Summer of Our Discontent
Confession
"Mother of Gorons! Zelda, what the hell – uh – flippity doo da are you doing here!?" Ilia asked, standing up suddenly and biting her tongue for letting the 'h' word slip in front of Link's mom, Rose. Zelda bit her lip, picking the plant up and adjusting it appropriately before brushing herself off.
"Wait, are you two…" Shad pointed at Link and Zelda, putting two and two together.
"No! We aren't!" Link said angrily.
"Are you sure?" Mido prodded.
"Yeah! Are you?" Rose put her hand on Link's shoulder, her expression was nearly thrilled.
"No, mom! I have a girlfriend. A girlfriend who's apparently cheating on me with a guy who hates my guts. I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly? You couldn't have said Groose. Maybe you meant Moose or Goose or… Foose. Or something else."
"Foose?" Zelda asked, laughing as she said so. Link stared at her, noticing how beautiful her smile was – even if only for a moment. He looked away immediately, suppressing the feelings she had set off in his stomach.
"Nope, we said Groose. I saw him kissing Malon yesterday in front of his house." Saria said in a timid voice, scared of what Link's reaction would be.
"She was at his house?" Link asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice.
"Yeah. They had a one night stand. Right, Ilia?" Mido looked up at her apprehensively.
"Erm, right. I think." Ilia mumbled unsurely.
"They… he…" Link's brow furrowed.
"You know, this would explain the hickey she had on her neck."
"The what she had on her where?" Rose asked, back in the kitchen with a knife held tightly in her hand, which she had been using to cut up some fresh vegetables for everyone.
"That sounds like compelling evidence," Shad said with that odd smile of his. "I hope you aren't too devastated Link."
Link blinked for a couple of moments. He stared at all of his friends… and Shad. But his next reaction was unexpected: he laughed. Bent over, holding onto his stomach, he laughed his heart out. Zelda thought about it and started laughing too. The prospect of Malon ever stooping so low with Groose was enough to make anyone laugh. The two of them continued to laugh to the point of tears. When they stopped they were breathless.
"Oh gods, that's funny. But trust me, Malon would never cheat on me. We've had lots of issues in our relationship lately, but she loves me. And I love her." Link said, his tone starting off light but gradually getting more and more intense.
The smile on Zelda's face faded as he said that. And everyone but him seemed to notice.
"B-Besides," Zelda interjected, "Groose hates Link but he would never do something like that." She shrugged indifferently while everybody else stared at her blankly.
"…Okay. Well, as Link said, Malon wouldn't do anything like that. She loves Link and she would never cheat on him. And I mean, yeah Groose would want to get back at Link, but it doesn't make sense for him to play tongue-hockey with Malon because he loves me." Zelda concluded confidently, but still got blank stares.
"…Right?" Zelda asked, feeling confused. It was the first time she felt discomforted by the thought of Groose not loving her. How weird.
"Of course, Zelda. Whatever helps you sleep at night." Shad said with an eye roll.
"Shad, what are you even doing here?" Zelda asked, slightly irritated.
"I got an invite." He said nonchalantly, stretching his arms and turning back to look at Ilia with a smirk.
Zelda's eyes met Ilia's suggestively. Ilia shook her head, her cheeks flaming up immediately. Zelda laughed and nodded, making a heart with her hands.
"We don't have time to discuss Ilia and Shad's blossoming romance guys, we need to get to the bottom of this Malon and Groose business. Honestly, I don't believe it. I mean, Malon being with someone else already has me skeptical, but of all the guys to cheat on me with, she chose Groose? Come on now."
"Denial isn't just a river in Gerudo Valley, Link." Mido told him.
"Gerudo Valley does not have any rivers called denial or similar to the word." Shad said, looking at Mido weirdly.
"You know what I meant!" He said, angry. "I'm not going to lie. Groose is my friend. I'm not entirely sure I believe it either. But like Shad said, that hickey Zelda saw is compelling evidence."
"Well do you have video proof of Malon and Groose?" Link asked.
