When Mipha had agreed for her and Zelda to return to their origins, the café, she had not remembered to check her schedule to see which one of her co-workers she would have to share the shift with, something she came to regret deeply the following day.
Standing behind the counter and trying to ignore the noise around her, Mipha found herself wishing that she could go back in time and tell Zelda that, actually, no, tomorrow would not work, it would have to wait for another day, any other day. But of course Mipha had completely forgotten about how Friday was the busiest day at the café and how the increased amount of customers also meant an increased risk of even more people sharing her space behind the counter during her shift.
Granted, it would not have changed the fact that Mipha would still have had to come to work, but Zelda seeing her like that, busy, running around the room in an attempt to make sure that no one would go to the counter and complain about having to wait, and constantly about to forget what people had just ordered, was not really what Mipha had had in mind when making plans to see each other at the café.
The fact that she had to share the shift with Link and Revali as well didn't really make it any better either. One of them was fine, Mipha would even go so far as to admit that it was often at least halfway fun to work together with them, although mentioning any of that around Revali meant having to listen to him repeating it back to her for the next several months. But both of them at the same time? No, that was an absolute nightmare. At least when she worked together with only one of them, the only thing she had to put up with was Revali trying to act like he was not trying his best to draw out the time until his shift would end each time Link would come in to take his apron from him to get a chance to talk with him or Link's not that subtle attempts to ask her about Revali, the way he was checking to see if there was a chance of him being able to talk with Revali not being something Mipha could possibly have missed.
Almost like he wanted to prove her expectations for how the day would go correct, Revali pulled her away from her thoughts with a sharp whistle. Looking up, she saw him gesture towards Link, holding a porcelain cup in each hand.
"Hey, look at this!" he said, waving wildly at Link, and although Mipha could almost hear how he tried to whisper or at least keep his voice down enough so that not everyone in the café would hear him, Mipha could tell from the amount of people who turned around to look at them that it was not working. But that did not seem to stop Revali.
Too late, Mipha realised the connection between the cups in his hands and the demand for Link to pay attention to him, and by then, she was already fairly sure that there was not much she could do to keep him from going through with his plan, which, incidentally, was exactly what he did.
Revali started to juggle with the cups.
Unable to do much else to stare at him in some kind of morbid fascination, attempting to figure out just when he would make a mistake, Mipha hoped that at the very least, Revali would be able to pull off… what this was supposed to be for long enough so that when he would inevitably drop either one or both of the cups, at least everyone in the entire room would not be there to see it or hear the sound of porcelain hitting the floor.
Looking at the people around her, Mipha concluded that Revali had seemingly managed to impress everyone except for Link. Sitting right across the counter from Mipha, she could see a teenager gasping every time a cup almost managed to slip away from Revali, and next to her was what looked like a couple who had turned to look at Revali's antics with a look in their eyes that told her that they were halfway impressed, halfway concerned. Link, however, simply looked at Revali with a blank look, and had it not been for how she could see him follow the path of the cups with his eyes, Mipha would not have been sure if he was even paying attention at all.
Hoping that once Revali dropped the porcelain the customers would simply see it as being part of the trick, Mipha decided that this really was not something she could deal with right now. So, trying to push the worry away, she went back to the counter to continue with her work and to try to convince herself that she was most definitely not waiting for Zelda to come into the café. No, Mipha was not looking over towards the entrance every other second, waiting to see the familiar sight of Zelda leaning against the door to push it open with her shoulder. She was just paying attention to her surroundings, that was all it was.
Still, Mipha could tell that she had not done that good of a job at that either, though perhaps part of that could be due to the fact that Revali revealed that he did seem to be more coordinated than what Mipha had expected of him, somehow managing to end his little routine by catching the cups and placing them back down onto the counter, because it felt like she had only looked away for a second, but when she looked back, Zelda had entered and gone to stand in line.
"Busy day?" Zelda asked when she got to the front of the line. Mipha didn't miss how she looked behind her, but decided not to turn around to see what Revali had gotten up to. Sometimes it was simply better not to know.
"It could be worse, but, yes, it is quite stressful," she admitted.
"Well, in that case, let me just get straight to the point. Can I get just a caffè latte? No need for a blueberry muffin this time"
"Switching up the order? Sure thing," Mipha nodded, "and I suppose that you would like to enjoy it here?"
"Yes."
Turning around, Mipha narrowly avoided colliding with Link as her co-worker passed by, carrying a plate stacked with muffins in each hand, stepping to the side as she went over to the coffee machine. She had barely been there for more than a couple of seconds, having just grabbed the coffee beans when Revali appeared at her side.
"He didn't even acknowledge my trick," Revali whispered to her, and Mipha was happy to state that he at least kept his voice low enough to keep the customers from hearing their hushed conversation, "I tried to show him, and he didn't even react. Do you think I did anything wrong?"
"Other than deciding that the porcelain cups would be the perfect thing to juggle with and trying to show Link that you could juggle in the café while we were busy? No, not really. But I will have to say that I don't understand why you don't just tell him." she gestured towards the other end of the room where Link was chatting with a group of four teenagers sitting around one of the tables. "Ask him if he wants to grab something to eat once the shifts ends or something like that. Just do something." seeing the way Revali smirked at her, Mipha quickly modified her statement. "Something that does not come with a high risk of shattered porcelain on the floor and shocked customers, I mean."
"But what if he says no? He did not say anything about my trick—even though I actually risked something to impress him—so why would he say yes?"
Looking over at Link and noting how he had looked up from the table to send a glance in their direction, quickly averting his gaze when he noticed her looking at him, Mipha shook her head. "Trust me when I say that I am fairly certain he is not going to say no." before Revali got a chance to object, she reached out to pour the coffee into the cup and returned to the counter where Zelda was still waiting.
"Sorry about the wait, Revali wanted to ask me about something," she said, placing the cup in front of her.
