Chapter 13 (Age 16)

"Link! Wake up!"

Link stirred in his bed, cursing the day Zelda had learned his name.

"Wake up! Wake up! Link! Open the door or I'm just coming in! And if your door is locked, then you better lock your window! And if that window is locked, not only will I kill you, I'll just come in through Fledge's room because he's actually awake. And Pipit's awake because, you know, it's his special day! But who cares about Pipit and Karane when you could just sleep in like you do every day?"

"Okay! Stop, please!" he called, stuffing his face under his pillow. There was a single, sharp bang on the door and he sat up, sighing in frustration. "Goddess, Zelda! I'm up!" If nothing else, at least he could take his time changing.

He knew today was important to Karane and Pipit. Though it was no Wing Ceremony, the Loftwing races were a big deal, and this was the first year they could enter. He grabbed his better clothes, and stepped into the least comfortable pair of pants that he owned before pulling on a tight, clean shirt.

Then the door whipped open.

"Goddess! Zelda!"

Zelda waltzed in and sat on his bed, looking him over. "No, that's not going to work. We're going to be outside all day. You'll be a mess."

"What if I was still changing?" He asked, tossing his discarded sleeping clothes into his wardrobe.

"Then you'll move faster next time." She smiled innocently. "Honestly, I'm stunned you didn't lock it."

He scoffed and leaned back against his dresser, taking in what it was that she'd decided to wear.

Her hair was entirely pushed back behind a blue headband with the white Loftwing design of the Goddess Hylia. She was in a matching blue dress with white trim at the bottom and sleeves that billowed out and would have blown up her arm if she'd been the one flying today. There was a black sash around her waist, and she'd gone so far as to apply a dark kohl around her eyes.

"What?" she asked after he'd stared at her for too long.

Link tapped his foot impatiently and then decided to go for it. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Zelda would think he was joking, so he might as well get it off his chest, if only to make himself feel better in the long run.

"You're just gorgeous, that's all."

Zelda didn't look fazed, as he'd predicted. "You're stalling, Link. Get something better from your wardrobe. When was the last time you wore those pants? When you were ten? Hand them down to someone else."

Link grinned and walked over to the bed, earning him an eye roll. "You think I'm just stalling?"

"Yes. Don't make me go pick out your clothes because I will just so we can start the day."

Link wrapped his arms around her and dragged her down onto the mattress.

"No!" Zelda laughed, trying to free herself. "Link!"

He pretended to snore, truthfully reveling in the temporary reprieve from his burning morning eyes.

Zelda finally rolled from his grasp and whacked him. "That's it. You're going to make me act like your mother or something." She went into his closet and threw something else at him. "And please, donate that," she said, gesturing to his ensemble. "You look ridiculous."

If there was one thing Link needed today, one thing at all, it was a sign. Since Robyn, he hadn't stopped thinking of Zelda, to the point where he was sure he was becoming obsessed. She was like air at this point: necessary to breathe. But Goddess, he couldn't figure her out. She treated him like a friend, and he did so in return. What more could he do? He had to get something today or he'd go crazy. He didn't need a confession from her, not anything like that. He just wanted a sign that he wasn't alone.

So, he decided: today, he'd give her every opportunity he could to give him one sign. And if she didn't, he'd back off and forget it all. He'd forget this little delusional world he was living in.

"Fine. Get out," he said, gesturing to the door.

She moved into the hall and Link grabbed his shirt off the bed. He glanced off to the side, seeing Zelda's head angled at the floor, but he could see a glint in her eye, covertly watching him. He angled himself away so she couldn't see his smirk as he pulled off the tight shirt and spent his time moving with unnecessary slowness.

When he glanced at her again, she was staring at him, redder than the rarest of Loftwings. He turned to her, forcing her attention to his face, though he leaned unabashedly against the doorframe.

"Are you trying to get a free show out here?"

"Wha-?" she said, the effort it took to keep her eyes up was obvious as they flichered from his exposed chest to his muscular shoulders and arms.

