Summer of Our Discontent

Shots

It was too awkward. Too awkward. Malon felt a supportive squeeze on her thigh from Link, who gave her a friendly wink as he watched her swirl the soup in her bowl uncomfortably. Malon willed her eyes to meet the frosty glare of Link's mom, Rose. This was the first time the two had actually spoken to each other formally. Link's father was halfway across the globe, his mom had full custody of Link and his dad only came by once or twice a year – if he got lucky that is. Malon was silently grateful for this tiny fact, considering she wasn't exactly on kind terms with Rose. But the sight of the stern woman still made her stomach churn in knots. What did Malon have to offer? What was her worth? In comparison to other girls Link may have dated in the past, she might seem appealing. But to Rose, she was just another love-struck ditzy chick who fell for an extremely attractive hunk. Would Malon be able to get this woman's blessing – if such an opportunity presented itself?

Rose said nothing, eating her freshly steamed vegetables silently. Malon had seen Rose before and exchanged a smile and wave, but that was before she was dating Rose's son. It didn't help that Rose took kindly to Zelda, even if Zelda and Link were mortal enemies. Why was Zelda crossing her mind so much lately? They had made amends ever since the birthday party, which was almost a month ago. Summer was halfway done, and classes would be coming soon. Which meant Malon would soon be getting her schedule. And Rose would want to know what classes she would be taking, because she wants her son to be with a 'well rounded and intelligent young girl,' kind of like… yep, that's right: Zelda. The girl was ubiquitous, constantly at the edge of Malon's mind, and she was close to spiraling into insanity. Link could have given Malon a million kisses and it would mean nothing, because deep inside the redhead couldn't help feeling suspicious of something going on between those two. It was dismissible to most people, because Link and Zelda went together like chalk and cheese – they made no sense and seemed to mesh horribly. And honestly, Malon was concerned about Link initially because of his never ending resentment towards her best friend. But in the end, who mattered most? Link, her boyfriend? Or Zelda, her best friend? What happened to sisters before misters? Was it still applicable? Both individuals were a large part of her life. There was no changing that.

"So tell me Malon," A silky voice said, cutting through Malon's thoughts like a blade. "What exactly made you fall for my son?" Rose said, wiping her mouth carefully. She was beautiful, in a distracting way. Aged prudently with blue eyes that were just as – if not, even more – intense as Link's. Her face was classical. Elegant. She looked friendly, yet she had malice, and it was directed towards her son's girlfriend.

"I – I don't know." Malon stuttered, mentally slapping herself. How could she say something like that? This woman could make or break her relationship! At the moment, Malon hated herself.

Rose didn't reply, her gaze didn't lighten, but her curved eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly. Malon allowed her gaze to slide over to her boyfriend, who looked about ten million times more uncomfortable than she did. Oh gods, and I thought I had it bad… Malon's mind raced. Link was truly the one stuck in a crappy position. Having to see his mom judge his girlfriend, then interrogate her about their relationship. He looked like he either wanted to disappear, answer the questions for her, or just die on the spot. And the latter was very tempting.

Malon knew that 'I don't know' wasn't an acceptable answer. So she decided to save herself. To save them both.

"What I mean is, erm, there isn't just one thing that made me fall for Link." She stammered dumbly, a tiny blush appearing on her face. Did they have to talk about this now?

"Oh? And what does that mean?" Rose asked with a bit of attitude.

"It means that… Well, it means a lot things. When I first met Link, I just saw him as this attractive guy that all the girls seemed to be in love with. Then I got to know him. I found out that he's funny, smart, compassionate, sweet…" And a hell of a good kisser. She thought, mentally chastising herself for letting such an inadvertent thought nearly slip off her tongue. Speaking of tongues, his though…

Rose nodded slowly, her lips curving upwards in approval. Malon felt herself ease up a bit, until the smile turned back upside down not even a second later. She could hear Link squirm in his chair, and knew that he had noticed her air of disapproval as well.

What the hell just happened? Malon was practically screaming at herself now.

What was bothering this lady now? It was imperative for her to find out. This could very well change everything. Or maybe Malon was just overthinking once more.

