Archive of Our Own

"Why don't you just go for your license?"

"I'll get my license when you trade in this truck. You honestly don't think I'm going to practice driving in this thing, do you?"

Link gave the steering wheel an apologetic pat. "It's okay, girl. She didn't mean it."

Zelda rolled her green eyes playfully as the truck noisily clanked to a halt at a red light. "We didn't have to worry about this in the city, you know. We should seriously consider moving there after graduation. Then you can just cash this thing in and get your twenty bucks worth."

"Ouch," Link cringed. "Cruel words for the wheels that chauffeur your cute butt to class every day. She's an old soul- be gentle."

The light changed to green and Link tapped the gas pedal, causing the truck to rev angrily but refuse to move. Eyebrows raised at the sudden turn of events, he gave it another try that yielded the same results. Having taken about five seconds too long, a cacophony of honks started from the line of traffic behind them which soon gave way to a chorus of expletives.

Link huffed, hurriedly rolled down the window and stuck his head out. "I'm trying, okay?!"

"Get a haircut, hippie!" was the reply from an elderly woman driving an Oldsmobile Firenza.

The young woman in the passenger's seat next to him rested her head against the window with a soft 'thump.' She said wistfully, "And here I thought small town residents were supposed to be patient and good-natured."

Taking a break from abusing the gas pedal, Link sighed and slumped back into his seat, squishing his strawberry blond ponytail. "You need to get out more."

The cars began to switch lanes behind them and speed past, some flashing very unkind gestures to which Link reciprocated. He turned the car off and gave it a brief moment to think about what it had done before turning it back on. The engine turned for a few seconds but soon the sound evened out and miraculously, they were on the road once again.

"... Well, at least you won't be late," said Link as he turned onto a street two blocks away from the university.

"I actually wasn't going to say anything but yes, small miracles."

Upon reaching campus Link pulled into the parking lot closest to the building that Zelda's first class was held in. Zelda gathered up her heavy backpack, the notebooks she couldn't fit in said backpack and her light purple cardigan before leaning in for a quick goodbye kiss. It turned to be not so quick as Link returned the kiss tenfold when he felt Zelda's slender fingers slowly weave themselves into his hair.

"We need to stop or I will be late," Zelda reluctantly broke away and smiled at the sight of his reddened cheeks. She tapped his nose. "You are too cute."

"Okay, get out." said Link, playfully pointing to the door.

Zelda obliged. "Thank you, Jeeves. I anticipate your arrival again this evening."

They said their goodbyes and parted ways. Just as Zelda had made it to the school's entrance, Link heard his phone go off from where it sat in the drink holder. He grabbed it, swiped the screen to unlock it and saw the fiery red hair of his coworker Mipha in the photo next to the message he had just received.

You working soon? we have a problem

Fantastic, Link thought and sighed heavily through his nose. A "problem" could mean any number of things when one was a manager. In the case of a small cafe, it could be anything from broken equipment to someone slipping and cracking their head on a counter to an exploding toilet. There was an assistant manager of course, but Link highly doubted he was being very useful to assuage whatever crisis was happening.

He quickly replied, 

just dropped Z off. whats up??

—

"I-It's just... Across the street? Really?"

Mipha stood next to Link, arms crossed and brow crinkled with worry. She fidgeted with the straps of her apron as she watched the construction taking place outside. Link gazed out the window with his hands on his hips and shook his head. The rest of the staff, dressed in their customary bright blue shirts and white aprons, watched with similar looks of concern.

"This is bad." Link nervously rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Of course it is!" assistant manager Revali weighed in. "This is every local shop's worst nightmare. And since you're our esteemed manager, I hope you have some sort of plan to save our sorry asses. I swear, if I have to go on another job hunt before this semester is over..."

"Quiet, Eagle Two. I'm thinking."

"God help us."

"H-Hey, maybe having a chain coffee shop across the street will actually boost sales? Who knows, maybe people will hate it and get a hankerin' for some rustic, small town charm instead!" A tanned, broad-shouldered man with a sandy blond beard interjected.

"A lovely thought, Daruk," said Link. "And I appreciate it, but we don't get stuff like this very often here. People are gonna swarm that place in droves."

