#they’re somewhere in the woods in akkala near their dream home

[zellink]

young at last, at last.

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Future | Chapter 14

Uli was already at the bar when Rusl arrived. She was sitting alone at the corner of the bar, and Rusl took the seat beside her.

“You came,” Rusl said.

Uli looked at him with surprise. “Were you expecting me not to?”

“Kind of.”

“Why’s that?”

Rusl shrugged. “Because I didn’t wait three days?”

Uli laughed. “So, what’s the plan?”

“The plan?”

“You have dated before, right?”

“Sure.”

“So. Movies? Dinner? What?”

“Dinners are too serious,” Rusl said. “And you can’t talk at the movies.”

Uli raised a brow. “You want to talk?”

“I’d like to know more than your name. Is that so strange?”

“A little bit,” she admitted. “Most guys don’t want to talk.”

“I’m not most guys.”

“You sure about that?”

“I might surprise you.”

“Alright,” Uli started. “Let’s talk.”

Rusl ordered a drink. “How much shit did you get for coming out with me?”

Uli grinned. “A lot.”

“Those friends of yours are pretty intimidating,” he said.

“They’re harmless enough,” she said. “She was just being sour since our other friend just got out of a crappy relationship.”

“Ah.” He took his drink from the bartender. “So. Uli. Dog person or cat person?”

“Getting right down to business,” she said. “Dog person.”

Rusl nodded. “Good. Favorite color?”

“Uh. Green.”

“Long walks on the beach?”

“I actually prefer long walks through the woods,” she said. “I enjoy getting lost in a good book. A good cup of coffee. A rainy day. And from time to time, the occasional chick-flick.”

Rusl nodded absentmindedly, and Uli snorted.

“I’m kidding,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Goddesses.”

“Are you though?”

Uli’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Well, about the chick-flick part,” she said. She scrunched her nose, then turned back to her drink. “So I’m a cliche. Sue me.”

Rusl grinned. “I like cliches.”

Uli put her chin in her hand. “And what else?”

Rusl sighed thoughtfully. “I like alcohol. But coffee is good, too. And I prefer long drives down the highway in an old car.”

“I get it,” Uli said. “You’re a cool, carefree dude.” She put her hands in the air and grinned. “Don’t gotta tell me twice.”

“Fine,” Rusl said. “I’m a sucker for my friend’s daughters. Happy?”

“Aw,” she said. “For real?”

Rusl sulked and drank.

“Your secret is safe with me.”

Rusl met her gaze and smiled. “Siblings?”

“None. You?”

Rusl shook his head.

“Where did you grow up?”

He hesitated. “Uh. Akkala.”

Uli’s brows raised. “You’re a long way from home.”

“Work takes me around,” he said. “What about you?”

“Lived here in Faron my whole life,” she said. “Have you seen a lot of Hyrule?”

“Too much.”

Uli frowned. “Why’s that?”

Rusl turned his glass over in his hand, watching as its contents swirled around. “I dunno,” he said. “I’m not exactly a welcomed presence too far north.”

Uli pulled her gaze away and looked at her hands. “Yeah. Sure.” She let out a breath and tapped her fingers against the counter. “What else?”

“What else?” Rusl echoed, meeting her gaze.

“Pets?”

He shook his head.

“But definitely a dog person,” Uli added.

“Right.”

“No siblings,” Uli said thoughtfully. “What are your parents like?”

“I… never met them.” It wasn’t a complete lie.

“Oh.” Her voice softened. “Sorry.”

Rusl smiled. “I was a foster kid,” he said. “I grew up in a foster home in Akkala, with a woman named Telma and some other kids.”

“What was that like?”

“Was alright,” he said with a shrug. “Telma… was a good person. She put up with a lot of shit, but she knew how to dish it right back.” He smiled at the memory.

Uli frowned, and Rusl answered her unasked question.

“She died a couple years back.”

“Well, I am not doing so well, am I?”

“I was just thinking I’m the one that looks like a tragic mess.”

Uli laughed lightly. “Only a little bit.”

