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It was a nice day. The sun was shining high in the sky, sunbeams dancing around Vah Ruta as she stood proudly over the domain, her focus on Hyrule castle. The air was warm and the breeze carded gentle fingers through Link’s tousled hair, soft and familiar, comforting like that of a lover. Link could see the light parade around the domain from atop the grassy ledge he currently sat upon, draping everything in brilliant hues and amplifying nature’s natural saturation. Birds sang over the gentle roar of the nearby waterfall to woo one another in the air, the smell of spring flowers blooming heavy and sweet around him.
Link’s chest was tight regardless.
There was nothing particularly wrong. Everything was at peace for the moment, suspended in the euphoria of Spring’s rebirth. But his mind didn’t care how nice the weather was or how peaceful the area seemed. Dark tendrils of thoughts better left forgotten crept up the walls of his mind, always looking for a crack in his mental guard so they could slip in and corrupt his small, hard-earned happiness. It was one of such days when they were swarming, wretched and heavy, pounding against the frail barrier he kept up against such thoughts so that he could focus on his duty to save all of Hyrule.
He had come to the domain seeking the one person who could always help him alleviate the burden of these thoughts; help him repair his barrier and give him more ammunition to continue on his quest to seal the darkness.
“Ah, Link!” A voice called from a ways below him, wispy and bright. “There you are!”
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Link leaned forward enough to peer out over the edge of the cliffside, seeing a bright red smudge in the water far below, but the beaming grin of Prince Sidon couldn’t be missed, as it seemed to reflect the very warmth of the sun. He watched in familiar awe as the Zora disappeared below the water and swam over to the waterfall nearby. With a sharp flick of his body, the crimson Zora shot up the waterfall with breathless speed, carving his way to the top as if he were writing calligraphy and his body was the pen. He burst through the fray and with a few unnecessary flips in the air, landed squarely on the ground a few feet from where Link sat.
“My friend, what are you doing up here?” He asked, rivulets of water streaked down his water-resistant scales, reflecting their color with joy, and with the few strides to close the distance between them, he was dry.
Link didn’t really have an answer. He had come to the domain for Sidon but instead found himself sitting atop the cliffside behind the main city.
He pulled a corner of his lip in as he signed, Just thinking.
“Well it is certainly a nice day to relax and think,” the prince replied, gifting him with his typical, hearty chuckle.
Is that why you’re here? Link asked, leaning back a bit to crane his neck so as to see the Zora, squinting against the harsh sunlight.
“Partially.” Sidon kneeled down when he saw the other struggling to see him, knowing Link would not take offense to such an action. “However, I find it difficult to enjoy such activities alone when I know my dearest friend is brooding on a mountain.”
Link’s ears slid down as he gave a chuckle, knowing he’d been caught, What kind of hero doesn’t brood on a mountain every once in a while?
“Surely the kind who will join me in a swim in one of said mountain’s pools,” Sidon replied, his grin growing as Link outright laughed at that, the sound cheery and light. “Is that a yes?”
Link was still laughing as he nodded, holding out a hand for Sidon to help him up. The Zora grasped his hand and gently tugged the Hylian to his feet, standing up himself as he did do. He turned and lead the way without further explanation, hearing the hero’s weapons clanking together as he followed him. It was a relatively short walk of comfortable silence before Sidon rounded a particularly large boulder to reveal a hill that gently sloped down into a fairly expansive basin of water that had a few yards of flat land around it. Wildflowers decorated the grass, while reeds and lily pads swayed in the gentle current of the shallow areas. The water itself was brilliantly clear, a gentle blue hue covering the sandy bottom of the pool.
“It’s a bit small, but it is one of my favorites to visit on my rare moments of freedom.” Sidon beamed down at Link, who was smiling softly at the area below them.
It’s very pretty, Link replied, turning that soft smile towards the Zora. He felt his heart flutter at the sweetness of Sidon’s gaze, and blinked back down at the pool, the tips of his ears dipped pink.
Sidon lead the way down the slightly-worn path to the flattest area, “It has been a while since I’ve had the time to come here.” He turned to smile at Link, “I am glad you could join me.”
Link waved his hand dismissively, typically meaning “Don’t worry about it” or “It’s no big deal” before he started unbuckling the straps holding his weapons and armor to his body. Sidon waded into the water, relishing how the cool liquid melded to his body. He went further into the deep end, letting the water cradle his body up to his neck.
He hummed contentedly, but his moment of peace was lost as he heard a shout behind him, turning just in time to see Link in nothing but a pair of blue and black skin-tight shorts running at him. His eyes blazed with a playful glee as he side-hopped onto a nearby rock and catapulted himself into the air with a whoop of joy.
