Nighttime Activities
Part 1: Enter the Detective and the Dancer
By CM (LOL at the title, IP, SW and DoD!)
It was late evening, and out of the darkness, flashing, bright and colorful neon tubes illuminated the nightclub. Glow sticks flitted around, in soft blue, pink and green colors.
She slipped in and out of the throngs of people, not exactly part of the crowd but not exactly alienated. From time to time, her golden tresses would go out of sight, but she'd reappear a few steps further, weaving her way into the moving mass.
His experienced eyes followed her every movement from the balcony. The club jumped with the beat, it seemed, the dance floor swarming with oblivious young people. The beat thrummed into his gut, making him bob his head to the music. It was a popular song, though he could not exactly remember its title or its interpret. He couldn't care less.
She was making her way to a back door, by the DJ's stage, and shooed away a couple, who was shamelessly making out against the pane. Slipping inside, the door shut tightly.
Link noted that she hadn't needed any key. Things were looking up...
Stopping suddenly his pretended dancing in the club, he shoved aside a woman with light blue hair who was flirting with him (most likely hoping to bed him), and made his way down the narrow stairway, avoiding people who were coming up.
The crowd was no good to him either, and he had to struggle as well. On his way, more than a few women sent him appreciative leers.
Link knew, somehow, that he wasn't bad looking, and he had used it more than once in his work. He didn't pride himself on using such basic tactics, but since it had helped him to obtain what he wanted...
The 'horny couple', as he had dubbed the two young people she'd pushed aside a few minutes earlier, was still making out against the door. Link approached them and poked the male on the shoulder. The dazed young man turned around, annoyed at the interruption, and Link motioned that he wished to pass through the door. He couldn't speak anyway: the speakers were just beside them.
Scowling, the guy led his girlfriend away, probably complaining about the circulation in this area of the club. Link wouldn't know. He pulled the door slightly open, and wasn't surprised that it was heavy and hard to pull. It was one of those doors that were built to close if nothing held them back.
He slipped in and pulled the door closed again, effectively cutting out the loud blast of the club. It was now quieted down to a simple beat in the background.
In here, the walls weren't colorful and bright as those of the public area. The white plaster was pealing off the walls and there was water that had leaked from the ceiling. Link stepped onto the old cement floor, and silently walked towards another door at the end of this short and narrow hallway. There was a janitor's closet to his right. He ignored it.
Opening the next door, he found another hallway, which was much longer. It contained all the dressing rooms. He went down this corridor now, and found a door, which was slightly open. Some light poured out of the opening, and he pressed himself against the wall to listen.
All he could hear was shuffling and some light footsteps.
He held his breath. If his assumptions were right, it was her.
He leaned forward, trying to distinct something in the room, and saw her moving about. Her golden hair and well-shaped form (he tried not to let his mind go down that lane too much) appeared for a fleeting second, and Link had to hold his breath so that she didn't hear him.
A long silence followed, and Link wondered at what was going on. He was about to glance down the doorway again when a sudden noise made him jump and breathe a sharp intake of air. He clasped his hand over his mouth too late. He knew she had heard him. His eyes wide, he considered running off, but decided against it.
He had a right to be here.
The door swung open violently, and she looked out, her vivid blue eyes seeking out the source of the noise. They immediately fell upon him, and she looked taken aback.
They had never met, but it was unexpected that a young man had followed her here.
Her eyes narrowed.
Link barely had the time to react before she had pulled him powerfully inside the room, whirling him around and grabbing his wrists in a tight grip. He found himself facing the wall, unable to move. One whoosh of air came out of his throat and he could only find one word to describe the situation.
Shit.
"Who are you?" Her voice was soft and controlled, but she had added an aggressive tone to it. The male within Link found it horrifyingly attractive.
He shook his head clear of such thoughts and tried to look over his shoulder at his captor. She was glaring at him. He raised his eyebrows and wisely decided to look back at the wall.
"Who are you?"
Now her voice was slightly more panicked, Link observed.
She twisted his wrists in hopes of forcing him into admittance. He only shrugged his shoulders, and she had to forgo her attempts. Opting instead to push him into an old metal chair, he was forced to look up at her. She was glaring at him.
"Will you tell me who you are, or will I have to be more aggressive?"
Link smirked cheekily, a nervous gesture he'd set as default, knowing it hid his emotions and made the females turn to puddles. His grin faltered when she only glared back. Shoulders slumped now in surrender, he answered her.
"Link Kokirin, private detective."
He flashed his badge momentarily, and was satisfied to see her glare wither away. Now she looked alarmed.
"Private detective? My father—"
Link nodded, still hesitant to act because she was towering above him, and he sunk into his chair.
"Yep. He kinda wondered what his daughter did when she snuck out at night." Link glanced behind her back and spotted what she was shuffling with.
