Chapter 10

A/N: If you're reading this in 2019 I did what I set out to do. Also, this chapter has nudity (though not graphically described) and loosely sexual content. Nothing is too explicit, but proceed with caution.

How the fuck did he end up wandering in an unfamiliar neighborhood with Peach fucking Toadstool? She wasn't the kind of girl who'd ever talk like a loner. She was the kind of girl who'd make fun of him back home. So why the hell were they going to a fucking burger place together in the middle of the night?

A better question, why did he even agree? He'd really wanted out of there, but with her? It wasn't that he didn't like her, but he couldn't get a good read on her. She defied expectations, but only sometimes.

"Have you been to any of Mettaton's shit?" Peach asked after they were a couple blocks from the party.

Link shook his head. A few orders from Shiveria Stock went there, but he'd never been.

"You're in for a treat. Dude is weird as balls." She was remarkably steady, especially since she was wearing wedge heels. She was already a couple inches taller than him, but man, she was extra tall. "That is, if he's there."

The restaurant was attached to a gas station and convenience store called Mettamart. God, why was this place so pink? They pushed the door before realizing it was a pull door, and then went inside.

"Ah, we have customers!" Oh geez, Peach was right. Two seconds in and this guy was already so extra. The man, presumably Mettaton, was standing in the small dining room, and he jumped in delight. "Burgerpants, get ready, we're about to make a sale!"

"I keep telling you, that's not my name." The guy at the register groaned.

The restaurant was otherwise empty. On a Friday night. Great.

"Mettaton, do you even sleep?" Peach asked.

"My dear, people like me don't need sleep." Mettaton winked.

Burgerpants mouthed to them, 'Cocaine, lots of cocaine'..

And suddenly everything made sense. The gears in Peach's brain seemed to click too, as she glanced from Burgerpants to Mettaton's smiling face. "Oh." She stared for a moment before shaking her head. "Yeah, uh, let's go order food, yeah?"

Link nodded, and the two went up to the counter. Man, Burgerpants seemed so stressed. Poor kid. "Welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, how may I take your order?"

"Would now be a good time to admit I've never eaten a burger?" Peach asked, dreamily looking at the menu. Link just looked at her like she was an alien. What the fuck? "Wait, what's a Glamburger?"

"Please don't order that. I had to eat it once and I was shitting glitter for a week." Burgerpats shivered at the memory. All Link could think of was a unicorn just… well, shitting glitter, and it sent him into a spiral of laughter? Why the hell was that so funny?

"You aren't supposed to say that! Now they won't want it!" Mettaton huffed.

"Oops, I'm so sorry." Burgerpants didn't sound sorry. Not one bit. "Glamburgers are our second best item on the menu, and certainly won't make you shit glitter. Would you like to try one?"

"Umm… I think not." Peach shook her head. 'I think not' what a pretentious way to say no. God, she oozed rich. "Just a normal burger and a water for me. Link, what are you getting?"

"Oh, uh, I can pay for my own." Link said, fumbling for his wallet.

"Nah, don't worry, I've got it."

"Uh, I guess the same thing?" Why the hell was she paying?

Burgerpants rang them up. "I'm supposed to upsell you by telling you there's a steak shaped like Mettaton's face. Would you like to add that to your total?"

"Wait, you can get that? Fuck yeah, add it!" Peach started laughing. "Bruh, why is that a thing?"

"Have you met the guy? He's fucking nuts." Burgerpants sighed and rang them up. Link didn't pay attention to the total. He didn't want to know how much he owed Peach. "Will that be for here or to go?"

"To go." Peach said without a second thought.

"What's the rush, darlings? Certainly you can stay here to eat your food!" Mettaton scoffed.

"Nah, man, you're weird as shit." Peach giggled. "Hey, Link, I'm gonna, uh, try and dry my dress off a little more. Mind waiting for our food?"

Link nodded. It was the least he could do.

Thankfully, Mettaton seemed more focused on scolding Burgerpants (what a name) for whatever, giving Link the chance to sit at a booth. Why was he even here? Why'd he follow Peach anyway? He could have stayed and maybe Zelda would come and talk to him again. Maybe? She seemed like she wanted to talk to him, at least at the start.

Then she followed Peach. Just like he had.

What was it about Peach, anyway? She was some spoiled rich valley girl who was probably unaware of anything outside her bubble. Even though Zelda was rich, she at least cared.