"Let me guess, you also wanted to remind him not to use the cups as some kind of juggling ball?" Zelda asked, taking a sip of the coffee. As she placed it back down onto the counter, Mipha saw how it had left a little bit of foam on her upper lip.
A groan mixed with a laugh escaped her as she pressed a hand against her temple. "Please tell me that you didn't see all of that."
"If it helps, I didn't see most of it," Zelda offered, tipping the cup at her, "but it did look like he knew what he was doing."
"Yeah, I suppose it does make it a little better. Although I have to admit that I don't know how he manages to continue to do things like that, and yet, Urbosa has never pulled him aside to tell him to stop, I mean, it is not like we don't have surveillance cameras in here."
"It could be part of the charm," Zelda said, the suggestion being accompanied by a little shrug, "I mean, at this point, I would almost have expected him to do something like that."
"Yeah, I suppose that could be it."
They went silent, Zelda glancing down at the foam that still rested on top of what little coffee was still left. For some reason Mipha was almost completely sure that she saw Zelda pull her shoulders up slightly, her relaxed attitude making way for a determined expression as she looked back up again, opening her mouth just as Mipha had been about to move on to see if there were anyone else who needed her help.
"Actually," Zelda began, and Mipha spun around to look back at her, "I was wondering if you would perhaps be interested in sitting down to eat a muffin or something with me. Once you are finished with your shift of course."
"Uh," Mipha said, trying to figure out a way to not sound rude, "I am actually not the biggest fan of muffins. I think I just spend too much time with them while I am at work, you know, so I just can't really appreciate the taste of them because it reminds me of being at work." blinking at Zelda and hoping that she would not be hurt by her words, Mipha continued. "And although I love talking to you in here, I don't really want to be reminded of all of the hours I have spent placing those little spongy things on a plate to hand it to someone who did not want to look me in the eyes, you know?"
She blinked at Zelda, waiting for her to grin back at her and give Mipha the chance to suggest that perhaps they could go out and get something else, perhaps a sandwich or something, anything that did not also include the risk of having to eat a muffin. But that was not at all what Zelda did.
"Yeah," Zelda said, trying to form a smile, though the expression looked horribly strained and she kept on avoiding Mipha's gaze, "yeah, I suppose that makes sense."
Something heavy settling in her stomach as Mipha realised she had misjudged the situation. Knowing that she would not be able to take back what she had just said, she waved her hand, like that alone could make the awkwardness between them disappear. "But maybe we could do something else? I don't know, but, uh…." racking her brain to figure out what she could suggest, Mipha was happy to state that, although Zelda's smile still looked fake, she had at least looked up from the table, "yeah, I don't really have any ideas right now, but we could figure something out."
Finally, Zelda shot her the smallest smile. It was barely there and looked like it could disappear in an instant, but at least it appeared to be real as Zelda got up to lean in over the table and grab one of the napkins.
Placing it back down on the table, Zelda dug out a pen from somewhere in her pocket. Biting off the cap of the pen, she smoothed out the surface and began to scribble something onto her makeshift piece of paper. "Okay, well, if you figure something out, this is my number, so don't hesitate to call me." Zelda paused to push the napkin over towards Mipha. "I have to go now, but I will try to come up with a better idea than going to get muffins," finally, she sent Mipha the wink she had expected would have been the reaction to her declining the invitation for muffins, "so if there's any other things that you don't like, don't hesitate to tell me."
Too relieved that it seemed like the muffin-situation and the tense atmosphere it had brought along had passed, Mipha doubted she would even have been able to remember anything else she did not like, so rather than to try, she simply folded up the napkin and pushed it into her pocket, making sure that it would not accidentally fall out. "No, I don't think there's anything else I really don't like."
"Great," Zelda said, jumping off her chair and landing on the floor with a soft thud, "I have to get going, but, uh," she gestured towards Mipha's pocket that now housed the napkin, "if you change your mind, or if you come up with an idea, I will be free later today, so don't hesitate to call me."
"I won't" Mipha called out after her as Zelda turned around to leave.
However, even though Zelda turned around to send her one last smile before she exited the café, Mipha could still not shake the feeling that Zelda's invitation had been about more than just those muffins. With a sigh, Mipha got back to work.
Zelda might have told her not to hesitate to call her, but that was still exactly what Mipha did the moment she got home.
It started out with her sitting in the couch, holding the napkin in one hand and her phone in the other. Zelda had written her number across the napkin, the numbers so large that Mipha doubted there was a risk of them smudging to such an extent that she would not be able to make out what they said, but as soon as the thought of it happening struck her, she hurried to save the number on her phone, only pausing slightly when she was prompted to choose a picture for the contact. She had no picture of Zelda. In all of the weeks they had chatted over the counter at work or met one another in the library, Mipha had never thought about taking a picture of her. Now that she needed it, it seemed almost odd that she had not thought about it before.
In the end, she did not really have any other choice than to let it remain blank, settling for simply saving Zelda's name and number instead. And then she waited.
Mipha wasn't exactly sure what she expected to happen by waiting. She knew that after how quiet Zelda had gotten after she had declined the invitation to get muffins, Zelda was most likely waiting for her to come up with a suggestion. And that was the issue. The more Mipha tried to force her brain to come up with an idea, the more it seemed that her brain wanted to fight against her, going completely blank.
So Mipha stayed put instead, sitting in the couch with her legs pulled up under her as she looked down at her phone. Not for the first time, she wished that she had thought about giving Zelda her number so that she would have a way to contact her. As it was now, Mipha would have to send a text or call her to let Zelda know how to contact her, but although she had written out a couple of texts, reading through them several times, she could just not summon the courage to actually send them, instead ending up deleting every single one of them.
She wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since she had first flopped down onto the couch, but after she had deleted the fifth text—letting out a loud sigh—Revali jumped up from his spot next to her, and before she had had time to react, he had grabbed the phone out of her hand.
