Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

Hey

"I was already here when you called."

"What?" I return in a mousy peep.

"Yeah but don't worry about it... I was just about to go home anyways."

"No, wait, don't leave. I didn't know that you were waiting at my house. Had I known, I would have come home sooner or told you it was going to take a little longer."

"A little?" He exclaims. His head now turns toward me, hurt in his eyes as they pierce me with a bitter tint of vexation. "You told me you were leaving the dorms almost 3 hours ago! Where were you really?"

"I-I-I-I was at the dorms!" I panic.

I instantly spit the resemblance to Father, accusing me of lies and refusing to believe his own daughter. I don't want my relationship to Link to be like that! I don't want to get in a fight with him over simple misunderstandings. He doesn't even know the full story yet.

"I really was leaving the dorms when I called you. It's the truth, please—please believe me!" I beg, not hiding how desperate I am for his reassurance.

His eyes soften in a heartbeat. "Okay, I believe you. But what happened? You should have been home hours ago..."

"I know. You're right, and—and I want to explain... but—please don't—please, please don't get mad at me," I plead while fighting for each breath.

"I'm not mad, okay? I'm sorry if it seems that way. Just calm down please."

"You're not mad?" I breathe hectically.

"No. I just got really worried, that's it."

He scoots closer to put his hand on my leg, giving me the affection I demanded to calm my nerves.

"I'm going to tell you something but it's not my place to tell you so I'm asking you kindly to keep it a secret, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. What is it?"

"Okay so... a few months ago, Pik told me that he has an eye condition that is slowly turning him blind." My words melt Link's stern look and he immediately expresses his sympathy through his eyes and furrowed brows. "I'm the only one he has ever told about it. And when he lost something at the beach today, something he is very attached to, I was the only one he could call for help... But even with my help we couldn't find it, so I gave him a ride back to the dorms. I didn't stay long, five minutes tops. He wanted to show me his room, and I now realize what that may sound like but it really was completely innocent. I tried to cheer him up a little and we hugged at the end, but nothing else happened."

"That was 3 hours ago though. What happened after?"

"I went back to the beach..."

"What?"

"To look for his lost pick."

"And? Did you find it?" I give him a hesitant nod and watch in surprise as Link facepalms.

Eyes pinched, jaw clenched, and shaking his head, he sits up in frustration. "You can't give it to him."

"What? Why not? Can you imagine how difficult it was to find this tiny piece of plastic in the darkness? I searched the beach for over an hour to find it!"

"Exactly! Do you have any idea what kind of a message that sends to a guy?"

"That he has a supportive friend who cares about him," I say, feeling more and more vexed by Link's behavior. I know where he is going with this but he's in the wrong here. I don't have feelings for Pik. I made that very clear to Pik when we got into that horrible fight awhile back, and later at the hospital he finally accepted that.