Zelda's POV

I sit by the window, my head resting on my hand. Link and Riju have been playing Mario Kart on his Nintendo Switch for almost an hour now. He seems much happier ever since I gave him the tool to play video games in his hospital bed all day, yet the slight hint at apathy still haunts his features.

"Argh I lost again!" Riju sighs. "Double or nothing," she says, placing another candy bar on the sheets between them.

"You already lost all your gummies, you sure you want to lose your chocolate bars too?" Link laughs and starts another race.

"I like you way more like this," Riju suddenly says, pulling my eyes away from the window. Link gives her a flustered look.

"Like what?" He asks.

"Loud, I guess. You're more fun this way."

My heart aches at the thought of Link staying this extroverted. I wonder how he will react when fans or reporters approach him. Will he be the same as before or will he agree to talk and even enjoy the attention for once?

"Link?" I mutter. When he looks up at me, I shyly continue. "I have another video I'd like to show you."

"Right now?" He asks, focusing on the game.

It's been a while since we've looked at photos but his memory still hasn't fully returned so I want to try one last time. Although he has recovered nearly all of his memories, major events are still missing and nobody knows why. He still can't remember most of his career in America and everything that happened two weeks before the baseball game.

I walk over to the bed and bring up my phone with a short video of Link's last soccer game ready to play. I wanted to spare him the sight of Zant injuring him but if there's a chance of Link getting his memories back, I shouldn't withhold it.

"Anything?" I ask after the video ends.

Link's brows furrow and I already know what his answer is before he even shakes his head. There goes that...

"Let's go there," he says. "To the stadium."

"What? No! It's on Lorule's campus."

"Okay then let's go to Hyrule's stadium. Looking at stuff in person will probably work better than looking at pics and videos."

"Must I remind you that you are in the hospital for a reason?"

"I'm getting discharged tomorrow."

"Let's go tonight," Riju quickly joins the conversation but keeps her eyes on the screen.

"Yeah, why not?" Link says, giving me a hopeful look.

"No, I have to take Riju home. It's already dark out. But we can go tomorrow if you really want."

"Deal. I've survived three weeks of boredom in this place, what's one more day."

"Yes!" Riju lets out an interruptive cheer. "First Place! Finally! And you, good sir, just lost all your candy!"

I look at the little screen. Apparently I distracted Link enough for him to land last place. Oops.

"Grab your things, Riju, it's time to go," I tell her but she shakes her head, shoving candy into her pockets.

"Not yet!" she protests.

"We can't stay any longer. The track meet ended an hour ago and Urbosa is probably already on her way. We don't want her to get home before us and find out that we aren't there."

"You really have to go already?" Link asks me saddened.

"If Urbosa finds out that I let Riju stay up this late she'll never ask me to babysit again."

"I thought we agreed not to use that word," Riju pouts. "I'm almost a teenager and quite capable of taking care of myself."

"Can you drive yourself home?" I challenge.

"If you give me your keys," she smirks cheekily.

After losing a short debate, Riju walks ahead to get the elevator for us. I still feel awkward around Link, especially when we are alone. I hardly look at him when I bid him goodnight. I just don't know how to properly act around him anymore. After three weeks, I'm still having trouble getting used to this new version of him. But I'm trying.

Just as I reach for the door, a hand reaches for my arm and gently tucks at it. Instantly, I turn my head over my shoulder to find Link standing behind me, holding on to my wrist.

"Link," I gasp, staring at his ocean eyes so close to mine. "You shouldn't be walking without your crutches!" If I had a nickel for every time I've said those words to him...

"Can I take you out on a date?" He asks out of nowhere.

"What?"

"Tomorrow I'm finally leaving the hospital and I want to celebrate by taking my girlfriend out on a date."

"Right now?"

"No, dummy, tomorrow," he says the obvious and blesses me with the purest smile.

"Oh... Er... Are you sure—"

"Yes."

"No but are you sure it's a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be? I want to spend time with you."

"You might seek rest or time for yourself tomorrow. We've spent every day together since you've woken up from your coma, not that I mind, I don't mind at all, but... but I'm just saying, if you need more time for yourself, I'm okay waiting."

"We've spent a lot of time together, yes, but not alone," he clarifies.

"I see." I've wished for us to be alone at least a hundred times since spring break but even when we had the room to ourselves, a nurse or doctor would waltz in every time I attempted to get close to him. It never felt like the right moment to truly show him how deeply I feel for him. A moment alone with him... I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate his homecoming.