While he could understand that all his time in the Sparring Hall had bulked him up, he still didn't see himself as anything to look at. But, surprisingly, it had been Karane who'd warned him of several students' attractions to him, and that come their final year, he would likely be the one the newest students swooned over and imagined their first kisses to be with, as she herself had done with Jardon. And though the revelation surprised him then, today he was willing to test it.

On Zelda.

Her eyes darted everywhere; her tongue flicked out to wet her lips as she shifted from foot to foot nervously before regaining her ability to speak. "I was just making sure you didn't crawl back into bed. And if you don't want an accidental, 'show' as you call it, close your door."

He grinned and kicked it shut, changing in relative peace. Well, not quite a sign. By Karane's own admission, even she was attracted to Link, though she had absolutely no romantic feelings for him. So this wasn't enough. It wasn't his sign.

When he opened the door, Zelda looked up from biting her nail and stood. "Much better. but I was thinking… you need a haircut, too."

Link's eyes flickered over to her and he shook his head. "Nope."

"You're going to be able to tie your hair back soon. Actually, I'll bet you already can. Let me see!"

Zelda crossed the hall and all but skipped over to Link. Her light hands brushed his neck as she pulled his hair together, and his body arched forward with a harsh shiver rushing through him. Nope, I didn't need a sign that I'm attracted to her.

"Give me the scissors in your desk," she said with her hand out. "Your hair is going to be longer than mine soon."

He looked at the hair that fell down her back and rolled his eyes. "I'll just do it myself later."

Zelda's eyes widened in horror. "You're joking, right? That's… give them to me right this second."

The moment he took a step towards his desk, he knew what a sucker he was. "You do know what you're doing, right?"

Zelda beamed when he handed her the scissors, and he had to roll his eyes just to pull them off her expression. Goddess, he was in deep.

"Come on! Outside!" she said, dragging him with far too much excitement.

"I'm going to look awful, aren't I?"

"Relax and kneel or sit. I do this all the time."

"On girls' hair."

Zelda chuckled. "Right now, you have longer hair than some of the girls, so stop being fussy."

Her fingers brushed the back of his neck, and he jerked forward, unprepared for the light contact. He groaned, getting genuinely annoyed with himself. "Sorry," he said before she could ask. "You… your hand is cold."

"Oh," she said, rubbing it against her dress to warm it up. "Sorry about that."

She set to work, and he sat as still as possible.

"You know," she said when she noticed his anxious stillness, "I was thinking of getting short bangs again like I used to have. What do you think?"

"Me?" he asked. "I think…" he felt the scissors pull away and he turned to her, his eyes narrowing as he carefully dodged a trap. "I think you look great no matter what."

Zelda nodded. "Good answer. Especially while I have scissors."

She was done quickly and brushed the fallen hair off his shirt. "You look genuinely handsome, Link."

Link snorted. "You're saying that so I don't absolutely freak out when I realize you cut it all off."

Chuckling, she shook her head and handed the scissors back. "Not this time."

He ran his hand through it a few times and it felt normal. It felt like he used to keep his hair, not too long, and not too short. He opened and closed the scissors in front of Zelda's face. "Want bangs?"

Her eyes bugged out and she took a step back. "No. That was small talk."

Link reached out his hand and caught hers, stopping her from running. "Come on. Fair's fair."

"No!"

He let go, but she didn't move, just watched him carefully as he kept coming closer with those scissors. "How about the back. Let me cut the back!"

Zelda covered her mouth with her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. "If you cut off more than the length of your pinky finger, I will cut off your pinky finger, Link!"

He chuckled, watching her hide as much of her face as possible. Thankfully, she couldn't see the smitten smile that had spread over his face. He ran his fingers through her hair and she stiffened. Letting every piece of hair fall back, except for the smallest single strand, he cut the barely noticeable blonde hair.

"You actually would have let me?" he asked, nudging her.