There was a moment of silence as the words sunk in. They were royally screwed, there was no denying that. They had seen the situation play out before- a large chain store that the town had only dreamed about gracing their downtown shopping plaza often came at the expense of their local businesses. Owned by local celebrity (and member of the chamber of commerce) Urbosa, the Brewed Awakening Cafe had done quite well over the past five years. They had a dedicated consumer base and had even won an award or two, not to mention first place in the fair parade for their frappuccino float and coffee bean costumes (despite Revali staunchly refusing to wear his.)

Link liked to think he had a hand in its success, having worked there for four years and assuming his role as manager for two. He had watched it grow from a little side cafe in a bookstore to its own full-fledged business. It would be a shame to see it all come to an end in such a way. Especially by... that, Link thought as a giant sign flaunting the face of a cartoon pig with a halo and the words "Sacred Grounds" was being crane-lifted to the top of the building. Why is their mascot a pig? It makes no sense!

After glaring out the window so hard he was sure he burnt a hole through it, Link tightened his ponytail and turned to face his coworkers. "Let's get back to work. We'll figure something out."

Revali shook his hair (which was once dyed bright blue and had been growing out for months) out of his eyes and gave Link a pointed look. "'We?' You're telling me you can't even handle your own managerial duties? This is exactly why I kept telling Urbosa that I—"

He barely caught the mop that was thrown at him.

Link turned to Mipha. "When does Sidon come in?"

—

He locked the front doors, gave the handles a good tug to make sure they were secure and shoved the keys into his pocket. Link pulled out his phone to check the time- 5:15.

Hopping into his truck and saying a little prayer that it would start (it did), Link drove to the university where Zelda was waiting. On Tuesdays she had three classes, her last ending at four. She would often study in the library until Link got off work and arrived to pick her up. With Link working and attending school himself, their schedule was meticulously arranged to accommodate the both of them and their single vehicle. Link would have two classes the next morning, Zelda would have two later with a lab and then Link would go to work for six hours.

Graduation couldn't come soon enough.

The old red truck pulled into the same parking lot it had that morning and Link sent Zelda a text to let her know he was there. Not a minute later she emerged from the building and made the short trek across the campus grounds to the truck's passenger door. Before a single word was spoken, she smiled and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"How was it?" Link asked when she pulled away and buckled her seatbelt.

"Well, it was mock interview day."

"Say no more."

Zelda laughed. "I actually did quite well, if I do say so myself. My partner on the other hand..."

Link started to back out of the parking lot. "The one with that stupid pompadour? God. I'm surprised he even made it to senior year."

"We all are," said Zelda, watching the sun begin to set over the fields in the distance as they drove out of the heart of downtown. "Although he has improved, I'll give him that. He's just... well, he's..."

"A shithead?"

Zelda tried to hold back another laugh. Within fifteen minutes they reached their apartment building and made their way inside, Link offering to carry Zelda's two-ton backpack ("What are you even doing with this thing, harvesting bricks?") Zelda set her notebooks on the table and her cardigan on the back of a chair. When she turned around, Link had already arranged some pots and pans onto the counter.

"What would you like for dinner?" he asked.

Before she could answer he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder, which fit nicely given Zelda's subtle height advantage. She leaned into his touch and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I want carbs."

"Pasta it is."

Just as he was bringing the water to a boil, Link's phone went off from inside his pocket. He gave a very dramatic groan before taking it out of his jeans and prepared to verbally assault whoever it was that was separating him from his alfredo dinner. He unlocked his phone and read over the message.

"Oh GOD."

Zelda, who had made a beeline for the shower, poked her head out of the doorway in a panic. "What? What is it?"

"My stupid cousin. He's moving here."

Zelda looked at him quizzically, clutching the towel to her breast and trying to keep her long blonde hair from dripping onto the floor. "Your cousin? Which cousin?"

"The stupid one."

"...You'll have to be a little more specific."

"The cousin with the same name as me," Link replied. Zelda blinked. "I-It's a family name. Which is stupid so I call him by his middle name, Melvin. He hates it, which is also why I call him that."

"Uhh... I feel like I'm missing some crucial information for this story. Who exactly is 'Melvin' and why is it so terrible that he's moving here?"

Link threw his hands in the air and almost launched his phone in the process. "Because he's evil! And not only is he evil, but he's working for Sacred Grounds! He's trying to tank my career!"