Sidon laughed joyfully as the wave of water from the other’s impact washed over him, and a moment later Link resurfaced, expelling water from his mouth like a fountain before he grinned widely at the Zora.
Sidon pushed his hand underwater towards him, dousing him in a small splash, “A little warning next time if you please.”
Link shook out his hair but put his teeth on display with the beaming smile he wore. He swam to close the distance between them, but Sidon pushed away. He grinned at Link’s questioning look, pushing away again as Link tried to swim closer. A challenge gleamed in Link’s blue eyes, and like that, it was a race to catch the Zora. He was at a disadvantage in the water, but the pool was small and shallow enough that Sidon’s movements were restricted, and he was far slower than usual. Still, it was a truly difficult task and Link barely managed to graze his fingers against one arm’s fin before Sidon dashed away again.
Some thirty-odd minutes later and Link was exhausted, his movements sluggish and his limbs felt impossibly heavy. He was still in the deep end so he started slowly paddling towards the shore, breath coming out in pants. However, he didn’t get very far before a pair of large hands wrapped around his middle and Sidon appeared from the water in front of him. Link huffed out a breath of surprise as he was lurched forwards, his body colliding with the much larger one of the Zora that now floated below him, suspending him above the water so only his calves and feet were submerged.
“You looked like you needed a break,” the prince said in answer to Link’s pout.
Link rolled his eyes before he patted Sidon’s chest twice and signed, Caught you.
Sidon laughed, the action making Link bounce a little, “Yes, you did indeed. Though I did give you quite the run for me.” Link looked disgruntled at that but shrugged, flopping onto Sidon’s chest and folding his arms under his head. He closed his eyes with a contented sigh, the burn in his muscles from their chase already ebbing away. He felt the Zora hum beneath him and cracked open an eye to find him in just as relaxed a position, his arms folded behind his head with his eyes closed, a gentle smile gracing his lips. Link smiled to himself and closed his eye again, nuzzling into his arms.
The sun blanketed his back, drying off his skin as the twitter of bird and the soothing ebb of water around them lulled him into a thoughtless doze. He felt completely at ease for the first time since he had woken up in the shrine of resurrection, just laying there on Sidon and enjoying the quiet privacy they were privileged within the hidden mountain pool.
Something rumbled above him and he blinked open an eye in time to see a drop of water splash onto Sidon’s chest and slip down over his shoulder. He blinked his eyes open further, feeling a couple of drops fall upon his back, tickling his skin as they raced over his side. He pushed himself up, patting the Zora’s chest to get his attention as he looked towards the sky.
“Link? What’s wrong?” Sidon asked, the juncture where his head fin met his face wrinkling in question. Link signed Storm coming and pointed up, and Sidon raised his gaze to the heavy grey clouds that had obscured the bright blue expanse that had covered the sky just a little earlier. “How troublesome. We should return to the domain before it truly starts to come down.”
Link nodded as Sidon began propelling them towards the shore, the occasional drops turning into a light drizzle as Link disembarked from Sidon. He quickly strode towards his gear and threw on his worn undershirt before grabbing everything else into his arms. He threw the Sheikah slate onto his hip and followed Sidon, who was now walking ahead of him and back up the hill. The grass had turned slippery under Link’s bare feet, and it made walking without tripping or dropping all the items in his arms that much harder.
Still, they managed to get back to the domain without incident, though by them Link was thoroughly soaked once more, his shirt wet and sloppy where it stuck to his shivering skin. Sidon was quick to bring him through the city and into the palace, guiding him towards his own personal chambers. There was no doorway, just a smaller opening in the wall that lead to an elaborately decorated room.
“My apologies, Link,” Sidon hummed as he sat down on his large waterbed, malcontent as he watched the other gently deposit his items on a nearby desk, still shivering. “It was my fault for not sensing the storm coming in my idleness.”
Link shook his head, It came out of nowhere. Don’t feel bad. He then turned around and retrieved his champion’s tunic and a dry pair of Hylian pants and boots from his Sheikah slate. How he kept so many items in such a small device, Sidon would never know. Magic, Link had told him at one point, and perhaps it was.
Still, Sidon watched as Link laid the dry clothes to the side before throwing his arms back and over his head, clawing the wet fabric up and over his body. Water dripped onto the floor with each bunched up grab but Sidon could hardly find it in himself to mind, his eyes caught upon the rippling muscles and delicate curve of the other’s spine that the shirt was now exposing in its absence. He felt a bit of a flush hit his cheeks at the sight. Yet there were other things that held his gaze; patches of white and pink, lines both smooth and rough that littered the champion’s torso and even his arms and legs. Memories of battles recklessly won and reminders of times he almost lost.