She looked up and saw the hair. She lost more just by brushing it, and sighed in immense relief. "I think I owe you something, don't I?"

Link turned and opened the window. They were standing outside his room, and threw the scissors back inside. "No. I don't think so. But I'll tell you what," he said, naturally draping his arm over her. Her arm went around his waist in response. This wasn't even part of his 'send me a sign' test. "You are way more gutsy than every Knight in the Academy."

Zelda burst out laughing, a combination of humor and nerves. "I honestly think that's the moment I've come closest to dying."

"Dying?" came a new voice. Link turned to see Master Kos coming around the corner from the Sparring Hall. He was holding several things that Link had seen lying around. Kos eyed Link's arm around Zelda.

Lowering his arm, he cleared his throat. "Are you going to the races?" Link asked, still staring at the objects.

Kos looked him over, debating something. "You might as well be one of the first to know. I've decided to step down once this class graduates in a few weeks. It's time I retired."

"What?" Link balked. "No, you can't!"

Kos laughed, not bothering to hide his joy that he'd be missed by at least one student. "You won't be so upset when you learn who's going to be coming to class to begin transitioning to your full-time instructor."

Link waited, looking around to see if there was someone he was missing.

Kos grinned wider. "You might want to start calling him Master Eagus."

"No!" Link gasped, a giddy smile spreading across his face. "Eagus? Really? What about the Outer Sky?"

"That's his business. I'll be around to help him transition, but he'll be taking over soon enough. I thought you'd be excited. But tell no one yet. I'm making the announcement in class tomorrow."

"Of course," Link said. Zelda nodded along.

"Now, get to the races. Pretend you haven't seen me today. I'll be there a little later. And nice hair, Link. You don't look like a Knight someone woke up and sent out anymore. It's tame."

Zelda gave Link a smug look, and Link nodded. "Thanks. We'll see you, Master Kos."

When Kos had gone, Zelda grabbed Link's hands, using her best mocking tone. "Eagus! The one you admire! The one you love! The one who trains with you all the time! That Eagus?"

"That Eagus," Link laughed. "You know, last time I fought him, I won?"

"Oh, I'm sure."

Link nudged her again. "I did. He said he'd go all out, but he didn't. Trust me though, I caught him off guard and won."

They walked slowly to the main square where everyone would meet before the races.

"I don't know if I can, actually. There's no reference point for me. I haven't seen you fight since you first started. I've seen you train, obviously, but I haven't seen you fight. You could be making up how good you are just to try to impress everyone." She laughed, obviously trusting him. She missed watching him train in the Sparring Hall, or outside with Pipit. She hoped that he'd join this year's tournament, but he hadn't.

"Because you don't come around anymore to watch."

"Because I'm busy working with Owlan."

"Fine," Link conceded. "I'll pick a fight so you can watch."

"Link!" Zelda scolded, whacking his arm.

"Zelda!" called another voice.

"We're never getting to the race today," Zelda chuckled as she turned to greet her father. "Hello!"

Gaepora finally caught up to them, holding some large handled-box behind his back. "Zelda, Link, good to see you two. Are you going to the race?"

"We're trying," Zelda said sweetly. Only Link snickered at her implication before controlling his face.

"Well, there are many talented Knights at this race. I had hoped that Link might have participated this year, but alas, perhaps next year."

"Father," Zelda hissed.

But Link just shook his head, unfazed and used to the pressure that everyone put on him. "Maybe."

"I know you're rooting for your friends Pipit and Karane, but I believe there are some promising upperclassmen that they'll have to beat out. Saffron, Hawke, Glen, Corbett, and Wynda are the best flyers in their class. They'll have to be careful. Eagus and Jardon are the followers this year, so if any should fall, they'll be quite safe."

Zelda anxiously shifted from foot to foot. "That's a lot of great fliers," Zelda admitted, though she felt her voice crack.

