Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

Never Without You

While our horses rest in the grassland, Link and I take a walk through the sunflower field. Surrounded by the vibrant mountains of Japan and engulfed by the presence of countless blooming flowers, I'm overcome by a sense of surreal wonder. The air is filled with the gentle rustling of petals, making this moment feel suspended in time.

Together, we walk through the sunflower field, our footsteps gentle and unhurried, until he wraps his arms around me to pull me closer. Amidst the whirlwind of emotions this vacation has brought, this moment is absolute perfection, and if I hadn't blurted it out yesterday evening, perhaps now would have been the time to confess my love.

We don't have much time left in Japan, and before we return to California, I need to get something off my chest.

"Hey, Link?" I start quietly while he holds me securely in his arms. "I want to apologize for the way I expressed my feelings last night and for belittling the significance of those three words. They are not overrated..."

A frown appears on his face.

"Truth be told, I had been saving those words, waiting for the right moment," I say. "Perhaps, a moment like this. For months I've carried this longing to express how much you mean to me. I kept putting it off, searching for the 'right' moment. I suppose when you hurled those three words at me on Christmas Eve, I developed this obsession, an unhealthy desire to find the absolute perfect moment to profess my love. But in the past year I've come to learn that waiting is a gamble with time. Your coma made me realize that. When it wasn't clear whether you were going to survive and recover, I regretted not having told you how much I care for you and..."

I am getting emotional thinking about Link's coma. Back then I thought I might lose him forever.

"My point is... The right moment to tell you has long passed, because if a perfect moment really does exist, then it would have been the moment I first became aware of how I felt about you. And Link... I've been aware of my feelings for a long time now. I should have told you long ago and I'm not sure why I haven't but..."

My lips stretch into a big smile as I shake my head in disbelief. Never have I felt this happy. I didn't even know that humans could feel this good about life! And it's all thanks to Link.

"I love you with all my heart, you know that, right?" I look at him and watch as a soft smile replaces his frown, and despite the slightest hint of surprise that he is hiding behind his eyes, he gives me a faint nod.

"Yes, I know."

I feel weightless, floating among a million blooming stars. A cosmic smile graces my cheeks, uncontainable and radiant. I want him to see the boundless happiness he brings into my life, into our life.

"I've known for a while," he reveals. "And even if you hadn't said those words to me last night, or if you told me that you never loved me in the first place, I'd still know how you really feel about me because everything you do proves that. Your love is really strong, not only for me but for your friends and family. Since the day we met I got to see you grow. Your relationship with your father was really distant when we first met, and now he's calling you every day to check in on you and your boyfriend in Japan. A year ago, he probably wouldn't have let you do any of this especially with a guy, and if you didn't love him as much as you do then maybe you two would have never recovered from that fight last year. You might not always see it, but your heart has touched everyone you've interacted with in the past year. Not just your dad. No matter how many rude comments Ravioli made, you showed him that you cared when he didn't have anyone else to talk to. You also cared so much about Mipha, even when you barely knew her, and you wanted to protect her feelings more than your own. You cared about Malice's abusive relationship and talked to her when everyone else looked the other way, and you stood by Impa's side when she had to go to court and when she told you that she had feelings for you. Don't even get me started with our relationship... You've done more for me than anyone else, whether it's taking care of me after my knee surgery, helping me recover my memories after my coma, or fighting for my place at Hyrule University, you never once hesitated to help and support me... You're loyal and forgiving, and you are by far the most selfless person I've ever met. There's a reason why you're the first person to find out about Pik's illness or Mipha's feelings, or Anju's pregnancy. They all trust you and need you in their lives."