Who: Link and Zelda When: Valentine’s Day Where: Starting at the farmhouse, then dinner What: Link <3 Zelda Rating/Warning: G Status: Complete
one hell of a dress.</a> She’d put up her hair, slipped on her slinkiest heels, and was fitting earrings into each ear in front of the mirror. Her make-up was flawless, not a hair out of place. It’d taken a couple hours of preparations, but now she was ready for the world’s most wonderful Valentine’s Day. Dinner, possibly dancing, some drinks, then home for a night of cuddles and intimacy. She was head over heels in love with Link, and looking forward to showing him how much tonight.
She heard movement in the bedroom. “...Link? You ready? The car will be here in about fifteen minutes.”
In the room, Link was trying to figure out which of the shirts Zelda had purchased for him was the right one to wear with the suit he’d picked out--which she’d purchased, too. It was gray, which he hadn’t realized was an acceptable color for a suit, since all he’d ever known was black and navy. Farmers didn’t need a lot of dress clothes.
But in order to look like someone who belonged with Zelda Hyrule, he had to learn this new set of skills. There might be photographers at some point, looking for Valentine’s Day shots to put in their tabloid magazines. White went with everything right Better safe than sorry. He slipped his arms through the sleeves of the shirt he’d selected. Now, he only needed a tie. This was taking all his concentration. He didn’t even hear Zelda when she spoke.
Zelda finished getting her earrings on and fastened, then turned to head back into the bedroom from the bathroom. “Link?” She asked again. The look on his face was priceless. It was as if she could see the concentration in his brow. She smiled softly. “...Link?”
He spotted a flash of pink in the mirror and tilted to the side to reveal Zelda’s head. “Um, hi,” he said, grinning sheepishly, as if he’d been caught doing something silly. There were five different ties in his hands, all of which Zelda had bought.
Zelda stepped into the room and dropped her clutch onto the bed. A little smile broke across her face, and she lifted her hand to run her fingers along one of the ties. “This is my favorite.” She commented, gently, as if giving him a little help.
That was convincing enough for him. Link continued to smile a silly smile as he tied it. His fingers fumbled with it while his eyes remained on Zelda, who looked perfect as always. For her, it seemed effortless. Of course, this dress was really special, but she looked just as pretty to him in the duds she wore to work around the farm.
Zelda would say that’s because the duds she wore to work around the farm were awesome, too. Cute overalls and sweats, adorable jeans and flannel shirts. But tonight she wanted to look extra cute for him. For the world, too, if they were caught out by paparazzi.
“You clean up really well,” she teased, stepping over to tie the tie for him. She carefully and gently moved his hands away and finished putting the delicate knot into the silk.
“Thanks.” Link’s sentences were even shorter than usual. Why? His nerves were catching up to him for a very real reason: tonight, he was going to propose to Zelda. He’d already purchased the ring, and even though he’d initially forgotten about Valentine’s day, it seemed like the perfect time to pop the question. Good thing Zelda offered to tie his tie for him, because his palms were pretty sweaty.
Zelda finished tying the knot--the literal knot, in his tie--and flattened it out, brushing her hand gently over his clothes. Then she went up on her toes and tapped a tiny kiss against his lips. “Oh, sorry.” She added, and lifted her fingertips to wipe the tiny smear of lipstick she’d accidentally left there in her kiss. “You ready to go?”
Link placed a protective hand over the lump the jewelry box had created in his pocket. He didn’t want Zelda to spoil the surprise for herself by something so simple as getting too close to him. “Yep,” he said “I am now.”
"Good." She gave him a bright smile, then took hold of his hand to lead him down the stairs. She grabbed her clutch on the way. "Dinner and dancing, we've got reservations. The car will take us and wait for us while we're there."
“Oh, good,” he said. He’d probably need a drink or two to work up the nerve for the proposal. Not having to worry about driving was a good thing. Of course, in the close quarters of a car, it was hard not to bring attention to the box in his pocket.
Zelda wasn’t that close. She hadn’t noticed a lump in his pocket yet, and even if she had? She probably wouldn’t have thought anything about it.
The car was early, and was waiting for them outside when they got to the bottom of the stairs. Zelda led the way out, glancing at her phone for messages and to check the time. She slipped into the car first. It was a limo, complete with freshly stocked wet bar inside.
As usual, the ride from the farm to the city was windy and long. Link took the time to go over his speech in his head. Words...weren't exactly his strong point. In fact, he had devote so much of his mental energy to the proposal that he was unusually quiet in the car, even for him.
Zelda poured them each a little glass of champagne, and held his out to him, now a little concerned at how quiet he was being. “Are you okay?”
"What? Huh?" Link reacted as though he was startled, which he was. How long had he been holding out that champagne glass? He took his from her. "Of course. Why?"
