Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

A Smile on Revali's Sour Face

♫
We'll do the chicken dance, the funky monkey too,
No need for perfection, just be you!
Let's laugh at ourselves, it's okay to be odd,
Embrace the weirdness, it's our squad's applaud!
♫

Impa orders a cocktail with her fake ID. Revali, Mipha, and I decide to order non-alcoholic drinks instead. The bartender serves me with a smile. He doesn't look much older than us and he's wearing HU merch. I suppose this really is a college bar. I wonder if Father is aware that this place exists.

"Pretty cool, right?" Impa asks the group but Revali just shrugs, Mipha nods, and I am distracted by Pik's guitar solo and the chorus that follows:

♫
Hey, hey, join the laughter train!
Forget your worries, let go of the strain!
We're dancing in sunshine, no need to explain,
Come on, let's get goofy, join the laughter train!
♫

The guitar fades and the drummer hits his final note. The crowd claps and cheers for a few seconds, and Pik thanks them and prepares for his next song. I want to go up to him and say hi, but I don't know if it's appropriate to approach a performer when he's not done yet. Maybe I should wait until his last song has been played.

"Let's go say hi!" Impa suggests, having read my mind. 

This is the night I want to step out of my comfort zone! I give her a nod and follow her to the front of the stage.

"Pik!" I call up to him.

His dimpled face instantly lights up with a smile! "Zelda!" He exclaims, pure joy in his laughter. His happiness is contagious, and I can't help but laugh too. "You came! I'm so excited that you're here, wow!"

"What about me?" Impa asks with a teasing smile, unaware of his condition. He hasn't made eye contact with either of us, which isn't a good sign.

"Impa, you're here too?!" I didn't think it was possible, but his smile grows even larger! I look at Impa to see her reaction to his words. She seems confused but doesn't question it. "I'm so happy you guys came!"

He kneels down to get closer to us, his hand reaching out, probably trying to get an idea of the distance between us. When his hand finds my shoulder, his eyes look directly at me, yet they can't see. Still, I offer him a smile, somehow believing he can feel it.

"Stay until closing time, I wanna catch up with you later!" Pik says as he gets back up and lays the guitar strap around his shoulder. "I gotta keep playing, but stay and have fun!"

This is our cue to go find a table and enjoy the show. Revali and Mipha are already seated at a small booth in the corner, holding hands over the table. My instinct tells me not to bother them but Impa's instinct tells her to grab me by the wrist and pull me into the booth to bother Revali as much as anyhow possible.

"Anyone wanna play a game?" Impa asks the table. "I can get us some cards."

"Let's play the quiet game," Revali suggests with a smirk.

Impa purses her lips. "What are you? 85?"

"80 years older than you," he chuckles and receives a childish smirk from her.

I take a look around the bar to see if I recognize anyone. Most people that I know from Hyrule University are either at the frat party or not into parties to begin with, or they are sitting on this very table. Then again, I don't know that many people because I mainly keep to myself. I ask Impa for my phone back so I can check in on Link, but she refuses. I expected as much.

Impa and Revali continue to bicker while I try to drink my Non-Alcoholic Old Fashioned without pulling a grimace. It's so bitter, blah! I ordered it because "old-fashioned" just sounded like me, you know? Old literature, old languages, old fashion. But it's not at all what I expected. There's a taste of citrus after every sip, and I am still deciding whether it makes it easier or harder to swallow it.