Even Rose looked uncomfortable, which was odd. The lady hadn't initially looked uncomfortable, simply stoic and suspicious. It was as if she had a suggestive question that she intended to ask. Well, spoiler alert: she did.

"Are you two sexually active?" She said it so quickly that Malon and Link didn't even have time to react to it properly. Once they had regained their selves however, Link's fork clattered to the floor. Malon nearly choked on her soup – and not just because it tasted awful.

"I-I'm a virgin!" Malon said, flustered and shaken and embarrassed all at once. Besides, why was it any of her business anyways? … Okay, maybe that is a pretty ridiculous question to ask, but it wasn't fair in Malon's eyes that this woman could give her an extremely uncomfortable stare down, then have the gall to ask about their sexual endeavors. Which didn't exist at the moment, of course.

"Of course." Rose said, nodding. There was a tiny smile on her face though, as if it were a joke. It made Malon angry.

"I am." She persisted, the patience in her tone had waned down to nothing. Rose looked up at her with a straight face, nodding but not retaining the information and not seeming all that convinced.

"I believe you. I said of course, didn't I?"

"You said it sarcastically." Malon shot back. Her body was practically shaking internally from nervousness. The young girl had never felt so scared in her life. Not even the chilling sensation of meeting those mysterious Gerudos at her house compared to this. It was a whole different ball game. She tried her best to keep herself calm and collected on the outside though, and it seemed like it was working.

"I'm pretty sure I know the validity of my words, miss. I assure you that I was in no way mocking your words. If you say you're a virgin, you're a virgin." Rose gave her a placid look, and for a moment Malon thought she was actually being sincere. Then she continued. "But gee, it sure is a shame I can't say the same for my son –"

"Mom." Link had looked up from his plate, giving his mom full attention. Malon turned to look at her boyfriend. He had pink tinged on his cheeks, but it seemed to be from frustration as opposed to embarrassment. "Please, stop."

"I believe your girlfriend has the right to know. When's the last time you got tested? Are you clean?" Rose pointed her fork at him accusingly.

Malon sighed, somewhat in relief, and somewhat bothered. It was nice to have some pressure lifted off of her, but she didn't like being reminded that Link had been with other women besides her. Women. Such a strange word. Malon always felt prepubescent because of her lack of curves and tiny breasts, and having so many beautiful friends like Ilia, Midna, and… ugh. Zelda, made her feel insecure about herself.

"I'm clean." He whined, not liking the change the conversation had taken. "Can we not talk about this right now? Why are you acting like this mom?"

The older woman stood up abruptly, the plates near her shook from the swift movement. She nodded towards the bathroom, since it was the closest room where they could have a moment of 'privacy.'

Malon seized her moment of solitude and spit out the soup she'd been forcing herself to stomach, but couldn't because of the icky taste. She allowed herself to drown in possibilities of her future with Link – if they even had a future – when she could hear the voices in the bathroom rising in tempo and anger.

"I'm always ready for everyone!" A masculine voice said. Link.

A sultry voice replied quickly. "Oh really?"

"I didn't mean it like that!" He said shamefully, and Malon instantly wondered if they knew she could hear them since they were literally the only three people in the household.

"When she wants me, I'm ready for her. That's all I meant. We've talked about this with other girls, mom."

There it was again. Malon crossed her arms defiantly, feeling a surge of anger. Link is a sweetheart, he will always be a sweetheart, but did he have to word it like that? Link, though not the most articulate person in the world, usually made her feel special and important and loved. Now, she felt like just another person for him to dance in the sheets with. Will he still want her even after he's gotten the ultimate taste? Why did she feel so patronized?

"I know you're ready. But I'm not ready." Rose interjected.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Link asked, confused out of his mind.

"It means that I don't like her. I'm sorry Link, but I don't. There's an aura about her… She isn't right for you. I don't see things working out. What happened to little Zelda? You two were right for each other."

