Summer of Our Discontent

Goodbye Baby

"My… secret?" Malon asked, genuinely sounding confused.

Ilia nodded and said yes, still sounding accusatory. Malon eyed everyone else carefully. Shad was staring at Ilia with a smirk on his face, Link looked scared – though he wasn't the one who should have felt scared at that moment, Zelda looked like she was bracing herself for a Hyrulean War, Mido… well, he was looking everywhere but at Malon, and Saria had an extremely guilty expression. It made Malon's stomach twist in knots.

"Okay Ilia, you need to calm down. There isn't a secret. This was all some sort of elaborate scheme to lure me over here and make amends with Malon. I must admit, getting Zelda to come over to my house and tell me about that hickey was pretty convincing, but then all of you dragging me to the ranch? I get it now!" Link said, drawing conclusions about the entire encounter. He looked towards Malon apologetically.

"Babe, I'm so sorry about my mom. She's really protective of me, but I should have gone after you. I hope you aren't angry with me."

"Did you just say that Zelda came over to your house?" Malon asked suspiciously.

"Well, yeah… But I didn't ask her to or anything." Link said with a shrug.

Malon drew a sharp breath and reminded herself that getting angry at Link was hypocritical. Besides, Zelda was her best friend. The two hated each other. There couldn't be anything happening between the two, that was clarified after her birthday party.

"This isn't about Zelda, though." Ilia reminded them, "Malon… how could you cheat on LINK?" She said, gesturing towards him as if he was the total package – which he was.

"With Groose!?" Saria added in a distressed tone.

Malon's heart nearly stopped. But if she dropped her innocent and clueless façade, she would be exposed. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, like: How did you find out? Or, Which one of you found out? Or, Why am I being put on the spot like this by my friends?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Malon said, mentally patting herself on the back for not stuttering. She put her hands on her hips, though they were shaking and her lip was slightly quivering. All she could hope for was that there was enough distance between her and her 'friends' so that they couldn't see.

Ingo started heading back towards the horses.

"I'll leave you and your pals alone…" He said, though Malon desperately wanted him to stay.

"Okay, well now that he's gone, it's time to explain yourself girly!" Ilia said.

"There's nothing to explain? Link and I have had some issues but we always work them out. So yeah. But cheating? I-I don't think that's an appropriate response. It doesn't solve any issues, you know?" She said, emotions of guilt and sadness washing over her.

"If you didn't cheat, then explain the hickey!" Ilia exclaimed dramatically.

And while Malon loved Ilia dearly, it was a bit frustrating to be called out like this, plus Ilia was being incredibly annoying.

"What hickey?!" Malon asked, craning her neck to show everyone her totally-clean neck… or her wicked concealer skills. "Ilia, I don't know where you got your facts from, but you need to stop spreading lies to everyone! I thought you were my friend. I can't believe you would do this to me. Do you want my relationship to fail?"

Ilia blinked a couple of times, realizing she had gone a little too far.

"I'm sorry… I didn't spread any lies to anyone. Saria was the only one here who witnessed whatever happened. She told us that she saw you walk out of Groose's house… and she saw you two kiss! I wasn't there though. I shouldn't be doing this…" Ilia turned and looked down at Saria. "Is everything you told us true? Because she doesn't have a hickey, which is our only evidence and I'm kind of looking like a jerk right now."

"You're kind of acting like one too," Malon grumbled underneath her breath. But she looked at Saria curiously. "You saw me?"

"Yeah. I saw you. Why were you at Groose's house?"

Malon bit her lip, how could she lie now? There was no way she could create an elaborate story as to why she was at Groose's house. There was no way she could continue to make Link feel as though he was the bad guy when it was her. Maybe she could say it was just a girl that looked exactly like her, or that Saria was hallucinating, or…

Damn. They got me beat.

Her shoulders slumped a bit as she looked at Saria. The young girl was so innocent, and while it would have been easy to blame her for this entire situation unfolding, it wasn't her fault.