Zelda gave him a look. "Your career? Really?"

"I've gotta stop him, Zelda. Before he tanks my career, steals my identity and ruins my life."

"Well, as long as we can eat alfredo first."

"Of course."

—

"I appreciate you all gathering here today."

"As if we had a choice." said Revali.

Link chose to ignore the statement. "As we all know, Sacred Grounds opens on Friday but the soft opening is today and I want us to be prepared. No doubt it'll be swamped with customers, but that doesn't mean we have to just sit here and take it. We need a course of action."

His eyes flitted over the group of coworkers standing before him in their uniforms. There was a table set between them for his presentation with a mysterious napkin-covered object on top. The majority were attentive, curious to see what Link had come up with to combat their enemy. Daruk, their ever-supportive star barista, seemed especially interested while Revali had a hand on his hip looking most unimpressed. Mipha was smiling, her lips perfectly painted to match her hair.

"Sidon and I worked tirelessly on a plan that's sure to keep us in business. A secret weapon, if you will."

"Yes!" Sidon, Mipha's (unusually tall) younger brother and fellow coworker, chimed in at Link's side. "Countless hours of research, blood, sweat and tears. O-Oh, but there's no blood in this, I assure you. It did seem as if all was lost but Link never gave up. He truly embodies what it means to be a manager and I for one am proud to call myself a Brewed Awakening team member."

There was a brief moment of silence before Link continued, "... Er, thank you Sidon. Now, can anyone tell me what—" he pulled the napkin off of whatever it was covering on the table. "—THIS is?"

A confused look graced Mipha's features. "Is... Is it a peanut butter latte?"

"That's right, Mipha," said Link. "But not just any peanut butter latte. This is a Sacred Grounds peanut butter and honey Thanks-A-Latte."

Sidon added, "Link and I spent AGES researching Sacred Grounds recipes. Of course you can't find their originals online, those covetous bastards, but we averaged the recipes that others have so graciously put together. I think you'll find that it tastes remarkably similar."

"So we're recipe thieves now?" Revali drawled.

Link's hand disappeared behind his back. When it reappeared there was another glass in it, which he slammed onto the table. "This is the secret weapon."

The group stepped closer and peered at the new addition curiously. So dark it was nearly black with some sort of yellow-ish substance drizzled on top, it could have been mistaken for a lovely witches' brew. Daruk courageously went in for a closer look and leapt back in fright when the thick concoction bubbled.

"Oh, dear." Mipha muttered.

"This is the new and improved peanut butter and honey Thanks-A-Latte," Link held up three fingers. "Triple the ingredients!"

"Triple!" shouted Sidon.

"And there might be some espresso in there, I honestly can't remember."

Revali was aghast. "You're gonna kill somebody! We can't sell that! Are you crazy?"

Link grabbed the glass and generously offered, "How about you drink it and tell me?"

"Hell no!" Revali shook his head and took a giant step backward, away from the offensive liquid. "That thing's a one-way ticket to the emergency room. If you're so confident, why don't you drink it?"

Link shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me."

"Don't!" Mipha shouted, garnering attention from all of her coworkers. "Uh, not that... you guys did a bad job or anything, but..."

"Oh, don't cover for him Mipha. This is natural selection at work." said Revali.

Link's blue eyes narrowed. "Fine. It is my duty as your manager to make sure only products of the utmost quality leave this building and I am going to show you right now, in this very moment, that this is gonna be our magnum opus."

Before anyone could protest otherwise the glass had already met Link's lips and half of it was gone in record time. He knew something was wrong about two-thirds of the way in when the otherworldly texture of the drink became apparent and the blond could've sworn he was drinking pure molasses- that is, if he ignored the crunchy bits that appeared every so often. Okay, so he was starting to panic a little. Crunchy? Why is it crunchy? What did we even add that crunched...

Still, Link would show no fear. Soon the entire glass was gone and it was nothing more than a memory (and a stain on his nice blue work shirt.) His coworkers looked on in what seemed to be a mix of astonishment and fear, Daruk's eyes impossibly wide and bugging out of his skull. Mipha was trying and failing to hide her concern and Revali was obviously just waiting for him to drop dead. When it didn't happen he shook his head and left for the kitchen.

