The annual summer festival to mark the end of school term and the beginning of another break was one of the favorite activities at Hyrule University. The air of excitement began days in advance, sometimes weeks, and didn't let up until well after the season had hit its peak.
For Link, this particular festival held an extra bittersweetness. It was the last one he would be attending as a student, or in his case, a recent graduate from Hyrule University. In the span of a couple weeks, he would be requested to pack up his things from the dorm and move forward into what chapter of life lay ahead.
Part of him felt ready for this change. He had his degree in engineering and a minor in automotive technology. The classes and experiences from the last four years gave him everything he needed to be successful almost anywhere in Hyrule he wanted to go.
But where would he want to go? Everything he wanted was still here, at Hyrule University.
"Get your ass out of the bathroom already! I gotta take a piss." His roommate pounded on the door, cutting his thoughts short.
Link yanked the door open, tightened the towel around his waist, and grabbed a comb as Cami pushed past him into the bathroom. "Chill. We still have fifteen minutes before our meeting with Zelda and the team in the quad."
"I know. But you've been in the bathroom for the last twenty, and I really had to go." The toilet flushed and the scowling brunet was heading back into his room. "Next time, save the jerking off for your own space."
The blond rolled his eyes as he quickly got dressed. Beige cargo shorts and a green tee with the school's logo on it were Link's go-to for days like this. Black sneakers and a tie to keep his shoulder-length hair off his neck completed the look.
"Same damn outfit you've worn every week since the day we moved in together," Cami grumbled irritably, leaning against the door. "Are you ready yet?"
"Get your panties out of a twist. Geez. Did Az spit in your lemonade?" Link eyed the brunet. "You need to cover up that road rash though. She's gonna have your head when she finds out about that." He gestured to the large patch of road rash on the side of his roommate's leg, peeking out from under the edge of his black shorts.
"Oh, screw off." Cami pushed up his glasses and grabbed his skateboard. "You got the rope?"
"Never took it off." Link pocketed the keys to the dorm and the shed downstairs and checked his phone. "Oh, crap. We're gonna be late. Let's go!"
Cami was on his heels as they bounded down the stairs two at a time. Having a top floor apartment was great for the sake of exercise, but terrible when they were running late.
"Really shouldn't have taken all that time in the shower," Cami scolded while Link fumbled with the lock on the bike shed.
"Shut up. I don't give you grief about how much time you're spending with your girlfriend in the shower," the blond retorted, wrenching the lock open and shoving the rolling door for the shed up.
"That's because I have a girlfriend," Cami said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You should try it sometime."
Link didn't reply. He was too busy pulling his mountain bike with the rope wound around the seat out of the shed and hastily redoing the lock.
"Give me the rope," Cami said impatiently.
"You could help, y'know," Link groused while he fought to untangle the rope from the bike seat.
"Sure, I could. But you got us into this mess, so you will be the one to explain why we're late," Cami explained with a cheeky grin. "Oww."
Link showed no remorse over the fact he just slugged him in the shoulder. "Get over it. Let's go." He hopped on the bike and glanced to make sure that Cami was on his board. "We're going fast. You ready, Tony Hawk?"
"Hell, yeah. Let's do this!" Cami adjusted his grip on the rope and settled his feet on his skateboard.
Link let out a whoop as he started pedaling as hard as he could. They were late, so he had that for an excuse to take Cami along for a wild ride. They were no strangers to the arrangement. It beat paying for parking to have a car on campus, and saved them from having to get a taxi from one side to the other as well.
But it wasn't without its hiccups. Link called out a little too late about a bump, causing Cami to lose his balance and yank hard on the rope attaching him to the bicycle. Link wobbled and couldn't keep the bike upright, tumbling and rolling into the bushes beside the path.
"Owwww. That really hurts." Cami cursed under his breath as he stumbled to his feet. "Would it kill you to give me more warning, you jackass?"
"Says the one who pulled too hard and made me fall over." Link sighed and dusted off the bicycle. Scratches now littered his arms and his legs alike, and he was pretty sure he caught his arm on the handlebar as he fell, judging by the bruise forming on his forearm.
"Whatever. We're still late. Get your ass back on the bike," Cami instructed, setting his skateboard back up behind the bicycle.
"Hey, listen. I'm blaming you for making us even later than we already were," Link playfully grinned at him. "It's only fair."
