Breath of the Wild College AU fanfic │Thinking About You

Date

"What time is it?" I ask Link when he secures my helmet.

"It's almost 8 PM. Want me to drop you off at home?"

I don't want our date to end like this. Not with me holding ill feelings against him for something Daruk said. It's not Link's fault. And not Daruk's either. I know he didn't mean any harm...

"Er... We could still grab a bite," I suggest.

"Um... Sure, I'll tell Daruk--"

"Not at Vah Rudania," I stress. He gives me a confused look and I sigh. "I heard what Daruk said about me."

"Oh." Link doesn't seem to understand.

"It was impolite," I explain poorly.

"It was a compliment. Why does that upset you?"

"I don't like it when my friends talk behind my back... enough people do that as it is... all my life they've been judging my merit. I may be hard working, yes, but I'm not as strong as people think and even I have my limits. I just don't like assumptions about me. I fear that people assume I'm a failure, but what is worse are those assuming that I'm a strong personality. I'm not... I'm just doing what I have to do, terrified of disappointing those individuals, like Daruk. Daruk has always supported my decisions, believing that I would succeed no matter what path I go. And that scared me. He thinks I don't see the range of the peaks, but I do. He is not in the position to give you advice on how to deal with me. I know he meant well and he's right I can be naive in the face of a challenge but telling you that I am strong like that is setting me up for disappointment."

I take a deep breath. That was a lot, hopefully it cleared things up.

"Try not to care what others say about you," is his only response.

"Great advice, Master Yoda. It's not that easy."

"Why not?"

"I don't want you to think that--"

"I don't."

"You don't even know what I was going to say," I lower my head.

"Look, even if the entire world said something about you, whether you're strong or weak, I wouldn't believe it just because somebody said something about someone. Does that make sense? I make my own opinion. By spending time with you. All you have to do is allow me to get to know you."

It is a strange and difficult thing to put my trust into a person I barely know, but to truly believe in his loyalty feels thrilling and right in a way I can't fully grasp.

"Okay," I say quietly.

I hate that I can't just accept Daruk's compliment. I had to make a big deal out of it...

"So, where can we get food where we won't get recognized?" I ask him.

"Depends. What kind of food?"

"Anything edible that will fill my tummy."

"Can do, follow me to my divine beast," he says, putting his helmet on.

Link drives us to the closest In-N-Out Burger and buys us fries, a milkshake, and burgers. This is not the type of food I usually eat, but then again, this is not what my typical Saturday nights look like.

Since we can't eat in public, he tells me to hold on to the bag while we drive to a more private spot near the hills. It's a small park with a beautiful view over the city, the beach, and the pier in the distance.

"I've never been to a park at night," I say, taking a seat next to him on a cute little bridge that arches over a fairy-tail-like pond. We're all alone...