Zelda had never been fond of seafood, but walking along the boardwalk next to her brother, she decided she might have to change that opinion. Whatever kind of fish Link had purchased at the stall was skewered, grilled, and drizzled with some smoky sauce, and she had already devoured three of them. "Am I still an ass?" he asked as he slurped on a giant watermelon smoothie in an obnoxiously pink and green cup. Zelda tore her eyes from the beautiful scenery and looked at her brother, his blue eyes so full of hope she had to cave.
"No," she sighed and he beamed at her. "This is amazing," she motioned around them. "You were right, this is what I needed."
"Say that again," Link said as he put his hand behind his pierced pointed ear.
"I needed this?"
"No no no, the other part."
"You were right?"
"Mm," Link smiled happily, "I don't hear that enough... Say it again!"
"Don't push it," she warned and he stuck out his lower lip. She sighed and poked at another skewer. "Why do you think he did it?" she asked after a moment and Link shrugged.
"Zel, I'll be the first to tell you that people make some stupid fucking mistakes... We both know I've got the marks to prove it," he tapped his covered arms and Zelda scowled at the reminder. "Whatever he was thinking, trust me he'll regret it for the rest of his miserable life."
"Aw," Zelda smiled at him and he grabbed her food from her fingers. "Hey! I'm nibbling on that!"
"Bar time!" he proclaimed in a stately voice. He tossed her food in a trash can and pointed to an open doorway, a neon sign proclaiming booze aplenty. "'The Leaky Canteen'," he said proudly. "They serve crazy drinks and," he nodded to an approaching group of people, Zelda blushing despite herself as the blue haired man wrapped an arm around the red head that pushed him in the water's shoulders, "they serve crazy gentlemen."
"Link no..." she shook her head and Link shoved her forward.
"You promised one night," he said and she gave him a slightly panicked look. "A guy who's been on an oil rig for months... Easy pickings."
"I-I can't do that!" she felt near panic and Link gripped her arm firmly. "He's probably a douche-"
"You aren't looking for a fucking husband," he reminded her, "just a good night with a big di-"
"Oh goddesses shut up!" She shoved him and he gave her an innocent face. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her arm from his grip and moved towards the crowd entering the bar.
XxX
Zelda tensed up as she walked through the crowded bar, moving up to the counter like a scared cat, twitching at the slightest noise. For the first time in years she was nervous, and she hoped it didn't show as she found an empty stool and plopped down. "Hiya!" the young man with white hair behind the bar smiled at her and Zelda wondered if he was even old enough to serve the alcohol behind him. "What can I getcha?"
"Uh, a martini," she said and he nodded, moving to fill her order. He looked back at her, then over her shoulder, eyes lighting up.
"Ike!" he laughed as he shook up the drink, Zelda trying to scope out who it was without being obvious. "What brings you to town?"
"I'm on leave Shulk," Zelda tried to focus on her fingers as the blue haired man sat on the stool beside her, "gimme the usual?"
"Alright," the young man, apparently named Shulk, poured the martini in her glass and served it with a smile.
"Bleh," the blue haired Ike made a face and Zelda looked over at him. "Martini? What are you? A secret agent?"
"Maybe," she said and he smirked. 'Goddesses,' she thought to herself as he sat there, 'he's ridiculously attractive.'
"I'm Ike," he said, "what's your name?"
"I'm not telling you," she said and he quirked up an eyebrow, somehow making him sexier. 'No being has any business being that sexy.'
"Why not?" he asked, nodding as Shulk set a chilled mug filled with something dark and frothing before him.
"Because you'll never have reason to use it," she said and picked up her martini. She felt his eyes on her and nervously she turned her head back to him. He sipped his drink and set it down slowly, licking his upper lip.
"Someone break your pretty heart?" he asked and she scowled.
"Maybe I don't like cheesy lines from oil rig rats," she said and to her surprise his grin grew wolfish as amusement, not anger, flashed in his eyes.
"You think that's a cheesy line? A cheesy line is 'heaven must be missing an angel', shit like that. You," raised his mug in salute, "are no angel."
"And what makes you say that?" Zelda asked, crossing her arms.
"Because you're a Hylian, all Hylian beauties are trouble."
"Oh is that a well known fact?" she asked and he smirked.
"Not at all, but that's my hypothesis," he said and gave her a mock serious face. "Care to help me test it?"
"Now that's a line," she said with a sneer and he chuckled, a damnably gorgeous sound to her ears.
"You're right that was," he said before sipping his drink. "Can't blame an oil rig rat for trying though."
"Look, the attention is nice," she sighed and he turned to her with a look she couldn't place, "but it's pointless because this," she motioned between them, "isn't happening. So go try someone else."