"Hey, give it back!" she protested, getting to her feet as she attempted to take back the phone, but Revali simply jumped up onto the couch and held the phone up over his head, effectively keeping her from reaching it.
"No," Revali said, interrupting her, "you have been fiddling with that phone for the entire evening—"
"Yeah, because it is important—"
"—and I think it is time for you to do something else—"
"—because I know that I hurt Zelda's feelings and I want to write something to apologise, but I just don't know what to say, she already has a lot to deal with and I don't want to—"
"Wait, wait, wait," Revali cut in with a wave of his hand, "is this about that conversation I overheard? The one where she tried to ask if you wanted to go and get muffins after your shift ended and you said no?"
"Did you listen in on my conversation?" try as she might, Mipha could not suppress the laughter in her voice, and although she tried her best to look annoyed, drawing her brows together, she could see from the way Revali smiled at her that it didn't work.
"Given how you are constantly teasing me about Link, I don't really think you have any room to complain about the fact that I can hear what you are talking about when you are practically sitting right next to me. But," he added, not giving her the chance to cut in, "that is beside the point, and as much as I would like to tease you about how you are even worse than I am when I am in love—"
"I am not in love!" Mipha crossed her arms and tried not to notice how her heart sped up as a reaction to Revali's words.
He barely even bothered to raise his eyebrow at her. "Oh, really? Because in that case, I think you need to inform Zelda about that, because she just invited you on a date, an invitation you just turned down"
Something that felt suspiciously similar to horror filled her stomach. It couldn't have been meant as a date, it simply couldn't. Because if that was the case, then that would mean that Mipha had just declined the invitation and said that she did not enjoy the ideas Zelda had about a date all in one sentence. So it could not have been a date, or at least Mipha hoped that it wasn't. Of course, if it had really been meant as a date, then it was probably for the better that she had misunderstood and said no. Although Mipha loved Zelda it was as a friend, and nothing more than that. Though, as Mipha entertained the idea of having said yes so that she might currently be sitting at a table across from her, a muffin that she could always give to Zelda rather than eat placed on the plate in front of her, she had to admit that it did sound nice.
But if Revali was right and Zelda really had meant to ask her out on a date, then it probably was for the better that she had said no, just so that her misunderstanding the invitation would not have led to her letting Zelda believe that there was something more between them.
"Oh," Mipha said, trying not to let any sign of how what she had first thought was horror was beginning to feel a lot more like a simple case of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach show on her face, "I don't think that was actually how she meant it, though. You see, we kind of have this joke about the muffins…" she let the sentence trail off, because, to tell the truth, right then, Mipha could not recall any instance of them joking about the muffins, at least not in a way that would make Revali believe that the invitation had been nothing more than a joke.
She could tell immediately from the long glance Revali sent her that it was not working, but her roommate still cocked his head. "It didn't sound like a joke to me. But that is beside the point. Right now, what you need is to do something that will take your mind off Zelda."
"Such as?"
Revali jumped off the couch, bending his knees as he landed on the floor before finishing it all off with a flourish and a toss of the head. "I was planning to go out today, to go visit a bar, and from what I have seen over these last couple of hours, you would benefit from going with me as well."
"No." for once Mipha was able to make her voice decisive. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she fixed Revali with her most resolute glare, determined not to let him convince her to go with him, and continued. "No, I have an exam in just a couple of weeks, I can't afford to ruin my brain by going with you, and I have to study. So the answer is no, I won't come with you."
"Aw, come on," Revali tried, and, perhaps hoping that it would convince her, he extended the phone towards her. Mipha snatched it away from him before going back to stand with her arms crossed in front of her again, "I am sure that with all of the time you have spent studying with her at the library, you are already sure to pass the exam. Because I assume that you told me the truth when you said that you had been studying, right?" he wiggled his brows at her, but Mipha shot him an unamused look. That seemed to make Revali realise that it was time for him to change tactics. "Also," he said, and it seemed that his entire body language shifted along with his tone, suddenly becoming much less loud, "I kind of need your help."
Mipha knew that it was a trick and that he could most likely figure something out on his own, but she still only managed to stay strong for a few seconds before giving in. "With what?"
"Well, I had planned to invite Link to come along with me to the bar—you know, to be active and do something, just like you told me to do—but just in case that it doesn't work out or he signals that it would be best to just remain friends, I would like for you to be there so that I can invite him along without revealing anything."
"And you can't invite anyone else? Anyone who does not have to study that day?"
"No," Revali said, and Mipha had to admit that he was a better actor than she had expected, halfway convincing her that it was true. It was only the slight pull around his mouth, showing the beginnings of a smile, that gave him away, and even then, Mipha was almost tempted to say yes and get it over with.
It was stupid. Going out to some bar where she would most likely feel out of place the moment Revali and Link found each other—and unlike Revali, Mipha was sure that she would end up with proof that there had been no need to bring her along as some kind of way to cover up Revali's feelings for Link in case things went awry—and where she would be surrounded by drunk people ready to start fights and hurt one another was absolutely not Mipha's cup of tea, she knew that already, but for some reason, she found herself unable to tell Revali that.
Besides, somewhere inside of her, located just next to the butterflies in her stomach, she felt the familiar sense of glee, and Mipha could not deny the feelings of giddy excitement at the prospect of getting a break from studying and thinking about her exams. One night off couldn't hurt that much, could it?
"Come on, it will be fun," Revali said, and Mipha could see from the sparkle in his eyes that he knew he had already managed to convince her, "we won't even be home that late if that is what you're worried about."
"When?"
Raising an eyebrow, Revali took a step backwards. "When what?"
"If we just imagine that I said yes, how late do you want me to stay with you and Link?" Mipha repeated. She didn't miss how Revali clearly took the question as her accepting the offer, a smile already appearing on his face the moment he opened his mouth to answer.