"No. But we have video proof of something else –" Shad tried to reach into his jacket pocket.
"Um, no we don't." Ilia said, grabbing Shad's hand to stop him. They both looked down at the way their fingers interlocked and retracted instantly.
"Relax, I was just joking." Shad whispered.
"I know." Ilia whispered back.
"So you know that I was bluffing about the second tape? Then why did you let me tag along?"
"Just because." Ilia said, her cheeks light shaded with pink.
"Let's all drive down to Lon Lon Ranch and get the whole story from Malon." Mido suggested.
"Okay…" Zelda said unsurely, walking with Saria and Ilia. All three of the girls suddenly became chatterboxes and talked animatedly about who-knows-what.
Shad and Mido started for the door as well, but Link lingered in the living room.
"Are you coming?" Mido asked. "She's your girlfriend, y'know. It's best for you to find out the truth."
Link walked forward slowly, and then stopped.
"I'm sorry guys, this whole thing just seems way too farfetched. Besides, Zelda, you told me to wait. And I really want to wait." He said.
"When did Zelda tell you that?" Saria asked curiously.
"When I came over to her house the other day." Link said with a simple expression.
"He went to your house?" Shad asked, turning to Zelda with his arms crossed.
"Um, yeah… He just wanted to talk about Malon. I-It was nothing really." She said, trying to forget how he told her she was his 'ideal girl,' even if he was just echoing his mom's thoughts.
"And now you're here at his house…" Shad was smiling again.
"What is going on with you two?" Mido looked at both of them pointedly.
"Nothing!" Link and Zelda both blurted.
"What's going on with you and Saria?" Zelda said, hoping to twist the awkwardness around on the two young lovebirds.
"If this is about our date yesterday, it wasn't a date!" Saria said exasperatedly.
"You two went on… a date?" Zelda smiled at Saria.
"It wasn't a date!" Mido whined.
"Will all of you just get into the car?!" Link asked, tired of the dilly-dallying and finally agreeing to going off with his crazy group of friends.
Sheik was leaving his favorite clothing store when he saw her. Big round eyes, shorts that showed off her glorious thighs, and a shirt that hugged every curve of her body. Her fair blue-green skin was darker than usual, and she was being followed by a man that looked similar to her – in terms of ethnicity.
"Midna," the name rolled off the man's tongue so smoothly it sounded as if he had created the name himself. "Please stop running away from me."
"I'm not running away from you." Midna said, stomping her feet and turning to face him. Her thighs jiggled, and Sheik couldn't help feeling bothered by the way her body was exposed for everyone to drool over.
I'm the only one who should be able to drool over her.
"I really want to be with you." He said, inching closer to Midna and even touching her arm. Her mouth was 'o' shaped and she immediately looked down. But she didn't push him away.
"Zant! I'm tired of this. I'm confused right now. I – I'm seeing someone else."
Sheik nearly had a heart attack.
"What? You mean, you have feelings for someone else? Wow… This may not be the best thing to say, but I really hope you're lying." Zant said.
"He took the words right out of my mouth," Sheik whispered to himself. Hopefully Midna was only saying that to get him away from her. At Malon's birthday party, he had told Midna he liked her. Even if it wasn't the clearest way to send his message, he was still hoping she'd catch his drift.
"Okay, maybe I'm not seeing anyone. But that doesn't mean I wanna be with you." Midna confessed.
Sheik let out a sigh of relief.
"I knew it. You're avoiding me because you're afraid of getting hurt. But baby, I've changed. I no longer have my priorities mixed up. I'll put you first, I'll put you before everything."
"You see, that's the thing. I'm either your first priority or I'm not a 'priority' at all. I just want balance. I don't expect you to devote your life to me. But I also don't expect you to just leave me behind in the dust. Zant, you really need to learn to take no for an answer, all right?" Midna said.
"I'll try. I promise. But I can't do it unless you give me another chance." Zant said, he closed his eyes for a moment – which was a relief since they were kind of creepy – and then he opened them and prepared to say the most cliché romantic 'I want you back' monologue ever.
