Work Text:
Link thought he was alone. He was curled into a ball and shivering. He was not only sick, he was also depressed. When he heard a voice, he lifted his head and looked at the person who was talking to him.
"You were talking to me?", Link asked.
"Who's there? It's you, Link? It's you, isn't?", the man asked.
"That's my name", Link replied with an exhausted voice.
"I'm...", the man started.
"I know who you are. I remember. You came to kill me?", Link said.
"No", the Gerudo man replied.
Ganondorf sat by his side.
"What's wrong?", Ganondorf asked.
"I think I'm sick", Link replied.
Ganondorf leaned in close and placed his hand on Link's feverish forehead. His hand was cool and firm; Link found the touch comforting.
"You have a fever, Link. And it seems that you have a bit of a sore throat too", the Gerudo man said.
"Ganondorf, what is the King of the Gerudo doing here, asking about my health?", Link asked.
"I mean you no harm. Also, you can drop the title and call me Gan, please call me Gan", the Gerudo replied.
"Fine, if you insist", Link said.
The Gerudo placed his hand on Link's arm.
"Link, we should get you home. You need care and medicine", Gan said.
"There's no one to care for me", Link replied, and his eyes filled with sadness.
"Then let me take care of you. And you must be taken care of as soon as possible because otherwise your sickness could get worse. Fever and sore throat are no joke", Gan replied.
The Gerudo frowned.
"What is that?", Gan asked.
He removed the fabric covering Link's chest.
"That's scar tissue. And is that a faded bruise on your face? Link, who did this to you?", Gan asked.
"Gan, please", Link said.
"Link, who did this to you?", Gan asked again softly but firmly.
"Zelda. It was Zelda", Link replied.
Gan looked pissed off.
"I'm gonna kill her", the Gerudo said.
Link grabbed his arm.
"Please Gan, don't. Violence is only going to escalate things and make things worse. Screw her, screw her family. They're not worth our time. If they try to kill us that's different and we can use force or battle them and it's self-defense, but otherwise just screw them. They're not worth our time, we deserve so much better than this shit", Link replied.
Gan squeezed Link's arm reassuringly and nodded.
He brought Link back home and cared for him. He put cold washcloths on Link's forehead, fed him spoonfuls of ice chips and cold yogurt, and bought medicine for him. As Link was sick and spent a lot of time in bed, they often had long conversations to pass the time. While Gan took care of Link, he listened to the Hylian talk about Termina and the friends he made there. Gan had heard about the alternate dimensions too; like Termina, the World of the Ocean King, Laria, Cohaven and many others. Gan told him more about his people and his culture.
After a week, Link had almost fully recovered. After two weeks, he had made a full recovery. He had asked Gan to stay a while longer and Gan had stayed. It had been a month and Link didn't want to let him go. Not that Gan was in a hurry to leave. After two months of living together, they realized that they had feelings for each other. They felt their hearts thump as they shared their first kiss. They delighted in each other's embrace.
A few days later, Gan was sitting with Link's head in his lap.
"We've lived together for two months, we can't seem to part from each other. Link would you come and live with me in my Gerudo kingdom?", Gan asked.
"I want that above all else, Gan. But what if your people don't want me to stay or get mad at us?", Link said.
"Don't worry, Link. Everything is going to be all right, and if some of them object, I'll manage to convince them that you're a kind and trustworthy person", Gan replied.
Link nodded and his body relaxed in Gan's embrace. He let out a contented sigh when Gan kissed the top of his head. Link kissed him on the lips and Gan returned the kiss.
"Take a few things you want to keep and we'll be ready to leave. Have no fear, Link, I will not leave you lacking. When you live with me in my kingdom, if there is something that you need, just say the word and I'll see to it that you don't lack anything", Gan said.
"I don't want to be treated differently than anyone else when it comes to that. I want to work, earn a salary, and pay for what others provide me with. That's what all adults do", Link replied.
"Of course. Far from me the thought of insulting you or taking your autonomy from you", Gan said.
They went to sleep. The next day, they were ready to leave.