"Oh, not that long at all. I just need you to be there until I am fairly certain how Link will react to me casually trying to bring up the subject of romance," at that, Mipha couldn't keep back a giggle, and Revali spoke a bit louder as he added, "after that, I don't think you would need to be there anymore, especially if you are just going to laugh at me while I talk with Link."
"I am sorry," Mipha said, trying to hide her laughter behind her hand, "but it's just, well, you aren't exactly someone who is good at being casual about things."
Shaking his head, Revali made an indignant little sound, something halfway between a huff and a laugh. "What are you talking about? I am casual when I want to be. In fact, I am the most casual person you will ever meet in your life!"
"You started juggling with the cups at the café today," Mipha countered, and this time, she didn't even bother to cover her mouth with her hand, letting her arm hang limp by her side instead.
"Yeah, because I was trying to impress Link." Revali rolled his eyes like the difference was obvious. "That is called being dramatic on purpose because I needed to get his attention, something that I also failed horribly at, if I may remind you of that, so if anything, I wasn't being dramatic enough."
"Or maybe Link just didn't want to be seen to close to the guy who was throwing porcelain through the air," Mipha suggested, making sure to speak faster so that Revali didn't have time to interrupt her as she continued, "but as long as you promise me that you won't begin throwing glasses around once we get to the bar, then fine, I will go with you."
"You will?" there was a hint of something that sounded almost like surprise in Revali's voice as he pulled his head back, brows drawn together, and looked over at her.
"Yeah, I mean, it will make you happy, and I can find another chance to study for my exam, so, yeah, I will come with you. You just have to promise me that if you leave with Link, you will stop by to let me know so that I don't have to look for you when I want to go home only to find that the two of you left several hours ago." she added the last sentence more as a joke than anything else, hoping that Revali would react with his usual Revali-smile, but as he ran over towards her, Mipha doubted that he had even heard it.
And Mipha had to admit that seeing the way Revali's face brightened as he reached out to pull her into a hug did make the what she had just decided to do—go to a bar the same night she had intended to get a chance to sit down and study, most likely getting drunk in the process—feel like it wasn't that bad an idea.
Mipha regretted not having had the heart to tell Revali to go alone or to ask someone else to accompany him the moment they entered the bar.
They had barely stepped over threshold before Mipha found herself being dragged through a crowd, muttering apologies left and right as Revali simply continued walking straight ahead, a solid grip around her wrist being the only thing that kept them from being separated by the people walking around them. At least Mipha saw a few of them turn around to nod at her before continuing towards their destination, but when Revali finally managed to manoeuver his way over to an empty booth, the two of them getting in at either side of the table, Mipha was more than ready for the night to be over so that she could return home to her own flat, her own chair, and her own lamps that she could decide whether to turn on or off.
Revali, meanwhile, looked like he was in his element, having thrown an arm over the back of the booth as he turned to get a chance to look at the crowded room around them.
"I have to admit," Revali began once he had finished his inspection with an impressed whistle, "this is actually a lot better than what I had expected. Just see how soft this fabric is."
Right then, Mipha was almost completely certain that there had never been a subject where she could have agreed less with Revali. While her friend patted the seat next to him, Mipha could practically feel how her hands automatically curled up as she placed her fists on her lap, determined not to touch her surroundings any more than what was strictly necessary.
"Relax." Revali told her, making Mipha jerk in her seat as she turned her head to glare at him. However, it didn't seem like Revali got the hint to stop talking about relaxing when it was only because of him that she was even there in the first place, as he proceeded to point towards the bar behind her. "I texted Link and he is not going to be here for another ten minutes—traffic and all that—so if you want me to get you a drink, now is the time to say so. Although," he blinked at her, "I suppose that I did kind of owe you one anyway after you decided to come here with me."
Mipha hesitated for a moment, trying to resist the urge to shift in her seat to get a look at the bar and to try to calculate exactly how much of her weekend it would take before she would feel better again if she did decide to drink. Still, the fact that she sat still, not wanting to draw attention to herself or how she was almost sure that everyone in the building would be able to see how much she did not want to be there if she did anything that would make them notice her, meant that she looked directly at Revali. She should have known that it was a bad idea, should have known better. After all, Revali had been able to get her to abandon her computer and homework for a night to instead do the exact opposite of studying, so the fact that she was not able to stay annoyed at him for long should not have been a surprise.
"No, thank you."
Revali, having already halfway jumped to his feet, for some reason eager to leave the booth and return to the crowded centre of the room, simply gave her a quick 'cool' as he passed her, and before Mipha had even noticed what had happened, he was gone.
Mirroring Revali's earlier position, Mipha almost climbed up onto the seat to lean in over the fabric that made up the back of her seat in an attempt to watch as Revali made his way over to the bar, but she had already lost sight of him.
With a sight that Mipha hoped had not been loud enough for the people around her to hear, she sat back down, for once not minding the feeling of the rough material beneath her.
Great. This was just great. She had gone to a bar to be supportive of Revali and his plan to actually talk with Link—something she herself had tried to convince Revali would be a good idea for so long she could barely remember when it had started—and had even given up the evening she had planned to dedicate to studying and here she was, grumbling to herself in a booth, with countless of strangers around her. Just great.
"Mipha?"
A light, melodic voice that did most definitely not belong to Revali made Mipha snap out of her discouraging thoughts.
Hurrying to hide how she had been sitting there, feeling sorry for herself, Mipha looked up from the table to see who had come over to speak to her.
It was Zelda.
For a second Mipha could have sworn that she had forgotten how to breathe, the part of her brain that was responsible for her breathing having shut down to instead make space for the part of her that decided to simply sit there and stare up at Zelda.
