Summer of Our Discontent
Birthday
"Today's the big day," Link said to his blonde companion, or maybe frenemy was the better term to use. At least until Malon's birthday party was over, then they would go back to despising each other over a petty disagreement at the beach years ago.
Zelda didn't bother giving him the time of day, evidently nervous about the ultimate turnout. Finding out Ganondorf and his significant other were out to ruin her best friend's party was a downer, but putting an ultimate stop his plans was quite anticlimactic. According to Link, they ran off when they found out she and her nontourage friends were coming for them. Which is flattering. Kind of.
The time was 10:00am, Malon's father had taken her birthday shopping with the rupees he'd saved up from selling his 'Lon Lon Milk,' and she was looking at the set-up he had drawn out for them so everyone could put everything in place. Zelda looked around nervously as she unraveled all of the food they made. Zant, Ruto, Impa, Tingle – who invited him? – Kafei, Anju and more had all come to help and find a hiding spot for the big moment that Malon walked through the door.
"You okay?" Link asked her uneasily, unsure of how long she would continually ignore him. She looked up at him calculatedly and nodded.
"What if she doesn't like it?" Zelda asked in a soft voice. She nearly lost all her friends, got attacked by a spatula, and stole a car all in hopes of pleasing Malon. But was it worth it?
"Then we blame Ilia. It was her plan for the surprise party anyways. We finished everything we needed to finish. Actually, you finished everything we needed to finish. Thank you." He said, reaching out to ruffle Zelda's hair. She flinched away from his touch, giving him an angry glare.
"Don't do that to me. It's your fault she hates me, you know." Zelda said, but her heart was beating rapidly from his touch, and it was driving her absolutely insane.
"She doesn't hate you, Zel. She just doesn't understand. You're right, I guess I am at fault." He paused, as if mulling over his words carefully. He looked like he was going to say something he would regret. And he did. "But it takes two to tango…"
"What in the name of Farore is that supposed to mean?" Zelda hissed angrily, jabbing him in the stomach – which kind of hurt since he had a rock hard chest. "When you're the one who snatched me up as your partner? I wanted Midna!"
"And I would have opted for Pipit, but I tried to save you from Groose, who you ultimately would have ended up with!"
"I did end up with him because of your stupid and impulsive decision that it would be better to waste several hours traveling to a desert filled with bandits to tell off some guy for threatening to ruin Malon's party! Who does that? When we have all this technology?" Zelda said angrily, gesturing to her phone and Talon's computer.
Link rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"My decision was stupid, but it was a hell of a lot better than just sitting around and twiddling thumbs while some jerk made a legitimate attempt to wreck all of our hard work." Link's gaze on Zelda tightened. "Why do you hate me so much? Over something so small that happened years ago…"
"You always treated me like cucco trash, what happened when we were kids was only the beginning of it. Then you decide to date my best friend." Zelda's eyes narrowed, "I have my reasons."
"Can I at least get a thank you from saving you from at least a week's worth of Groose's lame pick-up lines?"
"Are you two ladies talking about me?" Groose said, his strong scent invading their senses. He sneered at Link, knowingly provoking him and enjoying the Hylian's distasteful reaction.
"Hey, Groose. We were talking about you." Link said, smirking. "Zelda was just thanking me for being her partner so she wouldn't have to be with you."
Groose's shoulders slumped a bit at that and he gave Zelda a 'seriously' look, making her insides swell with guilt.
"T-That's not true –" Zelda started, and Groose's confidence came back faster than the speed of light.
"Don't spread lies then, pretty boy." Groose said, jabbing Link in the chest like Zelda did. He retracted his finger immediately, gazing at the taut muscles hidden beneath Link's shirt incredulously. "Ow…" he muttered.
"Look, is there any reason as to why you're here?" Link asked, glancing at Zelda with an agitated expression as he said it.
"Yes. Ilia told me to tell you guys to stop arguing. Malon's on her way home, they'll be back any second. So yeah you need to shut your yaps. Although I wouldn't put it that harshly in your case," Groose said the last part while smiling at Zelda adoringly. She smiled at him, though she felt sick to her stomach.
