the plot continues to thicken

A week and a half had passed since Link and Zelda's night together, and he'd barely uttered a word to her since. It shouldn't have bothered her, because she was with Pipit, but it did. He had been so sweet to her, so gentle. He showed her a side to him she never dreamed she'd be able to see…

Only to take it away, and become as cold and distant as he had been when they first met. She hated it, and she hated him for doing that to her, for making her feel this way. The atmosphere at the apartment was tense. Pipit and Zelda's relationship had been exposed by Groose and Cawlin. Zelda would have been able to handle receiving the silent treatment from Link alone, but being ignored by Shad was unbearable. Shad had been her very first friend out of all of them. And he was so damn sweet. She took advantage of that, and ignored Link's warnings to stop going out with Pipit. The worst part was that he was willing to accept her being with Pipit, as long as she was honest.

Spring was in full swing. They were finishing up midterms. The seniors were getting ready to graduate. Hyrule University was thriving. Zelda was sitting in the student lounge with her textbook in her lap. Usually she would be studying with Shad, but since they weren't on speaking terms, he had made it a point to avoid her. She only ever saw Link in the dorms and at home, and he wasn't answering her calls, so she couldn't hang with him. Pipit was all she had, and he was more than enough, but he was in class at the moment. Times like these made her realize how disconnected she was in regards to her other friends. She hadn't spoken to Midna and Malon in forever. She missed them like crazy, and she knew that Midna especially would enjoy hearing about her love life.

"Maybe I can call her now…" She murmured to herself, taking out her cellphone. But someone called out to her before she could even find Midna's contact.

"Princess!"

Zelda's head shot up at the greeting, almost feeling hopeful when she heard it. She was anticipating either Pipit or Link had come to see her, but to her dismay, it was neither of them. Lana ran over, her long blue ponytail bouncing with every step she took.

"Uh…" It didn't even register to her that the voice was feminine, her mind was too all over the place to focus on such details.

"Where the hell have you been?" She reprimanded.

"Studying?" Zelda stared at her nervously.

"It doesn't look like you're studying to me. It looks like you're skipping out on dorm cleaning."

"I don't have any hours today."

"Yes you do!" She pulled out a color-coded calendar with the names of all the student volunteers.

"When did you have time to make that?"

"I was up till 3AM doing homework, and I decided, why not make it? Isn't it pretty?"

"Oh, it is." Zelda nodded.

"What's wrong princess? You seem a little off today."

"Can you not call me that?" Zelda waved her hands, feeling guilty about making the request, "It's nothing personal it's just…"

"Link's special nickname for you?"

Zelda felt her body tense at the mention of his name.

Lana smiled slyly.

"Whaaaat? I saw you two. You spent an awful lot of time cleaning dorms together…" She teased, "Before Agahnim separated you guys."

"Agahnim? He didn't separate us."

"Really?" Lana scratched her head. "That's what Link said."

Zelda chewed on her bottom lip, swinging her feet back and forth awkwardly. Everyone else must have noticed it too. How they went from spending nearly every moment together while cleaning to not speaking at all...

"If something's wrong, you can tell me." Lana added, sitting next to her. "I'm a great listener."

"Thank you, but I'm good." Zelda respectfully declined her offer. "I've just been having an 'off' week. Those dorms aren't going to clean themselves." They both stood up and headed towards the junior hall, when the speakers for the flat screen started blaring cacophonous music.

"AAH!" Lana jumped, startled by the sound. She and Zelda walked back to look at the TV and figure out what was going on.

The HUTV logo flashed across the screen, then panned to Nabooru, who was seated with her hands clasped and a picture-perfect smile plastered on her face.

"Hello everyone and welcome to HUTV! I'm Nabooru, but you guys already know that." She looked down at her notes, skimming through them before speaking up again. "We have a brand new jingle for our broadcast, that lovely tune you heard just before this segment began!" There was a note of sarcasm in her voice, and Lana cringed at the horrible tune that played and scared her so badly.

"...But there are a few important announcements to make. First and foremost, the dorms are almost completely cleaned out thanks to our amazing volunteers, but they will not be open until the upcoming academic year. Next up, summer school registration opens tomorrow morning at 9AM for first priority students! Those spots won't stay open for long, so don't wait! I'm looking at you, super-seniors." She giggled and winked at the screen, before an uneasy look crossed her face. "For my final announcement, I've been informed by the Financial Aid Director that there will be a 10% increase in tuition for the upcoming semester…" Audible gasps could be heard from within the studio they were filming. Students in the lounge had gathered around the TV, yelling and shouting angrily at the latest announcement. Lana and Zelda looked to each other, clearly alarmed.