Despite the dim lighting around them, Zelda almost looked like she could singlehandedly have lit up the entire town as she stood there, hair pulled up into a ponytail, a dress that shimmered as she moved even with much of it hidden underneath a jacket, and with the slightest hint of highlighter along her cheekbones. But mostly it was a matter of how the way she sent a smile towards Mipha, the tiny gesture making her eyes sparkle, made Mipha feel like the entire room should have stopped doing anything else to come over and get a chance to see what she was seeing. Really, it was almost unbelievable that they were still alone and that no one had come over to ask Zelda how she managed to almost emit light.
Realising that she was staring as Zelda's expression changed, her features settling into a concerned look, Mipha cleared her throat and tried to come up with something to say, something that would sound smart like she had been thinking about that and not how, in that moment, she was wishing she had refrained from mentioning how she did not like muffins so that they could have gone out to eat, accompanying one another on what Revali would probably have insisted was a date even though Mipha knew that she would never have been lucky enough for that to be the case.
"Uh, hi." those two words and a little smile was all it took for the glimmer of worry to disappear from Zelda's eyes, though even that did not make the butterflies in her stomach disappear. But Mipha pushed that away and forced herself to remain present. "I didn't know that you would be here. Do you come here often or something?"
"No," Zelda closed her eyes as she let out a short laugh, completely devoid of any humour, tilting her head slightly, "but my father called just a few hours after I left the café, to talk to me about how he had found the perfect job for me to try to pursue once I finished my last semester." she rolled her eyes. "Really, with how much I try to avoid that subject the few times we talk, you would think that he would already have guessed that I did not actually study theology by now."
She knew full well that there was not much she could do to help. To be honest, there probably was not even anything she could do, but she had to at least try, Mipha knew that. So, hoping that it would be enough, she shook her head slightly. "I am sorry to hear that, it must be really annoying."
"Yeah," but Zelda didn't sound annoyed as she continued, breathing in deeply. Rather, she sounded quite tired, "I guess that it is. But, honestly, at this point, I have just… had enough, you know?" she didn't wait for an answer, immediately continuing. "He has always been like that so I doubt it is going to change anytime soon or if it ever will, but I just keep hoping that it will. And I know that it is stupid since it only ends up making me even more disappointed every time I talk with him than I would have been otherwise, but…" Zelda went silent, staring down at her shoes like she had just discovered something interested on the ground.
Patting the empty seat next to her, Mipha decided that even though she could not change Zelda's father and the relationship between him and Zelda, she could at least try to cheer up Zelda a little. "Do you want to stay here for a while?"
"What?" Zelda finally tore her gaze away from her shoes to instead look at Mipha and then over at the seat, blinking a couple of times before realising what she meant. "No, I don't want to intrude—"
"And you aren't. Look, I didn't even want to come here, it was only because of Revali that I even gave in and went here with him, and I doubt that I will really get a chance to enjoy being here. But I would love if you could stay for a while. That way, it could feel a little like we are just at the café."
"I think it is a bit louder in here than at the café." Zelda smiled, but despite her words, she still slid into the booth, sitting down in the seat next to Mipha.
Nudging Zelda's shoulder, Mipha laughed. "Clearly you have never been there during the busiest shifts. I'm telling you, this," she gestured towards nothing in particular, "is nothing compared to the sounds of ten families with children trying to figure out what everyone would want to order while teenagers are standing around them, laughing to some joke you can never hear over all of the noise."
"Okay, you know what, you are probably right," Zelda agreed, "but what was that about Revali having convinced you to come here?"
For a moment, Mipha considered trying to figure out where exactly Revali was in the crowd of people standing around the bar, but simply the mental picture of what she had seen the last time she had tried to find him was enough for her to simply give up in advance, so she sat still. Or rather, she pushed her arm into the back of the booth to turn around to face Zelda. "He thought that if he invited both me and Link to come along with him, he could get another chance to see whether or not Link liked him so that he would not have to risk confessing his feelings for him only for Link to tell him that he didn't feel the same way." seeing the look of confusion on Zelda's face, Mipha followed up with a short laugh. "Yeah, I know, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it was what he said to me when he asked me to come along."
It was technically not a lie. Granted, Revali had also told her that she needed to meet someone to forget about Zelda for a while, but Mipha decided that there was no need to include that in the retelling of the events that had led to her sitting here in a booth in the corner of a crowded room with Zelda sitting so close to her that Mipha could pick up on the fragrance of her perfume, a light, flowery scent. Of course, given how they were sitting in a booth that had more in common with a couch than the two separate chairs they had usually found themselves sitting on or Zelda sitting on a stool with Mipha standing on the other side of the counter that separated them, they could get even closer and it would have been so easy for Mipha to inch closer towards her. But she didn't. Instead, she stayed where she was and tried to remain focused as Zelda lifted a brow at her.
"Revali? Are we talking about the same Revali you described as having been only a couple of seconds away from throwing a cup of coffee after the Coffee-man? The one I saw throwing cups around just a few hours ago? That Revali?"
"The very same," Mipha nodded, "and no, I really don't know how he could make himself do all of that and then be so nervous the moment he was faced with an opportunity to actually say something to Link."
"No, I think I get it." Mipha barely kept herself from turning her head to look over at Zelda so quickly she would most likely have hurt something in the process. Instead, she tried her best to look calm as she took in how Zelda had started fiddling with her bracelet, having placed both hands on top of the table. "If it had been me who wanted to try to figure out if someone I was friends with would be interested in me that way as well, I would probably also have tried asking them out in such a way that I could deny everything if they wanted for us to remain friends."
Trying her best not to think about the muffins and not to allow herself to consider the possibility of how Revali might have been right about Zelda having meant that invitation as more than just her inviting a friend out to go somewhere to get muffins, Mipha was more than relieved when she saw Revali emerge from the sea of people around them, clutching a glass close to his body as he pushed through the crowd to get over to their table.