"Thanks Groose… Tell Ilia that I apologize on Link's behalf. He is quite immature."
Link huffed, clearly fed up with both of them ganging up on him. His blue eyes blazed with rage, jealousy, and just a bit of a hurt expression. There was that agonizingly guilty feeling in the pit of her stomach once more.
"That's it. Ilia doesn't want us fighting? Then I just won't speak to you." He said sharply, "My fault for trying to act like a decent person." He said, grabbing the food violently and spreading it on the table. There were tables outside as well, so he went out the backdoor.
"Oh yeah? Well you're not a decent person, so don't even bother trying!" Zelda shouted after him, feeling a bit shocked when he flipped her off in response.
"I hope you remember what I said that night." Groose whispered into her ear, causing her to jump. "Give up on him because you have no chance with him. I'm the one you really want."
Zelda's cheeks matched the color of his hair pretty closely now, "Gah! W-What are you talking about –"
"Everyone! They're here! Hide!" Ilia said excitedly, "I can't believe this is happening!" she giggled.
Groose pulled Zelda down into a hiding spot underneath the table. His body was pressed against hers and it made her feel nauseous.
After a few minutes, the familiar voices of Talon and Malon could be heard from outside. Talon's gruff voice contrasted Malon's sweet one greatly, and it almost sounded as if they were having a disagreement.
Malon entered the little living room her father had redesigned for her, brushing cucco feathers off of her new halter top. She looked absolutely glamorous from the angle Zelda could see her from under the table, and the blonde couldn't help feeling envious of her friend.
"Huh?" Malon asked curiously, looking at the decorations set up. "What's this –"
"SURPRISE!" Everyone jumped up from their hiding spots, although Zelda and Groose had to climb out from theirs. Zelda bumped her head underneath the table, frowning when she did so.
Malon gasped, her hands immediately covering her mouth as tears bubbled up in her eyes. That's Malon, always emotional over every little thing. If that wasn't enough of a reaction, her jaw dropped nearly ten feet when Link, being the 'amazing and perfect' boyfriend he is, stepped towards her with his gift and a perfect red rose.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart." He said, his lips curved upwards in a grin, showing off his pearly whites. She stared at him, enamored with his looks, and the fact that he worked so hard to make this happen for her. She didn't even have time to respond, because he leaned down and gave her a long and tender kiss, which resulted in cheers and wolf whistles from their friends.
He pulled away slowly and reluctantly, wiping the tears off of Malon's face gently.
"L-Link…"
"Oh, this wasn't just me you know. We all had a part in this. Because we love you, of course." Malon grinned, looking at her friends to see their faces. Ilia, Pipit, and Karane had good natured smiles. Sheik and Midna seemed a bit distracted, but they flashed her a thumbs up. Saria and Mido were blushing like crazy, which made Malon feel a little embarrassed about her and Link's blatant PDA. Finally, her gaze rested on Groose who was standing next to Zelda. His arms were crossed, but he had a tiny smirk to signify that he was glad for her.
You were right, she thought merrily, there isn't anything going on between Link and Zelda. Zelda's eyes were downcast, the blonde refused to look at Malon. It made Malon feel apologetic, for accusing Zelda of being a boyfriend stealer.
"We all partnered up with each other to work on different things for the party." Link said, and Malon looked at him a bit fearfully.
"Did… did you partner up with…" Malon pointed at Zelda weakly.
"Yeah." He said, biting his lip nervously. Malon gave him another kiss on the lips, giving him a 'there's something I need to fix' look. He nodded silently and she walked on. Everyone else relaxed a bit.
"Alright, let's get this party started!" Ilia said, turning up the stereo. Everyone dispersed from their spots and started socializing. Several people walked towards the birthday girl, but stopped when they saw she already had her eyes set on a target.
"Zelda?" Malon asked feebly, twiddling her thumbs as she did so. Zelda glanced at her best friend with a solemn expression.
"Happy birthday Malon." Was her only response.
Malon sighed, scratching her head awkwardly. There was still an odd tension between the two females. Zelda hadn't taken lightly to Malon's abusive behavior – even if it was understandable to a degree – for the most part it had been unnecessary.