"Fair, my ass! It was your–" Cami's argument was lost to the wind when Link started pedaling again.
As expected the two teens were late, racing into the quad on foot five minutes beyond the scheduled starting time.
Zelda Hyrule, the nineteen year old blonde daughter of the school's owner and administrator, was responsible for hosting the meeting, and was less than thrilled to see the boys running up to join the group, if the tapping of her pen against the clipboard in her hand was any indication.
"I trust you have a reasonable explanation for your tardiness?" She gave Link a pointed look.
He shrugged at his best friend. "We ran into some trouble on the way over here."
"Clearly."
"Do I even want to know?" The exasperated sigh came from Cami's girlfriend, Azalea. Her platinum blonde hair hung in long waves around her shoulders and she crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed the two roommates.
"Nothing to worry about," Link assured her cheerfully.
"Uh huh. Sure there's not. Which is why you're bruised and covered in cuts, and OH MY GODDESS, what happened to your leg, Cam?!" She knelt beside her boyfriend, taking in the road rash and the newly opened abrasions on his knee and shin.
"Well, you see–" Cami began.
"It was just a little tumble, nothing to worry about. He's fine," Link cut him off with a glare.
The medical student flashed them both a dark look. "Don't lie to me, Link Hateno. I know road rash when I see it, and I know where it comes from!"
"Whoa, you guys will never believe what we saw on our way over here!" Revali called, coming in with his girlfriend's hand tightly gripped in his own. "Oh, hey, Link. Cami. Glad to see that crash didn't keep you down for long." His long braid flipped over his shoulder as he strolled toward the group.
"You're not hurt, are you?" Mipha asked in concern. "It looked like a nasty spill."
"Crash?!" If looks could kill, Link and Cami would've been smoldering under Az's gaze.
"Ahem. If you don't mind, we've got a lot of work to do today in preparation for the festival opening this afternoon, and I would appreciate it if we don't lose even more time than we've already wasted on this nonsense!" Zelda snapped.
Her words had the desired effect and all eyes in the quad turned to her.
A faint blush coated her cheeks but she pressed on regardless. "As I was saying, we have a lot of work to do, but many hands make light work. I'm going to list off assignments. Come see me if you need further instructions. I'll have my phone on me, so I'm always a text away."
"I'll clean it and put a wrap on it, but that's it! If you boys are going to act like dumbasses, you're going to wait for your injuries to heal naturally!" Az huffed, glaring at Cami and Link both in turn.
"Yes, ma'am," Link said, dropping his head respectfully. A twinge of guilt shot through him. He hated making her upset… more than he cared to admit.
"It was his fault. But I'm sorry for making you upset." Cami pulled his girlfriend close for a tender kiss.
Link watched for a moment then looked away. While he was used to the displays of affection from the couple, it still sent a pang of longing through his chest. Why?
He was in love with his roommate and his roommate's girlfriend.
"Link? I'm assigning you and Cami to help haul the supplies from the cafeteria supply room to the food booths. They should have most of what they need already, but I know they were talking about needing more help with the hand trucks to haul the boxes of nonperishables." Zelda looked up from her clipboard in time to see her best friend's face flash with emotion then slip back to his normal, neutral expression.
"Are we using the hand trucks that are already in the supply room?" he asked.
"Yes. Azzy?" Zelda's attention shifted to the platinum blonde who sheepishly pulled away from her boyfriend's amorous embrace.
"I'm here. Sorry." She blushed and tucked a lock of hair behind her pointed ears. "I'm shadowing you all day, right?"
"Right. We want to ensure that you are adequately prepared for all the responsibilities of stepping into the role of student body president. I know we went over much of the expectations and planning last night, but today is your first 'hands on' experience. I hope you're ready." Zelda smiled warmly at her. "I have no doubts that you will do a fantastic job in my stead."
"N-no pressure, right?" Az stammered. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked for her clipboard before realizing with a start. "Oh no! I left my clipboard on my bed! I have to go and get it."
"Not to worry. We still have a few minutes before we're supposed to inspect the fireworks setup for tonight. Oh, and don't forget about the meeting with my father and the governing board for the school to discuss the logistics for continuing the mandatory traditions. All adjustments regarding scheduled events must go by them." Zelda tapped her pen against the back of her board. "Az, I'll meet you by the fireworks booth in thirty minutes. Everyone else good with their assignments? Very well. I will see you all later. Thank you again for your assistance."