You don’t know the half of it, he thought to himself. “Alright. What about your family?”

Uli sipped from her drink. “Alright, here’s one,” she said. “I’m actually not an only child. Or, I wasn’t. I had a little brother.” Her voice softened. “He died when I was in high school.”

Rusl frowned. “Sorry.”

Uli offered him a smile. “Maybe that makes us even?” she asked hopefully. “No more awkward conversation.”

“Alright. Consider us even.”

“How about some food? I could go for a greasy burger.”

They placed their food order before Rusl spoke again.

“So, you’re a dog-loving hippie with bitchy friends, a fairly normal family, and you’ve lived here your whole life.”

She tapped on her nose with a finger. “And you’re a tragic dog-loving man who has a soft side for kids.”

“I’m not liking the way I look.”

Uli laughed. “I knew you were intriguing.”

“Hardly.”

“So, should we move on to the next portion of our evening?” Uli asked. “Dreams? Goals? Accomplishments?”

Rusl pondered this for a moment. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it.”

“There’s nothing you want in life?”

“Just what everyone else wants, I guess. Find my place in the world.” He met her gaze expectantly.

“I always wanted to get out of Faron,” she said with a shrug. “Have some kind of an adventure, I guess. See what else is out there in the world.”

“You should be careful what you wish for,” Rusl said, looking over his glass as he took a sip.

Uli met his gaze, hesitant, then pulled away. “Maybe.” She sighed lightly and finished her drink. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“Hey, don’t listen to me,” he said quickly. “I’ve had my share of adventures.”

Uli looked off across the bar, deep in thought. “Sometimes, I have these dreams…” She trailed off, then shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said with a heavy sigh. “You caught me at a weird point in my life, Rusl. I guess, like you, I’ve got some things to figure out, too.”

Rusl nodded. “This seems like the part of the night where you say goodbye and I don’t see you again.”

“It does seem like that,” she started. “But for what it’s worth, that wasn’t my plan.”

“It wasn’t mine.”

Uli met his gaze and smiled. “That’s kind of weird. I didn’t think I was looking too good, either.”

“I like you,” Rusl said.

Uli blushed and averted her gaze. “I would not say no if you wanted to ask me out again.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I’m glad I didn’t give you that fake number.”

Their burgers arrived, and they continued to chat casually while they ate. It was nearing ten o’clock when they finally left the bar, standing outside under the stars, still deep in conversation as patrons began to fill the bar.

To Rusl’s surprise, Dorian found them outside.

“Don’t tell me you’re coming here to drink,” Rusl said with a grin.

“No,” he said simply. “Figured you’d be here.”

Rusl frowned. “Don’t look for me. I’m off duty. You don’t get to look for me.”

Dorian turned his attention to Uli and offered him a smile. “Hi. I’m Dorian.”

She returned his greeting. “Uli.” She turned to Rusl. “Off duty? What do you do?”

“You went on a date and didn’t even cover the basics?” Dorian raised a brow at Rusl.

“I gave her my social,” Rusl said. “Ran a background check and everything.”

Dorian yanked at the dog tags around his neck and shook them obnoxiously. Rusl pulled out of his grip and rolled his eyes.

“Oh, so King Roham owns your ass, then,” she said with a smirk.

“Rusl says ladies love a man in uniform,” Dorian said with a grin. “Is it true?”

“I find them to be rather obnoxious, really,” she said.

“Rusl is the epitome of obnoxious.”

“Hm. I guess I’ll have to give it time. He’s hiding it.”

Dorian turned to Rusl. “You? Trying to make a good impression?”

“You know,” Rusl started, “You’re not helping me win any points here.”

“I’ve had worse dates,” she said. “You don’t have me running off just yet.”

Dorian grinned. “Oh, you will soon enough.”

Rusl elbowed Dorian in the ribs. “You’re unusually chatty tonight.”

“You left me alone to go play with girls,” Dorian said with a shrug. “I got stuck drinking with those other idiots.”