"That was..." Sidon's eyes rivaled Daruk's. "AMAZING! Most impressive, my dearest friend! We're gonna knock'em dead with this! Absolutely no doubt in my mind!"

With renewed vigor and a spring in his step, Sidon promptly exited the scene in the same direction as Revali. Daruk, thinking now was the time to pay his respects, sighed and clapped Link on the shoulder with one of his large hands.

"Good luck, little guy."

"Thanks, Daruk."

After he left for the cleaning supplies, only Mipha remained. "... Are you okay? You look pale."

"I'm fine, Mipha. Don't worry." said Link as he tried to ignore the way his body was somehow hot and cold at the same time.

The redhead's eyebrows creased in concern. "Are you sure? Can I get you anything?"

Link shook his head and shut his eyes to keep the room from spinning. "No, no. We should get back to work. Really, I'm fine."

He managed a small smile and Mipha, although thoroughly unconvinced, returned it and left to help Daruk clean before the after-lunch rush.

Now that everyone was out of sight, Link took the opportunity to lean against the table to support himself as the cold sweats started. He cursed himself infinitely to the high heavens and back for being a stubborn idiot who put way too much stock in his pride, but he at least won in the end, didn't he?

His churning stomach said otherwise.

It was about five seconds before Link made a mad dash across the front end, through the kitchen doors and into the employee restroom to vomit. Revali, who just so happened to be tidying the closet next to said restroom, burst into laughter and poked his head in.

"I'm not cleaning that."

—

It was early evening when Link pulled into another parking lot on campus to pick up Zelda from her classes. She emerged from the building looking tired but her face brightened instantly after seeing the bright red truck. Upon reaching it, Link chucked her large backpack into the back seat as she hopped into the passenger seat beside him.

A few minutes into their drive home Link's stomach growled noisily, apparently completely over the betrayal of his magnum opus from hours ago.

"Did you not eat, Link?" Zelda asked.

"Not exactly." He decided that she was better off not knowing of his previous escapade, although having Revali as a witness was a surefire way to guarantee she wouldn't be in the dark for long.

"Let's just get something quick for tonight, then. Ooh, you know what?" she said mischievously. "We should go to Sacred Grounds."

"Why would we ever do that?"

Zelda quickly held up her hands in defense. "I swear I have no ulterior motives. Although it is a pity that your cousin has been here for days now and you haven't introduced me to him."

"There's a good reason for that," said Link. "He's an idiot."

"I have introduced you to several members of my family, I think this is only fair."

"Zelda, you know how your dad is. I thought you of all people would understand shitty family members."

The young woman paused for a moment and looked downcast. "... You're right. I'm sorry."

Link was instantly awash with regret. It wasn't fair in the least to compare his cousin to her father, who had been verbally abusive to Zelda in the past. Her father always knew how to use his words to hit her where it hurt the most and use that as leverage. It wasn't until she finally estranged herself from him that she was able to flourish as both a student and as an individual. Link infinitely loved and respected her for that.

He sighed and reached out to brush a lock of blonde hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear. "No, I'm sorry. Those two don't even begin to compare. It's me that's the idiot, but you're already well aware of that."

She managed a half-smile, cheeks dimpling. "True, but I suppose you're forgiven. For now."

"Thank you," He quickly leaned over to give her a kiss before turn his eyes back to the road. "Alright, we'll go to Sacred Grounds. But only because I'm starving and it's resulting in poor judgement."

While Brewed Awakening closed at five in the evening, Sacred Grounds would remain open until nine. Being a larger chain they had a wider variety of food options but Link was convinced nothing would compare to the food Daruk could whip up (not that he had poured over their menu for hours upon hours to come to this conclusion.) Quality over quantity. He would treat this visit as he imagined Zelda would— as research. He would valiantly cross into enemy territory for the sake of his employment and his coworkers while complaining only a little.

Once they reached the shop, Link parked his truck in the small parking lot next to the establishment. Standing out from the rest of the vehicles was a jet black Corvette sitting along the outside edge.

"You should trade your truck in for one of those," said Zelda as she exited the truck and nodded towards it. "I'd have my license in under a week."

Link let out a bark of laughter. "A better investment than college."

When they reached the front entrance Zelda glanced at the sign above them. "I've never understood why their logo is a pig with a halo."