Link had known these people for four days. Maybe he shouldn't made his opinions so fast.

Peach was nice, at least. Everything about her screamed stereotypical mean girl, but she just… was nice. Loud and a bit inconsiderate of others, sure, but never outwardly mean. Party girl, yes, but… he didn't know.

After a few minutes, Burgerpants called their order number (which Link wasn't 100 percent sure was theirs, but the place was completely empty), and Link took the food. Was Peach okay? Would it be rude to knock on the bathroom door? Luckily, she emerged, dress draped around her forearm. Was she just going to wear her bathing suit? She'd also put her shoes in her large purse and had wiped off her makeup.

"You ready to head off, Link?" She tilted her head slightly.

Oh shit, Peach was really cute.

Link held up the food and nodded. Oh, oh no, this was… a development, that's for sure.

"Excuse me, young lady, but you have to wear proper clothing to be in here!" Mettaton yelled.

"Good think I'm leaving, huh?"

Okay, so maybe she was a bit mean.

The two left and started heading back the way they came. IF took a couple blocks before it really registered that Link had no idea where they were going. "Hey, uh, Peach?"

"Mhm?"

"Where are we going, anyway?"

She laughed. "I saw this path right by Alex's house. Was just going to wander down it and see where it goes."

That was a surpremely stupid idea. Link decided it was worth a shot. What's the worst that could happen? They had their phones. Everything would be just fine.

0-0-0-0-0

Peach was glad to have escaped from Mettaton. God, he was… a fucking weirdo. Last time it was funny. This time it was just weird.

As the duo passed by Alex's house, Peach hoped no one would see her. She was half naked, entirely makeupless, and just overall a mess. If anyone saw her, they didn't call her name, so she was in the clear.

Link went first down the path. He was so fucking brave. He used his phone's flashlight to light the way, and eventually, they ended up at a small dock on a lake. There was a lake around here? A shed nearby had the Mulner's name on it, so she supposed it would be okay to be out here. Right? No one was here to stop them.

"So, you've never had a burger?" Link asked, sitting down on the wooden planks. They didn't seem to bend or creak, so Peach felt comfortable sitting next to him. Her feet just barely didn't touch the water below.

"No, never. Dad always encouraged us to eat anything but American food." Peach sighed. "Anytime I've gotten to have fast food, I just get chicken or a salad."

"Us?"

"Me and Daisy. My parents basically raised her, considering her mom and dad never actually wanted kids." Link didn't seem to know how to respond, since he just handed her the burger. She peeled back the wrapper, and it looked… eh, it looked okay. "Here we go, I guess."

It tasted kind of gross, to be honest. Luckily, they still had the steak, so she just wrapped the burger back up. "I suppose I wasn't missing much, huh?" She chuckled before getting the steak out… and there was only plastic silverware, and no plate to speak of.

"These burgers are only okay." Link shrugged.

"Hey, uh, Link, dumb question, but do you have a plate?" Peach chuckled.

Link just looked at her. He probably thought she was an idiot.

"Glad I'm not that hungry then." She sighed and set the bag back down.

Link put down his burger (How did he already eat half of it?) and looked in the bag. He grabbed the steak and picked it up, and in a gross display of boyish disregard for manners, held it to his face and took a bite like it was a common burger.

Peach couldn't help but laugh. It was so fucking easy, yet she hadn't thought about it. Link handed the steak to her, and she didn't care for undignified it was, she bit into the dam steak. It was pretty good, actually. Probably was better 20 minutes ago, but it was nice and tender.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, eating their food. Link finished off both of the burgers, and Peach ate about half the steak before passing it back to Link. He ate that quickly too. Man, boys had so much better metabolism.

"Hey, Peach? You ever gotten high?"

Peach, in fact, had not been high. She had considered it, and Daisy offered a couple times, but she'd never tried. There wasn't any particular reason, though. "Nah, why?"

"You wanna?"

And Peach thought that was an amazing idea. "Sure!"

0-0-0-0-0

Link had never actually had to teach someone to smoke out of a bowl before. It was a challenge, considering they were both drunk, but eventually, Peach manage to get the hang of it. After a couple hits, she was giggly as shit.

"Why didn't I try this before?" Peach grinned and laid back.

Link laid back with her, content to just chill. He needed a nap, honestly. If it wasn't so hot, it would be perfect.