"I gotta run back to my room," Az bemoaned. "How could I have forgotten something as important as my clipboard?"
"It's alright. Do you want me to go with you?" Cami offered. "Link can get started without me for a few minutes, right?"
"I wanted to check on something with Zelda anyway," the blond replied with a shrug. "Go ahead. We'll meet up by the fireworks booth then Cami and I can get started on our task."
Zelda was already heading out of the quad by the time Link managed to catch up to her. "Did you need something, Link?" she asked, glancing sideways at him.
"Company so I didn't do something stupid," he admitted with a sheepish grin.
"Stupid like following the couple you're head over heels for but haven't had the courage to actually say it to their faces?" Zelda said without skipping a beat.
"Exactly." Link wrapped a hand around her shoulders and snatched the clipboard out of his best friend's hands. "Let's see… holy smokes, that's a long list. Is that ALL for today?"
"Most of it is. Some of it is for tomorrow as well, though that continues on to pages two and three. Now that you've had your peek, can I have my board back?" Zelda asked with an annoyed look on her face.
Link pretended to think about it. "No, I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"You didn't ask 'please', Princess." He flashed her a wolfish grin and dodged her attempt to snatch the clipboard back from him.
"Link! I need that! Give it back!" Zelda tried again, then resorted to underhanded tactics, trying to tickle him to get him to release his grip on her list.
"Try asking nicely," he taunted. "You're being greedy, Zel. Tsk, tsk, tsk. What would your parents say if they heard you saying this?"
"They'd tell me to get the clipboard back and remind me about how important it is to keep up with my responsibilities." She rolled her eyes. "Can I have it back now, please?"
He feigned a heavy sigh and handed it back to her. "Promise you won't overwork yourself or Azzy this weekend? I don't like seeing you girls exhausted."
"Awww, are you trying to be my knight in shining armor and take care of us? You're too sweet," Zelda teased with a smile. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had feelings for me."
Link rolled his eyes back at her. "We tried, remember, Princess? I love you, as my best friend. Nothing more. Though–"
She clapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't start with that again. Please. I know you were only trying to spare my feelings. I've moved on, and so have you. No awkwardness. We promised, right? Which is why– DID YOU JUST LICK ME!?"
Link couldn't hold his composure any longer and he burst out laughing. "Maybe?"
"I cannot BELIEVE you right now! What are we, children again?" Zelda wiped her hand across his shirt to dry off the saliva coating her palm. "What did you do that for?"
"To get a reaction. It worked, didn't it?" Link dodged the attempted swat she swung at him, still laughing. "C'mon, Princess. Lighten up. It's the summer festival weekend. No talk on deep, serious things today, right?"
She sighed in exasperation, shaking her head fondly at him. "Alright, alright. Come here."
"Why, so you can hit me again? No thanks." Link grinned and kept his distance.
She walked over and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Not going to hit you. Just say 'thank you'. You always have a way of making me smile and feel better."
"Anytime, milady." He bowed dramatically at the waist.
"Save the theatrics for the stage. Oh, wait. You're playing the silent hero in tonight's performance." Zelda looked again at her notes. "Body language goes a long way for that role, doesn't it?"
Link didn't reply verbally. He simply crossed his arms and gave her a look that had her blushing to the tips of her ears.
"I didn't mean it like that!"
"Sure you didn't." He laughed again. "Goddess, I love you, Zel. You're so much fun to tease."
Zelda sighed and gave him a tight hug. "Love you too. Are you still planning on sweeping them off their feet this weekend?"
"If I've got any say in the matter, which I do. Cami first. I have a feeling he might be a hard sell."
"A hard sell for what?" The brunet walked up then, his hand intertwined with Az's.
"Doing all the heavy lifting for the job today. You did say you were going to do all the work so I could just sit looking pretty, right?" Link shot Cami a wink.
"Like hell I will! If you don't pull your weight, I'm going to kick your ass!" Cami scowled at him. He dropped his girlfriend's hand, though Az's hand on his chest kept him from lunging at his blond roommate.
"Boys, settle down. Please." Zelda sighed and looked from Cami to Link, then back again. "I trust you can get along well enough to complete the task you've been given?"
"Yes, ma'am." Link bowed his head respectfully. "You know I was only messing with him."
