TW: MENTIONS OF R*APE

He slammed his head on the table. AAAAAAAH. shit. Fuck. Ugh, today was the day but he was stressing. He was nervous. How would he do it? How would he ask? WHERE would he ask? What if she said no? Aside from crying himself to sleep, how would he react? How would she react? Would they at least be friends?

He felt his hair getting pulled and he was met by the bloody eyes of Sheik. "Ike."

"Sheik, hello my good sir, would you mind letting go of my head?" Ike pleaded. Sheik only pulled on his hair harder, making Ike hiss.

"I heard what you were planning."

"Were? I think you mean am because I'm still doing it," Ike smirked, immediately regretting the sass he tried to add. He was definitely going to get murdered. If looks could kill, then he would've been captured, tortured, have the skin ripped off of him, hanged, and then decapitated. Sheik was going to kill him.

He prepared himself for the inevitable stab at the heart, but it never came. Instead, Sheik released his hair, which fell softly on Ike's forehead, and sighed in frustration. He wasn't dead. Somehow, he was alive. Has Yune taking pity on his sins?

"Treat her right then," was all Sheik said before walking out the door.

Ike sat there, in utter disbelief. He felt as though if he moved Sheik would come back and kill him for sure this time. So he sat, not blinking, not breathing. So he sat and muttered,

***

"Okay but like, there are no other gay guys here."

"Robin I am half sure there's more gay guys around he school."

"Claude, that includes you you know."

"Robin neither of us are gay."

"We're half gay."

"Still-"

"Claude, just because you like professor Byleth doesn't mean you still aren't bi."

"...you right I'm sorry."

"Yo," Zelda butted in, "why don't you guys just, I don't know, fuck each other?"

Robin and Claude stared at her with amusement in their eyes.

"Oh sorry Zelda, what's it like to be straight?" Claude smirked.

"Shut up," Zelda said as she smacked his head. A ding was heard throughout the halls as they made their way to the entrance at the end of the day.

"Sis turn down your ringer down," Robin said.

"Oh I'm sorry. I may not be half gay but I probably am half deaf," Zelda whined. Claude wheezed while Robin rolled his eyes.

She got a message. Obviously. From Ike. Ike. As in Ike, the person who hugged her out of no where this morning. The person she kissed. That Ike. And he wanted to meet with her. Hm. How wonderful. Were she to freak out (for different reasons that usual this time) in front of everyone, she'd probably die from embarrassment.

"I'm ditching y'all," Zelda said.

"Wha-"

"Robbo, baby I'll meet you at the dorm, and Claude, fuck you."

"What did I do?!"

"Bye bitches."

She ran at super Sonic speed out of the building. He had said to meet her at six, which was an hour away, but a) knowing Ike, he was probably already there, and b) her nerves and excitement wouldn't let her.

She was just leaving the building when a hand pulled her arm and snatched her away. She almost slapped her kidnapper until she saw who it was, and when she saw it was Link, she still slapped him.

"I told you I didn't want anything to do with you," Zelda said as she shoved him away.

"First of all, ow, second of all... ouch, third of all, don't worry, I've already been expelled and am going back to The Slums tomorrow," Link said.

Curiosity got to her. "The Slums? Why back there?"

"I have no where else to go, plus I'm originally from there so it's just like going back home. What, you feel bad for me?"

"More like I pity someone like you."

"Oh."

"If you have nothing else to say, I'll be-"

"Wait," he grabbed her arm again, this time it had the grip of a scared toddler who had lost his mom. "Will you listen to me for a bit."

You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.

***

It's 5:30. Alright Ike, you can do this. But can you? Can you really? Of course you can! You're not a loser, you're a winner. You. Are. A. Winner. ...you're a loser. And idiot. Why would someone as amazing as Zelda date you, a fucking loser. She's not gonna want you, she's gonna want some upper class, noble, pretty boy, not a lower clase, poor, ugly bitch like you. But was he willing to take his chances? Yes. Would he regret it, probably.