"I'm sure Melvin would love to enlighten us." Link opened the front door and motioned for her to enter.

The inside of the shop was not as big as the outside made it seem. Neither had been in the building before as businesses rotated in and out fairly often. Link had to admit that it looked nice, with wood-trimmed cream walls and dark red accents. It smelled strongly of coffee and the chemical scent of new furniture. Given that it was late on the day of a soft opening, most of the customers had already gone except for the few stragglers in the lounge area. The lounge area itself seemed cozy enough, complete with two couches and a long coffee table.

And then there was Melvin.

Standing behind the counter, donned in a black polo shirt with a white apron was a dark-haired, pale, slightly taller version of Link. He also wore a black beanie that obviously wasn't part of the standard uniform and had a most unenthused look on his face. Zelda stopped dead in her tracks so fast her shoes squeaked on the polished floor as she was taken aback at just how similar the two looked.

"This... this is so, so bizarre," she muttered quietly. "He's like a dark version of you."

"That's a nice way of putting it." Link rolled his eyes.

They made their way to the counter and Melvin's flat expression did not change in the slightest.

"What's up, Melvin?" said Link, effectively breaking the ice.

"I told you not to call me that." Melvin replied in a dry voice much deeper than his cousin's.

"Don't sound so excited. You're the one who texted me, remember?" said Link. "I see you haven't changed a bit since high school."

"I could say the same for you. You haven't had a growth spurt since we were ten."

"Ha! That's funny," Link leaned on the counter and scowled. "Listen, Melvin. I haven't eaten all day and I'm this close to losing it. Just take our order before I eat your stupid hat."

"Hands off the counter, please."

Link obliged. "So polite in your old age. Melvin, this is Zelda, my girlfriend. Zelda, unfortunately, this is Melvin."

Melvin looked from Link to Zelda, and then back again.

"Charmed," Zelda remarked sarcastically.

"She's cute," said Melvin to Link. "But if she's with you then she must be a terrible judge of character."

"Do you want me to scream 'salmonella?' Because I'll scream 'salmonella'."

"Look, Link. If you're that insecure and worried about your little cafe going under, maybe you should've managed it better to begin with or found someone who could. That's all I'm saying."

"SAL-" Link started before Zelda clapped a hand over his mouth.

"What the hell is going on out there?!" a deep, booming voice louder than the three of them put together sounded from the kitchens behind the counter.

Before anyone could react, an inexplicably tall man stepped out from between the kitchen's double doors. He had a thick mane of curled, red hair and a beard to match with dark skin and perfectly manicured nails. His fingers were dressed in multiple rings with gold and jewels. In his gray tailored suit he was the very definition of imposing. Link blinked in awe.

"Is there a problem?" the man asked, glaring at Melvin before his gaze shifted to Link. "I am conducting interviews and I don't appreciate the interruption."

Link grimaced. "N-No, there's no problem. We were just about to order, right Zel?"

"Of course!"

There was a noise from the kitchen behind the large man which made Link immediately look in that direction. The sound was a comically small chair scooting away from a comically small table, and who happened to be getting out of said chair but—

"Revali!" Link gasped loudly. The blue-haired man froze. "You traitorous wench!"

Revali looked startled at being caught, but resigned with a shrug of his shoulders. "Oops."

"I know you," the large man said. "You're that kid who manages that shack across the street. What business have you here?"

Link put his hands on his hips. "What do you mean 'what business'? What business does anyone have in a coffee shop?"

"Don't play innocent with me. I am Ganondorf, owner of the Sacred Grounds franchise. You best choose your words carefully, boy, or I'll run you out of business so fast it will be like it never existed."

Link's eyes widened and he looked to Zelda, who glowered at the mention of the man's name but said nothing.

"... Am I missing something?" said Link. "Just because we're competitors, that means I have ulterior motives when all I really want is for this nerd to give me a thrice-damned sandwich?"

"Link, seriously. Watch it," Melvin cut in. "You don't know who you're dealing with."

"What, is he your dad now?" Link said and glanced at Ganondorf who was looking more and more intimidating by the second. He looked back to Melvin and whispered, "Are you in the mob?"