Now, Malon was suffocating. There was a long silence, and it seemed as if Rose and Link didn't want to speak. The silence was killing her. Literally. She felt her heart being punched, getting weaker with each blow. Why? Because Link was speechless. He didn't know how to respond. If he did know, he instantly would have said 'Zelda and I hate each other. That's why we aren't together.' And furthermore, Rose simply didn't like Malon. It wasn't the first time Malon had seen Link's mom. This was their first time speaking that much is true. But Rose isn't a callous person. She's a lot like Link in the sense that she is easy going and everybody seems to adore her. And to hear Rose say that she preferred Zelda for Link… It hurt so much. Why couldn't Rose love her the way Talon loved Link? Sure, Talon had that typical overprotective fatherly relationship with Link, but at least they got along. But Malon didn't need this. In fact, this was the last thing she needed. After being emotionally distraught over her best friend and her boyfriend, she didn't need one more thing to worry about on her plate – no pun intended. She stood up, not caring if they heard her or not. Then, she scribbled a note on a piece of paper.

"Zelda doesn't even get along with me, mom." Link had finally said after the awkward silence.

"That's the point. The girl isn't smitten with you. It's evident that Malon's life revolves around you, you need a girlfriend who won't cling to you 24/7. Zelda is the ideal girl. She isn't afraid to disagree with you, she has sass, she's smart, she's beautiful, she's everything you need. You loved her once. You can learn to love her again."

Malon's fists balled up and she dropped the pen, purposefully loud enough so they could hear. And she knew they heard because Rose had cut her monologue short.

"Malon, sweetheart?" Rose asked uneasily. It was the first time her sturdy demeanor had cracked. But by the time Rose and Link rushed out to see Malon, she was already gone.

Link sighed, not even looking at his mother and walking to the table where the note she had scrawled lay.

I'm bouncing. Don't worry, I'll get a cab, or call my dad. I hope you sort things out with your mom.

I know it's sudden, and as fun as it is being reminded that Zelda is better than me in every way, shape and form, I think it's better if I just leave.

-Malon

His mother looked over his shoulder, which didn't work out since he was taller than her, so she snatched the note from him.

"I hope you're happy." He said, walking off to his room.

"You're not going after her?"

"She doesn't want to see me. I know that much from the note." Link growled. He slammed the door aggressively, a couple of loud crashes and bangs could be heard. Rose crossed her arms. It was so unlike her to act like this, yet she could only convince herself that she had good intentions.

Malon refused to cry. She was a frequent crier. It sucks, crying all the time. Over trivial things.

There are children starving in Lake Hylia, and you're sobbing over your doomed relationship. You have it all Malon. So smile. Be happy. Thoughts like these always raced through Malon's mind and it drove her crazy.

It was late, the dinner must have been as long as it had felt. Her father wasn't picking up his cell, so she assumed he was off in some town selling their 'world famous' Lon Lon Milk. At this rate, finding a cab would be her best bet. She rubbed her arms self-consciously as her shoes made a click-clacking sound against the hard pavement. Laughter could be heard and a disarray of voices were nearby. Malon absorbed her surroundings for a moment – just a moment. She heard disjointed and drunken music blasting from the inside of Telma's infamous bar. Her breath hitched when the door opened and several older men stumbled out. Miraculously, they took no notice of her, too wasted to focus on anything other than making sure they remembered the difference between left and right. One of the men fell, and another one bent over to help him up, but ended up falling too.

The sight would have made Malon giggle, if two suspicious shadows hadn't diverted her attention. There was a quick opening of the backdoor to the bar, and a tiny clatter of a couple of bottles. Acting on the impulse to know more, Malon found herself walking towards the two perpetrators. It didn't even faze her that these two people were stealing some liquor. It was a common sight, and a sad one. It was also one of the reasons the bar had tightened up on security. The consequence for underage drinking intensified throughout the years. However, these two people seemed to have it down. They knew exactly where to go and what to do. They worked well together, using the shade of night to hide them. But where was the security? Upon close speculation, Malon found the security knocked out on the floor. Her jaw dropped almost instantly.

Were these guys even armed? Malon thought to herself, feeling a mixture of fear and a strange sort of admiration. They're like real life ninjas –

Her thoughts were cut off by a familiar, husky voice.