"WHAT!?" Lana practically shrieked.

"Lana, calm down - "

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She scolded, "You're one of the few students who have a full ride! I can barely afford to go to this school as is, there's no way I'm taking out ANOTHER loan, and I'm on track to graduate next year!"

"Let's go to the dorms." Zelda grabbed Lana's arm and attempted to pull her away, but Lana didn't want to budge.

"No!" She shook her head, "I'm going to the financial aid office. Forget chu duty. I did nothing wrong, it was something I took up for fun. But to hell with that, I'm not going to serve a school that screws me over like this."

"Lana, think. Everyone is going to go yell at financial aid. Let's go to the dorms, because Nabooru might be there. It'll be best to try and get some answers from her."

Lana crossed her arms, glaring hard at the floor. Finally, she nodded, even though she wasn't happy at all. They walked down to the dorms they were scheduled to clean that day, flinging the door open so quickly that it slammed against the wall behind it, causing everyone to jump.

"Woah, what was that…" Strich stepped out, covered in red jelly, noticing Lana's peeved expression. "Lana? Are… Are you o - "

"Shut up." She snapped, moving past him and looking around for the Gerudo woman who was always watching over them like a hawk. Zelda had to sprint to keep up with her, occasionally looking through open doors of the dorms to see the progress that had been made, and which ones she could polish or clean. Most were cleaned, some still had splotches here and there, while others hadn't been touched at all. Just as she was about to look back towards Lana, one dorm caught her eye. She stopped immediately. Inside was Link, slumped against the wall with a sandwich in hand, eating and talking with Ashei. She felt her insides flame up at the sight, but before she could say anything, Lana called out to her.

"Zelda!"

"Coming…" She mumbled, rolling her eyes and following the angry blue-haired girl.

"Nabooru!" Lana yelled.

"Yes?" Her familiar, sultry voice rang out.

Lana turned around, her breath literally hilting in her throat as she did so.

Nabooru was dressed in her traditional Gerudo garb and usual makeup, but her long, red hair that she usually tied back now fell around her face perfectly, making her look even more stunning than usual. While Zelda noted the difference, she wasn't as taken as Lana, who was quite literally struck dumb by her appearance.

Nabooru grinned, pleased by the younger girl's reaction to her style. She crossed her arms, making her cleavage slightly more visible to tease her even further.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked.

"Oh goddesses…" Zelda couldn't help feeling secondhand embarrassment for Lana while she ogled the beautiful senior shamelessly, at a loss for words.

"Nabooru, we need to know more about the tuition increase." Zelda said finally, fed up with Lana's gawking. "You can't just announce something like that and then leave."

Nabooru glared at her, a personal vendetta quickly forming against the blonde who was becoming a threat to her plans with Ganondorf.

"I can and I did. Don't shoot the messenger. Does it really make a difference to you, Miss Full Ride?"

"I don't know…" Zelda said nervously. "A 10% increase is disproportionate to the usual annual tuition increases. In this economy it makes sense for increases to exist, but to make such a huge jump - "

"If I cared about those details I would have majored in economics." Nabooru cut her off rudely. "Why don't you save the spiel for someone else."

"Don't talk to her like that!" Lana finally spat out, breaking out of her trance.

"Lana…" Nabooru was surprised, not expecting the young woman to lash out at her.

"I… I can't afford the tuition increase!" She cried fretfully, "I can't even afford to go to this school now… And so many other students are in the same position. You have to know something else… Please…" She grabbed Nabooru's arm desperately.

Nabooru stared at her pitifully. She had more answers than she could let on, but she had already chosen her allegiance. Still, she felt for Lana and wanted to say something.

Zelda felt out of place, seeing Nabooru's body language towards Lana. She figured it would be best to take her leave, so she turned around and grabbed some cleaning materials before heading to a dorm.

"Sweetie, don't worry." Nabooru cooed, pulling Lana closer once Zelda was gone. "Let me tell you something… Ganondorf is doing everything in his power to secure rupees. We're talking to alumni, and other wealthy, influential people - "

"We?" Lana asked curiously.

"Oh, uh, yes." She nodded.

"Why you? Are you two…"

"No, of course not Lana." Nabooru feigned a hurt expression, "Don't tell me you believe all the rumors about me too…"

"I don't know what to believe. But I do think you two are oddly close."

"There's a special gala being held in Gerudo Valley. He wants me to come along as a representative of the school, as a student and Gerudo. You know we're not well-liked…" She bit her lip.

"So you guys are going to get us more money?"