"So?"

"Where would we go?"

"I don't really care. Somewhere private."

"We can go to my house. Father will be gone all week."

"Perfect," he smiles and lets go of my wrist.

I remain standing right in front of him and briefly consider kissing him. But the door is wide open and my heart is clouding my judgment. Besides... What is one more day, right?

✤ ✤ ✤

The next day after school I return to the hospital to pick up Link. He's ready to leave when I get there. Standing by his bed, he looks as if he has been waiting for me all day. He's wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, black sneakers, and a backpack with the few belongings he had at this depressing place. It's comforting to know that his fashion taste hasn't changed one bit. 

"You look pretty today," he says as I walk up to him. "I like your outfit."

I look down at my skirt and crop top combo. This was Impa's idea. I was fine wearing jeans and a t-shirt but she said I should dress nicely for our date. Even though we are just going to hang out at my house. With flushed cheeks, I return a bashful "Thank you."

"I'm ready to leave this place forever."

"You'll be back soon though."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You have to come back for physical therapy," I tilt my head with an arched brow.

"Oh," he chuckles and rubs his neck. "You made it sound like I was going to get injured again."

"You better not. I can't go through all that again."

"I know, me too."

"I'll take your bag for you," I offer but he shakes his head.

"It's okay. It's light. And I want to start doing things on my own."

"Okay. Just let me know if I can help with anything. It's okay to need help."

"I know, thanks," he smiles.

"Here, I have something for you." I reach into my bag and pull out his black Adidas cap and sunglasses. "You should wear it so the reporters don't see you and suffocate you with questions."

"Can't we just... go out the back or something?"

"We will. But still, sometimes they hang around the building in hopes of catching you on camera."

"Hm okay." He puts the hat and sunglasses on. "Thanks for this. With my memory still fuzzy, I don't really remember how to interact with reporters."

"I don't think you ever knew," I tease him.

It takes me all the way to the elevator to notice that Link is walking. Actually walking. As in, no crutches. I give him a shocked look but he just grins back at me.

"Where are your crutches?" I ask.

"I don't need them."

"Link–"

"I have some at home. It's been over a month since the surgery and I'm okay walking for short periods of time. Trust me."

"Did the doctors say it's okay?"

"They encourage me to put weight on my legs, yeah."

"Okay." I bite my lips to stay quiet. I worry, but I trust him.

The elevator takes us down to the first floor. Link and I leave through the glass doors on the opposite side of the main entrance. No reporters in sight. I want to make a run for my car but I have to pace myself. For Link. I open the door for him and shut it once he is seated.

"I forgot how nice your car is," he says, looking around and opening all sorts of storage space. I sit down too and put the key into the ignition. But I don't turn the car on yet.

"Link..."

He turns his head to look at me. "What's up?"

"I'm really proud of you."

"Huh?"

"I may not seem fond of you walking around without crutches, but I am really proud of you. After you woke up from your coma, you couldn't even stand up on your own. Now you're walking and I know soon you'll be able to jog and lift weights again. I'm not saying it'll be easy, I've seen you do it before and I know how difficult it was. But, I do recognize that this is different. This time, it'll be a whole lot harder. But one thing is still the same... You still have me by your side. I'll help you if you need help and cheer you on no matter what. If that's okay."

With that adorable puppy face of his, he reaches over to take my hand and meets my flustered eyes with a warm smile. "Thank you for sticking by my side through everything."

"Of course. It is my pleasure. I always want to be supportive of you." I turn the car on and back out of the parking spot. "Where to?"

"Your house? My house? I don't know, you choose."

"If you want to visit the soccer field, your house would be closer."

"Would be nice to go home, finally take that shower I've been dreaming of."

"Funny," I roll my eyes at him.

"What's funny?"

"The shower joke."

"I wasn't joking. I know our bathroom is nasty but there's something comforting about not having to worry about people walking in at any given time. Might sound weird but I've really been looking forward to taking a shower in my own bathroom for once. With actual privacy."

"Wait... You want to shower alone?"

He tilts his head and falls into silence for a second. "Are you offering to give me company?" He gives a shy laugh.

"You remember the shower joke, right?"

"What? Um, maybe."

"Do you remember what I gave you for Christmas?"

"Mh... a playlist."

"What else?"

"Oh, that back cleaner thingy?"