A drop of the amber liquid spilled over the rim of the glass as Revali placed it onto the table, looking over at Mipha and having almost went back to sit in his own seat before spotting Zelda next to her.
Mipha could see how the confused look on his face quickly disappeared to make way for that knowing smile that she knew all too well what meant, making her instantly wish that she had known better than to invite Zelda to sit with her for a moment.
"Oh, Zelda," Revali said as he sat down in his spot across from Mipha, "I didn't know that you would be here as well."
And just to make everything worse, Zelda responded by putting an arm around Mipha's shoulders. "I didn't know that you would be here either. It was actually a complete coincidence that I spotted Mipha here, but I am glad I found you—and that she invited me to stay here with you guys."
"Oh, really?" Revali said with a smirk, and even as Mipha tried her best to kick his leg under the table, she saw no trace of any pain on his face as he added. "Well, I am sure that Mipha was also happy you would stay, right?"
"Of course," Mipha said, doing her best to look relaxed as they all looked over at her, although she would have preferred to glare at Revali.
At least, it didn't seem that Zelda had noticed anything, still sitting with her arm around Mipha as she turned back towards Revali. "She also told me that you have big plans tonight. Link, huh?"
Spotting her chance to both get revenge on Revali and make them focus on something that wasn't her, Mipha hurried to speak before Revali would have gotten the chance to deny everything. "Yeah, and now that Zelda is here as well, you have doubled your cover story. So really, you should probably thank me for thinking about inviting her to stay."
Revali looked like the last thing he wanted to do right then was to thank her for anything, and Mipha was fairly sure that, had it not been for how his gaze flickered away from her to look at something behind her, he would have tried to return the kick she had delivered to his leg.
But he didn't. Instead, he stood up so quickly that he came dangerously to pushing over the glass in front of him in the process, all but running to make his way out of the both. Mipha didn't even need to look up to confirm her suspicions that Link had just arrived as she was proved right just a couple of seconds later when Revali returned to her and Zelda, Link following along right behind him.
"Hey guys," Link greeted as he went to sit in the last free spot around the table, ending up seated next to Revali, "I am sorry that I am late, but I had just not expected for the traffic to be so intense on my way over here." shaking his jacket off his shoulders, he looked up to spot Zelda sitting directly across from him. "Oh, hi, I didn't expect to see you here, did Revali…?"
"Oh no, Mipha here was the one to invite me to sit with you guys for a while," Zelda finished for him, and Mipha was suddenly quite aware of how she still sat with an arm around her shoulders.
It seemed that Link thought the same, for he sent a long look in her direction before turning his attention back towards Revali. "Well, now that I am here, do you want to go and get something to drink?"
"Yes," Revali agreed, and, having seemingly forgotten everything about the still nearly full glass in front of him, he got up to go with Link as he started to make his way over to the bar, leaving Mipha behind for the second time in just a little over ten minutes.
"I might be wrong here," Zelda said, making Mipha look up at her to find that she was following Link and Revali's journey through the room with her eyes, "but I am pretty sure that there was no need for him to bring you along today."
"No, there probably wasn't," Mipha agreed.
As long as she didn't think too much about Revali's comment about Zelda's invitation and how, even as Zelda had to shift in the seat to look at the bar, she continued to sit with her arm around Mipha, it was going to be fine. Besides, it didn't seem like Zelda was giving all of that a second thought, so why should Mipha do it? Really, it was all just her overthinking things, a result of Revali projecting his own feelings for Link onto her and Zelda. Yeah, that had to be it, it made perfect sense and would allow her not to have to risk anything by admitting that there might be a connection between the jittery feeling in her stomach and how close they were sitting or how her heart skipped a beat when Zelda gave up on finding Revali and Link to instead direct her attention towards her again.
"You know," Zelda began, "I am quite glad that I found you just now—and not just because I would probably have ended up feeling rather lonely if I hadn't—since there was actually something I wanted to talk with you about."
"Yeah?" Mipha asked, and right then, she hated the stupid breathless tone in her voice she could not get rid of.
"Well—"
The sound of someone clearing their throat made both of them look up, and Mipha tried her best to ignore the little sting of disappointment as she could now only see the back of Zelda's head.
There was someone standing right in front of their booth. From what Mipha could see, he looked quite nervous, having pulled his shoulders up and with his hands hidden in his pockets. Though a pair of glasses coupled with the dim lighting in the room kept her from getting a chance to see his eyes, Mipha was almost completely certain that his gaze was wandering uneasily from Zelda's face and over to her.
When the seconds passed and he still did not take the initiative to say anything, Mipha could almost feel the impatience in Zelda's voice when she gestured for him to start talking. "Yes? Did you want to say something?"
That finally seemed to make him realise that they were waiting for him to start speaking.
Standing up a bit straighter, he looked down at Zelda with what Mipha thought was supposed to be an open expression, but ended up looking a bit too stilted and unnatural. "Yes, I actually just meant to tell you that you are really pretty and that I was wondering if you would be interested if going to get a drink with me and just hang out for a bit," he nodded towards Zelda before going silent once again, shifting his weight from side to side as he waited for a response.
Although Mipha knew that his observation about Zelda being really pretty was correct—though Mipha would probably rather have used the word 'beautiful'—it still didn't keep the ugly feeling of jealousy from flowing through her, making her inch just a bit closer to Zelda as she hoped that she would say no and stay with her for just a little longer. It was selfish, but right then, Mipha could not have cared less. All that mattered was that, right now at least, Zelda was still sitting next to her and that the arm she had flung around her shoulders felt nicer than sitting with her back against the back of the booth, and if Zelda left with this guy, Mipha would lose all of that.
The seconds seemed to last much longer than what felt right as Mipha could only make guesses about what Zelda was thinking. She was still sitting with the back of her head turned towards her, and although Mipha tried her best not to overthink it, she could not help but wonder if even the slightest movements was a sign about whether she would say yes or nor.