Corbett. Link had been right about him. He'd wanted something more with Zelda than just a good time, like she wanted. And while he was a genuinely good guy, she'd turned him down, not looking for anything with the nearly-graduated Knight.

Link looked at the grass as if there was a show in the ground, doing everything he could to avoid looking at Zelda or her father. But the longer the silence between the three of them stretched, the more suspicious Gaepora grew about that list of names.

"So, sir," Link said, stepping forward. "What's that box?"

"Oh, right!" Gaepora gasped, setting it down gingerly. "One of the residents found this beautiful girl wandering around without a home!" He pulled a small Remlit from the box, eyes wide and innocent, alert, and almost sleepy looking. With huge ears and a small smile, the Remlit crawled up Gaepora's arm to perch on his shoulder and stare at the two new strangers.

"Oh Goddess! She's so precious! What's her name?" Zelda cooed, reaching out her hand for the Remlit to investigate.

"Horwell was calling her Mia when he passed her to me. I think I might fight him to keep her, though. She's just too cute not to try."

"I love her! Hi Mia!"

Zelda grabbed Link and pulled him closer. He joined in the admiration for the adorable animal, but he came with reservations. "Should I bring a sword to the restroom at night now?"

Zelda snorted at him, though Mia jumped into her arms. She cuddled her with both arms, already in love.

Gaepora, on the other hand, sighed. "No. At night she'll go outside until morning."

Leaning closer to the Remlit in Zelda's arms, Link scratched Mia's head. She licked his face with her small tongue.

"One night, you're definitely going to try to kill me. I just need to remember what you look like when you're this cute."

"I'll take her back," Gaepora said, holding out his arms. "You two go to the race. I've taken so much of your time already."

"Take care of my girl!" Zelda said with a final wave at the Remlit.

Link nudged her as they walked. "If you ever call me an angry Remlit again, I'll remind you that it's your pet you're insulting."

Tousling Link's hair, Zelda smiled her devilishly sweet smile. "You are an angry Remlit, though."

"Keep walking, Princess."

The races took all day. It began with the older residents,the ones who flew casually when they wanted to but didn't get to as often. Then, retired Knights, who had too much experience to be in the same race. The average adult was next, and then the typical trained Knights. Next, the newest Knights, recent graduates, flew the race. Theirs was the longest with extra laps and more obstacles. And finally, those who were in the soon-to-graduate classes flew. Despite Saffron and Hawke already winning their own Wing Ceremonies, they were still a part of the class that was just about to graduate entirely out of the Academy. It would be Pipit and Karane next year.

Link went to join Fledge beside Pipit.

"... and I know that you know what you're doing, but my last lesson was so surprising! I didn't realize that Loftwings would do that, you know? So just be safe, and don't pull on that."

Link chuckled as he moved up behind Fledge. "Trying to scare him out of the race?"

Fledge jumped, holding his chest. "Goddess!"

"No, just me," Link teased. He turned to Pipit. "You'll be fine. Just fly and remember that it's your first race and you don't have to tolerate flying with Groose."

Pipit snorted. "That's one consolation."

"You practiced. You'll be fine," Fledge encouraged once he caught his breath.

Pipit looked around, taking in the competition. Saffron and Hawke would take first and second. There was absolutely no denying it. But there was also Pidge, Glen, Corbett, Wynda, and Karane to compete with.

"Okay, I need to breathe!" Pipit said, hopping anxiously from one foot to another.

"W-well I hate to say this," Fledge said, gesturing to the edge, "but I have to go. I'm watching from the Lumpy Pumpkin."

Pipit turned and saw the Knights ferrying villagers over. "Oh, go, go! I'm going to kick Link out anyway so I can get in the zone."

Link chuckled. "When you're a Knight, are you going to tell everyone to leave you alone so you can be in the zone?"

"Shut up."

Backing away gracefully, Link went to find Zelda. Like with the other races, they'd been watching from the less-crowded jumping platform closer to the Academy. He slowed his stride when he saw Corbett talking to her, though he was close enough to hear everything.