"You don't remember why I gave that to you? It was an inside joke."

"Because I'm dirty?" He says unsure. I let out a short laugh.

"No, you're actually pretty hygienic for an athlete."

"Was talking about a different kind of dirty," he smirks.

"Then I suppose you're pretty spot on. But don't worry, it'll come to you eventually. I'm sure."

I don't even know why I'd want him to remember that joke. Perhaps a small part of me was enjoying the way he would tease me. And rejecting him was always pretty fun.

We drive past the pier and all the way back to the university. Dusk is arriving soon and not many students are left on campus. Lots of teams are training for the upcoming nationals; the tennis team, the swim team, lacrosse, basketball, and some others. Our baseball team is likely not going to make it to the nationals this year. It's understandable. Our players' heads were somewhere else. For a few weeks, nobody knew if Link was going to survive the incident and you could tell how much they were suffering from that uncertainty.

The air is mild and pink cotton clouds sit motionlessly in the yellow sky. A group of birds fly v-shaped across the sky. Free and blithe. I love spring. It's the perfect temperature; not too hot during the day but warm enough for night walks.

"You always look at the sky," Link notes as we're passing the baseball field.

"I'm sorry. I spaced out."

"No, it's cute. Not many people look up these days."

"It's a shame. Beauty can be found anywhere if we just open our eyes. Unfortunately, we tend to take our eyesight for granted. If you knew you were going to go blind in a few weeks, you'd appreciate the world around you much more."

"We take our legs for granted too."

"We take a lot of things for granted... Our parents, our health, education... The list goes on."

"Mhm."

I lace my fingers with his and stop walking, making him stop as well. My head lowered, I whisper, "I don't ever want to take you for granted."

"Same to you," he says, folding his fingers around my hand. "Let's take a look at the baseball field while we're here."

"I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Why? I don't remember anything from the game or the days leading up to it. Maybe it'll help to look at it in person."

"It's where Ganon beat you with his bat..."

"Are you worried I can't take it?"

"I'm worried I can't take it."

"I'm right here with you," he pulls me closer.

On leaden steps, we enter the deserted field. It's so quiet. So peaceful. You can't even tell what happened less than two months ago. They cleaned up the blood... There is no evidence of what happened to Link. I gulp and follow his lead. We walk to the center of the field. He takes a look around. His pupils jump from one spot to the next.

"I don't remember the game," he finally says. "But..." there is something behind his voice. Something that burdens him, I can hear it in the way he is breathing so heavily all of a sudden. "I remember..." his eyes dart over to the scoreboard, then to the stands. "I remember being an athlete... Training with my team... Wanting–needing to win." His hand tightens around mine. "I remember the pressure. I was supposed to win... But I let my team and the fans down..."

"Oh, Link," I snake my arms around his biceps and hold his arm tightly. "They loved you even when you couldn't play anymore. Your fans, your team, this school... they never stopped loving you for a single second. You didn't let us down... Nobody is mad at you..."

"You're wrong... I read the cards..."

"What cards?"

"The ones on the gift table. Some of them weren't get-well-soon cards... Some of those people only wrote cards to tell me how disappointed they are in me..."

"Don't listen to those haters. They don't know you or what you've been through."

"Let's just go..."

"Link..."

"We got what we came for... let's go."

"Wait... Do you remember February 21st?"

"Why do you keep asking me that?" he snaps.

Discouraged, I let go of his arm and take a small step away from him. "Because you said you'd remember that date."

"When did I say that?"

"Right after I asked you to be my boyfriend..."

His features soften in a heartbeat. "I'm sorry."

I shake my head. "It's not your fault..."

"I got mad but not at you. So I'm sorry."

"This can't be easy on you; remembering yourself. It's okay to be mad."

"You've been so patient and kind... Maybe I was taking you for granted. Do you still want to spend the night with me?" I nod and a weak smile appears on his face. "Let's go to your house then. We deserve to have that date now."

"Don't you want to go to your house first?"

"No, I just want to be alone with you for the rest of the day."

Just as he says those words, a hand grips my shoulder. After flinching instinctively, I quickly jerk my head around to see who it is. For some reason, my mind instantly pictured Karusa. I don't even know why, it wasn't a tight grip.

I'm relieved to see that it's just Revali. Dark shadows hang beneath his eyes and his hair looks like a bird's nest. His eyes are wide, staring at me in desperation.

"You have to come with me," he says in a grave tone.