"Hey, it's red!"

Malon turned around startled, to see the two thieves right in front of her.

Wait, how did they…

They were clad in all black with bandanas to cover up their identities, but just enough of their face was showing to indicate that they were foreigners. At least foreign to this part of Hyrule, that is.

Steadily, one of them – female, Malon thought eyeing her figure – removed the bandana. It was the same chick who came to her house and became her 'friend.'

"Nabooru," she said the name with malice. If memory served her correctly, this was the same girl who had the intention of sabotaging her birthday party.

It was painfully obvious that her male counterpart was Ganondorf. She wanted to tell both of them off badly, but when she looked at their outfits she couldn't help noticing the hilts of their daggers sticking out. Any other time would be better.

Nabooru smiled at her apologetically, and Malon's thoughts seemed to dip into taking her appearance in. The older woman was absolutely beautiful. Her long, luscious hair was tied back by a ponytail, her bangs windswept across her face. Her golden eyes stood out against her dark skin, and her lips were full, with a naturally pouty look.

Why is everyone so attractive? Malon thought miserably. Ever since she started dating Link, Malon couldn't seem to shake off this new habit of staring at other girls to compare their beauty with her own. Had Nabooru ever flirted with Link? Link was without a doubt sexy as hell, plenty of girls gave him flirtatious winks and brushed up against him purposely.

How ironic, Malon thought bitterly. The one girl who doesn't want my boyfriend is my biggest competition.

"Hello Malon." Ganondorf said, giving Nabooru a look that said 'put your bandana back on.' They swung their bags filled with stolen alcohol around subconsciously.

"Hi." Malon said, frowning. She wanted to be mean to these people. They acted so kind to her, yet had every intention of harming her. But they had plenty more tricks up their sleeve than she did.

"Sorry." Nabooru said quickly, coughing uncomfortably. "About your party. We didn't mean to hurt you. We were getting back at him. Well, G was. I just helped him because –"

"Because you're his girlfriend." Malon finished with a light smile, oblivious to the blush that invaded Nabooru's cheeks. "I – I get that. I just don't understand why I was targeted. You guys put him through hell, you know."

"Yeah, I guess so." Ganondorf said. "And… she's not my girlfriend."

Not yet. Malon almost smiled, but caught herself. These people weren't her friends. They were selfish thieves who didn't care who they hurt. They were manipulators, liars, and certainly talented at what they did. Through it all, she couldn't help feeling some odd sort of sincerity from them. As if they pitied her.

"What are you doing walking out here all by yourself, by the way? Don't you know it's dangerous to be wandering the streets at this hour? You could get robbed. Or killed." Nabooru said.

"Castle Town is usually safe…" Malon paused midsentence, looking at the knocked out bodyguards. She frowned.

"Let me guess," Ganondorf stepped forward daringly. "You got into a fight with your boyfriend again."

Malon stepped back, feeling upset.

"That's none of your business." She spat, crossing her arms defensively.

Nabooru laughed insensitively.

"Sweetheart, we're not the ones you should be angry at." She mulled over her words for a moment, "Okay, I retract that statement."

Ganondorf rolled his eyes.

"Look, red. Why don't you come with us? We'll make it worth your while. What do you say?" He had a dangerous smirk on his face, and Malon knew that they were most likely up to no good.

Going with them would go against all her morals and everything she believed in. It would endanger her and most likely have dire consequences. Because despite their playful rivalry with Link, these people were still criminals at the end of the day. She could get into so much trouble.

All of these reasons, plus the need to rebel, were all exactly why she followed them.

Nabooru held Malon's shoes as they ran stealthily through the streets of Castle Town. Since Malon's shoes were loud, Nabooru and Ganondorf didn't want to take any chances with them. Wherever these two were taking her, they didn't want anyone else to find out. They stopped near Malo Mart, walking up to some shrubbery nearby. Pushing the plants aside, they revealed a door built into the ground. Looking around for any witnesses, they opened the door gently, and looked at Malon, beckoning for her to go inside. Malon looked down hesitantly. There was a staircase leading to the bottom of what looked like a cellar.