A quiet giggle interrupted his focus and he blinked to see Link looking over his shoulder, pointing two fingers at his eyes then at Sidon: I see you.
Sidon jumped at the realization that he had been caught staring, quickly using one hand to cover his eyes, “I’m terribly sorry, Master Link! Forgive my rudeness! I shall look away.” He didn’t look up when he heard the soft padding of the other’s feet as he crossed the room, and he blinked warily as a small hand rested on the one covering his face and lowered it.
I don’t mind, Link signed back with a soft smile. He released the other’s hand to continue. It’s just a body.
Something about that struck Sidon in a place that ached, making his whole chest tighten in a way that made him inhale sharply. He reached out and grabbed the other’s shoulder, his other hand grabbing the hand closest to him.
“Link…” The chill from the rain lingered in his fingers, and Sidon frowned down at him, watching a drop of water fall from a soaked lock of hair. He felt his face scrunch up more as he tried to impress the importance of what he was about to say to the Hylian. “It’s not just a body. It’s your body.” His eyes again trailed over the myriad of scars and abrasions that had left a permanent mark on the smaller man’s skin. “It this why you’re so reckless with your safety? Why you treat your body so poorly?”
There was a breath of silence as Link looked up at him in bewilderment, before his brow scrunched together and he took a step back, snapping his hand away.
Who cares? He signed sharply, and Sidon tried not to flinch at the angry conviction that was suddenly in the hero’s eyes. I have to fight Calamity Ganon. That’s why I’m here. His movements seemed to slow down, however, as he signed It’s my duty…
“Link…” Sidon said softly, but the other turned his head away and continued.
This body is just a weapon, he signed, one hand falling and clenching into a fist as the other was shakily brought up to his lips again. Who ca-
But before Link could finish the sign, Sidon reached out and firmly grabbed his hand. The ache in his chest had worsened with the other’s words and the deeper meaning behind those thoughts. Thoughts Sidon feared were only the surface of what the hero truly believed.
“Link… That’s not true,” Sidon began, and he feared his heartache was reflected on his face as he spoke, gold irises searching through the tired blues of the other. “The world may need you to defeat Ganon, but your friends need you to be safe.” He paused for a breath, “I need you to be safe.”
Link ducked his head down and let his bangs obscure his face, shaking it slightly, before the rest of his body started to follow suit. How could Sidon want him around, after all he had done, or rather, hadn’t been able to do? His face felt hot, but for an entirely different reason from before, and a tingly heat prickled around his eyes in warning.
“Link?” Sidon asked softly, one head reaching up to brush away damp bangs. But Link looked up before he did, thick tears welling up in pained eyes, his brows pinched up together as his ears drooped.
Sidon’s face fell, eyes wide as the other raised trembling hands to say Why do you say that? His tears fell faster, thick globs racing down patchily flushed cheeks as he ground his teeth together to keep from openly sobbing. Even though it’s my fault… He ended the sign by hugging himself, turning his head away as he tried to keep some semblance of composure.
“Oh dear,” the prince said softly, heartbroken at seeing the usually strong and resilient Hylian so shaken and broken down. “Oh no. Link, n-” He tried to lend comforting hands to the other, but the Hylian champion abruptly slapped them away with more force than the Zora knew he had, the stinging feeling over his scales resounding as Link grit his teeth in anger.
No! He signed, his movements angry and sharp, as fierce as if he were fighting a battle and the words they portrayed as loud as if he were shouting them. It should have been me! Not-! His face fell as his hands jammed up, looking down as he tried again. Not… your sister…
He hugged himself again, his whole body shaking with restrained sobs. Sidon sat straight and motionless, his face wide in surprise at the other. It was the other’s sniffling that finally snapped him out of his daze, and he carefully reached forward again to wrap a gentle hand around Link’s bicep.
“Link…” Sidon said softly, and the blond looked up through wide, tearful eyes as Sidon reached forward to delicately rub a palm over his cheek, removing the river of tears that stained his soft skin. His smile was sweet and his eyes fond as he knelt in front of the other and continued, “Mipha loved you. Your courage inspired her to be all she could be. She knew the risks but became a champion anyway. You gave her strength to do that.” His grip on Link’s arm tightened just a bit, impressing seriousness as he said, “The only one to blame for Mipha’s demise was the Calamity.” Link nodded in understanding, a soft hiccup escaping his throat. Sidon brushed his thumb over the Hylian’s shoulder soothingly, “Link…”
This time when Link looked up, tears still shining on his cheeks and his face patchy and flushed, he was smiling with gratitude.
Thank you.
Sidon blinked in surprise, especially when Link stepped forward to close the distance between them this time and wrapped his small arms around as much of Sidon’s torso as he could reach. Sidon rested his hands on the other, smiling softly down at him.