Ganondorf stepped into the space between the two cousins and stared at Link like he was a small, quivering piece of meat. He bent forward and said his next words in a stern voice, "One should be careful speaking of things that are far, far greater than they are. Throwing around blind accusations is one way to make sure you never work in this town again, or worse. And I can make it worse."

Throughly confused and sufficiently terrified, Link stepped back and touched Zelda's arm. It was unusual for the outspoken girl to remain quiet for so long and the entire scene made him feel like he had fallen into a bizarre alternate dimension. All he had wanted was dinner! He was preparing to make a break for it when Zelda broke her silence.

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"That is none of your business. And if the two of you know what's good for you, you will leave this property immediately."

"That sounds like a threat."

"Consider it one." Ganondorf took a small step closer to Zelda.

Zelda refused to back down. "Are you sure that's wise, Mr. Ganondorf? After all, I do know things about you. Things you would never expect."

"How could you possibly—"

She lowered her voice and spoke firmly, "I know that Sacred Grounds is a front for your money laundering scheme. I know that you own not just this coffee shop, but countless so-called 'mom and pop' stores across the country all for this very purpose. Urbosa is my step-mother and she has been hot on your trail for years."

"Zelda!" Link whispered harshly. His eyes grew as big as saucers as Zelda was the very picture of defiance. He knew he shouldn't have set foot onto enemy territory but he never thought it would end up like this. Now what could they do? If they didn't end up shot they were definitely going to end up in a torture chamber somewhere, probably below Sacred Grounds, which was awfully fitting. He wouldn't get to graduate, marry Zelda, buy a Corvette...

Much to their surprise, Ganondorf began to laugh. "Ahh, Urbosa has a daughter now, does she? And a feisty little one at that. How unfortunate that she has wandered into my shop with her scrawny boyfriend, running her mouth and spouting fallacies. The both of you are setting yourselves up for a very, very rough time."

Link made a mental note to check the doors in the area for an escape route. As they were defenseless, running was their safest bet. He probably could've made quick work of Ganondorf if he had Zelda's two-ton backpack on hand. Given the state of his truck it was likely they wouldn't make it far, but he shook his head to clear his thoughts- that didn't matter now. All that mattered was getting Zelda to safety.

"I'm afraid you are here for the extended stay," said Ganondorf, pressing something on the screen of his cell phone. A few loud beeps sounded followed by a chorus of locks clicking into place.

Wonderful, Link thought, heart racing. He knew getting to a door was a long shot in the first place but that was their only option. He threw his arm in front of Zelda, ready to accept the brunt of whatever Ganondorf decided to throw at them.

"You really shouldn't have called me out like that. Rather rude, don't you think?"

"So you admit it, then?" Zelda replied and Link shut his eyes, welcoming the sweet embrace of death.

The tall man laughed again. "Does it matter now? It's not like you will have the opportunity to tell anyone. No one else has."

He reached out with a large hand and made a grab for Zelda's braid, but Link was prepared. He quickly shoved Zelda to the side a good distance away, grabbed a drinking glass from a nearby table and slammed it down as hard as he could on the edge. Shards of glass fell to the floor and cut into his hand but he was left with a long, sharp piece of his own to use as a weapon. He ran to where Zelda had fallen and helped her up, mouthing a silent apology before shielding her from Ganondorf and brandishing his glass shard.

"Try it." he said.

Before Ganondorf could rise to the challenge he was interrupted by the ear-splitting sound of more glass shattering followed by an alarm. He turned to look, as did Link and Zelda. Revali was standing at the employee door in the kitchen holding one of the comically small chairs, having used it to break the glass door.

"Hurry up! Go!" he yelled before diving through the opening himself.

Wasting no time, Link and Zelda fled as fast as the adrenaline would let them and crawled out of the broken door. Once they had made it outside they knew Ganondorf would follow closely behind. Link grabbed the key fob out of his pocket and unlocked his truck as they sprinted.

"Get in the truck!" he yelled. The three of them reached the vehicle and Zelda climbed into the passenger seat while Revali jumped into the back.

Link's hands shook violently as he tried to get the key in the ignition but eventually he was successful and the truck started. He shifted in reverse and slammed his foot on the gas, which wasn't the best course of action in hindsight. The truck jolted violently backwards across the tiny parking lot and right into the black Corvette.

"Shit," Link swore as he shifted into drive.