"Zelda I am so sorry. I – I didn't know what to think… and you're just so, ugh. You and Link have such a long history, and I mean you're just so perfect that –"
Zelda put a hand on her friend's shoulder. No matter what, Zelda couldn't stay mad at the poor redhead for too long. Malon could be whiny and up herself sometimes, but the girl is just adorable and insecure and genuinely sweet. It was clear as to why Link had fallen for her. Though the thought did make Zelda grimace, so much that she couldn't even bring herself to watch him kiss Malon. Malon probably thought it was because of their falling out however, and Zelda wasn't about to let her think otherwise.
"There's no need to apologize. I get it. If I were you, I would have been angry as well." Zelda smiled, but it wasn't too enthusiastic. She slapped herself mentally. Why are you doing this? It's your best friend's birthday party.
"So, what did you and Link work on?" Malon asked lightly.
"The food, of course." Zelda said, gesturing towards all the delicacies spread everywhere. People seemed to be enjoying them, which was a miracle considering most of it had been made hastily at the last second by Zelda and Groose. It made sense, Malon remembered attacking Zelda with a spatula for baking cookies at Link's house. She couldn't help all these overwhelming feelings of relief, knowing that her doubt in her boyfriend and best friend had been misplaced.
"Zellie I love you, but we both know you can't cook." Malon said, laughing wholeheartedly.
Zelda didn't take offense, pinching her friend's nose teasingly.
"Shut up." She said, but she was smiling.
Taking Zelda by surprise, Malon threw her arms around her tightly.
"I missed you so much. I can't even tell you how many times I wanted to call you and tell you that I didn't care if you wanted Link, I just didn't want to lose you."
It sounded farfetched, but Zelda knew Malon really did love her, and that itself was enough.
"I missed you too, Malon. I almost gave up the entire party just to reassure you that I wasn't moving in on your boyfriend."
Malon smiled, letting out a content sigh.
"I can't believe this. These last few days I've been so sad, and now I couldn't be any happier."
Zelda did her best to look content, but it was harder than she thought.
"Let's go have some fun." She said after a moment of silence. "Oh! And just wait until you see what I got you." The two girls let out girly squeals that were usually unlike them, but with each other it didn't matter.
Midna was sitting on one of the finest couches in the large house, watching Saria and Mido play a weird game that involved octoroks. They looked so innocent and happy. She then focused her attention on the tiny wrapped present she was waiting to give to Malon, who was busy chatting animatedly with Zelda.
She squirmed, feeling uncomfortable suddenly, and turned to her right. Impa was standing in the corner, watching her. Her crimson eyes were narrowed. After Midna helped Zelda save Link, she had a rather ugly confrontation with Impa, who was mad at her for lying about Zelda's whereabouts. Even though Zelda covered up for Midna, her fierce guardian still held a bit of resentment. In Midna's eyes, it was absolutely unfair. A sleek body clad in black slid next to her smoothly. She thought it was Sheik, but when she looked into the person's striking yellow orange eyes, she realized it was actually Zant. Her ex-boyfriend.
Great…
He smiled at her, his eyes drifting to her gift – or at least that's what she initially thought. In reality he was simply scoping out her body. The body that he decided to dump, of course.
"I'm surprised you got an invite." She said a bit callously.
"Yeah, I was deciding on whether I should come or not. Then I found out you were going, and I decided that I could definitely make an appearance. Needless to say, I'm shocked." He laughed as if something funny had happened. Midna stared at him with a clueless and puzzled expression, and he made odd hand gestures towards her body.
"You look beautiful." He stated simply. "I remember when we hooked up after your last boyfriend, you were a mess. Physically and emotionally. I thought that after we broke up, you would go back to your bad eating habits, but clearly…" His eyes drifted down again, eyeing her curvaceous figure.
Even if he was staring at her like she was a piece of meat, Midna's heart couldn't help skipping a beat. She felt upset and flattered at the same time – it confused her.
"Yeah, well I have a pretty structured idea of who to cry over and who to forget about." She smirked as his smile dropped.
"Listen Midna, I'm sorry. My personal life was complicated, being in a relationship was too much at the time. You should understand. We come from the same race, Midna. We're both Twili. You know how some people feel about us."
