Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

Shad

Now that Link doesn't stay at my house anymore, it would be a tad suspicious if the guest bedroom was still occupied. I had no choice but to let Malice sleep in my bed for the time being.

I can't say I enjoy sharing my room with her, but at least she's shown some progress in the last couple of weeks. No more fevers, and the cravings are getting less frequent too.

"I'm about to leave for school," I say to Malice as I put on my sweater. Autumn is arriving quickly this year and the temperatures have dropped tremendously since August. "I wanted to run something by you before I leave."

Malice puts down Daring Greatly, a self-help book I found in our library downstairs. I gave it to her for 'entertainment' after she kept complaining about being bored while I'm at school. She really is a puppy: can't leave her alone for more than two hours.

"I've been thinking a lot about your living situation," I begin, taking a seat next to her on the bed. "If you stay here with me, you're going to get caught eventually."

"You're kicking me out," she says, showing no reaction to my words. If I told her she had cancer, she'd likely give me the same empty stare she's giving me right now. I wonder what this is about. Is she just scared of showing emotions or does she truly not care?

The book I gave her is about being vulnerable and embracing your authentic self. I really hope Brown's writing inspires her to be more open with me.

"No, I'm not kicking you out," I reply. "I'm trying to find solutions that work in your favor."

"And?"

"Have you ever considered living at a women's shelter?" I ask, but she shakes her head. "It's a safe place for women who experience domestic violence. They take the privacy of their locations very seriously, so Ganon's family wouldn't be able to find you there."

Malice doesn't seem very excited about the idea. I thought it might be worth bringing up before I tell her about Plan B. "There's another option," I say.

"Now you are kicking me out."

"No, actually I'm moving into my own apartment soon and was wondering if you'd like to come with me."

Out of everything, this is where the slightest reaction can be seen on her face. She looks at me, her eyes finally softening.

"What do you mean?" She says, looking genuinely confused.

"I'm going to be living with Link and some other friends who are all really caring and kind. You could come live with us and wouldn't have to hide in my room anymore. You'd have your own bedroom, with your own things. We'll have a TV in our living room too, so books won't be your sole source of entertainment anymore."

Her eyes escape mine. I don't chase them. I know this is a lot to take in, and she's probably unsure how to react to any of this. I just smile, get up, and grab my bag and car keys from my desk. "Just think about it, okay?"

...

My first class today is archaeology with Shad. Out of fourteen rows, I'm sitting in the second, taking notes by hand unlike some other people who are engrossed by their laptops, probably distracted by notifications or, like the person sitting next to me, online Poker.

I focus on Shad and the slides on the big screen. He points at the image of an old, peculiar statue.

"What is that?" He asks the class. "Is it a human being or is it a bird?"

I raise my hand, and when Shad gestures to me to answer his question, I respond eagerly, "It's a statue of a creature that was once thought to be an enigmatic ancient race of celestial beings. As depicted in ancient artwork, their form was a curious mixture of bird-like bodies and heads bearing the traits of a human." Shad nods, and I add, "They are even believed to have created their own unique language, which, as our textbooks describe, consisted of jabbering and squawking."