Clothes peeked out of a bag, and before he could identify them, she had moved into the way, hands on her hips and glaring at him. A corner of her lips went up.
"So my father sent Junior to find me?"
Link's eyes narrowed and crossed his arms.
"Well, Miss, Junior here is actually one year older than you, and suggests you don't speak without knowing." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Besides, you're not allowed in this club before that precise age. What are you doing here?"
She turned away from him, and Link found himself staring at her nice behind... He blinked, refocusing.
"I work here. Does that answer your question?"
Link made a half nod with his head, lips pouted and eyebrows raised.
"I guess so. Nothing dirty, I hope?"
She turned back at him, her gaze cold.
"No, nothing dirty. Now shoo and tell my father all about it!"
Link shrugged, making himself as comfortable in his chair as he could.
"Actually, since you're feeling so honest, I was just wondering something. It'll stay between you and me."
She rolled her eyes and sat on the counter facing him.
"Shoot away," she sighed, annoyed. "I have another..." She glanced at her classy watch. "Fifteen minutes before going on stage."
Link smiled, and she had to look away, a very faint red tinge on her cheeks.
"Actually, Miss... Zelda Harkinian, I'm not here to report to your father. I was supposed to ensure that whatever you did, you were safe. Daddy's orders," he teased. She seemed surprised.
"So..." She hesitated. "No scolding, nothing of the sort?"
Link shrugged.
"I wouldn't think so. He told me something about freedom and extroverting... I wasn't exactly listening after half an hour of speech. All I needed to really know was 'keep my daughter safe in whatever she's doing'. I was hoping your weren't doing anything dirty. It made my job that much easier."
Zelda raised an eyebrow and stood from the counter. She smiled mischievously.
"So, in other words, you're my bodyguard?"
Link nodded as she came forward. Her face came uncomfortably close to his, smiling still. He had to gulp down.
"Well," she whispered, "what were you wondering just now?"
Link had to use all his concentration to remember what she was talking about and how to talk.
"Ah... Uh— I..."
Zelda faked a yawn and sat in his lap, waiting for him to continue. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Link, her dress hitched just a bit higher, revealing an expanse of creamy leg that made his lower eyelid twitch. He gulped down his nervousness, but found with a certain stress that he couldn't tear his eyes away from her very good looking features...
"You know," Zelda whispered, "I usually don't find stuttering males very attractive, but I think that I could make an exception."
Link smiled nervously.
"Ah, really...?"
Zelda smirked.
"Yes," she confirmed, "really."
"Well," Link grinned, although he was still tense, "that's good to hear. Do you make a habit of...?"
"Seducing?" Zelda offered.
"Yes, seducing men like this?"
Zelda seemed pensive, and her arms wound around his neck.
"As a matter of fact," she admitted, "only when they're really worth it."
Link smirked.
"Oh, now I'm worth it, uh?"
Zelda's intense gaze made him shut up, and he held his breath. His heart was beating at an insane beat, and he fleetingly thought that she could probably hear it.
On her part, Zelda seemed perfectly at ease, even though she was sitting in his lap, body pressed to his, and face dangerously close to his own.
"Mister... Kokirin," she said, "I'm hoping that you'll learn from now on to warn people before following them."
Link was about to retort, but his breath hitched instead when her cool fingers touched his abdomen, having slipped under his shirt.
"Miss Harkinian," he breathed, "your hands are cold."
"Warm them, then."
Her lips descended to his, and molded with them perfectly. He grabbed her hands and pulled them out from inside his shirt and kept them in his hold. Their tongues played strength games, and she let out a faint moan.
They broke apart breathlessly, as though they'd run a hundred meter sprint. Gazing into each other's eyes, Link's lips broke into a huge grin.
"Nice to meet you too."
Zelda seemed annoyed and instead pulled at his collar, their lips meeting again. When they separated, she licked her lips and smiled.
"You're not too bad. Junior."
Link's eyes narrowed.
"I beg your pardon?" He indignantly asked. "Didn't we already settle this? And anyway, I'll point out that whatever your job here is, you have no right to even be inside this night club."
Zelda laughed, the sound clear and carefree.
"Let's not get into that. You may be paid, but you were still stalking me, you know."
Link crossed his arms and scowled.
"That's right, it's my job."
They were silent for a long moment. Finally, Zelda tugged at Link's shirt, her gaze apologetic.
"Um... Sorry about the whole 'wrestling you to sit you in the chair' thing. And sorry about being kinda mean, alright?"
Link shrugged.
"I've lived worse. Like that time with the crazy Zora princess..." He shuddered. Zelda laughed.
"That bad?"
Link grinned boyishly.
"Yeah, she tried marrying me. As if that wasn't enough, she also promised me that if I didn't, she'd follow me everywhere."
"Hm, scary."
"So," Link started after a pause, "You have to go up?"
