitch." He said, poking his tongue out at her before he slammed the door.

Zelda simply stared at his door with her jaw wide open.

"You are SO immature!" She shot back, loud enough to make sure that he heard it.

There was a moment of silence before Shad couldn't hold it in anymore. He started snickering.

Zelda and Pipit both looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"I don't know what you two were arguing about, but that was pretty entertaining, I'm not gonna lie." Shad said, smiling.

He was clearly elated, since he and Zelda would be going out on their first date that night.

As soon as Zelda looked at Pipit, her expression dimmed. Pipit's heart ached at the sight of her crestfallen expression, but knew that they had to put up a front in order to keep Shad from finding out.

"When did you get home last night? I got home at around ten but you weren't here." Pipit said, a tone of concern was evident in his voice, but his expression didn't falter.

Zelda shrugged, her hands trembling slightly. She wanted to keep up the charade but she felt incredibly hurt. Unless he had a perfect explanation for why he stood her up, she couldn't forgive him.

"I had a bad night, that's all." She said, eyeing him for a reaction.

He looked guilty.

Incredibly guilty.

"Was it Link? I'll go talk to him if you need me to." Shad chimed in.

Zelda shook her head.

"No. The person that hurt me… Link doesn't hold a candle to him." She said, feeling her eyes water up again.

Pipit's heart dropped even more at her words.

"Do you mind if I get some air?" She asked, turning heel and not even waiting for a proper response.

"Not at all…" Shad mumbled, frowning at her sad behavior. "Gee. I hope she doesn't stay sad all day. It'll make our date kinda awkward." He said.

Pipit rolled his eyes, glaring at Shad. He had enough self-control to keep from saying something stupid, but it was still annoying to hear Shad gloat about him and Zelda all the time.

"Why was she in Link's room?" He asked, still skeptical about the nature of their relationship after finding them in the closet together.

"She was probably taking a shower there. Didn't you hear him say he took her pass away? Now she has to wash up at the school." Shad chuckled, shaking his head.

"You're love struck." Pipit commented, crossing his arms and observing his friend's happy expression. After a moment of thinking, he finally decided to walk outside and face Zelda.

"Princess?" He asked nervously, staring at her as she paced outside of the apartment door, hugging herself.

Zelda didn't respond.

"You shouldn't stay out in this cold weather." He said. "Especially not in those clothes."

"You didn't seem to care when I waited for you in the rain…" Zelda said softly. She couldn't find it in herself to be stern with him, not the way she was with Link.

Her eyes widened when she felt him wrap his arms around her from behind.

"I was walking to my car, ready for our date. I was so excited to see you. And then… this girl. She was unconscious in a pool of her own blood. I had to take her to the hospital and make sure she got better." He explained, swaying her around a bit to try and calm her down.

Zelda bit her lip, feeling herself slowly melt into his embrace. She craned her head back to get a small glimpse of him.

"Is she okay?" She asked, her hands still slightly shaky. It was relieving to know Pipit hadn't stood her up, but to think that he went out of his way to make sure someone didn't get hurt…

"Yes, she's okay. But now the school needs to investigate and find out what happened." Pipit sighed, nuzzling his head into Zelda's shoulder as he tried to push away thoughts of Karane. Was it wise of him to omit the details of his former relationship with her and keep it a secret from Zelda?

"I'm sorry Zelda." He said after a moment of holding her. "I would never do that to you on purpose."

Zelda sighed.

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad you could make sure that girl was okay…"

He pecked her on the cheek.

"Maybe now isn't the time for us to start this just yet." He whispered. "I'll talk to you tonight, once you're done with your completely innocent, platonic 'hang out session' with Shad." He teased gently, smirking at her before he walked back into the apartment.

Zelda bit her lip, staring out at the morning sky, no longer shivering or uncomfortable in the cold weather. Pipit had given her plenty of warmth – in more ways than one. Soon she was smiling – no – grinning like an idiot. She was glad that her faith in him wasn't ill placed.

»°«

After Pipit cleared things up with Zelda, she was in much better spirits throughout the day. It showed too. She and Link ignored each other, so Pipit and Shad didn't have to worry about any squabbles between them, and when it was time for Shad and Zelda's anticipated 'date,' she was all smiles and conversation.

