Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

I Made Sure of That

"Guys," Revali tries to get our attention. We all turn toward his car. He has rolled down his window and is now greeting us with his most irritated glare of impatience. "Are you guys ready to leave? We don't want to hit rush hour."

Mipha leans into the frame of the window, waving her hand at us from the passenger seat. "Hi guys," the soft tone in her voice makes up for any harshness found in Revali's.

Link and I wave back at her while Malice is just sort of standing next to us with her arms crossed. The backdoor suddenly flies open, and Impa jumps out, wearing a huge grin on her face. "I'm calling shotgun," she announces, as she gives me a quick hug.

Malice's reaction doesn't go unnoticed. Her jaw drops, and if her eyes weren't hidden behind those black sunglasses, they would fire deadly shots at us right about now.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Malice snarls, her mouth still wide open. "What's Impa doing here?"

That's when I realize that I completely forgot to tell Malice who else is coming to the lodge with us. Impa's eyes narrow at Malice, and I can feel the tension rising between these two wannabe-alphas.

"Uh, Malice," I interject, hoping to diffuse the tension before things escalate. "I forgot to mention that Impa was going to be there."

In disgust, Malice pulls up one corner of her lips. "Yeah, a heads-up would've been nice." But her attention doesn't stay on Impa for long. With the car door wide open, she notices the other two guys sitting in the backseat. With her lips parted in shock, she takes a step away from Revali's car.

"Kiroh?" Malice mutters in disbelief. "Oh no!" Her face loses all color, and her stance shifts from a ready-to-fight mode to downright survival. "He sent you!"

"Who sent who?" Kiroh asks confused, innocently sitting in the middle seat of the crowded backrow.

"You two know each other?" I ask Malice who looks like she's been given the death sentence. She takes off her sunglasses and it becomes clear that it's not Kiroh she's looking at anymore. She's staring past him, taking in the sight of the man sitting next to Kiroh, slightly hidden behind his frame. Despite his hair having changed from white to brown, and his face no longer wearing his distinctive piercings, she recognizes him in a state of disbelief.

"Pike..." She says in such a defeated whimper that he almost doesn't hear her broken voice.

His eyes stay in the car. He doesn't even turn his head in her direction. Lips pressed together, he looks slightly uncomfortable. "Hey Mía."

Malice's shock is palpable but she recovers quickly. She turns to me, her expression a mix of confusion and frustration. "What the hell, Zelda? Impa, Kiroh, AND Pike? Is this a fucking prank? Fuck this," she pushes me aside as she stomps back toward the house.

"Where are you going?" I question.

"Back inside!"

"Why? Hey—Hold on a second!"

"I'm not going to a fucking mountain with Impa, Kiroh, and Pike!"

"Malice," I assert. "Get in the car. We want to get there before it gets dark."

"Pfft, like that's gonna happen," Revali scoffs. "I think that ship has sailed."

Malice has reached the front door but can't get inside. The doors lock automatically, so she has nowhere to go without my keys. And she knows that.

Her hands still clinging to the handles, she groans and leans her head against the door in defeat. She mutters something under her breath that I can't quite catch.