"Hey, did it get hotter out here?" Peach asked, sitting back up. "It feels like my bikini's just sticking to me." Link had tried to ignore the fact that she was half naked, but now that she'd called attention to it, he couldn't help but notice how cute her pink polka-dotted swimsuit was. Honestly, she made it even cuter than it would've been on anyone else.

"Fuck it, I'm gonna take it off."

And holy shit, she wasn't joking. She started stripping down, and Link immediately sat up and looked the other direction. Fuck, this was weird. A hot girl was just… getting naked. Why?

"You know, you can look if you want." Peach said. Link, against better judgement, decided to look, and yep, she was naked. Fully, completely naked. She was beautiful, too, with tan line revealing paler skin than he thought she had. Should he stare? He didn't want to be rude, but she was inviting him, so maybe he should? She was clearly stoned, with eyes glossy and red, but Link never lost his mind while high, so it's not like she wasn't into this.

He didn't stare, but he took her form in. She was curvy and looked so soft, even though her calves betrayed more muscle than he expected. She did play various sports, so it made sense.

He must have been quiet for too long, because she started to laugh. "You know, if it makes things easier, you can take off your clothes too." She bit her lip, and Link wanted to listen to her. What was Peach doing to him?

She was paying attention to him, that's what.

Link took off his shirt, and he suddenly knew what she was talking about. It seemed to cling to his flesh as he worked it off. Was he really that sweaty? How hadn't he noticed? His cargo pants were a little less of a hassle, but then he was down to his underwear. It wasn't like he hadn't been naked in front of people before. He wasn't exactly a virgin, caught between that half way part of fooling around with people but never going all the way. The few people he'd been with were fellow loners, quiet kids who just wanted a little interaction with no pressure to speak afterwards.

Peach was nothing like the others. She was popular and bubbly and sweet, and she was exactly what he needed right then and there.

He took off his boxers, and there was no going back.

She gave him the same kind of gaze he did: curious, but not lingering. Well, until she saw his chest, that is. "Hey, Link? Uh, where are your nipples?"

Right. She hadn't seem him. "It's a birth defect." He felt the need to cover his chest, but as he raised his arms, Peach grabbed them.

"No need to hide." Her voice was so sweet, it tasted like heaven. She guided his hands to her body, and hers went to his, and soon enough, they were kissing, and everything was going to be alright. Link had never considered himself a good kisser, but Peach made it so easy. It was like she was reading his mind.

He ended up on his back, the dampness barely registering against Peach's weight on top of him. Her hands were in his hair, pulling him, needing him.

Was this it? Was this how it was going to go?

His phone started to ring. Fuck. Peach groaned a bit, muttering to ignore it, but his phone never rang. He reached over to his pants and checked who it was. "Zelda?" He asked, answering the phone?

"Link! Did you already leave?"

He hadn't fully left, he guessed. The house was still in view, and he wondered if anyone could see them. But he wasn't going back in. There way no way in hell. "Yeah."

"Oh." Was she… disappointed? "You should have said bye. Uh, I'm leaving too. Urbosa's taking me to her place, so I don't have to drive drunk." Oh. "Anyway, uh, see you Monday, I guess." She didn't even give him the chance to say goodbye, she just hung up. Up near the house, Link heard a car pull away.

No. No, no, no. He hadn't fucked up that bad, had he? He wanted to run back up the path and apologize for just ditching her, but Peach was still on top o him, and he just… "Fuck," He muttered to himself. He'd really fucked this up.

"You like her, don't you?" Peach asked, voice surprisingly kind. She got off of him and just sat next to him. "I should have noticed."

He expected Peach to throw some kind of fit, but she didn't. She wore a sad smile, and even though she seemed a bit disappointed, seemed to understand everything.

"I'm sorry." Link sighed and sat up.

"It's okay. Trust me, it's fine."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, which stretched into an eternity. He messed this all up, and now everyone was hurt.

"You know, I think you and Zelda would be cute together," Peach said after a while.

Link was confused. Shouldn't she be upset? Even if it was just for a night, she wanted him, right? "What?"

"Yeah. I can help you, if you want."

"I thought you wanted to, uh-"

"I mean, yeah, you're a hot piece of ass, but you also just seem like a cool dude, and I wanna be your friend." Peach gave him a genuine smile. It was a bit weird, hearing that from a still naked girl, but everything was weird. "So, you want me to help you?"

Link nodded.

"Cool. Let's go back to my place, then. It's hot." Peach stood up and started gathering her clothes.