"Um, well I left Link's house because I knew his mom didn't like me. I was sad and hurt and lonely, and I ran into Ganondorf and Nabooru…" At this she saw Link's eyes widen, but she held a hand up to stop him from saying anything. "I knew it was bad and a mistake, but at the time I just didn't care. I ran off with them and drank some alcohol. Yeah, I know. Scandalous, right? Anyways, Groose found me so he took me to his house and uh… he took care of me."

Link frowned.

"But you didn't do anything right?"

"No, not that night."

"So there wasn't a one-night stand?" Link asked for clarification, glaring at Ilia for telling him misinformation.

"No, we didn't have sex."

"But you said you didn't do anything 'that night,' what about this morning?" Link prodded. "They're telling me that you two made out, but I know it's not true. You would never do that."

Malon closed her eyes tearfully.

"I'm sorry Link, but I kissed him. He told me I was beautiful, and like a desperate idiot, I kissed him."

"Why him? You couldn't have cheated on me with someone else? Someone like Pipit, maybe? Why did it have to be Groose?" He looked devastated.

"You are SO missing the point dude," Zelda said, covering her eyes.

"Shut the hell up, Zelda!" Link said, turning to her. His eyes, usually light and playful, were dark with anger and pure hatred. "I'll take your crap any other day but now is not the time. I bet that through all of this, you'd still take her side!" He pointed accusingly.

Zelda flinched, "Um, you don't get to talk to me like tha –"

"Whatever." Link cut her off. "I can't believe this."

"Link, whatever you do, don't be mad with Groose. He didn't kiss me back, because of you… and well, Zelda of course." Malon said.

Link stole a glance at Zelda, who was shamelessly blushing, which made him angrier – even though it shouldn't have.

"But what about when you two went outside?" Saria chimed.

Oh, right…

"Oh yeah, that. I don't know… he asked me why I kissed him and I tried to explain, but it didn't go so well… That time was mutual."

Link looked incredibly hurt. This was it, this was why she couldn't tell him. Not that she had much of a choice, the 'secret' didn't last long… or at all.

For the longest time there was nothing but silence. No one would dare break it, no one had anything to say.

"I… I guess this is the part where you break up with me." Malon said, tears welling up in her eyes. Link knew it was what was best for him, but looking at her pretty little face made it difficult.

"No," he said after the longest time, walking forward and grabbing her hand. "This is the part where you promise not to do it again."

Malon exhaled, how could she have such an amazing boyfriend? No one should have such an amazing boyfriend.

Zelda's brow wrinkled. She loved Malon and didn't care much for Link, but it wasn't fair that she could get away with cheating on Link – especially given how upset he was about it. He was closing his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to keep himself under control. But it didn't seem to be working.

And things only got worse.

A car that looked embarrassingly familiar to Malon rolled up.

Groose came out, running up to Malon with a necklace in his hand.

"Hey Malon, I think you left this at my…" He looked around at Zelda, Shad, Ilia, Mido, Saria, and Link.

Link turned around, and seeing Groose, was when he lost control.

He walked up to the 'heartthrob,' snatched the necklace out of his hand, and smacked him right in the jaw.

"Thanks for the ice cream," Midna said, lounging comfortably on Sheik's couch. After proving to Zant that they were 'fake-dating,' the couple headed over to Sheik's house to hang out. 'Platonically.'

But actually, they didn't truly get to 'prove' anything. Before Sheik could actually kiss Midna, Zant stopped them and told them he believed they were really dating. It was kind of a bummer for him.

I mean, making out with a beautiful girl in front of her ex-boyfriend? That would have been rad.

Sheik sighed and sat next to Midna with his own bowl of ice cream.

"No problem." He gave her a laid-back smirk and watched her stuff her face with the creamy concoction.

"I'm perfectly fine, by the way." She said, her voice slightly muffled by the ice cream.

"Yeah… I can see that. Why try to reassure me?"

"Because you're looking at me like I'm insane."

"I know you're insane. That's not why I'm looking. I'm looking at you because you're just so damn gorgeous." He froze, slightly in disbelief over the fact that those words really did come out of his mouth.

Midna's mouth fell open a little and some ice cream fell out, and onto one of her long legs.