"Midna, when I'm with you, I'm a better person." He started off slowly in a tender voice. It was enough to make Sheik puke.
He continued, "I let you go at a difficult point in my life. And it only made my situation worse. All the hooking up, stolen kisses, intimate moments we shared when we weren't committed, those meant something to me. You weren't just another girl to get in bed with."
Sheik's shoulders slumped. Of course she gave him her V-card. Sheik wasn't exactly 'clean' himself, but the thought of Midna having history with other guys made him outrageously jealous. Even the thought of him having been with other girls himself made him feel oddly dirty. And to make matters worse, she was actually buying it!
Zant was getting ready to finish, "Whether or not I can 'live' without you is irrelevant. I can still breathe. I can still eat. I can still drink. I'm physically capable of everything I was capable of before I met you. It's not about what I do. It's about what I feel. And Midna, you make me feel happy." He inched closer to her, staring directly into her eyes. "I love y –"
At this point Sheik had heard enough and he ran towards the pair and jumped in between them.
"Midna can't be with you!" He shouted.
"Why not?" Zant and Midna asked simultaneously.
Sheik turned around to give Midna a 'really?' look, before glaring at Zant.
"I'm the guy Midna's seeing." Sheik said.
"Really? You? Midna, sweetheart, you said you weren't seeing anyone." Zant told her.
"I… I…" Midna looked between Sheik and Zant, trying to recover from the jolt Sheik had given her when he popped out of nowhere. She had to make a choice. Zant, an ex with whom she shared an extremely intimate and long relationship with, or Sheik, a perverted flirt who gave her mixed messages and got her into hot water with her friend's caretaker.
I can't believe I'm doing this… She thought to herself.
Reluctantly, Midna linked her arm with Sheik and reminded herself mentally that an ex is an ex for a reason.
"I said that 'maybe' I'm seeing someone else. And I am. This is Sheik. My, um… boyfriend." She said a bit hesitantly.
"You decided to spring this on me right after I spilled my heart out to you?" Zant asked, fuming.
"Yeah. I really need to work on my timing." Midna said, sending Sheik a disapproving stare.
Sheik mouthed 'sorry' in response.
Zant eyeballed them for a while, not saying anything but observing the way they looked at each other and their body language. There seemed to be some sort of chemistry between the two (much to his dismay), but at the same time the scene seemed… rehearsed.
Finally, he spoke up.
"I can't help feeling that the two of you aren't being entirely truthful with me. I mean, there's no way you two are together. Like, a Sheikah? Midna, you can't be serious." Zant laughed.
"What's wrong with being a Sheikah?" Sheik said. He had some retorts to make about Twili, but bringing them up would be hurtful to Midna. And Sheik wasn't inherently racist.
"Yeah, what's wrong with it?" Midna pumped up, tightening her grip on Sheik's arm. "Sheik is a great guy." She gave him a smile as she said so.
"Yeah, well, I still don't believe you two are dating." Zant said.
"Well believe it then. We've gotta get going." Sheik said, hoping to get Midna as far away from Zant as possible.
"Not so fast. I want proof that you two are really seeing each other."
Sheik looked down at Midna, unlinking his arm from his.
"You want proof, well here's proof." Sheik said, grabbing Midna by the shoulders.
She looked back at him expectantly then closed her eyes.
He leaned in, and then…
Malon applied concealer to her neck carefully and generously, after changing out of her clothes of course – which reeked of Groose-cologne. Her lips, sore from the aggressive mini-make out session, were smothered in glittery lip gloss. She wasn't at all prepared for Zelda's surprise visit, but now if anyone sprung up more surprises on her, she would be ready. The makeup was mainly to hide evidence of her guilty acts from her father, Talon. He didn't know the level of intimacy she and Link had reached, to him she was still his sweet country belle. Plus, if he found out that she had cheated on Link, he would never let her leave the ranch again. She would be confined to a life of tending to horses and chickens – a lot like Ingo – their bitter and pessimistic employee.
