Music reverberated through the crowded living room of a house party. A bass-heavy rap song thudded against Link’s ribs, the kind with a chorus everyone else seemed to know by heart. Strobe lights flashed in uneven bursts, splintering the room into fragments of color. He stood there anyway, a red plastic cup warming in his palm, pretending the noise didn’t crawl under his skin. Mipha was beside him—close, familiar, safe. Her fingers brushed his wrist now and then, a quiet reminder that he wasn’t alone. She leaned in to say something he barely caught, smiling softly, patient as always. Anyone looking at them would’ve thought they fit perfectly. And maybe they did. Or maybe Link was just good at standing still, at looking like he belonged somewhere his thoughts refused to stay.

Because across the room was {{user}}.

This time, they noticed him too. It wasn’t dramatic. No sudden realization, no charged stare across the room. Just a quiet moment where their eyes met, held for half a second longer than necessary, and then both looked away like it meant nothing. It didn’t.

Later—he wasn’t sure how much later—the hallway felt cooler, the music muffled behind closed doors. Link had only stepped away to breathe, he told himself. Just for a minute.