"Then off you go." Zelda waved them away before turning her attention to the nervous girl beside her. "Deep breaths, Az. We got this, right?"
"R-right!" Her pink eyes flashed with determination. "I won't let you down."
"That's our cue. Race you to the cafeteria building." Link didn't wait for Cami to reply before he took off at a run.
"Get your ass back here!" Cami hollered, feet pounding behind him.
Link only laughed and ran harder. He relished the wind in his face and the familiar sensation of peace that came from warming up his muscles and being athletic. It felt good to burn off some of the pent-up energy coursing through his veins.
"Do you have to be such a show-off?" Cami groaned as they both stopped in front of the cafeteria to catch their breath. "You're not that much taller than me. How the hell are you so fast?"
"Cross-country running," Link reminded him with a grin. "You opted for archery and martial arts."
"Yeah, well, not all of us like running for fun." Cami pulled his glasses off so he could wipe the sweat off his face with the hem of his shirt. "But I'm not about to let you just win either."
"Of course not. Where's the fun in that?" Link patted his shoulder and pushed open the doors of the building.
The large cafeteria for Hyrule University was located in the heart of the campus, allowing easy access to students coming from any direction. Link wove his way easily through the quiet hallways until he found the storerooms attached to the kitchen. "In here."
"You've been here before..." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah, as a first year student, I took some culinary classes so I wouldn't poison myself or those around me. Took them with Zelda, though I can't say it had much of an effect on her cooking talents." Link rubbed the back of his head as he spun slowly around. "Have you seen the hand cart anywhere?"
"Not yet. Does Zelda still burn everything she cooks?" Cami joined in the hunt for the elusive tool.
"Mostly. Her baking is better than her cooking though. She managed to make a couple of decent loaves of bread, and one of her pies only had a slightly scorched edge." Link huffed and turned on the light for another section of the storeroom. "Do you have the list of all they want at the food stalls?"
"No, I thought you had it."
Link checked his pockets and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. "Let's see if this is the right one."
"Let me see it." Cami took the paper out of his hand. "This looks incomplete."
"Might be. But it'll give us a start for what to look for. Then we can ask the people working the booths what else they need once we get the first haul over to them."
"Then we better find that stupid hand truck thing," Cami groused. "It's gonna be a pain in the ass if we have to haul a lot of heavy supplies by hand."
"Which is why you volunteered, right?" Link quipped.
"Screw you."
"Anytime you'd like." The words fell easily and playfully from Link's tongue, like they always did. He glanced over at Cami, noting the brunet's distraction. If he had looked over, Cami might have seen the heat in his roommate's gaze. But alas, he was oblivious, as always.
"Yeah, yeah. Hey, is this the hand truck? Buried under all this shit?" Cami pointed to the edge of what might have been a handle behind a stack of boxes taller than both of the teens.
"Might be. Only one way to find out." Link grabbed for the box on the top of the stack and pulled it down, grimacing at the weight. "What did they fill these with? Rocks?"
"Hardly. Box says 'pancake mix', dumbass." Cami pushed past him to move the second one down. "Though it looks like this is all just assorted cooking shit. Cooking oil, canned goods. Who the hell needs fifty cans of anchovies?!"
"What else would they put into their 'salty fishcake surprise' that the cafeteria is known for?" Link quipped before letting out a yelp. The box of anchovy cans had broken, sending cans tumbling over their feet and scattering on the floor around them.
"Way to go, moron."
"It's not my fault the box broke!"
"Maybe if you were paying more attention, you'd have seen that the bottom wasn't taped properly," Cami said with an exasperated sigh.
Link looked over at him. "You really couldn't have told me before I moved the box?"
"No, because I thought you were smart enough to look before you leaped. But you're a dumbass, so here we are." Cami knelt and started picking up the cans.
"You can say that again," Link mumbled under his breath, the tips of his ears red with embarrassment.
"You're in luck though. There's an empty milk crate we can use to stack the cans inside." Cami pushed it backwards with his foot while he crawled under the edge of the rolling racks in search of the wayward fish.
"Thanks." Link looked up just as Cami reached into his personal space to retrieve a can that had rolled behind him.
The scent of Cami's sweat, deodorant, and the lingering traces of his shampoo filled the blond's nostrils, and he acted on impulse. His hand dropped onto Cami's to keep him from crawling backwards, and Link leaned forward, pressing a firm kiss onto his surprised roommate's mouth.