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Autumn rains came early this year, blanketing the world in fog and cold. Link watched two raindrops racing down the glass pane of the apartment window. The first raindrop streaked along at a stuttering pace, occasionally tumbling over itself on small dry patches. The second drop, Link's chosen racehorse as it were, slid down at blinding speed, quickly reaching the first contestant.
Unfortunately for Link, the race ended in a slippery draw as the two drops merged into one before being overcome by a newcomer splattering onto the glass. The window fogged up with his annoyance and the young man leaned back in his chair, keeping a sharp ear out for Zelda or the kettle's whistle.
The kettle screamed first, steam roaring out the spigot into the air. Link rocked to his feet and sauntered over to kill the fire. Carefully, he poured out the hot water into two mugs and returned to his chair, setting a timer on his phone as he did.
If you asked Link, rainy days such as these were the absolute worst. No visibility for outdoor activities, no car rides out past the city limits, just dreary weather and the return of flu season. That last bit soured the Hylian's mood more than anything else - the damned virus had gotten to his wife and she was now bedridden.
"Man." Link murmured to himself as his phone trilled out an alarm. He took the mugs to the bedroom.
A Terminian telenovela had cut to commercial by the time Link wandered in. Beyond the sounds of the tv, soft pattering came from outside as a moderate rain pelted the walls. Zelda smiled as she noticed his entrance. she took the cup gently by the handle, setting it aside on a coaster next to a nearly-empty tissue box. Along the bed, used remnants of the box were scattered about with one scratching Zelda's reddened nose.
"Oh good, my tea! Oh, don't get too close, Link. I'm sick, remember?" Zelda spoke as Link kissed her temple. Link shrugged the warning off. He wanted to coddle his wife, no matter her health. The commercial ended as the telenovela credits scrolled along the screen and an announcement of the next show appeared. Zelda elbowed Link in the nose, forcing him to sit in a chair he placed next to her bed earlier that day. Grumpily rubbing his nose, Link did as his wife commanded.
The show that appeared onscreen was a music video of an old band from the era of disco, the interestingly named Indigo-Gos Zelda bobbed her head to the music, humming lightly along with the song. The music video was chock full of lens flares, bright reflection of rhinestone-studded bell bottoms, and bright colors shining brilliantly.
"And here we go again, we know the start, we know the end, master of the scene! We've done it all before, and now we're back to get some more. You know what I mean — Voulez-vous!"
The Hylians began to sing along with the lyrics, Zelda tapping her mug lightly as if it were Lulu's tambourine in the video. Link got up and began mimicking the outlandish dancing on the television, adding even more absurd moves. Falling into snorting giggles, Zelda playfully chucked the tissues at Link.
Link shielded himself with a playfully shrill shriek and rushed to grab the trash can next to the nightstand. He returned to his nonsensical dancing as he caught the debris, singing even more nonsense as he did so. The music video had changed to another Indigo-Go song about the Battle of Hyrule Castle. Link mimicked the style and mannerism of Ganondorf Dragmire complete with the silliest accent Zelda ever heard.
"Out! Get out, you silly dodongo! Go make soup or something!" she shouted between snorting laughs.
"Sacre Bleu! Mademoiselle ez defiant of Le Grande General?! Very well! I abscond!"
Link slinked out with the trash, picking up the shots that didn't quite make it into the can.
* * *
Outside, the rain had come to a stop. Link breathed a sigh of relief as he adjusted his jacket and fished for his car keys from an inside pocket. He shook his head at the state of his car once it dried in the sun. Damn the dust. He thought as he brought the ignition to life. He set his playlist to the Indigo-Gos as he made his way to the market.
“I heard about you before, I wanted to know some more, and now I know what they mean: you’re a love machine!” Link sang as he drove along. “Damn the Indigo-Go’s rock.”
The marketplace was devoid of cars, freeing up valuable parking spots for Link. He found a spot as close to the store without being that driver who would park in a handicap spot. As he stepped out, the smell of petrichor grew strong against the blacktop, mingling in with the faint scent of diesel and the plants standing outside the shop doors.
Fishing out his phone, Link checked the aisles for ingredients he needed for the soup. There was a recipe he had seen for kale soup with sausages and beans.
“What do we have back home…? We have sausage thawing in the fridge…we have the beans…of course! I need the kale! Also some warm spices for the soup and for more tea.”
The kale was easy enough to find: the produce was all in the center of the store. The spices were a few aisle back toward the entrance. He got some vials of cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, and paprika before making his way to the checkout.
As the cashier rang up the groceries, he noticed a tune that Link was humming and gave a snort.
“Really, man? The Indi-Go-Gos? You know disco’s dead, right?”
“Hey now, don’t knock it till you try it! They’ve got some pretty good hits.”
“Whatever you say, my guy. That’ll be fifteen rupees.”
Link grumbled over leaving the cardamom behind as he yoinked out his credit card, but he knew that it was Zelda’s favorite sweet spice and that it couldn’t be left on the shelf. He paid the full price and left back home.
The door creaked open amongst the clinking of keys and trinkets.
“Zelda, I’m back! Do you need some more tea?” Link spoke into the living room. Nothing answered him save silence and the soft sounds of snoring and the murmuring of a commercial emanating from their bedroom. Zelda had fallen asleep, much to Link’s amusement.
Rolling up his sleeves, Link set aside the groceries, washed his hands, and got to work prepping everything for the soup. He set the kettle aside for now. No need for a loud whistle to rudely awaken his wife now. The teapot wouldn’t survive an angry Zelda.
As the garlic was being minced, the sounds of a squall pattering outside came once more, causing Link to pause for a bit. He sniffed at the air before humming softly to himself. Perhaps there were something to rainy days after all, he gathered.