"Hurry up." Nabooru whispered impatiently. "Ganondorf needs to cover this up so we can go down."

Malon sighed, regretting her decision to follow them and walked down the stairs reluctantly.

A few minutes later, an old light turned on and Nabooru was sitting on a stool near a table. Malon looked around the basement, it was dusty and occupied with boxes and cobwebs. Malon shuddered. It made her feel uneasy.

"Come sit here." Nabooru patted the stool next to her. "This is where all the new items go before they're put out in Malo Mart."

"You'd think they'd guard it more carefully." Malon said with an eye roll, sitting on the stool. It creaked beneath her weight.

"I know right," Nabooru said as she rummaged through her bag of liquor. "But hardly anyone knows about this place. At least I hope they don't. Ganondorf and I come here often." She said wistfully.

Malon stared at Nabooru again, feeling a pang of sympathy for her. It was obvious that Nabooru loved him. So why weren't they dating? She wanted to ask, but didn't feel like it was her place to barge.

"And besides, people probably wouldn't want to steal Tupperware or utensils. Thieving comes with a price, if you're at risk for getting caught, steal something like a car, or an electronic device, or rupees."

"Or alcohol." Malon added pensively.

Nabooru smiled.

"Yep." She finally brought out a sleek bottle of beer. As she did, Ganondorf made himself visible in the room, already downing some other alcoholic beverage.

Malon felt out of place suddenly. Not only was she a third wheel in a romantic sense, but these two were evidently adults. She was only a minor.

Sensing her troublesome emotions, Ganondorf spoke up.

"The best way to deal with your emotions is to get completely and utterly wasted." He swirled the toxic drink in his hands suggestively, giving her a familiar look as he said it.

"Guys, I-I'm not even…" Malon felt herself blushing. Why was she embarrassed? Scared or worrisome were much more appropriate emotions. But mortification? Why?

The young girl jumped when Nabooru placed a beer bottle in front of her. She stared at it villainously.

"I didn't know what it truly felt like to get buzzed until I tried some stuff from Telma's Bar. She had this imported from Death Mountain, it was brewed by the Gorons. They don't make it like this back home." She said jealously. Malon kept her hands to her sides, remaining perfectly still.

"I envy you, girlie." Nabooru continued, clearly upset that Malon wouldn't pick the bottle up. "You're luckier than you realize. Surrounded by all this liquor, that is. We have to spend hours driving out here just to get a taste. But it sure is worth it."

You're luckier than you realize.

Why did this bother Malon so much? Even if Nabooru was talking about the alcohol, Malon's thoughts still went back to Link. It didn't matter if Zelda had feelings for her boyfriend, because Link was with her. It wasn't enough, unfortunately. Malon still felt insecure.

"It's just beer." Ganondorf commented after a few more minutes of Malon's stubbornness. He was clearly irritated now. "Not nearly as strong as the other drinks we have."

"We're not going to force you to drink it." Nabooru added in a friendlier tone. "But I know you're hurting. I know what it feels like to love someone and be unsure of the way they feel."

Malon could've sworn she looked at Ganondorf as she said it, but still said nothing.

Finally, she spoke up.

"Okay." She said, grabbing the bottle. She glanced at the two Gerudos near her, their eyes had lit up with excitement. She knew she'd regret this later. The Gorons were such lazy creatures, Malon knew this much from looking at the top of the bottle. The cap was similar to one for a water bottle, it could be twisted off without needing a bottle opener. She inhaled the pungent smell and lifted the bottle to her lips, tilting her head back as she did so. Worst choice ever. As soon as the bitter taste danced at the tip of her tongue, her head jerked back and she did a spit take, complete with coughing and sputtering. The sight was comical, and Ganondorf and Nabooru started laughing right off the bat.

"Oh my goodness!" They said after a long while.

Malon slammed the bottle down, frowning.

"I'm so sorry that I'm not an alcoholic." She snapped, feeling even more embarrassed than before.

"We aren't either!" Nabooru said, snickering.

They continued laughing, and Nabooru stood up and wiped the beer off the table.