"MY CORVETTE!" screamed Melvin, who had escaped the shop at some point and was standing at the edge of the lot. Ganondorf stood next to him, enraged and yelling into his phone.

The three skidded out of the parking lot and began speeding down the road. Link was sure he was dangerously close to having a heart attack as he tried to catch his breath.

"Oh my God," his voice cracked.

"What just happened?" said Revali, laying across the back seat.

"A-Are we... are we wanted now? Are we running from the law? Where the hell am I going?" Link asked, gripping the steering wheel for dear life. It was now covered in blood stains, as were his jeans.

"Calm down," said Zelda breathlessly. "It's okay. We're not wanted- he is."

"How?" Link asked frantically. "We can't prove anything. It just looks like we destroyed his shop, threatened him and ran."

Zelda laughed a little. "You're wrong on that one. I got what I needed."

"What do you mean?"

She held up her phone. On its screen was the native voice recording app showing a recording that was over half an hour long. "I wish I could've gotten footage, but I had to keep it hidden. However I think that this in addition to the information collected over the years will be enough to finally convict him."

Link was in shock. "How... you knew? Did you set this up on purpose, Zelda?"

"What can I say, Urbosa taught me well."

Link's heart swelled in adoration. "You... are incredible."

"I know," she smiled. "Let's get this to Urbosa."

—

"Well, that was certainly an... extreme way to save the business," remarked Sidon as he began refilling the containers of toppings for the day. "Well done, Link!"

"I can attest to the fact that Link didn't do jack," Revali drawled from a table he was bussing.

Link scowled at his clipboard as he took inventory. "I really should fire you. You think I've forgotten why you were over there in the first place?"

"I don't know why you wouldn't have, you forget everything else."

"Anyway," Link ignored Revali's last sentiment. "It was Zelda that did all of the work because she's unbelievably smart. I love her so much."

"Please stop."

"That was pretty dangerous, yeah?" said Daruk. "But I'm glad it worked out in the end! Did she get her license yet?"

Link put away his clipboard and dusted himself off. "She's taking the test today, actually. Impa went with her to the DMV."

"I'm sure she'll do just fine," said Mipha, emerging from the kitchen. "I know she doubted herself but when I helped her practice, she did extremely well."

"Unlike this guy who failed his motorcycle test twice." Revali chimed in again. "I still can't believe you bought a motorcycle instead of trading in your truck. How long do you think that thing's gonna last?"

Urbosa had made sure Revali, Link and Zelda had all received compensation for their work on exposing Ganondorf's web of businesses as fraud. They used most of it to put a down payment on a small car for Zelda and Link found a used motorcycle for sale that he had to have despite not having a license ("it would save on gas," he argued). He worked out a deal for the motorcycle and practiced while helping Zelda with her driving. Mipha often helped as well during her time off.

In retrospect Link probably should have invested in a car, but he had difficulty parting with the old truck. It was his first vehicle after all and he had too many good memories of roadtrips and fixing it up himself. The thing was on its last legs but... they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

Not an hour later, Zelda's blue car parallel parked onto the street outside the cafe. The flash of blue caught Link's attention and he watched out the window, waiting to see if she came out of the car alone. When she did, he smiled and ran to the door just in time for her to reach it and swept her into a hug.

"You did it! I'm so proud of you!"

"I did!" said Zelda. "I'm so glad that's over!"

"Here, Mipha wanted to make you something," Link grabbed her hand and led her to the front counter where everyone said their congratulations. Mipha got to work on the caramel brulée frappuccino.

Once Mipha finished, Zelda was leaning against the counter enjoying her drink while Link brushed her hair over her shoulder fondly. "You're too good for me."

"Stop saying that." she swatted at his arm.

"So after we graduate, are we gonna go into the crime fighting business?"

Zelda laughed. "You crack one case and suddenly you're a detective. But no, my heart belongs to environmental engineering... And you, I suppose."

"Environmental engineering is tough to compete with."

"Maybe you'll just have to try harder, then."

"For the love of God, I'm begging you, can you two take it literally anywhere else?" said Revali from the kitchen entryway as Mipha threw a dishtowel at him. "No one else fills me with such an overwhelming urge to vomit quite like you guys."

Revali paused. "Speaking of..."

Link grabbed ahold of the sink sprayer, aimed and fired.