"Ike!"

FUCK. RETREAT. ABORT MISSION. IT'S A FAILURE ALREADY SO RUN BITCH.

no. It is too late to run. Face your problems.

He turned around.

Now see, what's the first thing you wanna see when you're about to confess to someone? You probably want to see your significant other coming towards you, looking fairly happy. What you don't want to see is your significant other with their face drenched in tears. Ike, buddy, maybe you should have ran away.

Zelda quickly caught up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, wailing into his chest. What should he do in this situation. Hug her and comfort her? Probably. Ask her what happened? Yes. Run away? Fat no, but he kinda wanted to.

He gently around his arms around her neck, not fully because they'd probably be too heavy. "Zel? You okay?"

"It's Link."

Oop, here comes his crushed heart.

"He... he was raped."

Oh. He made sure not to say that out loud, otherwise he would've earned a slap from Zelda and himself.

"He told me I could tell you... so... he was raped, by Cia. She tricked him into taking some drugs, making him belief they were aspirins, and once he was... high enough I guess, she took advantage of his poor twelve-year-old self. He was manipulated and sexually harassed, which led him to become a sex addict. I... I don't know if I should forgive him."

On one part, he was glad he didn't get his heart broken. On the other part...

"Why should you forgive him?"

"Huh?"

"You don't have to forgive him. What happened to him was unfortunate, yes, and Cia should face criminal charges for what she did, but that doesn't excuse pretending to be deaf to get girls to have sex with you. If anything, he should face criminal charges for that as well. What he did to you and other girls is unforgivable. I hate blaming the victim, but when the victim has done things such as this..."

He heard what happened what he was at the hospital. He was disappointed with Link, in so many ways. He blocked him from all social media and deleted his phone number. He refused to associate with him after he learned what Link did.

"...yeah, you're right. Thank you."

"It's nothing."

They stayed in each other's embrace for a while, not saying any words. Maybe now was a bad time to confess, but...

"Zelda, did you know we've actually known each other for a while?"

"You and Link?"

"No, me and you."

"What?!"

"Mhmm. I lived in Hyrule once, when my guardian had to live here due to business. I went to school here, which is where I met Sheik. And through him, I met you," he said. He smiled, remembering little Zelda running up to him and hugging him whenever he came over to play. "At first, I went to your house because I wanted to play with Sheik, but it slowly turned to me wanting to see you."

"I... I don't remember any of it," she whispered, feeling more tears at the edge of her eyes. He cupped her face and lifted her head up to see him, wiping away her tears and kissing her forehead.

"It's okay. I moved away after a couple of months anyway. You cried so much the day I left. Sheik told me you kept crying for weeks."

"I can imagine little me doing that... I can imagine seeing the me now do that if you left."

He smiled. "Sheik told me about your accident and that you didn't remember anything from before it. I was sad, but there was nothing I could do about it."

"Ike-"

"Which is why I was set on becoming friends again when I found out you'd be coming to the same high school as me. But, when I saw you, all courage left me. You had grown, obviously, but, you became more beautiful than I had thought. The day I saw you, I froze, I couldn't do anything because you were just... too bright! And so, because I was too much of a coward, I didn't do anything. I watched you from afar for three years, until now."

He brushed her hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek and wiping away the tears that continued to fall.

"Now I can finally tell you, that I, the biggest coward, Ike Greil, am in love with you."

He didn't even get a moment to breathe before Zelda pulled him down and pressed her lips against his, tears still falling from her eyes.

Ike, you're a strong man, do NOT pass out.

He kissed her back, just as passionately, hugging her even tighter then before. Zelda broke away first and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ike laughed and wrapped his arms below her legs, kissing her multiple times on her cheek.

"I love you Ike, so much! I'm so happy right now," Zelda laughed. "I love you, I love you, I love you!"

Ike planted one final kiss on her cheek before putting his chin on her shoulder. "I love you too, Zellie, always and forever."