"Ouch," he said and she tried to ignore him as she sipped her martini once more. "You do realize if I were so inclined I could, but I happen to believe that there's more than one thing to do with a beautiful woman."
"Like what?" she asked and he mimicked her by sipping his mug daintily. Zelda couldn't help her small smile at him, which upset her. How could a man she knew nothing about slide past her defenses so quickly?
"Like sitting and talking," he said and she snorted which drew a chuckle from him.
"No man wants to do that," she said and he gave her a hurt look.
"Well fuck you very much," he said without venom behind it. "I happen to know I could go over to..." he looked around and finally pointed to a table filled with women, "that table, and leave with two of them." Zelda felt a twinge of jealousy over that, unsure why it bothered her. "You've been verbally abusive since I sat down, and I still wanna chat. You want me to go over there and get fucked, leaving you to the mercy of my fellow crewmates? Alright I will. Or, we can chat. Up to you." He leaned on the bar, a look on his face akin to amusement. She bit her lower lip and sighed after a moment.
"Fine," she caved for the second time that day, "what do you want to talk about?"
"What's your name?"
"Not going to happen," she said and he smacked the bar lightly.
"Alright... Why is a high class woman like you in a bar like this? And, before you say a word, no, that's not a line. Well, it might be, but that wasn't the intention."
"What makes you think I'm a high class woman?" she asked and he snorted.
"You're drinking a martini and making it last, your outfit cost more than my little sister's closet, believe me that's a feat, and you called me an oil rig rat." Zelda blushed and he tilted his head, his hair moving hypnotically in the low light. "Let me guess, dude broke your heart and your friends dragged you here against your will for an ego boosting session of men in my social class hitting on you. Sound about right?" he asked and she shook her head.
"Close. My brother, not my friends," she said and he shrugged.
"Most rich kid siblings aren't friendly. Me and my sister Mist? I'd take a bullet for her."
"Aw," Zelda said and he shrugged. "I'd take a bullet for my brother," she proclaimed and he rolled his eyes.
"No bulletproof vest allowed," he said and she shoved his arm, trying to ignore the obvious muscle under the sleeve. "What do you do for a living?"
'I'm the princess of fucking Hyrule,' she thought at him but settled on an edited version with a sigh. "I work in politics." Vague, not a lie. "You?"
"I'm a Crimean dog posing as an oil rig rat," he smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile when he let out a little growl. "Uh let's see... You like seafood?"
"Not particularly, though I did have a good grilled fish earlier," she made a face. "That was random. What about you?"
"I don't... I hate it I hate it I hate it," he shuddered and she giggled. 'Oh goddesses I just fucking giggled,' she groaned internally. "Hate it. You ever try Crimean Ale?"
"No," she shook her head and he gave her a surprised face.
"Seriously? What the hell? Have you been living under a rock?" he laughed and she shrugged.
"Locked up in a dusty castle," also, not a lie.
"Here," he waved down Shulk. "Shulk, get her one."
"I'll buy my own drinks," she said and he shrugged.
"We can put everything on your tab for all I care, you just need to try this," he took the filled mug from Shulk and set it before her. "No more martinis." Zelda sighed and picked up the frothy mug, taking a careful sip. The flavor surprised her. It was almost sweet, wasn't too strong tasting, and didn't leave that alcohol aftertaste on her tongue. "Watch out though, you get drunk on it quick."
"Is this your new plan of attack?" she asked and he shook his head.
"No plan, just enriching your life one sip of good booze at a time," he grinned at her. "Shit like this is the reason I was born so watch out." Zelda laughed into her mug.
"I'm not that foolish."
"Neither was my mother," he said as he finished off his mug. "Yet here I am, and I have a sister. 'Course that just might've been the good ol' Greil charm."
"Well it's not working on me," she said and he gave her an innocent smile she didn't believe for a second.
"Who says I'm trying? You said it was pointless. You won't even tell me your name." Zelda blushed, hiding it with long gulps of the ale. "Can you at least give me a letter? However is a man supposed to address you? Beautiful? Sounds a bit demeaning..."
"I'm not telling you..." Zelda already felt the warm tingling buzz of alcohol coursing through her veins. Suddenly she was glad she wasn't a stupid drunk, just a little giggly. "It has an 'e' in it."
"E? Gee that really narrows it down," he said sarcastically. Zelda giggled, putting her hand over her mouth. "Any other letters?"
"Not that I'm telling you," she said and he chuckled.
"One ale and you're drunk," he said with a smile and she scoffed.
"I am not."
"You are," he stood up, her watching him pull out his wallet.