Rusl raised a brow and grinned. “I’ve always wanted to see a drunk Sheikah.”

Dorian snorted. “Keep dreaming.”

“Sheikah, huh?”

Dorian met her gaze carefully.

“Does that make you a Sheikah, too?” she asked Rusl.

“No, just his bitch,” Rusl said sourly.

She smiled. “I gotta say, you two make a cute couple.”

Their noses wrinkled in disdain, and Uli laughed.

“He actually hates me,” Rusl said. “Hated my guts ever since the day we met.”

“I’d love to hear the story there,” Uli said.

Dorian scoffed. “There’s no -”

Rusl waved a hand in the air, cutting him off. “It all started about four years ago when I joined the Hyrulean army,” Rusl began in a story-like voice. “I was a young, bright eyed, hopeful young man -” Dorian scoffed again, but Rusl ignored him - “looking to find my place in the world. After almost a year of grueling training and missions, I found myself in a top secret unit with the brave and loyal Sheikah called Dorian.”

“That’s enough,” Dorian said.

“There was never a moment when we were bickering with each other,” Rusl continued.

“Bickering?” Dorian echoed. “Try disobeying orders.”

“You see,” Rusl said, turning toward Uli with a grin. “I was a young lad who thought he knew everything.”

“You still do.”

“But then one day, we found our lives in jeopardy.”

Uli reacted appropriately, her eyes widening as he continued his story, but still, she grinned and listened along.

“And despite how poorly Dorian had treated me, I couldn’t stop myself from risking my own life to save his.”

“Wait a second,” Dorian said. “That’s not -”

But Rusl interrupted him once more, raising his voice. “I almost died for him, and ever since then, he’s been in my debt.”

“That’s not true -”

“Alright,” Rusl started. “That’s not entirely true. He has saved my own life on many occasions.” He grinned at Dorian. “I guess somewhere down the line, we just stopped hating each other and realized we couldn’t live without one another.” He batted his eyelashes playfully at Dorian.

“For the love of Hylia,” Dorian muttered. “Why do you do this?”

“Because you make it so easy, D. Loosen up, man. Live a little.” He turned back to Uli. “As you can see, his life would be very boring if I weren’t in it. I’m his fun half. I guess you could call us soulmates.”

Uli laughed. “I’m not usually one for cliche love stories, but I have to admit, yours is pretty good. I only hope I can find my own Dorian someday.”

“Or maybe you need a pain in the ass Rusl,” Dorian said. “Then maybe you’ll feel bad for me.”

“Aw, poor Rusl,” Uli said teasingly. “After all he’s done for you?”

“Yeah, come on, man,” Rusl said. “I’m not as bad as you like to make me out to be.”

“We’ll let Uli decide that for herself,” Dorian said.

Rusl turned to her expectantly, and she laughed.

“Well, you don’t seem so bad yet. But the night’s still young.”

“Have fun,” Dorian said. “I’m going home.”

“Already?” Uli asked. “You’re not going to stick around and watch Rusl fuck up?”

Dorian grinned. “As fun as that sounds -”

“He’s got a wife and kids to get home to,” Rusl said. “I’d call him a sucker, but then he won’t let me see the girls, and they’re way cooler than he is. In fact, they’re the only reason I’m still friends with him.”

Dorian ignored him and offered a smile to Uli. “Nice meeting you, and best of luck. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”

“Bye, D.” He watched as Dorian simply waved a hand over his shoulder. “And that’s Dorian,” Rusl said with a grin.

“Adorable,” Uli said.

“I’m actually very macho, thank you very much.”

Uli laughed. “I should probably get going, too,” she said. She met his gaze. “But thanks for wearing me down until I said yes. Now that we got the twenty questions out of the way, we should do something that involves… less talking.”

Rusl raised a brow. “Oh, yeah?”

“I was thinking a chick-flick,” she said with a grin and a wink. “Thanks for dinner.”

Rusl slid his hands into his pockets. “Thanks for saying yes.”

She turned away from him, waving quickly over her shoulder. “Goodnight, Rusl.”