"-but next year, you should. You were good at flying. Don't give it up."

"I wasn't planning on it, but thank you. I'd say good luck, but I'm rooting for Karane."

Corbett chuckled. "I figured. Good to see you again, Zelda."

Link watched him go and finally stood beside Zelda without comment.

Zelda watched the riders get ready beside their Loftwings and pulled Link away so they could get to their spot.

"You know Karane thought she'd have a hard time with this?"

"Why?" Link asked as they sat on the edge, feet swinging. Unlike the Wing Ceremony, everyone started the races on their Loftwings in a straight line midair and began at the sound of a bell. They were all moving to position.

Zelda's face turned red. "I shouldn't have even said that. Can you forget it?"

"No."

She closed her eyes, embarrassed by the slip of her tongue. "Okay, but don't ever say I told you. Karane is… seeing someone in this race."

Link's eyes widened and he grabbed Zelda. "It's not Pipit, is it? I'll kill him if he felt like keeping it a secret. If it's Pipit and you don't tell me… you're a bad friend."

Zelda hit him in the arm as the racers flew by their head, whipping their hair around. "First off, I'm your best friend. Get over it. Second, no… not Pipit. Which is why you can't tell! Because she does still like him, but she's been giving her flying lessons and it went from there."

Link leaned against the railing. "So it's Corbett? We know that he's big on romantic flying lessons."

Turning to Link with a bland look, Zelda rolled her eyes, craning her neck around him to see if they were coming around the bend yet. "It's not Corbett. That's all you'll get out of me. And don't be jealous."

Link pointed at something in the distance that was growing bigger. It was Pidge in the lead. They both sighed when they saw Pipit and Karane in the back of the group.

Around they went again. For the final loop, Link and Zelda went back to the main square.

Saffron and Hawke, true to form, fought hard for the lead. Both crashed into each other again and again, attempting to rattle the other, but neither broke. Everyone else was steadily on, flying hard but not even close to the leaders. And when they turned the island for the final time, Saffron beat out Hawke, landing in the square

They hopped off their Loftwings, panting for breath before grasping the other's hand in a sign of sportsmanship. Both went to praise their birds while watching the remaining flyers.

Zelda grabbed Link, whooping and bouncing excitedly when she saw Karane pass the line in third place. Then Wynda, Pipit, Corbett, Pidge, and Glen.

Each of them came in close together and sent their Loftwings back out to avoid crowding. The contestants all hugged. That class had genuine friendship amongst them. Link scoffed thinking of if he'd raced Groose. He'd be lucky to get a handshake.

Zelda and Link ran for Pipit first. Karane was occupied, deep in an energetic conversation with Saffron. Zelda threw her arms around Pipit.

"You did so good!"

Pipit laughed, grabbing her and swinging her excitedly. "You were rooting for Karane, but thank you!"

He put her down and Zelda laughed. "Well, Link rooted for you, so we canceled each other out."

Grabbing Link, Pipit laughed again, feeling the giddy rush of adrenaline still. "Goddess, Link! You don't know what you're missing! That was… that had to be the most alive I've ever felt!"

Link playfully pushed Pipit's head away from him. "Good thing I'm already dead inside."

"We're all going to the Lumpy Pumpkin after this. Do… do you want a ride over?"

Link looked like he wanted to say yes, but his head shook. "I'll just head back. But have fun."

Karane ran over and grabbed Zelda, giggling. "Saffron got a week's free meals at the Lumpy Pumpkin! She's paying for Hawke and I since," she made a playful face, "I am the incredible third place winner."

Pipit grabbed Karane and hugged her. "You got special flying lessons from the winner. That's not even fair. Pass on your wisdom to me, o teacher."

Karane nodded. "I can do that."

Link glanced knowingly at Zelda, and she caught him in the corner of her eye, keeping her face as unreadable as possible.

"We're going to the Lumpy Pumpkin right now. Come with us!" She didn't even address Link, knowing what his response would be.

