Breath of the Wild College AU fanfic │Thinking About You

Number 11

I leave the main building and hurry to the stadium. Now I just have to find Impa and all will be okay. She'll know how to make me feel better, she always does. She'll fix it. She'll tell me what to do. This can't be the end of my dreams!

The bleachers are crammed with fans, cheering and rooting for the Hyrule Eagles. The headlights create a striking contrast between the field and the sky, making me forget that night is arriving. There are so many people here, most wearing the colors of blue, that it'll be a challenge to find Impa.

I look at the scoreboard before I skim the bleachers. Both teams are at zero points, the game must have just started. I find Impa in the crowd and feel the urge to run at her for a hug. I squeeze my body past a group of hyped girls.

"Link! Go Link" They whoop while jumping up and down with joy.

Despite my already vexed state there's room in my mind to be annoyed by their pointless excitement for Link. I want to ignore them but I catch myself looking down at the field to see what the fuss is all about. I try to find Link, but I can't keep the players apart. Our team's jerseys are in a royal blue with a white number covering most of their back. Red writing crosses their chests, but I can't make out what it says from up here.

I finally get through to Impa. I call her name, but she doesn't hear me so I tap her on the shoulder and receive a fleeting glance before her eyes return to the game.

"How'd it go?" she says loudly. I can barely understand her through the noise.

"Not so good," I say desperate for a hug, but her attention is divided between the game and me.

Her body tenses, her fists clench, and a huge grin is waiting to break free. "Watch!" She tells me enthralled.

"I really don't feel like--"

"Watch!" she shouts even louder and turns my head towards the opponents' goal.

I almost miss it but our Number Eleven kicks the ball with such force and speed that it appears to fly inaccurately and way too far to the right. I am sure the ball will miss the goal but it travels in a slight curve and zaps right by the hands of the goalkeeper, inevitably hitting the top right corner of the net with perfect precision. 

The stadium quakes from the roar of applause and cheers and the bleachers are trembling from the crowd's stomping feet. I get jostled and shoved by the people around me. Someone even spills their drink on my shoes, but for some reason I don't care. My eyes won't look away from Number Eleven. Even with my socks being soaked in coke, my mind is suddenly deserted of anger and annoyance, for all I can see and think about is this one person. Link.

I've never been interested in sports, but that goal did something to me. I feel energized, inspired, optimistic, and yet pessimistic at the same time. Why am I feeling so many different emotions all of a sudden?

As soon as the score changes to 1:0 and the big screen replays the action in slow motion, everyone fixes their eyes on the board as our team storms at Link, pouring hugs and gratitude all over him. I am not the only person who is looking at Link, I know that, but am I the only one to notice that out of thousands of people he seems to be the only one who isn't cheering? Well, apart from me. We're both still like two rocks at a shore of crashing waves. His eyes find me in the crowd and the whole stadium goes silent. 

Or so it seems. People are still roaring and pushing me around as they're celebrating carelessly, but I don't hear any of that, for I am entranced and utterly inclined by Link. His eyes are locked on me, teammates are praising him, cheerleaders are shouting his name passionately, the moderator honors his name through the speakers, and yet his world seems to be as mute as mine. No smile, no frown. Just his eyes gazing up at me. I want to know what he's thinking.