"I've been wanting to see this documentary for a while now. But I knew that Pipit and Link wouldn't come watch it with me, even if it were my dying wish." Shad said, half-smiling. "They hate documentaries."

Zelda smiled, noticing the way Shad's hand always seemed to 'accidentally' brush up against hers. She was feeling a little flirty tonight. Slowly but surely, she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. There wasn't any harm in holding his hand for a few minutes. She was hoping he would be smart enough to know it was an innocent action.

"I love documentaries. Especially about ancient Hyrule. The lore and connections that can be made to modern times is something that everyone should take note of."

Shad nodded, his heart racing as he held onto Zelda's hand.

"I agree. Goddesses, it's so nice to be able to hang with someone with the same interests as me." He said smiling.

They entered the theater and got seated. The documentary they were watching was centered on ancient Hyrule and the Hero of Time, as well as the princess. The theater was empty, not appealing to a culture focused on trivial entertainment. Shad and Zelda took advantage of the silence to converse amongst themselves amiably.

"You know, you kind of look like the princess in the legend." Shad said, poking her cheek.

Zelda rolled her eyes.

"No way."

They continued to watch the movie, gradually getting closer to each other as each scene progressed. Zelda even noticed his hand inching around her arm, hanging loosely on the back of her seat. She sighed, stealing a glance at him as he watched the documentary contentedly. He was genuinely interested in the movie and all the information blaring out of the monotone narrator's voice, but she knew he also had an ulterior motive.

She was beginning to regret holding his hand, and leading him on. Link was somewhat right, as much as she hated to admit it. She was bad, and if she let this go on any further it would only result in heartbreak. She had to set the record straight. That there could never be anything between the two of them. She inched away from him ever-so-slightly in her seat, as far as she could go. He didn't seem to notice, still focused on the screen before him.

He turned to look at her when he noticed that she was staring at him.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…"

"Hmm?" He smiled at her sincerely.

Damn it!

"I, uh, nevermind. I'll tell you later." Zelda said, silently cursing at herself.

She wanted to tell him, and it shouldn't have been hard to do so. But most of the guys she blew off or rejected without hesitation were scumbags. Shad was different. He was kind and understanding, a perfect gentleman. She knew that if she told him that they could only be friends he would accept it… But she also knew that it would hurt him.

"Alright." He nodded, turning back to the screen.

She decided to watch the rest of the movie, not wanting to ruin their 'date.'

Once the movie was over, Shad could tell that the atmosphere had changed. Zelda kept her hand to herself, no longer being as friendly and cheerful as she had been when their date had begun.

"So Shad…" Zelda said, smiling at him awkwardly. "Um, about what I wanted to tell you…"

"Can it wait?" He cut her off, grabbing her hands. "Our date started off perfectly, then things sort of… went downhill. And I think I know why."

"What? Y-You do?" Zelda squeaked, her hands trembling slightly.

He noticed and gave them a comforting squeeze.

"Yes. I know exactly why. You're scared of what our roomies will think."

"Uh…"

"Mainly Link, right? Because he doesn't like you. He really isn't a bad guy Zelda. You should give him a chance. He'll understand what's between us. He's my best friend." Shad said, smiling as his cheeks began to glow.

Zelda sighed. He was gorgeous. But she just couldn't reciprocate his feelings, and he had a right to know.

But… she was losing her chance. He noticed the way she was staring at him, misinterpreting her sympathy for longing, and hurriedly tried to close the distance between their faces.

She panicked, not sure of what to do or how to go about stopping him. The name slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Pipit!" She said all of a sudden.

Shad tensed immediately, opening his eyes and pulling away from her.

"What?"

Zelda bit her lip.

Shit!

"Uh, Pipit…" She laughed nervously, contemplating her next words carefully. "I… I was worried about him. I heard that he saved this girl on campus, I… I wanted to call him and find out what happened to her."

She couldn't read his face, or tell exactly what was on his mind at that moment. He looked a little relieved, though he wouldn't have if she had told him what was truly going on.

"You mean Karane, right?" He said, smiling awkwardly. "Yeah, he was telling me about it this morning. And it's all over the school website. Nabooru is gonna have a ball talking about it on HUTV, don't you think?"