"Actually," Zelda finally said, and Mipha could have hugged her when she noticed the slight apologetic tone to her words, "I already came here with someone."
At that, she pulled Mipha a bit closer, and Mipha could have sworn that she felt her cheeks turn warmer than lava. Was Zelda really trying to imply what Mipha though she was?
A little part of her couldn't help but feel disappointed. The fact that Zelda would try to lie about them being together had to be proof that Mipha had been right and Revali had been wrong about what the invitation for muffins had meant. Still, the pang of sadness was nothing against the overwhelming sensation of amazement as Zelda moved to sit even closer to her, leaning in against her shoulder.
The man looked over at Mipha, and she could have sworn that she saw the same kind of disappointment written across his face as she felt at the thought of having been right about Zelda's feelings for her. But unlike Mipha, it seemed that the man was better at hiding his emotions, as he quickly stood up a little straighter, and although Mipha could see from the pull of muscles around his eyes how he was blinking rapidly, he did still manage to send Zelda a tiny smile.
"Oh, okay," his voice trembled a bit before he coughed, "well, in that case… yeah, that was a total whirlwind, but I hope you two get two experience a love that as bright as your smile. Uh, goodbye." he turned around and left without saying another word.
For a moment they both just sat there, none of them saying a word. Even just trying to figure out what he had been talking about before he left made Mipha's head spin and the fact that most of her brain seemed to insist on focusing on nothing else but how Zelda had still not moved to create space between them again did not exactly help her figure out what had just happened and make the confusion disappear.
Then Zelda started laughing.
She leant over towards Mipha, resting her head against Mipha's shoulder as her entire body shook with laughter. And although Mipha was still too busy trying to catch up with what had just happened, after a while, she too found herself laughing along with Zelda. She was aware of the fact that they must have looked rather weird to everyone around them, sitting there, trying to hide the giggles behind their hands, but when Mipha looked over at Zelda and saw how her eyes shimmered with laughter, she just didn't care.
"I can't believe that actually worked," Zelda admitted, getting the words out in between bursts of laugher, "I was so sure that he would not get the hint at first and that we would have to continue with the act. Thank you for not revealing the lie by the way, that would have ended up making the situation really awkward." breathing in deeply a couple of times, Zelda's smile soon faltered, and she looked at Mipha. For some reason, Mipha saw how Zelda refused to look her in the eyes, but although she tried her best, she simply could not figure out what had caused the sudden change in the atmosphere between them. That was, she couldn't see the reason until Zelda shook her head at her. "I am sorry about not asking you about it beforehand. I didn't really think about it, and I just saw an opportunity—"
"Hey, don't worry about that." Mipha reached up to place her own hand on top of Zelda's arm that still rested on her shoulder. Trying to draw out the time until she had to say something to figure out just what exactly she could tell Zelda to assure her that it was fine, something that did not also include the fact that Mipha would gladly have had the man fail to realise what Zelda was trying to tell him if it meant that Zelda would have pulled Mipha even closer in an attempt to convince him, perhaps even more, Mipha glanced up a her. As Mipha continued, she hoped that Zelda would not notice the pause or how Mipha's cheeks had to have changed into a shade as red as her hair with how warm they were feeling. "I didn't mind it at all." hoping that Revali had been right in his assessment of Zelda's invitation, Mipha decided to risk it all and lowered her voice. "Actually, even if it would have taken even more to prove that we really were together, that would have been completely fine with me."
For what felt like years, Mipha was completely convinced that she had messed up and that it was only a matter of seconds before Zelda would pull away from her, ready to explain how there seemed to have been some kind of misunderstanding between them, to tell her that that was never something Zelda had intended to create between them. But none of that was what happened.
Instead, a slight twitch ran along Zelda's arm as she leant back, sending Mipha a long glance. Although it might have been nothing more than wishful thinking, Mipha was sure she could see the beginnings of a smile forming on her face. She knew it wasn't the case, but still, she could have sworn that she had accepted Revali's offer to get a drink as she felt something warm bloom around her heart, spreading through her body, gradually making its way over to her arm where the tips of her fingers still brushed against Zelda's knuckles.
"Oh yeah?" Zelda moved even closer to her, and Mipha could have sworn that her heart stopped working the moment a strand of Zelda's hair that had escaped from its place to instead hang in front of her face tickled against her cheek. There was something about the entire situation that made it all feel unreal, like Mipha had actually ended up deciding to stay home and was now simply dreaming it all up, and if Mipha was honest, the thing that really convinced her that it was really happening was how she knew that she could not have been able to make up the fond look in Zelda's eyes as she reached out to pull Mipha closer. "I wouldn't have minded that either, so should we not simply try to figure out if it would have ended up being convincing enough to make the next guy leave us alone as well?"
Despite how she tried her best to restrain herself, tried to say something that would not seem too enthusiastic, Mipha found herself unable to do anything but nod, having already moved to follow along with Zelda.
Before Mipha's brain had really had time to catch up with what was happening, the small amount of distance between them had disappeared, and by then, every logical thought had left her completely, leaving only the realisation that it had happened, they were sitting there in a bar, kissing, barely hidden from view.
Although Mipha had been sure that they could not possibly get even closer to each other, Zelda clearly did not agree, and, her thumb stroking along the line of Mipha's cheekbone, no doubt smearing her makeup, she tightened the embrace, Mipha gladly following along with the excuse to sit even closer.
But of course it had to end, and after only a few seconds, Zelda pulled away from her, sending her a wink as she tucked the stray piece of her back into place once more.
"That should be enough to convince anyone, don't you think?"
