Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

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"What...?" I breathe nervously.

"I barely even like soccer anymore," Link explains with a sigh. "And baseball even less... for obvious reasons."

"But..."

What am I supposed to say to that? All this time I have been trying to reach for his hand to pull him up when he didn't even want to get back up... If he doesn't want to play sports, I would be a horrible girlfriend if I tried to convince him to continue. It would go against everything I've been saying about his fans and the unnecessary pressure they put on him. But watching him give up feels just as wrong. He has so much potential... He shouldn't just... quit.

"I'm sorry, I'm processing," I whisper after a few seconds of unbearable silence.

"Me too... Sorry."

"You don't want to be an athlete...?" I ask to be sure. "Do you even want to work in the field of kinesiology after you graduate?"

"I don't know."

My heart is pounding so heavily and I don't even know why. This decision doesn't affect me, really. I suppose it's just so unexpected...

"I don't know what I want to do after I graduate... and it sucks."

"I understand that..."

"You've had your life planned out since forever though. You know exactly what you want..."

"No, trust me, I relate to you in more ways than you think. I haven't decided on what I want to become after I graduate yet, but... Sweetheart... You're halfway done with your degree, you have to make a decision on what to major in pretty soon." Was that harsh?

"I know..." His chin dips down to his chest in an attempt to hide his eyes from me...

I scoot closer to place my hand on his leg. "Hey, it's okay."

He shakes his head. "My family sacrificed so much for me."

"They want you to be content. That's all we want for you... If retiring from sports is what will make you happy, then we will respect that decision."

"No..."

"Yes." My hand guides his chin upward but his eyes still dodge mine. "Look at me," I bid.

"Zelda..."

"Look at me," I request more assertively this time. His puppy eyes look up at me and don't dare to leave my gaze again. "Your life is yours alone," I tell him. "Not your family's, not mine, not your fans'. It's yours. And those people around you who love you will stand by your side. We will stand by your side."

That gave it away, didn't it? I practically just told him that I love him... Or maybe he didn't catch onto that. I hope he didn't... this isn't the right time for my first I love you.

"I don't know what to do..."

"I can't tell you what to do either," I sigh, wishing there was a way, any way, for me to help him with this. "No matter what you decide, I'll have your back. So... just try to think about yourself when you make that decision."

"I can't..."

"May I ask why?"

"Because it affects the people around me."

"No, I mean why don't you want to be an athlete anymore?"

"Because I don't want to be a failure anymore! I don't want to keep disappointing people."

"But... isn't quitting worse than losing a game? I just don't understand. If you really don't like sports anymore, fine, but I find it hard to believe that. I've seen your eyes light up on the slopes and you seem to have loved soccer growing up. So... if it's really just the pressure that's making it difficult to enjoy–"
"That's not–that's not the only reason, I... I just don't think I can get back in shape again. Not after all these surgeries and taking half a year off. I'm getting older too, I'm almost out of the prime age for athletes. Even if I can fully recover, catching up and getting back to where I need to be to play professionally is just unrealistic at this point."