However, he realized that his sensitive skin was tingling madly everywhere that Link was touching him, not to mention the fact that Link was basically still almost naked and his skin was chilled and damp with rainwater. He felt hear flare up everywhere under his skin, flushing him from head to foot as he jumped and started frantically fumbling over his words.
Link looked up curiously and reached one hand up, placing a finger on Sidon’s lower lip to quiet him. Sidon’s rambling abruptly ended as he looked down at the Hylian champion. Link reached up between them, thin fingers sliding over Sidon’s reddening cheeks and cupping his jaw as he brought him down, standing on his tiptoes to reach him. Their lips pressed together not in a gentle way, but certainly not violent. It left Sidon in a state of shock at the smaller lips pressed to his own, before a sigh of pleasure rumbled through the Hylian’s chest, and the prince found himself sitting back on his legs and guiding the Hylian into his lap.
His arms wrapped around Link protectively, their kiss breaking off a moment later as Link hiccuped again, a fresh wave of tears brimming in his eyes. This time, Sidon offered no comforting words, nor voicing the army of questions he had, just let the other curl into his chest and calm down at his own pace. His large hand massaged simple circles over the Hylian’s back, taking the time to memorize the dips and ridges of each and every scar that decorated the skin there.
It took a while, but Link eventually calmed down to deep, soft breathing. The skin around his eyes was raw and his eyes themselves hurt from the salt of his tears, and his throat ached from clamping down on all the pathetic noises and whimpers that had tried to escape him. The Zora’s hand was an ever-present warmth around him, and he found himself nuzzling his cheek into the smooth scales of Sidon’s chest, his arms resting loosely in front of him now.
“Link,” The red Zora said, softly enough that Link could ignore him if he so chose. Thankfully he didn’t, moving to raise his head enough to look at him and blinking tiredly. “Would, uh… would you like to rest on the bed? Pardon my choice of words, but you look utterly exhausted, my friend, and could probably do with a good night’s rest.”
Link laughed weakly at that but nodded, sliding off Sidon’s lap gingerly. Sidon offered the other the dry clothes Link had put aside before, and the blond sluggishly pulled them on, forgoing the boots that sat next to the desk. He paused once he was done and Sidon gave him a curious glance as he turned around. Link pursed his lips and looked away, quietly signing I’m sorry.
That surprised the Zora, his brow furrowing as he straightened up, “Whatever for?”
Breaking down like that, Link replied with a shrug, unable to bring his eyes up to Sidon’s. Kissing you out of nowhere.
Sidon’s eyes softened at that and he closed the difference between them, kneeling as Link finally turned tired eyes to him, “I trust you did not do it from a place of malice or manipulation.” Link’s eyes blinked wide in surprise before he rapidly shook his head, making the other chuckle. “Then I take it that it came from a place if sincerity, albeit with a rather awkward timing.”
Link nodded again, his hair dryer now and fluffy, hanging in patches over his face as he blushed.
Sidon reached under Link’s head and tilted it back up, leaning in to softly press his lips to the other’s again, relishing in how Link’s eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment.
Link blinked dazedly at him when he pulled away, and the look made the tightness in his chest snap loose and a powerful feeling swell inside of him, “I assure you, the feeling is mutual.” The Hylian was quiet for a moment, his face frozen as tears welled up a third time, and Sidon thought he had said the wrong thing before Link huffed a laugh and gave a small smile, leaning down to place his forehead against Sidon’s chest. Sidon wrapped him up in his arms again, this time ignoring the sensation of being touched knowing that it was with proper intent and not as a last resort for comfort.
He didn’t know exactly what was going through the hero’s mind, nor what darkness plagued him from within, but he would be there for him whenever he could, in spirit if not in body. His arms tightened around the Hylian as he lifted him up and brought him to the bed, taking great care with him. Because he wasn’t just a body, and his body was not just a weapon. He was Link, Hero of Hyrule, the Fifth Champion, and Zelda’s appointed knight.
But he was also just Link, the boy who stuck his tongue out while he was cooking, the boy who snorted and laughed without restraint when Sidon came splashing up, a wiggling fish in his grinning mouth. He was Link, Sidon’s most treasured friend, and the most amazing, wonderful person he had ever had the pleasure of knowing, and Sidon would protect him with his life if it came down to it.
Link had never felt so safe as when Sidon placed him on the bed and wrapped him up in cool sheets. The dark thoughts that had thundered on his fragile mind were quieted to nothing more than a distant rumble, held at bay by the warmth and comfort Sidon offered as he brushed back his bangs. He didn’t know where this was going - where they were going - but he had the undeniable feeling that they would work it out together.