Zelda glanced down at her watch and her eyes widened.
"Oh, shit! Yes!"
She grabbed her bag and ran out, stuffing it closed. Link followed her and they hurried down the hallway. She grabbed the handle for the door and slipped into the first hallway, then out into the club once more. Link had to struggle to keep up, because the crowd was pressing against him. He spotted her going up on the stage via a small stairway, and he took position by them, the loud speakers a few feet beside him.
She spoke to the DJ for a few seconds, and after a final nod, she walked to the front of the stage. Now, a few people stared at her. Link watched her quietly, listening to the quiet intro to the song.
She smiled suddenly, and the beat picked up at the same moment, heavy and fast. She began dancing, her choreography mastered to the perfection. Flicking her hair out of her face, she sent a grin to the audience, who resumed their dancing. Most eyes, however, were on her movements. Each arm moved in time with the tempo, white skin colored by the neon lights, and her flaxen hair was moving freely. Her feet knew exactly where to place themselves, and the balance was perfect.
She was perfect.
Her blue eyes glinted with contentment.
She was the best dancer in the club, and as the other girls joined in on the stage, still she kept everyone's gazes.
Link was entranced, his eyes fixed on her glistening skin and wide smile. She was hardly out of breath, and she was beautiful.
His lips tingled in remembrance, and he grinned widely.
The dancing group moved in the beat, perfectly in time, each movement leading to another.
The song slowed once more as it closed to a finish, and Zelda stopped, chest heaving and a wide smile on her lips. She flicked her hair out of her face, looking at her audience, who proceeded to clap.
The music died out and she hurried to go down the stairs, only to stumble into Link, who grabbed her arm and directed a wide grin at her.
"That was really impressive. I'm not regretting my coming here."
Zelda paused for a split second, and he thought he saw her blush, but it was short-lived and she tugged at his sleeve, pulling him towards the dance floor.
"Show me what you can do!"
A few minutes later, Zelda had to admit two things: first, Link was an awesome dancer, and second, he was very popular with the ladies.
She tried ignoring the women who were dancing too close to him for comfort, but once she saw him roll his eyes at one of them who tried straddling him (something that was half-impossible to do while dancing), he grabbed Zelda's hand and led the two of them out of the club. Zelda was trying to contain her laughter.
Link turned to her on the street and glared.
"That's right, you think that was funny?"
She burst into a fit of giggles and nodded, out of breath.
"Yes, very!"
Link tried to look insulted, but could only manage a smile. Zelda laughed for another minute, before she finally quieted down, her smile still on her face.
"Oh gosh," she breathed, "that was hilarious. You should've seen your face."
Link grabbed her by the arm, before slipping his arms under her knees and behind her back. He hefted her up and glared again directly into her face.
"You didn't look too pleased either."
Zelda flippantly shrugged.
"Ah, but I can't have anyone stealing my dance companion, can I?" She pressed her lips together, trying to avoid laughing some more. "Especially to a crazy woman... Who knows, you might be hurt."
Link rolled his eyes.
"I am very capable of taking care of myself, thank you. I thought I was the protector here."
Zelda traced a path with her finger down his throat. He held his breath.
"Hm, yes, you're my new bodyguard. I'd almost forgotten. Do forgive me, oh great master of... What are you master of?"
"You?" He suggested, his eye twinkling.
"Ah, I don't think so. Junior."
He narrowed his eyes, giving her a blank stare.
"You should get back home."
She looked disappointed as Link put her down on her feet. He grabbed one of her shoulders and leaned forward.
"I'm hoping," he said with a lilt to his voice, "that you won't be doing any other outings at night without warning me."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Are you asking me to call you before I do?" She asked incredulously.
He nodded, and a corner of his lips lifted slightly. He took out a card from his pocket. It was printed with black ink, very simply.
'Link Kokirin,
Private detective services
E-mail: elkokiriOhyrule. net'
"Hm, very cute... El Kokiri," she teased. He grinned.
"Make sure to add me to your favourites," he added. "Do you have a pen?"
She nodded, pulling one out of her bag. He took it and wrote a phone number on the other side of the card. Winking, he handed both back.
"That's just my home phone number. Don't show it to anyone." He saluted lazily. "I'll be seeing you around, I suppose."
With a last grin, he walked away down the street, leaving Zelda behind.
"Yes," she muttered, smiling, "I don't why I have the feeling that our paths will cross again. Someday."
Smiling, she walked in the opposite direction, slinging her bag over her shoulder, a wide smile on her lips.
Ah, I just felt like using a nightclub somewhere, and I'm actually surprised it ended up here, but I think it's pretty good...
I MIGHT make a fic out of this, but not until I'm done with my other works. For now, therefore, I suggest you consider this a one shot.
Hope you liked! R&R if you feel like it.
Love,
CM