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah," he said, giving her a sly smile, "you wanna come too?"
"Why? What for?"
"My charming company," he waggled his eyebrows and she giggled. "A walk on the beach will clear your head," he payed for their drinks and she gave him a look as he put up his wallet, holding out a hand.
"No shenanigans," she warned and grabbed his hand, surprised by the strength behind the rough callouses.
"Never," he said as they moved to the door, her realizing she was leaving Link. A quick glance around the bar and she found him, chatting it up with a girl with green hair so long it brushed the ground. They locked eyes and he raised a blonde brow slightly. 'Shut up,' she thought at him and he smirked as if he heard her. 'I'm not sleeping with him.'
XxX
"So," they walked along the boardwalk together Zelda trying to ignore the tingle that shot through her body every time their arms brushed. He looked at her and she cleared her throat to start again. "So what's the plan?"
"You tell me your name."
"Nope," she let the word pop and he smiled. "If you're nice I'll tell you another letter."
"Deal," he said and moved from the boardwalk to the trail leading to the white sand beaches. They made it to the edge, white sand scattered on the worn and weathered wooden planks. Zelda watched Ike kick off his oil stained boots and socks, him turning to her with a nod at her pricey silver sandals. Brazenly, she lifted a foot and he laughed as he knelt before her. "Best be glad your drunk, otherwise I'd tell you to take one of these and shove it up your ass." He slid one off her foot, then the other, standing up with a smirk. He offered her an arm and she took it with a smile. They walked over to the water's edge, Zelda giggling as the sand seeped between her toes.
"Let's sit!" she exclaimed and then pulled him to the sand next to her. He chuckled as he managed to recover and sit in a more dignified way than her inelegant plop. The water lapped at their toes, eliciting a giggle from her once more. They looked at each other and Ike held out an arm. Zelda smiled at him, scooting into the open arm with a heavy sigh. "I needed this, my brother was right."
"So, my nameless companion," he said as she leaned into him, "why don't you tell me what happened?"
"He cheated on me," she sighed and he squeezed her tightly. "I had photographic evidence. He made a fool of me, I was planning our wedding, he was... I don't wanna know." She looked up at Ike who just gave her a sad smile.
"I've been fucked over before too," he said and she scowled.
"It's not fair."
"Never is," he looked out over the water, a tiny island in the distance with a lonely palm tree bowing to the set sun. The moment stretched, surprisingly comfortable, and Zelda glanced back at the streetlight lit pier, a photo booth catching her eye.
"Have you ever done that?" she asked and pointed, his eyes following her finger.
"The photo thing? Yeah... Why?Haven't you?"
"Never," she admitted and he gave her a look.
"Well come on," he stood up, pulling her up with him, "we'll do it together." Zelda smiled as he collected their shoes and they walked hand in hand to the booth, going behind the black velvety curtain and sitting on the tiny bench. "Alright so," he pulled out his wallet and Zelda giggled at nothing in particular as he paid for the photo booth, "we get four little pictures, we do different stuff for each one. Obviously the first one we just smile," he said as he pressed the button, Zelda laughing and leaning against him as the screen lit up, showing them and how the photo would look with a timer counting down.
"Oh goddesses I look terrible," she tried to smooth her hair and he caught her hands, bringing them to his lips.
"You're beautiful," he said seriously and she looked at him, "smile, quick!" She turned back to the camera and gave it her best smile, him smirking next to her. The camera flashed brightly and she blinked away the spot left by the light. "Alright, now what?"
"Uh... Serious face!" she proclaimed with a giggle and he laughed as the timer started down, putting a hand on his chin and raising an eyebrow. Zelda busted out laughing right as the flash went off. "Shit!"she stomped her foot and he leaned on her as laughter escaped his lips. "I messed it up!" She looked at him, in the terrible lighting and cramped space, and all she could think was that she wanted him. Without pausing to think, without weighing out all her options, Zelda leaned in, pressing her lips to his. His hand came up and held her head there, breath growing heavy already as they tried to move closer together in the space. It registered to her shut eyes that there was a bright flash and she pulled back, resting her forehead against his.
"Ike..." she whispered his name, unsure of what to say. Another flash went by, unnoticed by the couple as they stared into each other's eyes. "Where are you staying?" she finally managed to ask.
"Motel," his voice replied in a husky whisper that threatened to turn her insides to goo, "couple blocks over."
"Let's go." It was all she could manage, thankfully it was enough.
XXX
author note: thanks for reading! And a big hug and shout out to concisponci (the mind reading devil on my shoulder) and ElPasoMistico (my partner in crime) for reviewing! Let me know what you think! Much love, Leigh