"Okay." She said, trying to get her breathing under control once her fit of laughter was over. "Let's try again."

"N-No. I don't want to."

"Please?" Ganondorf said, pulling up a chair to sit next to her. "We won't laugh at you this time. Promise." He held his pinky up.

Malon grimaced, inching away from him. He smelled surprisingly nice, aside from the alcohol.

"Whatever." She picked the bottle up again, glancing at her two 'companions' as she did so. She held her breath while she did it, and drank once more. Holding her breath was a bit of a stupid decision, so she pulled the bottle away to catch her breath, and drank again. Her nails dug into the table as she endured the bitter taste. She put the bottle down after ten seconds.

Nabooru and Ganondorf stared at her blankly, evidently unimpressed.

"That's all?" Nabooru asked disappointedly.

"It tastes gross." Malon said. "Is there any kind of alcohol that tastes good?"

"Well, no, duh. But usually they need to be made. Besides, this is actually one of the best beers you'll find in Hyrule. If you taste other brand names, they're disgusting. And beer doesn't contain lots of alcohol. We don't even get drunk off of it."

"Isn't the entire point of this so I can get drunk? Give me something heavy!"

They both stared at her worriedly.

"You brought me here with the intention of getting me drunk, didn't you?" The under aged ginger blossom was practically screaming now. "Give me something heavy." She said in a more forceful tone.

With an eyebrow arched, Nabooru glanced at Ganondorf. "Did you… take any shot glasses by chance?"

"Of course." He said as if it were obvious. He brought one out. Taking a large bottle of vodka out, he filled the tiny cup quickly.

Malon stared at it.

"That's all?" She asked, somewhat mimicking Nabooru's negative reaction.

"Just drink it. You clearly know nothing."

Malon sighed, but she picked up the glass and downed it quickly. The effect? Well, it was shocking. Nothing like the beer she had been drinking just a couple of minutes ago.

"W-Woah," Malon stuttered, swaying around.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Nabooru asked Ganondorf worriedly.

"She'll be fine." He waved it off dismissively, pouring himself a couple of shots and handing the bottle to Nabooru.

"It won't be fun if we're sober and she's not." He explained.

Nabooru shrugged, pouring herself a couple of shots too.

Ten minutes later, all three of them had gone completely insane. Nabooru's body was stretched across the wooden table. The beer bottle that Malon drank from shattered. The voluptuous female was sobbing erratically.

Ganondorf seemed to be a bit mellower, but his vision was impaired. It was clear from the way he stumbled around. Malon wasn't sure what she felt. All she knew was that she was pouring herself a 2nd shot and drinking it like it was nobody's business. That same electrifying feeling came back. It was odd and frightening and new and euphoric, in every sense of the word. Her crappy love life was suddenly irrelevant. Rose's ice cold stare was gone, Link wasn't the one thing pervading her thoughts, Zelda was no longer a threat. It was wonderful. The only thing Malon was worried about was walking without falling over. She felt guilty for laughing at those drunken idiots, because now she was a drunken idiot.

"I'm gonna die," Malon slurred, "I'm going to die. We're all… going to… die…" Her legs gave in again and she crashed onto the floor.

"I call my dad… tell him I love him…" She mumbled, not making any sense. She intended to reach into her pocket to pull her phone out, but instead her hands just slumped to the side. Now she was laughing. Uncontrollably. It was a bit like the way Ganondorf and Nabooru had laughed at her. She couldn't help the silly giggles bubbling up in her stomach.

Then Ganondorf started laughing too. Not as passionately as she was, but still laughing nonetheless. Even Nabooru's cries turned into laughter. They continued to laugh for a long time. Malon didn't think she could find comfort in these two, but she did. Even if their idea of solving a problem was by getting drunk, it worked. And she was enjoying herself. More than she ever thought she would have.

All of a sudden Ganondorf stopped laughing. He glanced up tersely.

"Guys." He said, trying to gain control of himself. "I hear the… the…" His brow furrowed as he tried to refocus on his words.

"I think I hear the guard." He said finally.