“You’re quiet. More quiet than normal.” She sipped from her own glass, folding one leg over the other and leaning back in the leather seats. “Is everything all right?”
Link gave her an innocent look, because he was, he was just planning things. Everything was good, really good--as long as he didn’t have a heart attack, because his heart was pounding.. “Yeah. Everything’s perfect,” he said, swinging an arm around her shoulders.
That made her smile. Brightly. Zelda turned to cuddle in against him, wrapping her arm around his waist. “I’m excited about tonight. They say this place is the talk of the town. This restaurant? Indulgence? It’s supposed to be really, really, hip.”
Hip was a word that didn’t mean much to Link, but he knew that kind of thing was important to Zelda. Then again, if he had his way, he’d never leave the house. Zelda was good for him that way.
Zelda sat up a little and reached for her champagne glass. She sipped from it, then chuckled. “Last year I spent Valentine’s Day alone at home, eating chocolates and watching romantic comedies. This year is a definite improvement.”
He nodded in agreement. He’d spent last Valentine’s Day, like every other day, milking cows. There was definitely a really good one-liner about handling udders in there somewhere, but Link was too innocent to think it.
The streets changed from winding to straight as they entered the highway. The lights got brighter, too.
After sipping again, setting her glass aside, giving a little sigh, and settling back against him again for a cuddle, Zelda spoke once more. “I’m really glad that you’re okay with me helping with the improvements around the farm,” she said. She’d already built a new coop for the chickens, upgraded the barn, and improved the irrigation system. Using contractors that Link had worked with before, of course. Zelda was just a big, walking, bottomless purse.
He hadn’t struck up a relationship with Zelda for the money, of course, but there was no denying what the extra funds had done accomplished around the farm. Link knew that if he wanted to, he never had to work another day in his life. He had no intention of stopping, though. Keeping the farm running had always been more about love and family than money. “Actually, I was thinking about adding your name to all the legal documents. You should be part-owner. If you want.”
Zelda raised both eyebrows. “Really? I mean… if you want, that would be okay with me. But you don’t have to. I want to help because I love you, and what’s important to you is important to me.” Her arm tightened around him, though. She knew how important the farm was to him, what it meant to him, and the fact that he wanted to share with her was immensely touching.
“In case something ever happened to me,” Link added. “I know you don’t need to be ’provided for’, but…” With a light shrug, Link didn’t finish the sentence. He felt it was clear why he wanted to do it.
Zelda paused for a moment, swallowed, and nodded solemnly. “You know that I would care for your farm as lovingly as you do,” she said. Though, she didn’t like the idea of anything happening to him. Her arm tightened around him again, nearly painfully tight now. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Link.”
“Probably not,” Link agreed, although there was always a chance the farm would be besieged by a pack of Moblins. “I just...want to prepare for the future.”
“Okay.” Zelda said, nodding. It was both warming to her heart, and a little nerve-wracking. She loved how much she meant to him, but she didn’t like the idea that something might happen to him. Ever. She went quiet for a good long while, sitting up to take hold of her champagne, then cuddling close against him again.
Before long, it was clear to Link that they were pulling up to the restaurant, although he'd never been there before. He'd learned to recognize Zelda's tastes. Also, the limo was pulling to a stop. Link helped Zelda out, shielding her from the paparazzi that were already stationed and ready due to it being Valentine's Day.
Zelda moved quickly with Link up into the restaurant. She wasn’t rude to the photographers--she’d learned about that the hard way by watching other young starlets get blasted in the tabloids--but she didn’t give them much notice. Tonight wasn’t about her celebrity. Tonight was about sharing her love with Link.
Thankfully, the paparazzi were kept at bay by the two large gentlemen who were stationed outside of the restaurant’s front doors. Zelda and Link were let inside, and the flashes of the photog’s cameras were dulled by the closing of the glass doors behind them.
It was still decidedly weird being photographed on your way to eat. Even weirder, in Link’s opinion, was when gossip magazines referred to him as “sexy” or “a hunk”. He didn’t think of himself that way. He didn’t think about himself much at all. But Link accepted that it was part of his life from now on and he was okay with that.
Zelda preferred it when they were called “The perfect couple.” Because they were. In Zelda’s opinion, anyway. There were few things in this world that went better together than Zelda and Link. Peanut Butter and Jelly, Vodka and Cranberry Juice, Pumpkin Pie and Whipped Cream. That was it.
After greeting the hostess, they were led to a table in the back without having to give a name. The hostess knew who they were by sight. Zelda was still holding tightly to Link’s hand as they moved through the restaurant, and turned quite a few heads. Then she settled down into her chair and opened her menu.
Link stole the opportunity when Zelda wasn’t looking to make sure the ring was still safe in his pocket. In these dress pants, items were occasionally squeezed out when you sat down. The pockets were always a little too tight.
Er… maybe it was the other pocket.