"Yes. I love this school. In a few months, I'll officially call it my alma mater." Nabooru tilted her head, studying Lana carefully. "I'm sure you'll be saying the same."

"I don't think so."

"Lana…"

"Why? Why is this happening, Nabooru? I don't get it. I really don't. HU is the best school. It gets more than enough rupees in donations and endowments. Why does our tuition need to be raised? Are we… are we not getting enough rupees?"

"Even the best of schools struggle. You've always been a very smart girl, Lana. The dorms getting soiled made us look bad. Not to mention we can't charge room and board, which has caused us to lose lots of rupees already…"

"I didn't think of that."

"It probably took a load off for you, didn't it?" Nabooru smiled.

"It did." She nodded.

"Me too. Look Lana, I'll be real with you. I like you a lot."

"You do?" Lana was surprised that someone as beautiful and well-known as Nabooru would even want to give her the time of day.

"What's not to like?" Nabooru eyed her up and down, grabbing her hands. "You're a hardworking young woman. You genuinely care about this school. Truthfully I find it kind of…"

She paused, stifling a giggle.

"Kind of what?" Lana began feeling a little self-conscious.

"...Sexy."

"O-Oh!"

Nabooru giggled at her flustered expression.

"You'll be fine. You're so close to the finish line, you can't give up now. Apply for outside scholarships and grants. Maybe cut back on your other extracurriculars so you can find rupees elsewhere. With your work ethic, there's no doubt in my mind you can pay off your last year with ease."

"You think I haven't been doing all of those things already? At this rate my children will have to start paying off my loans!"

Nabooru arched an eyebrow skeptically.

"You plan on having kids?"

"... I don't know…"

"Biologically?"

Lana said nothing.

"You're very easy to tease, you know that?"

"I guess…"

"Well, Lana. I have a proposition for you. I can't guarantee you money, but I can put in a good word for you to Ganondorf, and have him pass the word along to the director."

"Just like that?"

"You'd be surprised. Knowing the right people can make a big difference when it comes to getting money."

"You would do that for me?"

"I'd do a lot of things for you." Nabooru winked.

Lana smiled despite her better judgment. Nabooru flirted with everyone, it was best not to take it to heart.

"What's the catch?" Lana asked, pulling her hands away from Nabooru's.

"If we can expose the person behind the dorm mess and punish them properly, it can help our school image. What do you say, beautiful?"

Lana thought about it for a few moments, then nodded.

»°«

Zelda scrubbed at the walls aggressively, the chu jelly quickly falling and gathering into a sludge beneath her feet. Her jaw tightened at the sounds coming from a couple rooms down. She could hear Ashei and Link talking to each other in hushed tones, while Ashei elicited the occasional giggle. She couldn't take it, it was a load of crap. He had told her about their kiss, and that there was nothing going on between them. And now, for the past ten days, they were eating lunch together, cleaning dorms together, talking about goddess-knows-what…

All the things we did together…

It hadn't even been that long. Everything happened so quickly, but in Zelda's mind it was an eternity. If she learned anything from being around Link, it was to have no shame. So she stood up, and walked over to the dorm they were in.

At first she had been okay with the silent treatment, since it put her in an awkward position as well. But now, she was fed up.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat loudly, capturing Link and Ashei's attention.

"Hi Zelda." Ashei greeted her kindly.

Zelda softened up a bit, giving Ashei a friendly greeting. She had no personal issues with the dark-haired girl, but she was tired of Link's games.

"I need to speak to Link. Alone."

"Ah, okay. I guess that's my cue! I'll go see what Lana's up to. It was nice talking to you again, Link." She smiled at him, then headed out.

Link watched Zelda walk towards him and take the spot Ashei had been sitting at.

"Hi." She said, once she was comfortable. Zelda decided it would be best to constrain her anger, because she didn't want to argue with Link. She wanted the opposite of that.

"That's all you need to say to me? Hi? Me and Ashei were having an actual conversation."

"With this?" Zelda grabbed the empty plastic wrap that had been filled with slices of bread.

"Is it not physically possible to eat and have a conversation at the same time?"

Zelda clenched her fists.

"Cut the crap. Why have you been ignoring me?"

"I haven't."

"Yes you have!" She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Ever since that night we spent together."

"Will you keep your voice down? People are going to get the wrong idea. We didn't even do anything."

"Like hell we did. You know what I meant. How are you going to act casual about this? And why are you eating those stupid sandwiches with her?" She pointed to the door where Ashei had left them.

"You didn't think they were stupid when I ate them with you."

"You're deflecting." Zelda pointed out. "Stop avoiding me, and spit it out. After everything, how could you just drop me like that?"

