Chapter 11: Hotbox

Zelda relaxed into her cushioned seat, its soft material melting around her, contrasting the rough book in her lap. Too large to hold, she'd propped it up against her knee, pages sparkling with a sheen yet to be tarnished by time. It was something she'd missed; it'd been far too long since she'd been able to properly dive into a book.

Something shifted out the corner of her eye and she turned to look outside as flickers of stars scattered faint light about the sky. When had it gotten so late? How long had they been sat there? How could she still see? Looking around, she glimpsed a candle sat on the desk next to them, presumably set up by Link one of the times he'd wandered off.

Speaking of, she glanced past her book to the boy burrowed into the opposite end of the sofa. Link mirrored her, stretched out as the two faced each other head to toe. Truthfully it had been a challenge for them to squeeze on, not helped by how surprisingly fidgety the boy was. Still they'd managed to settle in, the soft brush of the other's leg a reminder of their presence.

Link barely strained to hold up his own book, despite its size. "Ancient Civilizations" was faded into the tattered cover, its pages crinkled and worn in its age. The name was familiar, but truthfully she couldn't remember if she'd read it herself. At first she'd thought it unusual for him to be interested in such a topic, Link never came across as someone who dwelled on the past, but clearly it had grabbed him based on how the recently new candle had dwindled into a stump.

She stole herself, getting ready to move. Despite their comfort, night had snuck up on them and her eyes were already trying to lull her to sleep.

But she didn't move. Instead finding herself looking at the boy a little longer. Candle light danced on his face, highlighting his features against the darker background. His eyes were focused, sharp as their attention was wrapped in the books' words. His jaw ever so slightly clenched, a clear sign of thoughts bouncing around his head, intently working at the page like it was another puzzle to be solved. Yet it contrasted the way he peacefully sat. His fluffy hair, loose from its usual cap, framed his face, bringing out the softer features that were too often lost under soot. It was, admittedly, a rather attractive look on the young man. Though in all fairness, Link had never been unappealing in terms of looks, even back when they first met. However, this was different. Back then there had been a nervous energy bouncing him around which, while cute in its own right, had kept this more relaxed, focused side from showing.

A gentle shift in the pressure on her other leg drew her attention. Link had budged ever so slightly, shifting to a new comfortable position. His movement had created a gap at his side. It called to her. Her chest thumped, lamenting the distance between them. That same part willed her to move, to squeeze in, hold him to her as he read, place her chin on his shoulder and follow along with him, while she ran her hand through his soft hair…

Her heart skipped and her muscles tensed. That was…odd. Apparently she'd found out something new about herself. Or not really? She was already aware he looked good, this shouldn't have come as a surprise right? It was only natural to notice every now and again wasn't it? She was overthinking this again, stupid brain.

Their eyes met and her muscles sprung back to life. Scanning him, only now did she notice that Link had stood, boots back on his feet, closed book now resting on the desk as he cradles the candle in his hand. He offered her a warm smile. She hadn't noticed when she'd grown a giddy grin of her own.

"Welcome back, what you been thinking about?" He said, quizzically tipping his head.

He'd noticed? When did he start paying so much attention…or had she just been that obvious? No, he always noticed didn't he. Her eyes fell to her side as she ran her dress through her fingers, doing little to distract her mind but brining some level of focus. She filtered through her thoughts. It'd been a nice evening right? There was no way this could mess it up. Plus, compared to what else they'd gone through, what harm could there be?

"You seemed really into your book. You… I just thought that you looked good." She finally willed her eyes back to his.

But she didn't find them. Instead Link's eyes were glued to his book, hand raised to the side of his head as he brushed his loose hair over his ear.

"Thanks, that…erm…" She noticed an ever so slight, but clearly giddy grin, not so subtly hidden on his face. "That's good to know. Thanks."

That was adorable. Had he really gotten so happy at that? Link was fumbling now,

a slight silence hung in the air and she was sure he'd lost track of his thoughts.

"Were you going to say something?" She prompted, fighting through the pins and needles as she stood.

Link's face twisted, no doubt an attempt to trace his lost thoughts. She slid around the table, finding the shelf missing her book to give the boy time. As she pushed it neatly back into place, Link spoke up.

"I figured it was time I headed off, I can barely see out now," She spun back to face him, propping her arms on the shelf behind her as she leaned. But Link's eyes were lively, now dancing between her own and the book he'd left behind.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, I'm barely keeping awake as it is." She shot him a wink. "I guess I'll see you next time you drag Alfonzo here."

He shuddered, "Don't remind me, it was the worst trying to convincing him today you know. He definitely won't be happy that it's so late."

She laughed, leading as the two head towards the door "In that case I shan't keep you any longer." But as she finished, she noticed him glancing back to the book once more. Honestly, it's as if he'd come up with an entire language based on facial expressions alone. She spun back, heaving the book off the table and dropping it into his free arm.

"What are you-"

"Keep it," she said, strolling out the library. Turning back to him she added, "At least until you finish it."

The daft grin was back on his face in full force, brining back memories of only minutes ago. He offered a thanks as the two strolled on. So she'd not only found out something about herself, but him too. And if he kept reacting like that, it was definitely something she'd like to try more often.