Nabooru jumped up instantly, so instant that it was as if she had never been drunk in the first place. But she still had a somewhat dazed expression on her face.

What the…

She grabbed Malon, pulling the redhead up and dragging her towards the stairs.

"Will they see us if we go up through this entrance?"

"I'll distract them." Ganondorf said after a burp.

Nabooru nodded, and what happened next was a blur. Malon felt herself slipping in and out of consciousness as she was dropped by Nabooru multiple times. The female Gerudo would mutter a quick apology and continue to sneak behind buildings, trying to avoid the police. Everything was happening too fast, Malon felt as though she couldn't handle it.

"Wha… Wha's going on…" Malon complained when Nabooru dropped her one last time.

Malon's head bobbed from left to right, she tried her best to see clearly but her vision was too blurred. Two shots. She only had two shots. Was this feeling supposed to be this overwhelming?

"We need to go." Nabooru said, sounding completely sober when she said it. This girl must have learned how to hold down her liquor. Either that or she was pretending the whole time.

"You… You're leaving me here…" Malon asked, her lips parted in shock.

"I'm sorry." Nabooru said, and she sounded as if she really meant it. Malon looked at Ganondorf, who also looked distraught.

The two of them put their bandanas over the majority of their faces once more, and scurried off. Malon didn't know what to feel. Her mind was too dizzy and shocked by all of it.

She lay there for what seemed like an eternity. No one seemed to notice her, except for one person. She heard footsteps coming toward her and fear crept into her system when she realized she was too weak to move or scurry off.

I was right, Malon thought bitterly. There are going to be 'dire' consequences for this. They got me drunk and now they've scurried off.

A tall figure loomed over her. He seemed to be staring at her but his expression was indecipherable. Malon's vision was blurring up again – from tears. He bent over and scooped her up into his arms carefully. She was slapped with the strong aroma of some overpriced cologne. He had put on way too much. He remained silent, and completely casual about it. Picking her up without her consent and walking to who-knows-where. She wiped the tears from her eyes, hoping that her vision would clear up enough so she could get a good look at her (hopefully) savior.

It was Groose.

Malon woke up the next morning to a splitting headache. She gasped sharply, holding onto her head and looking around in a daze.

Where am I…? The first thing she took note of was how unbelievably warm she felt. She was tucked in underneath thick blankets and laying down comfortably on a bed. She rolled over to her side and saw a glass of water waiting for her. It was filled to the brim with ice, and the sight made her heart flutter. She loved having water with lots of ice in it. It was fresh too, as if someone had just put it there for her.

"I see you're awake." A deep voice said.

She turned and saw Groose hunched over on his couch. He was staring at her, and she suddenly wondered if he had been staring at her the entire time.

"Groose…" She was completely lost, trying to grasp a memory of what had happened to her the night before. All she remembered was the horrible dinner with Link and his mom, running into Ganondorf and Nabooru… and following them to a dusty old cellar. But what happened after that?

"I found you laying down on the sidewalk. You were drunk." He said quietly, his voice tinged with disappointment. She picked up on a scent. That musty cologne he was wearing. Her insides swelled with gratefulness.

"Oh." Was her only response.

There was a brief silence.

"It was late out. What were you doing?" She asked curiously. Her mind flashed back to nearly a month ago, when he ran into her while she was walking home from Link's house.

"What were you doing? Why were you drunk? Why did you just lay there?"

"I'm trying to figure it out myself." Malon said, easing up and grabbing the water. It soothed her, but unfortunately it couldn't completely cure her of the headache. He stood up silently, approaching her. She stared into his yellow eyes. They were filled with some new sort of emotion.

"It was him wasn't it?" he pointed at her accusingly.

Startled, Malon stood up too, though she wasn't sure why. She got so defensive when it came to Link.

"What?"

"You got drunk because of him."

"Who?" She feigned inquisitiveness.

"You know who I'm talking about. Because it seems like whenever he lets you down, I'm going to be the one who has to pick you up again." He looked frustrated. "Let me guess. You two had some petty argument, and you decided that instead of talking it out, alcohol was the right way to go. You're such a… a… a drama queen!"