Link shrugged, but still kept himself guarded. "We shouldn't have been drinking. I felt like we got to a point where we started delving into personal territory…"

"But according to you… wasn't that the point of the game?"

"Too personal." He corrected himself.

Zelda sighed, her mind vaguely recalling the final questions.

"I know. But you didn't need to ignore me. It's hard enough having Shad give me the cold shoulder."

"What do you expect, Zelda? The whole reason you're living with us is because the guy was practically in love with you. And you took advantage of that."

"I know… I feel awful about it. I want to make amends with Shad, but he isn't having it. He won't listen to me so I have to wait for him to say something." She waved her hands dismissively. "But this isn't about Shad. This is about us."

"There's no 'us.'"

"Yes, there is! You should have just told me you felt weird about it! I don't care about the answer to that stupid question. But I did like hanging out with you…" She admitted sadly, and for a moment there was a hint of sadness in Link's eyes too, but he dispelled it immediately.

"That's why you have a boyfriend." He reminded her.

"That doesn't mean we can't hang out."

"Scrubbing jelly off of the walls isn't enough for you?"

"Eventually there won't be any more left to scrub. And then what happens when we're done?"

"Then we're done!" He said.

"We can't be!"

"Why not?"

Zelda sighed.

"Link, please." Zelda said pleadingly. Link softened at her expression. He didn't realize she'd be so bothered by his hesitation after that night. Especially since she had Pipit. But he found it hard to say nothing to her, given how they bonded over the past few weeks.

She could tell he was conflicted, but she didn't know why. Eventually he let out a heavy sigh, and nodded outside.

"Let's go out."

"Does this mean we're speaking to each other again?" She asked him hopefully.

"It means whatever you want it to mean. Come on, there are some things we should talk about."

They both walked outside, finding a bench near the hall they had been cleaning.

"Nabooru has been acting strange." He said, leaning back in deep thought.

"Weird, how?"

"I overheard her talking to Ganondorf about going to some fancy party."

"That's weird?"

"Together. Like, he would be her date or something."

"So you were spying on her?"

"No, I was overhearing her." Link said in a completely serious tone, but once Zelda started giggling he couldn't help laughing too.

"Do you think this has any correlation to them spreading the jelly in the dorms?"

"I have no idea, but now that you mention it, that could be a possibility."

"All of this is just so weird…" Zelda mused, "Did you get a chance to see HUTV? There's been an increase in tuition."

"Tuition increases are nothing out of the ordinary." Link shrugged.

"Oh." Zelda frowned, surprised by Link's nonchalant reaction. " I thought you would have been more concerned…"

"Yeah, well, I usually get more financial aid to account for the difference. So I end up having to pay the usual amount out of pocket."

"Do you think you'll be able to get aid for next year, though? I mean, a 10% increase is nothing to - "

"What!?" Link jumped up, looking down at Zelda furiously, although his anger wasn't directed at her.

"That's more like it." Zelda murmured.

"Did they say WHY?"

"No! But I know they're probably losing lots of money."

"That's impossible. We're top tier."

"But with all the students being forced out of the dorms, we don't have to pay room and board."

"Damn it, you're right." Link said, his eyes widening in realization.

Zelda smiled.

"I have my moments."

"What are we going to do?"

"Funny, I feel like I should be the one asking that…" Zelda said. "But, you should definitely try to listen in on Nabooru when she talks to Mr. Dragmire. In fact…" Zelda looked in through the window, her eyes falling on two female figures walking and talking. Lana and Ashei.

"What is it?" Link followed her gaze.

"I think Lana might know something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. But Nabooru flirts with her a lot. Maybe she told her something."

"Nabooru flirts with everyone."

"Not me." Zelda piped up quickly, "I think she has it out for me. She's been acting pretty rude to me lately."

"So if someone isn't head over heels for you then it means they hate you? You really are a princess." Link huffed.

"Shut it. Something is going on, don't you want to get to the bottom of it?"

"Sure, but what do you think we should do?"

"Find out more details about the party… So we can crash it."

»°«

Shad got home later than usual, arriving to the sight of Pipit and Zelda eating dinner together at the table. Link was there too, with his earbuds in, music blaring to block out the sound of conversation and occasional kiss that the couple exchanged. Link scowled in annoyance at the sight of the lovebirds, fed up with being a third wheel. He caught Shad looking on at them woefully, and Shad immediately went to his room, not wanting to sit with them or even spare a glance at them any longer.

Link stood up, pulled his earbuds out and walked to his room briskly.

"Where are you going?" Pipit called out, but Link ignored him.

Link burst into the room, despite knowing Shad didn't like it when people barged in unannounced.