She nodded, glad that he took well to the sudden subject change. She had no idea who Karane was, though she was glad she could steer Shad away from the kiss. But she wasn't prepared for what he had to say next.

"Anyway, yeah, I'm glad she's doing well. Pipit really cares about her, y'know. I'm not surprised he dropped everything to save her, considering what they've been through…"

"W-What?" She felt alarmed. The way Pipit had talked about her so dismissively made it seem like she was just some random girl on campus.

"Karane was his girlfriend. They were very in love with each other. Something happened between them though. I'm not sure what it was, Pipit wouldn't tell me. I don't think he knows exactly what happened either, to be completely honest with you. All I know is that he never really did get over her."

Zelda's heart dropped, and a myriad of emotions overwhelmed her. She wasn't about to get worked up over an ex-girlfriend, especially one that had suffered physical injuries. She knew better than that. Now she just needed to know… why? Why wouldn't he be honest about who that girl was to him?

"But, uh, back to where we were before…" Shad mumbled, smiling at her shyly.

She looked up at him, still mulling over the bombshell Shad had just dropped about Pipit's relationship.

"Hmm?" She asked distractedly, and before she knew it, Shad had gently brushed his lips against hers. He engaged the kiss slowly and carefully, not prompting her for an immediate response.

Zelda froze, her eyes widening.

He… was kissing her.

No! She thought despairingly.

And yet, in that moment, she wasn't thinking of Shad, or fangirling over the kiss like he hoped that she would. Nor was she thinking about Pipit and his ex-girlfriend that he had saved.

No…

Instead, she was thinking of Link. And how he would murder her in a million different ways if he ever found out.

»°«

Link's head was buried within his textbooks and he had a bunch of different papers to sift through. He was tired. So tired. Of life, of studying, of his roommates, of everything. His sister had sent him another letter. He wanted to visit her desperately, but knew that with all the work he had on his plate, he couldn't. He wasn't sure how mad he should have been. Ever since he was fired from Din's Garden he had more time to study.

His thoughts drifted back to a certain blonde girl, and how she had snapped at him that morning…

He certainly didn't expect her to have a fiery and sassy side to her personality. She seemed so apologetic and timid. He wasn't one to be so callous either. Usually he was just… silent. Not nice, not overwhelmingly rude, just silent.

But the way she had told him off, the way she stood up to him, it wasn't something he was used to. He regretted taking away her bathroom pass, but cared too much for his dignity to give it back to her quickly. It was a petty and childish action, but he figured showering in the communal shower on campus would teach her a lesson or two on yelling at him.

No one had ever stood up to him like that. Partially because he never gave anyone a reason to, but also because most people were intimidated by his elusive aura.

He leaned back in his chair, forcing himself to stop thinking about her. Even if she did finally defend herself, she was still a foolish little girl. Playing around with his best friends' heart and not even properly looking after her own. She would get what was coming to her.

But he couldn't lie. He was impressed.

A/N: Today's my last day of school! And I'm late. Anyhoo, if you're worried about the Shad/Zelda kiss, don't be. It's not what you think, trust me.

Now, to address Link's immaturity:

First off, his animosity towards Zelda is really due to the fact that they got off on the wrong foot. Like. Seriously. You'll see as the story progresses that he isn't a bad guy. And no, Zelda isn't a 'doormat' either. She's just worried that if she and Link don't get along she'll have to find a new place to stay.

Secondly, yes, Link is very childish in this story. The personalities for Link and Zelda vary in each Zelda game you play when you think about it. In Twilight Princess Zelda is very serious and mature. In Skyward Sword she's a lot more playful. In Spirit Tracks… Well, they're both quite childish, aren't they? As I said before, you're only seeing one side of Link. As his relationship with Zelda develops, she'll begin to see his true self. The side of him that's caused Pipit and Shad to defend him whenever Zelda complained about him.

Okay, lastly, I said this in the first chapter but I'VE JUST BEEN WATCHING TOO MANY KDRAMAS GUYS. *cheesy smile* If you guys know anything about kdramas, you know that most of the male leads can be pretty immature. Just watch Boys Before Flowers, or Secret Garden. (Lame excuse, I know). But I have the story set up the way I do for character development.

That's all. I'm done now.