"Let me get that for you," he said, grabbing a paper towel and wiping it off slowly. Midna bit her lip and tried to suppress the urge to jump on top of him. She was still trying to recover from the fact that she finally ended her relationship with her ex-lover, Zant. She took things too fast with Zant, and it backfired on her. She ended up getting hurt, it wouldn't be wise to repeat the same mistakes with Sheik.

But something inside of her was telling her he was different.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sheik asked, breaking her train of thought.

"Um, I'm perfectly fine. Remember?"

"Okay, just checking."

"I just need to ask you something." She said, looking up at him.

"What is it?" He asked, slightly nervous.

"It's about Malon's birthday party." Midna started off slowly.

"Oh! That? I remember. We had some good times working together, didn't we?"

"We did," Midna said, her lips curving into a smile. "But that isn't what I meant. When we were done with everything, and actually at the party. You told me that you liked me. Don't you remember that?"

"Oh yeah, that. I also remember you responding by telling me that you were still in love with your ex. Good times."

Midna smacked him on the shoulder playfully.

"Oh, hush! I didn't know exactly what you meant, forgive me if I had my doubts… I just… I don't know. I was confused. I'm still confused. You said you liked me, but I wasn't sure if you meant it as a friend."

"Are you kidding me!? I partnered up with you for the party to spend time with you, AND I had your back when Impa was interrogating me, and I helped you end things with Zant… And you're CONFUSED?"

Midna's heart skipped a beat.

"I know I said I was perfectly fine, but now I'm kind of having an internal meltdown." She said, and Sheik laughed.

"I can't blame you. How else is a girl supposed to react when the sexiest man alive admits he has a huge crush on her?"

Midna blushed, a smile apparent on her face. She grabbed his hand.

"I think this is the wrong time to be saying this, but I think I have a huge crush on… the 'sexiest man alive' too."

He smiled, but gradually his expression became a bit more serious.

"Then kiss me."

Midna would have responded with words, but there was no point. Instead, she scooted forward and pressed her lips against his. His hands immediately went to her hips – something she was sure he wanted to touch for a very long time – and he pulled her closer. The two were so caught up in each other that when they fell off the couch, they didn't even care.

Holy shit. It's finally happening! Midna thought to herself, losing her fingers in his hair. His lips were gentle, and his tongue was skilled – which was a very dangerous combination.

Quickly becoming breathless but not wanting to stop, Midna was a bit relieved when he pulled away.

"Wow." Was all he would say.

"Yeah… wow…" Midna said, trying to catch her breath.

"Are you still confused?"

"No, not really." She said, "But there has to be some sort of catch."

"What do you mean?" He asked, confusedly.

"This is too perfect. You and I finally hooking up, Malon and Link being truly happy for the first time in a while… Malon and Zelda fixing their friendship… I don't know. There's like, no drama. Weird, right?"

Sheik was about to respond when Midna's phone rang.

She stood up and grabbed it, answering immediately.

"Hello? Zelda? …What?" Her expression went from placid and happy to shocked. "What do you mean Groose and Link are fighting!? Well, what am I supposed to do? …I only took three martial arts lessons!" She paused for a moment, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I know my legs are long but that doesn't mean I can do a roundhouse kick! …Okay, okay!" She hung up and looked at Sheik who was staring back expectantly.

He didn't say anything for a moment, but then struck a 'girly girl' pose and mimicked her in a high pitched tone.

"There's like, no drama. Weird, right?" He said, bursting into laughter when she threw a couch pillow at him. "Hey! Don't get mad at me. Everything was perfect. And then you jinxed it. So why are Groose and Link fighting?"

"I have no idea, but I'm assuming none of them are strong enough to break it up. We should go."

"What do you mean 'we'? I wasn't called to break up this little fight." He asked.

"Um, if you want any more of this," she said gesturing to her entire body, "Then you're coming with me." She put her shoes on and headed outside.

"Damn, she's good." He whispered, and followed.

"You bastard! I knew you were scum but this is the lowest you could ever stoop!" Link said, wrestling with Groose. Groose growled and conked his head against Link's, gaining the upper hand.

"Why don't you say that to your girlfriend? She's the one who had her hands all over me, pretty boy. But once I'm done with you, you won't be so pretty!"