"I don't see what that has to do with anything." Midna frowned, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. "I don't care about race, I didn't care about race before. I cared about you. I guess you didn't feel the same?"
Zant sighed. "I did. I still do."
"Then why didn't you return my calls?" She asked irately, not bothering to keep a calm composure. First Impa, now Zant?
He opened his mouth, but no words seemed to be able to come out. He shook his head.
"I don't know. I should have. I'm sorry. Again." He stood up quickly, "I'll just go greet Malon, then talk with Groose or something."
Midna wanted to tell him that he didn't need to explain himself, to just leave, but instead she nodded. As soon as he left, Sheik showed up less than three seconds later.
How convenient, Midna thought sourly. He was wearing a T shirt with some band logo on it and holding a jar full of maraschino cherries. He held the jar out to her, offering a couple and she shook her head grumpily, crossing her arms. Sheik shrugged, taking a cherry out and popping it into his mouth. Midna couldn't help staring at him, hardly 15 seconds had passed when he spit the stem out. It was perfectly knotted, and it landed right in Midna's lap. Her cheeks blazed with humiliation.
Sheik smirked at her reaction, closing the jar. He put his arm around her casually, glancing at Impa uneasily.
"Nice tongue." Midna commented cheekily. Sheik simply laughed at her. He could tell she was in somewhat of a dark mood, so he remained silent for a couple of moments. Only a couple. Eventually, he felt the need to speak up.
"I just want you to know," his hand brushed her bare shoulder, and the contact sent chills down her spine. "That you care way too much. It's sad to see."
"Cry me a river." Midna snapped. "I don't think it's 'sad,' I happen to care for Zelda a lot and what her caretaker thinks of me is very important."
"What is up with everyone today?" Sheik cried, throwing his hands in the air confusedly. "First there was Link and Zelda exploding at each other, now you? I thought today was supposed to be a bright day."
"Zelda and Link seem happy now. I'll get over myself. I just don't like Impa looking at me that way."
"Then ignore her."
"It's not that simple."
"Yeah, it is. Just. Ignore. Her. Don't let her get to you."
"But –"
"Oh to hell with this. She can't stand me. And we're both Sheikahs for crying out loud."
"What is up with everyone and their ethnicity? Just because you guys share the same heritage doesn't mean she owes you some sort of respect. Respect is something earned, not given blindlessly."
"Well no matter how hard you try, clearly you won't be getting her respect anytime soon." He said coldly.
His words made Midna flinch. She gave him his iciest stare.
"You know what Sheik? Screw you. I didn't think it was possible, but you've made me feel even shittier about myself. It may not bother you, but it bothers me. Impa likes all of Zelda's friends except for me." She paused, "…and you." She finished awkwardly.
"Gee, thanks for stating the obvious. Who the hell cares whether she likes you or not? I like you." He said fervently, focusing on her completely.
She wasn't sure what context he was speaking in, or if it was done intentionally or by accident, but it pretty much rocked her world either way.
There were a million replies to choose from, but she wasn't sure of which one would be appropriate, so of course she had to say something stupid.
"U-Um… my ex told me he still has feelings for me."
Damn.
A/N: Oh my goodness, what just happened?! XD I'm actually 1/3 done with the chapter after this, so the next update may be later this week or next week. I cringed while writing this chapter because of the Malon/Link fluff and the cheesiness of it all. I wanted to have a big Ganondorf-Nabooru-Link-Zelda-everyone else- scene, but I decided against it. That Zelda/Malon friendship reunion though… Oh gods I am cringing again. Did I mention that I happen to be a hardcore Zant/Midna shipper? So writing that one scene was also difficult as well. The ending for this chapter is awkward, I know. Next chapter will be focused on Malon and Link's relationship. It may seem like the drama is resolved for now, but just wait because I have something big planned and it will pretty much change everything. :3 Chapter 7's theme song is "Birthday" by Katy Perry for obvious reasons, but also because of the Malon/Link loving towards the middle of the chapter.
Chapter Seven Theme Song Title: Birthday
Artist: Katy Perry
I'll see y'all soon! ;)