Maybe it…
Link’s eyes bulged. ”Oh no…”
"Hmm?" Zelda looked up from her menu at the sound of his voice and was instantly concerned. "What's wrong?"
Link wasn’t a good liar, so the distress was plain on his face. He tried to look nonchalant as he began to pat all of his pockets, but it just didn’t work. He gulped. “I just...thought I had something…”
This was bad. Really bad. This was so much worse than misplacing a wallet, as bad as that could potentially be. Had the box slipped out in the car? That was a best-case scenario, but there was no way to know until after dinner. He’d have to sweat it out until then.
“Okay…” Zelda said, though she didn’t really believe him. She looked down at her menu and wondered what was making him so jumpy. Probably all the photographers. They really unnerved Link, and Zelda couldn’t really blame him for it. She decided on the fish, and extra broccoli instead of rice. Since… y’know… had to watch her figure.
She told the waitress as much when she came out to take their orders.
Link all but pointed to an item on the menu at random. He picked something with the word “chicken” in the name, so it was probably a safe bet. At restaurants like these, everything tended to taste good. But, honestly, he’d lost his appetite and his stomach was in knots. There was no way he’d be able to think about anything except the ring all through dinner. How was he supposed to appear remotely like he was enjoying himself?
He stood up. If he wanted a fighting chance, he had to take a moment to collect himself. “I’m gonna wash my hands…”
Zelda was a little surprised when he stood, but she blinked up at him. “Oh, all right.” She said, putting on a smile. She was a little disappointed, though that he was going to be leaving her. “I’ll be right here.”
After a little struggle with pushing in his chair, Link began to wind his way through the restaurant, between the diners and the tables. His ears were hot now from from worrying. What if the ring really was lost? What would he do then? He’d put a lot of his savings toward buying it, so it wasn’t as if he could just immediately dig back into them. But worse than that, he felt like an idiot. Such an idiot!
He was so wrapped up in berating himself that he couldn’t hear the footsteps of a server--the same girl who had just taken their order--chasing him down. He was almost at the restroom door when she tapped him on the shoulder.
Zelda sat silently at her table, and turned to look out the window. Fortunately, the paparazzi hadn’t come around the side of the restaurant yet to look in through the windows. If they had, they’d see Zelda sitting by herself and looking especially worried and miserable. She could tell that Link was acting funny, but she had no idea why. They’d talked a little about her improvements on the farm… oh, God, what if he felt weird about that? About letting her put some of her money into the farmstead?
When Link turned around and saw the server, he felt an odd jolt. He was confused, but the expression on the girl’s face could only be described as vaguely heroic. She motioned with her hand close to her mouth, signaling that she had some sort of special information for him. He leaned in a little bit.
“Just so you know,” she whispered, “That little gift box underneath your chair. Probably not the best place for it, if you’re trying to hide it.”
Link’s eyes bulged again.
“I assume you’re trying to surprise Ms. Hyrule.”
He nodded vigorously. Forgetting the restroom--and nearly forgetting to thank the girl in his excitement--Link all but ran back to the table. He would have looked like an idiot then, if he wasn’t so nimble.
Zelda sat up a little bit when she saw Link come bounding back to the table. She put on a smile, though it was obvious now by her expression that she was nervous. “Hey.” She said, shifting in her chair. “Everything all right?”
“Um. Yes.” Link took a knee and reached under the chair, where he found the box exactly where the server had told him it was. He flipped it open, just to make sure the ring was still inside, and all but wiped his brow and exclaimed phew in relief. But WHAM! when the back of his head against the underside of the table. Perhaps he was not so nimble after all.
Yes. Everything was all right, but then Link was under the table banging into things, and Zelda jumped considerably at the sound. “What?!” She ducked down herself to try and see what he was doing under there. “Link?”
While trying to rub the back of his head, Link fumbled with the ring box the way a cartoon character can’t get a good hold on a bar of soap.
Good thing it was really dark under there. The tablecloth that went nearly all the way to the floor and the Valentine’s Day dim lighting made it hard to see what Link was fumbling with. “What are you doing?” She asked, narrowing her eyes a little to try and focus.
Link was sure he’d been caught, but he still attempted to play it off like there was a chance she hadn’t seen the box. “I, uh, dropped a fork,” he said, although there was clearly no way that had happened.
Zelda knew he was lying to her now. She didn’t know why, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to push for it. “Okay,” she said, raising both eyebrows in the dark. She thought she’d seen something glint, but she wasn’t sure. “...Well, I’m starving, so… I’m going to the proper side of the table now.” She grinned, and climbed back up into her seat.
If Link had suspected she'd seen the box before, the smile she flashed confirmed it for him. He stayed beneath the table a few moments longer, collecting himself and running through the points of his proposal speech to make sure he hadn't forgotten everything in all the commotion.