Trying to push such horrifying thoughts away from her head, Malon headed to the living room. Ever since the surprise party, positive waves of emotion washed over her whenever she entered the living room. This was where she and Zelda made up… And where she and Link had made out.
"No!" Malon scolded to herself out loud. "This is not the time to be thinking about boys." She crossed her arms angrily – the anger focused on herself.
"What was that, dear?" A deep voice prodded.
Malon turned around, her eyes nearly popping out of her head when she saw Ingo carrying twelve bottles of milk.
"I-Ingo! What are you doing here in the house!?"
"I'm gathering all the milk stored in your guys' fridge. Talon's orders. But what were you saying? Oh, and you seem to have healed quickly from that nasty bruise on your neck." He grimaced.
"What? Y-You noticed that?" She touched her neck self-consciously.
"I've been working on this ranch for years. I sleep in the barn for Farore's sake! I saw you and that big man with the bloody hair just likes yours. I saw Zelda come over and surprise you. I see everything. I wish I don't, but I do. I've been up milking cows since dawn. So far this is the most entertainment I've had all month." He grumbled.
"You live a very sad life, Ingo." Malon said with a wistful smile.
"So do you, apple head."
"Yeah, I know." They both remained silent for a great while. "Would you like some help with that milk?"
"Less work for me. So yeah." Ingo said as Malon stood up and grabbed a few bottles.
They walked outside together, and Ingo couldn't help staring at Malon.
"So, you're having boy troubles?"
"Gee, how'd you guess?" Malon asked sarcastically.
"You know, I've been meaning to ask you… which one of those lil rascals is your boyfriend?"
"Link. The one with the sandy hair and dreamy eyes. He's sort of perfect."
"I wonder how you snagged him," Ingo said, "Set those bottles down here." He added once they reached a large wooden box.
"Well, I wonder how you didn't know which one was my boyfriend, since you see everything and all."
"I see everything, I don't know everything. But would you like to know what else I see? You look miserable with 'Sort of Perfect.' Like, he's some kind of god and you're a peasant. But when you're with that buff guy…" He paused.
"What? Groose? What about him?" Malon asked expectantly.
"Er, I don't really know. I haven't really seen you with him until today. He's usually fanboying over Zelda. I was going to say something really inspirational but… Ah, screw it. I will say this, however: play with fire and you will get burned." He gave her a wise smile, grabbing a towel and heading towards the horses.
"Um, Ingo?" Malon asked curiously.
"What?" He said, turning around.
"Why are you being nice to me?"
"Because I need a raise," he responded honestly, "And you need serious help."
Malon wanted to make a snappy comeback, but the sound of a car engine cut off her train of thought. She turned and saw Link, Zelda, Saria, Mido, Ilia, and… Shad? all walking towards her.
Ilia blinked a few times. Ingo, who intended to 'clean up' after the horses, walked back and stared at the group of teens with a confused expression on his face. Malon slowly walked towards them, her heart hammering at the sight of her boyfriend.
"Oh, hi guys. Zelda, you're back… with friends, I see." Malon said, her hand itching to touch her neck, but knowing that would be a stupid idea.
Zelda noticed Malon's discomfort and intentionally distanced herself away from Link to hopefully alleviate some of the tension. But Ilia, bold and fearless, had to shatter it all at once.
"All right Malon, play time's over, we know your secret!"
A/N: Last chapter got an oddly high amount of reviews tbh. Not that it's a bad thing, but the average reviews on this story HAVE lowered over the years. That feels weird to say, because it feels like yesterday that I posted this story. 2012 was NOT that long ago. They say 'time flies when you're having fun,' but I'm not having fun & time is flying anyways. Okay, okay, okay. This story now has 100 reviews! Awesome! I'm hoping to (gracefully) wrap the story up this year in the summertime. How cool would that be!?
This chapter's theme is a song called 'Confession,' sung by a band at my school for the talent show. I think they might post it on YouTube, not entirely sure though. But I don't have any other song to put for the title (and I'm too lazy to think of one by a famous band or musician, so yeah).