"Uh, are you good to drive?" Wait, they were going to her house? What? Why? Link started to get dressed.

"No, silly, I'm getting a Lyft."

And that was that.

0-0-0-0-0

Zelda was worried when she couldn't find Link. She knew he probably just slipped out without saying goodbye, and the call confirmed that, but it still sucked. She really wanted to spend time with him. It was her first time getting drunk, and she just felt safe with him.

Thankfully, she felt safe with Urbosa too. The two were friends in their old life, and she knew she could trust her. Why hadn't they talked before? Then again, she knew a lot of people, and it had only been a few days.

Urbosa's car was comfy. They were going to her place to get away from everything for a bit and sober up, then Zelda was going to drive home. She supposed she didn't have to go home, but she wanted to be there in the morning, even if Dad wouldn't be.

She got her tablet out and got on the chatroom. These things were a bit clunky, but for some reason, everyone felt compelled to keep theirs on them. She doubted many people would be on, but it was worth a shot.

Zelda H: Hey, does anyone know why Link left so early? He was there one second, and gone the next.

Aqua C: Afraid not.

Malon F: aww, he's gone? Damn, i wanted to chill with him

No answers, of course. He was probably just not feeling it. He didn't seem like the party type. It wasn't a big deal.

Stahl B: I think he left with Peach?

Oh. He… oh. So that's why. She didn't blame him. Peach was cute, like, really cute, but she seemed like a bit of a disaster. She knew Link could make his own decisions, but she still worried a bit.

"You want to pick up food on our way? We don't have much at home." Urbosa asked.

Zelda put down the tablet and grinned. "Yeah, sure!" She didn't need to worry about him. He was smart.

0-0-0-0-0

Link woke up the next morning in a room he didn't recognize. The bed beneath him was soft, and his clothes were even softer. Where the hell was he?

He sat up, and his head pounded. Luckily, there was a glass of water on the bedstand, along with a bottle of ibuprofen his phone. Hey, nice, it was even plugged in. He checked the time. 12:06 PM. Not bad.

Right. He was at Peach's house. He looked at his clothes, and he was wearing a slightly too long pair of sweatpants and a tank top. At least she had the sense to dress him in something masculine. He took the medicine, grabbed his phone, and left the room, and was confronted by a large hallway. Wait, holy shit, this wasn't just a house. This was a mansion. He picked a direction and started to wander.

Eventually, he ran into a woman who looked just like Peach, but older. She turned around and saw him. "Oh, you're Link, aren't you? Peach told me we had a guest, but you were already asleep when I got home." She gave a friendly smile. "I'm Juliette, Peach's mom."

"Nice to meet you." Link nodded.

"The girls are in the living room playing some kart racing game. I can take you to them, if you want."

Link nodded again. "Wait, uh, where are my clothes?"

"Oh, they probably got thrown in the washer. I'll check the laundry room in a few." She grinned and started down the hall, and Link followed. "You know, I'm glad Peach is making friends. I figured she wouldn't have any issues, but it's still reassuring."

Link didn't really have anything to say, so he just followed. After a minute, they went down a wide, curved set of stairs. There they were, playing video games like it was nothing.

"You know, girls, I found your friend wandering upstairs. You should have left him directions." Peach's mom chuckled.

Peach got up. "Yeah, sorry about that." She smiled back. "Sleep well, Link?"

He nodded. Damn, he really did.

"I'll go check on your clothes, Link. And we can take you home when you're ready, but feel free to hang out as long as the girls want you here." Her mom smiled and went down a different hall.

"Hey, sleepy head." Daisy grinned. "I heard you crashed almost as soon as you got here."

That sounded about right. He shrugged.

"Wanna play some Kart Racer?" Peach asked, offering a controller in his direction.

It was weird, she was just acting like a normal friend, like last night didn't play out like it did. He looked into her eyes, and he could tell that there was something more to their connection than normal friendship. But, you know what, he just needed a friend, no matter what that entailed.

He accepted the controller.

0-0-0-0-0

A/N: This chapter didn't play out how I originally planned, but you know what, it works. I wrote most of this in one go, so please point out any mistakes. Thank you for nearly 1400 FF views (Only 16 away as I type this!) and 600 on AO3 (exactly 5 away), it means the world to me. If you enjoyed it, please review! I live on reviews. Now that the current kind of arc is mostly over, I'd love ideas.