Malon flinched from his words.

"No I'm not! I just – I don't know. Okay? But I didn't leave with the intention of getting drunk, it just sort of happened…"

"And I'm the one who saved you."

"No one asked you to! You could have just left me there to get kidnapped or murdered!"

"Do you even hear yourself? Why would I do that to you?"

"Because… Well, I'm not sure." Malon scratched her throbbing head. Had all the alcohol left her system? She wasn't making any sense.

"Great. Now we're arguing like them too." Groose said, turning around to look at a picture.

Malon craned her neck to see. He had a picture of Zelda smiling vibrantly. Her golden locks were curled, and her lips were bright pink. And Malon was reminded of why she felt so insecure all the time nowadays.

"Life is unfair." Malon said bitterly.

"Hmm?" He asked absentmindedly, having trouble trying to break his gaze from the portrait of the blonde goddess. When he did however, he saw Malon fingering the blankets at the edge of his bed.

"I can't help this jealousy, okay? All these beautiful women… feeling like Link is going to dump me any second because there are so many better options out there for him."

To her surprise, Groose laughed. She turned around and looked at him doubled over, laughing enigmatically.

"What?" She asked, a bit upset at his reaction, but intrigued as well.

"I'll never understand women." He said, wiping a tear off of his face. Once he regained himself, he had a much more serious look. There were so many expressions she could see: longing, understanding, pain. He was like her. In love with someone who probably loved someone else. It sucked. But he knew what she felt. He knew exactly what she felt, yet she didn't know what he felt.

"You got drunk because you think you aren't pretty." He stated, confident that he was right.

Malon wasn't in the mood to bicker, so she nodded.

He shook his head, as if her answer were wrong.

"What is it with you women?" He said, and though she desperately wanted to correct him and tell him she was just a girl, he continued. "You think you're not good enough, that you're not worth it, that your boyfriends will leave once they find someone who's prettier. I know that Zelda isn't prettiest girl in the world, conventionally. In my heart she'll be the most golden, but I acknowledge that there are girls who are considered to be more attractive. That's a reality. Accept it. But guess what? I don't care." He said the last three words as if they were extremely important.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he put a large finger to her lips.

"But you, Malon, you are the last person I expected to be concerned about looks."

Malon removed his finger from her lips gently.

"And why is that?" She asked gingerly.

"Because you're beautiful, of course." He said it as if it were a statement. No affection, not even in a flattering tone. As if it were obvious.

He thought she was beautiful. And his sincerity was overwhelming. And she felt her heart skip a beat, the way it did when Link would pick her up in his arms. And she loved the feeling, she relished in it momentarily.

And suddenly, she felt like kissing him.

Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but Groose did look appealing to her. He wasn't the hottest guy out there, and certainly not the nicest, but there was something in him that made her step closer. He stared at her, dazed by her actions. But he didn't move back or push her.

He didn't move back when she stood on her tiptoes, fueled purely by impulse and desire.

He didn't move back when she grasped onto his shirt with her manicured fingers, her nails almost digging into his flesh.

And he closed his eyes willingly as she pressed her lips against his, without regret or trepidation.

A/N: Oh my gods that escalated quickly. I feel like I kind of made Malon lame with the whole drinking thing, but she's supposed to be very young and petite in this story, and I know that height and weight are important factors when it comes to liquor. ANYWAYS, it's time for shameless advertising. You should really hit me up on tumblr. My url is ganondorf69. Okay that was all for the advertising. This chapter is unusually LONG, I didn't know where to stop. Too much inner monologue, I know. But I feel like it's too important to cut out. (The original draft of this chapter was almost 10,000 words, my god) I was debating over whether or not the theme for this chapter should be "Shots" by LMFAO or "Say Aah" by Trey Songz, I chose the first one just because. Hehe. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who followed/favorited the story. It really means a lot to me that you guys want to keep track of this story. And shout-out to BretheHero0fTime for being the only person who reviewed last chapter… xD But I still feel very loved.

Chapter Eight Theme Song Title: Shots

Artist: LMFAO