Zelda smiled and took a step back. "No. It's for the winners, really. But thank you."

"Zelda," Link said, sensing why she wasn't going. He gestured to the Sky.

She shook her head. "We'll celebrate tomorrow because I'm so proud of you! But tonight, go be with your class."

"Okay! We'll fly around tomorrow!" Karane said, grabbing Pipit with a wave to Link and Zelda as she pulled him with her to the edge.

Link turned to Zelda. "You didn't do that for me, right?"

Zelda grinned. "I never do anything to hang out with you, Link."

He rolled his eyes, feeling guilty, as usual, that he was keeping her from something involving Loftwings. She chose him far too often.

"Okay. Let me at least get you something to eat at Piper's. It's no Lumpy Pumpkin though."

"Oh no," Zelda said, grabbing Link's arm. "I'll go with you, but I'm buying this time. You paid last time."

Link grinned. "Then I'll get something really expensive. Thanks Zelda!"

"Do not get her mushroom sauté this time. She raises that price so unfairly! I'm not loaded with rupees, you know. "

He scoffed. "You are so. Your father is the headmaster."

She made a face at him, playfully judgemental. "Do you think that I just take the school's money? 'Oh, dad, can you give me some of Groose's tuition money so I can pay for food on a date?'"

She stopped, her face frozen as her own words registered in her brain. Link turned to her, his mouth hanging open, though not without a smile. "A what?"

Zelda faltered. "I… I didn't-"

He took a step closer, watching her get more flustered as he did. "Are we on a date, Princess?"

"No. No I…" She took a deep, steadying breath, though it didn't help with Link so close to her. "It's just an expression. Forget I said it."

"Why would I want to forget our first date?" he asked, only half joking.

"It was a slip, that's all. Forget it."

In truth, he wanted to tell her that he wouldn't have minded in the slightest if it were, but he could see her embarrassment shutting her down, sending her into an internal place that she'd shrink into if something were bad enough.

"Hey," he said, grabbing her before she internalized completely. "I have a better idea, one that definitely isn't a date," he added with a smile. She rolled her eyes, so he continued. "We get free food from Henya, steal your new Remlit Mia, try to play with her until the very second she becomes a demon, and then you can do something that I'd so much rather you do than Pipit…"

"What?" she asked, a smile growing on her face, already walking towards the Academy.

This time, Link turned red. "I might have made a bet with Pip about his place in the race."

"Might have?" she asked, burning with curiosity.

He flicked his own earlobe. "I think I need you to find a needle."

Zelda's eyes widened in absolute delight. "Oh, we are so going back right now!"

Link watched her laugh, as if her comment had been brushed aside. He took a breath, focusing on the charge he felt where she grasped his hand. If there was one thing he did know how to do, it was how to make her smile.

And he'd have to remember to tell Pipit about their bet.

A/N: Hi, my name is Fluff and this was my chapter. Nice to meet you! But this chapter was actually really hard to write and I don't know why! I just kept zoning out and doing other things! Then, I couldn't figure out whether this chapter or the next one should go first which kept me annoyed. But on the plus side, I have the next two chapters done, so next week might be another 3-chapter-week!

Reviews: bladeofthebookworms: Hello again! Glad to see you back! Yeah, they need to get on the same page because Link's finally there! But where's the fun in that happening right away! Hahah! StraightedgeEpyon: I do have plans for a TP and a different BOTW fic after this one. I'm not writing them yet, but I do have ideas, so I'll definitely keep your request in mind! I'm always in for suggestions. But (don't hate me) I'm not a Batman/DC fan and all I can think of is Adam West in his "really cool" batsuit, so that might be a poor reference hahaha! Guest: I definitely got that chapter out quickly so I could come out of hiding. It's cramped under this desk. Draegor: Hahah how's one more chapter for spitting these chapters out! I did like Robyn, too. If I had a little more patience, I think I'd have given them both one extra chapter together. But thank you about Link!