Finally, he came out from beneath the table and, taking his seat, he placed the box beside his place setting.
Oh. Oh, that was… wow. Zelda’s eyes came to the box beside his place setting. Earrings? Something small? She tried running through different things in her mind, wondering what he could have gotten her for Valentine’s Day. Her eyes came back up to his after a moment, and her smile spread. “I thought you’d forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. You got me a present?”
Link's cheeks flushed red from embarrassment and excitement and a very pure form of fear that only a person about to propose can truly understand. "Uh...something like that," he replied, tapping his fingers on the box. "I got this a little while ago."
Zelda gave Link that expression she normally reserved for adorable puppies. “Really? Aww, honey. I didn’t get you anything, though.” She reached forward for his free hand. “Thank you. Are you going to give it to me now? Or later?”
His hand was shaking a little and it was decidedly clamy. Link gulped, glancing downward. “I…” He scowled a little, confused, because he had been so sure Zelda had figured it out, but she was acting so calmly. “Now? I...uh, do you want it now?”
"Sure." Zelda was still convinced she was getting earrings. "I can wear them tonight." The earrings she had on could go in the little coin slot of her purse until she got home.
“Them?” Clearly, something had gone wrong. Link wasn’t a romantic idiot, but he was so nervous that he had no idea what to do. Worse, he couldn’t even remember the speech he’d prepared. So he just blinked at Zelda and looked blank, which he’d already been doing all night long.
“Well, it’s not… it isn’t…” He swallowed hard, as if to reset his mouth. A sheepish smile appeared. “I’ve really messed it up.”
Zelda really loved that smile. It made her smile in return. She reached a hand forward and rested it on top of his. "You haven't messed anything up. It's okay." She hoped she was being encouraging. He sounded really nervous.
“This was supposed to go… not like this.” Link rolled his eyes at himself in good humor. Really, he was trying to relax at least a little, or else he knew he’d really mess the rest up. “Because I love you and I want you to…not have a really bad story to tell for the rest of your life.”
Link swallowed again. “You and I…we’ve talk about the future a lot lately. Not seriously, but...I want you to know that I take it very seriously.”
Zelda’s eyes moved from his face to the box, and back up again. Her own smile began to fade when she finally put together what this was. “Oh my God.” She whispered, then took hold of his hand and squeezed it. Keep going.
“And making you an owner of the farm, it isn’t just about keeping all the legal things in line,” he continued, and his voice continued to crack here and there. Link couldn’t control it, so he fought through it, the way he did everything. “It’s about partnership.”
Suddenly, Link was blurry. As was everything else in the restaurant. Zelda’s eyes were brimming with tears, making everything go a bit hazy. She blinked a couple of times, wanting to clear her view, but was only slightly worried about her mascara. She nodded, cleared her throat, and brought her eyes back to his face. Somehow, this didn’t seem like a moment to break in with her own silly thoughts.
The change in her face rang a chord in him. Link felt himself gaining momentum. “I didn’t realize how much I wanted a partner. You’ve taken to the farm so easily. Now, I can’t picture going forward without you.” He took a breath and opened the box. “Zelda, will you marry me?”
The tears welled up even more, and spilled out and over her lower eyelids. She broke into a huge, bright grin--perhaps the biggest and brightest smile she’d ever worn--and nodded. The tears came flowing now, spilling down her cheeks in huge droplets. “Yes! Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”
The unexpected sound of applause startled Link, who realized a moment later that maybe he shouldn’t have been surprised. They were in a public place and Zelda was a celebrity. He blushed and tried not to be distracted by them as he reached into the box to pull out the ring. He wanted to slip it onto her finger.
Zelda started laughing when she heard the people around them cheering and clapping. There were even some flashes going off both inside the restaurant and through the window. She held out her hand so he could slip the ring onto her finger, then climbed out of her chair so she could throw her arms around him and hug him tightly.
Link was sort of half in his chair, half out when she got a hold of him. He chuckled like a little kid. At the same time, he realized there were tears on his face as Zelda shook them free. He’d really been serious about not realizing how much he wanted a partner. Ever since his parents had left him alone in charge--though through no fault of their own--he’d hoped, like a little boy making a wish, that a family might magically appear.
Zelda was laughing and crying. She was perfectly elated. Her body shook with it as she tumbled into his arms and clung to him. After a moment she pulled back just enough so she could kiss him, tears on both of their cheeks. More flashes were going off, but she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered in the world was Link. Link who loved her, Link who wanted her. Forever. And not because of her celebrity, or because of her money, but because of who she was. Inside and out. It meant more to her than she could possibly say.
If this was in fact the beginning of a new family, they’d always have the photos to commemorate it. Sure, they’d be running in the tabloid magazines, but Link didn’t care. In fact, he was pretty sure he’d buy them all and save them to show their kids one day.