Mipha felt how something heavy settled in her stomach at the reminder that that was really all that the kiss had been to Zelda, a way to ensure that she would be left alone. The worst part of it wasn't even that it meant that Mipha would now have to deal with knowing exactly how it felt to kiss Zelda while also knowing full well that it would never happen again, no, the worst part was undoubtedly that the fact that Zelda had suggested the two of them trying to kiss each other and was now able to joke about it had to mean that it really wasn't more than that to her.
Really, it was Mipha's own fault. After all, she was the one who had allowed herself to hope for more and to listen to Revali when he had tried to make it even worse for her.
Yes, blaming Revali for it all did seem like an awfully nice option, Mipha decided. Besides, wasn't he the one who had made her think that she would have enjoyed going on a date with Zelda in the first place? The more Mipha thought about it, the surer she became that, really, her own feelings were still affected by the comment Revali had made. That had to be it. Not only would it explain why her stomach ached, it would also explain why the kiss had felt so nice, why she would like to repeat it again, maybe after a date this time.
She stood up, the sudden movement making her brush Zelda's hand off her shoulder and almost hit the table in front of her as she tried to get her breathing under control again.
"Mipha?" she could hear the concern in Zelda's tone, and it took everything tough in her to force herself not to look back at her. If she did, Mipha was not sure she would have been able to fight the urge to cry, so instead, she tried to focus solely on the ugly painting hanging on the end wall.
"I have to go and find Revali, I forgot to tell him something," she said, and before Zelda got a chance to protest or ask questions about what was so important that it could not wait for Revali and Link to get back while still being something she had been able to forget, Mipha had already exited the booth, barely managing to keep her balance as she walked along the narrow strip of empty space between the table and Zelda's legs, trying her best not to imagine what would happen if she simply let herself become distracted for a moment so that she would fall to the side and be caught by Zelda.
It was the cowardly thing to do, Mipha knew that, knew that she would have to face Zelda again sooner or later and that disappearing like this would only make it even worse later on, but she just could not make herself stop and turn around to tell Zelda some lie about the reasons for her behaviour.
So she left Zelda behind, for once not minding the crowded room she had to cross to get over to the bar. It was fine. A lot of people all around her, all of them chatting to someone, their voices growing to form a chorus of laughter and noise, meant that Mipha was left alone with her thoughts, and that was all she could have asked for right then. A moment of peace where she would not have to both think about what it had all meant and try not to let it show just how much it had affected her.
But the huge amount of people in the room also came with a cost, and as Mipha finally got so close to the bar she could see the crowd standing around the counter, she realised that she simply did not have the energy to push her way through that in an attempt to figure out where Revali and Link had gone.
So she left.
Pushing the door open, Mipha stepped out into the cold night air. The breeze hit her, pushing her hair into her face, and as she tried her best to hug herself in an attempt to stay warm, Mipha found herself wishing that she had brought a jacket along. Not only had she just completely messed up the friendship between her and Zelda, and left everyone behind as she rushed out, now she was also cold. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
As she stood there, feeling sorry for herself, Mipha barely noticed the sound of the door hinges creaking when someone opened the door into the bar, assuming that it was simply someone else who had needed some fresh air. Btu then someone stepped over to stand next to her, and Mipha had no choice but to look over and see Zelda stand there with her arm stretched out towards her.
Her jacket dangled from her fingertips.
"You must be cold." Zelda observed, and Mipha could follow along as she took in the sight of her standing there, shivering while she tried her best to hide it. "Here, take this."
Mipha tried to only look at the jacket, forcing her stubborn brain not to let her gaze flicker up towards Zelda's face. She had to say no, it simply would not be right to accept Zelda's jacket, not after how badly Mipha had just misjudged the situation between them. But, of course, she could not tell that to Zelda, not when it would include telling her about how Mipha could still remember the feeling of Zelda's lips against hers or how the kiss had made her heart beat so fast she thought it might just stop any moment.
Hoping that she managed to appear nonchalant, Mipha let her hands fall. It instantly felt colder, but she still pointed towards the jacket. "But then you will be cold."
"I can manage. Besides, I live just around the corner, so I wouldn't have to stay outside for very long." Mipha heard Zelda let out a tiny laugh, shaking the hand that held the jacket. "So I insist. Take it. I wouldn't want you to get sick out here."
She was not going to just go back inside, not without having made sure that Mipha would take the jacket. The realisation struck her, and the obvious way to deal with it followed along just a moment later.
Forcing the fakest smile onto her face, Mipha quickly reached out to take the jacket, mumbling something about how she was thankful for the offer and would make sure to take good care of it until she would get a chance to return it. She wasn't really sure exactly what words the last part of her brain that had yet to be completely flooded with embarrassment and the goal to get back home as quickly as possible to lower the risk of Zelda asking what was wrong had chosen, but they had to have worked, because Mipha saw Zelda nod at her, say something about how she was not in a hurry to get the jacket back again, before she turned around and went back inside the bar.
Mipha stood there, frozen in place, feeling like she had just jumped into a lake covered in ice. Her hand was still holding the jacket, the fabric crumbling up inside her fist, and it took her a moment before she had calmed herself down enough to realise that it was not going to give anything away to actually give in to the cold and put her arms through the sleeves of the jacket. Besides, Mipha doubted Zelda would even notice if she did so. The fact that Zelda had seen her leave the bar and gone to make sure that she was not cold tried its best to disturb her fragile hope that nothing would have to change between them, but Mipha kicked it away.
Even if she did hope for things to change between them, Mipha would not want to let Zelda know about it like this, by standing outside a bar, shaking until she came back out, so that Mipha could blurt out all of the words that were twirling around inside of her. No, if she wanted to tell her, Mipha would make sure that she did it the right way. And since she did not want for anything to change after all, it was all fine. She could go home and then return the jacket to Zelda the next time she got the chance.
It should be simple, but as Mipha finally found the strength to move her legs and walk back home to her flat, she could not ignore the looming sense of everything having gotten more complicated than what she could handle.
And all because of that one kiss.