Once In A Lifetime • Link Neal

nineteen.

Lucy was fidgeting in the passenger seat, excitement swelling inside her that escaped in the form of rapidly bounding legs and broad smiles. Link found himself stealing glances at her time and time again, a smile of his own seemingly permanent on his lips.

The sight of Mythical Studios came into view, and Link was quick to pull into the lot. Lucy knot her brows, confused as she quirked her head at Link,

"I'm at work. Why am I at work?" She asked, jokingly. Link let out a soft chuckle, flipping the ignition off before turning in his seat to face her.

"I already told you, it's a surprise." He threw her a charming wink, and she found herself melting in the aftermath. Link quickly pulled the door open, climbing out before jogging around the front bumper to open the door for her.

"M'lady." He reached his hand out, and she found herself grinning as she grasped it, allowing him to gently pull her out of the car, and onto the black pavement.

"This isn't some sort of ruse to get me to work overtime, is it?" Lucy remarked, as she felt Link intertwine his fingers with hers. Link let out a huff of a laugh,

"Let's be honest here, you love your job so much I wouldn't have to trick you into overtime." He countered.

"You got me there." She shrugged. "But I'm still stuck on the fact that we're at work."

Link nodded his head in understanding as he approached the back door, stopping a brief moment to enter the code.

"My life changed when you walked into Mythical Studios. I didn't know it then, but I do now." He began, opening the door and gesturing for her to enter. Her expression softened as she glanced at Link, before stepping past him and into the studio. She heard the door click, before his hand was back with hers,

"You said you would wait for me, for when I've made my decisions and fixed everything. I may not have gotten everythin' together yet, but I know what I want to do." He led her through the narrow hallway, toward the entrance to the set. Lucy's heart was thrumming rapidly against her chest, clinging to his words as he spoke. "I want to be with you, no matter how long it takes to get there." He finished, stopping for a brief moment to glance down at her.

"Link.." She whispered, "I want to be with you. More than anything." He smiled in response, one hand raising to cradle her face as he dipped down to press his lips against hers.

"I wanna show you somethin." He breathed out against her. She pulled back, nodding softly. Link opened the door that lead to the set, his hand still grasping hers gently as he lead her through the maze of cameras and filming equipment.

"I'm not much of an artist, but...I was hoping you could teach me a little somethin'." He commented, his warm gaze trained on her face as she took in the sight.

He had rearranged the set a little bit, setting up a sort of art studio in the middle of the actual filming studio. On the infamous desk was a wide assortment of paint and art supplies. Two easels were set up, side by side, and on one of them sat a seemingly finished product. It was a portrait, resembling Lucy. She was awestruck for a moment, before she turned to look up at Link.

"Link, this is amazing! When did you find the time to do all this?" She asked. He shrugged his shoulders,

"It's been a busy day." He replied. Lucy broke out in a broad smile,

"And the painting! Did you really?" She approached the easel, taking in the work. It wasn't amazing, but she knew exactly who it was when she looked at it.

"I did. I'm not gonna say how long, or how many tries it took me to make it." He earned a soft laugh in response,

"It's wonderful, Link."