Shad was laying on his bed, staring at the wall blankly. Link walked over and sat down on his bed.

"Get out." Shad said flatly, turning over on his side to avoid having to look at him.

"No. You're angry and you're bottling it up. Come on Shad, this isn't like you."

"I'm not myself right now, and maybe I shouldn't be. Why should I be nice? What has it gotten me? Lied to by people I trusted? Just fuck off."

"Woah. I get that you're angry but you're taking it out on the wrong person. I didn't do you wrong, did I?"

"Did you?" Shad shot back, sitting up to face him. "Did you know what was going on between them? You and Zelda spend a lot of time together cleaning up the dorms, and you must have seen something while they were here. They were concerned with keeping me in the dark, more than anyone else." He said bitterly.

Link felt bad. He initially decided to keep Zelda's secret and let karma do the rest, and he knew Shad would be hurt by it… Now, for the first time, he was acknowledging that although his role wasn't as large as Pipit and Zelda's, he did do the wrong thing by not letting Shad know ahead of time.

"I should have told you. But Pipit and I are your best friends. What Pipit did was shitty, but you know you're going to forgive him eventually. You have to."

"I do?"

"Shad, you guys share a room together!" He pointed to the tiny bed across from him. "And you and Zelda used to study together every night. I know you. Better than you think I do. I know you don't want to be mad at them forever."

"You don't know anything."

"Shad."

"So I should just forgive them? Like that? Even if I'm still upset? Do you expect me to get over this shit in a week?"

"How long do you plan on acting like this? Until the end of the semester? This isn't high school anymore. It's time for you to grow up."

To Link's surprise, Shad started laughing.

"You're telling me to grow up? That's rich. Like you and Zelda weren't bickering like children nonstop when she moved in, over the pettiest shit. And now, I have an actual reason to be upset with her. I… I thought you'd be on my side with this."

"I'm always on your side." Link reassured him. "And I think it's in your best interest to stop this."

"Stop giving them the cold shoulder? I don't care if this sounds petty, but I'm not ready to do that. I'm not a fan of their relationship, and I won't act like I am."

"Okay, Shad. Here's the way I see it." Link stood up. "Zelda is Pipit's first girlfriend since he broke up with Karane. He was head-over-heels in love with her, and she cheated on him!"

"He's still in love with her!" Shad pointed out, "And he wants to keep denying it. He and Zelda aren't going to last."

"Even if they don't, they should at least have the chance to see that. Their relationship has nothing to do with you, or me. Our opinions don't really matter here. Would seeing their relationship fail make you feel better? Because that's what Pipit needs, right? To get hurt again."

"No…" Shad sighed.

"And Zelda. You were her first friend. You two always hung out together on campus before you asked her to become our roommate. I know that means more to you than you want me to believe."

"Why are you defending her? You don't even like her. I thought you were wrong about her, but maybe I'm the one who was wrong about…"

"I was wrong!" He snapped impatiently, "She's smart, innovative, and opinionated. She knows what she wants and goes for it. And even when I push her away…" He stared at his feet as a pang of guilt hit him. "...She comes back to me." He looked over to Shad, who was staring at him incredulously.

"What the hell does any of that have to do with me?" He asked dumbly.

"If I can put aside my differences to see the good in her, why can't you? It's been over a week now and you've become absolutely obnoxious. We've both been treating her badly and she… she deserves better than that."

"She has Pipit."

"So? You're her friend too. Talk to her Shad. You had your allotted time of self-pity. Now it's time to make amends. If you aren't willing to let her do it, you'll have to do it yourself."

Shad sighed, rolling over to sit on his bed properly.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow. I'm not really in the mood to watch them make out on the couch."

"You're telling me," Link said, heading towards the door. "I'll get out of your hair now."

"Wait." He called out.

Link looked back at Shad, feeling sympathetic at his sad expression.

"This is stupid, and I probably shouldn't be asking you this. I just don't understand why after, all these years, and all the women who have thrown themselves at Pipit, why… why did he have to choose her?"

Link sighed, giving Shad a pat on the shoulder, then leaving wordlessly.

It was a good question. And for some reason, the anguish behind it felt a little too real for Link.

What the hell is wrong with me? He thought to himself, an uncomfortable sensation bubbling in his chest at the sight of Zelda cuddling up to Pipit on the couch.

A/N: This chapter (& the next tbh) feels like a bit of a filler, but an adventure is coming VERY soon! Next week is going to be a heavy one for me. I'll try to update soon but I make 0 promises. Now pray for me, because I procrastinated throughout this entire break and all the work I need to do is going to kick my ass for it… :/