Never Without You │ BOTW modern AU fanfic

Butterfly Effect

Malice's POV

It's Black Friday. While the others go into town to buy materialistic things with the belief that they are, in reality, saving money by spending it, Zelda forces me to go hiking with her.

"I don't mind staying by myself again," I say as she closes the door behind me. My skin is already clammy from the humidity in the air, and the ground is soft from last night's rainfall. The sky has cleared, and a refreshing breeze shakes the thick clusters of lush green leaves.

"We need some fresh air," Zelda counters. "We deserve a little break, don't you think?"

"We?" I lazily arch an eyebrow at her. "Why do you need a break? A break from what?"

"I've been balancing school and taking care of you all semester. So I haven't had much time for fun activities."

"First of all, hiking is not a fun activity. Secondly, you hung out with friends all the time. You had a fucking bonfire at the beach for your birthday, remember?"

She ignores me because she knows I'm right.

We follow a pebbled path that begins at the end of her backyard and winds its way up the mountain. I'm dressed in  cumulative hand-me-downs: Zelda's worn-out hiking boots, Mipha's gray cotton shorts, Link's old badminton club T-shirts, and that save-the-environment-crap-cap I wore on our way here. Zelda says the cap isn't necessary but I am not willing to risk getting recognized.

"The only people who know about this path are my mother and I," she claims. "And, well... it's not like my mother could tell anyone. So I think you're safe."

She lacks any sense of humor, but because I pity her, I give her half a laugh. "What if someone tracks your phone though?" I ask.

"That's more likely," she admits with a hint of bitterness. "My father used to track me."

"Zelda," I quickly stop in my tracks, "what if Ganondorf—"

"Don't worry," she interrupts with a carefree smile. "There is no signal on this side of the mountain. See?" She holds up her phone to show me a message to her friend:

*Good morning Urbosa! I tried calling you last night, I just wanted to wish you and Riju a happy Thanksgiving! Let's get together soon!*

Beneath her message, a red text reads Failed to send.

"No service. So no one can track us. You're safe," she tells me with that fairy tale grin. "Sorry if I scared you. I'm not good with sarcasm."

I could easily get back at her but there's no point. I know she means well. So I just give her a shrug. "Nah, we're cool."

She looks like she's won an oscar. All proud and in disbelief. All I said is we're cool. I don't know why that gets her so excited.

We continue up the mountain in silence. I'm over here swatting the mosquitoes and dodging spider webs while Zelda hums to herself, brushing overgrown weeds with her fingers as she passes them, as if she was the princess in some kitsch Disney movie. Maybe she thinks those plants find pleasure in her gentle touch.

Walking a few feet behind her, I begin to wonder if she's forgetting that I'm here. She looks like she's too focused on nature to notice anything that doesn't have roots.

The path is densely enclosed by shrubs and trees, leaving only small gaps to glimpse the view stretching out behind the forest. The sun is hardly reaching us either. But the way scattered sunbeams come streaming down through the high tree crowns looks kinda cool.

Zelda cautions me to walk slowly, warning that the ground might be a bit muddy and slippery in spots. Ignoring her advice, I almost dive headfirst into a large blob of dirt. She catches me two seconds too late and helps me back up. I don't say anything.