Malon always fantasized of having two guys fight over her, but now that fantasy seemed stupid. Where's the romance in having two guys fight over you? In the end, everyone just gets hurt. Besides, Groose seemed more concerned with defending himself while making Link even angrier.

"You don't even care about her!" He said, raising his fist to punch Groose again. "You only wanted to make me mad, well congratulations, it worked! But now you're gonna regret it!" He punched Groose in the chest, which caused him to grunt.

"You don't get to tell me how I feel, asshole! We were both hurt and rejected, I was there for her when she needed YOU!" He punched Link back, and Link flinched, absorbing the pain momentarily. Groose took that moment to roll on top of him and pinning both of his arms to the ground.

"That's not an excuse to make out with my girlfriend, damn it!"

"An eye for an eye, pretty boy. You mess with my girl, I'll mess with yours." He sneered.

Link squirmed, itching to get out of Groose's grip when another muscular pair of arms hoisted Groose off of him. Link tried to sit up and get a good look at the peacemaker, but he was too bruised to move.

"Thank goodness," Zelda breathed, rushing over to help Link up. By 'helping him up' she yanked him up roughly, not stopping to think about all the aches and pains the motion had resulted in. He looked at her lividly but she avoided his gaze.

"Well that was intense…" Sheik said, looking back and forth between the two young men.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Midna asked, looking at Groose and Link worriedly. "I know you two don't like each other, but that was crazy. TOO crazy."

"And what you said about me and Link…" Zelda sighed exasperatedly, "What did you mean by that, Groose? I don't like Link. I told you that, a million times. And NOT to make you feel better. I meant it."

Groose rubbed his jaw, "Whatever, Zel. You keep convincing yourself there isn't anything between you two. I just got tired of watching from the sidelines."

"You told me you were in love with me. If that's true, then why did you make out with my best friend?" Zelda sounded a little hurt, "You said you would show me that there was so much more to you than looks. But so far, I'm not very convinced."

Is she actually jealous? No, she can't be. Now, of all times she decides to display an interest in him? If she did so sooner, maybe none of this would have happened! Link thought to himself furiously.

"And what about you? You told me that if you had to choose between me and Link – you'd choose Link. Remember that?"

Everyone turned to look at Zelda in surprise.

"…Yeah. I did say that." She responded, with a little less zeal in her voice. She turned to look at Link and they both stared at each other for a long time. She turned back to Groose.

"I mean, I said it to get you to distance yourself from me… But I guess it's sort of true? Because Link never made a move on me to get you angry, he wouldn't do that to anyone, not even you. And even if I fight with him all the time, and hate his guts, he's STILL a better person than you. So forget it Groose, just forget it." Zelda turned and walked away, her insides were nearly liquefied.

Of all the crazy scenarios she had found herself in throughout the entire summer, this one had to be the most humiliating. The only reassuring thought was the fact that everyone had been embarrassed, somehow. But now, Malon would definitely not be okay with her. The birthday fiasco was one thing, but things wouldn't be the same now. She ran to the car, locking herself inside. Until they left and never came back, she refused to come out.

Meanwhile, Link was rubbing his wounds slowly. He looked around, at Groose, at Mido, Saria, Sheik, Midna – all of his friends pretty much (and Shad).

"Did… did she really say that?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't get too excited if I were you. She probably doesn't want to talk to anyone right now." Groose said.

"Link, are you okay?" Malon said, walking up to him.

"I thought I would be, then he came and I… I snapped. So no, I most definitely am not okay." He stepped back from her.

"Link…"

"And, why should I be okay? I can yell and scream at him all I want, but at the end of the day, you're the one who owed me the commitment, not him."

"What are you trying to say?" She asked fearfully.

He sighed painfully, and closed his eyes.

"I think you know exactly what I'm trying to say. I've changed my mind. It's over, Malon."

A/N: I…. I…. I'm so sorry… Please don't hate me… *hides fearfully*

Chapter 12 Theme: Goodbye Baby

Artist: Miss A

WARNING: I already started writing Chapter 13 and the opening is an… interesting ZeLink scene.