When they arrived in Gan's kingdom, Gan spoke to his people and showed them Link's scars. The Gerudo sympathized with Link because they too had experienced abuse and dehumanization at the hands of Hylians, especially the Hylian royal family.
For the next few days, Link got used to living in the Gerudo city. He worked, helped with some of the cooking, learned to use meditation to focus his mind and to sleep better at night, and he spent some quality time with Gan. They took their meals together. They lit some candles and chatted as they slowly emptied their plates.
Then one afternoon, one of the guards who was sent by the others, a tall woman with a braid named Ayali, came to see the King and Link.
"Your Majesty, Princess Zelda is at the doors of our city. She claims to be unarmed, though we both know she's not without protection. She knows that Link is here. She demand to speak to him", the guard said.
"She's not in a position to make any demand. This is my kingdom here and I'm the King", Gan replied.
"She said that she must speak to Link and that she will come back with soldiers and try to get in by force if she must", the guard added.
"That would be a declaration of war", Gan said.
"What do you want us to do, your Majesty?", Ayali asked.
"Let me talk to her, Gan", Link said.
"Link, why would you want to talk to her?", Gan asked.
"I must have one last conversation with her, Gan, so I can confront her, put the past behind me and move on. Also, if possible, I want to prevent a bloodbath from taking place. Please, let me talk to her", Link said.
"Fine, Link. But I'd like to stay with you when you talk to her, okay?", Gan replied.
"Of course, Gan, anyway I want you to hear what I'm going to tell her", Link said.
"Let her in, but take her to the throne room and keep a close watch on her at all time. Don't let her out of your sight. Search her for weapons, make sure she's not armed. Take extra precautions. As Link here said, let's avoid a bloodbath, shall we?", Gan said to Ayali.
Ayali left the room and came back with some of the other guards and Princess Zelda. The guards stayed at the door and kept watch.
"Speak and let's get this over with", Gan said.
Zelda gave him an angry look. Gan seemed unimpressed.
"Link, you have to come home", Zelda said.
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Zelda. Also, home is where the heart is. The Gerudo kingdom is my home, Gan and his people are my family. Here I am and here I will stay", Link replied.
"Link, you can't leave the Hylian kingdom and your duties", Zelda said angrily.
"Oh, really? Just watch me, Zelda. I'm not your lapdog. I'm not your doormat, your floormat, so you don't get to wipe your feet on me. And guess what, Zelda. I'm not your punching bag. I won't let you hit me and abuse me anymore. I found a notebook in your castle where your family talk about the curse, the curse on the three bearers of the triforce. I made a huge mistake when I told the Hylian royal family about Gan after I defeated him in the dark future and was returned to my childhood. He was under a curse by a demonic entity that tormented him, that demonic entity named Demise was the true source of Gan's evil deeds. You and your family knew that and you still had him executed anyway and you threatened to do violence against me if I released that information to the public with the notebook as proof to back up my claim. When my prayers, in the temple, to Ciela the Goddess of Time were heard and Gan was resurrected much sooner, you demanded that I go out and kill him and when I refused, you had me chained up, you beated me up, subjected me to physical and psychological abuse, torture, attempts at brainwashing and manipulation. And then you released me and left me to die from my injuries. I survived but fell ill and that's when Gan found me. Gan and I are going to find a way to break the curse and end the cycle of pain and misery the two of us have been trapped in along with some of my ancestors and some of yours. But the curse has been weakened by the love Gan and I have for each other, so until we figure out a way to break the curse, we can at least resist its effects through our love for each other. Gan and I are going to raise an orphaned Gerudo little girl whose mother recently died in an accident, we will raise her together, Gan and I. I'm going to be his husband and consort and she will basically be my daughter. Gan and I, we embrace the life we deserve to have together. I will hope for your redemption, but I sever all ties with you. I don't need toxic people in my life, Zelda. Please leave the Gerudo kingdom and don't come back", Link said.
"You heard him. Guards, escort her back outside and make sure she leaves, along with whoever came with her", Gan said.
As the guards were about to force her out of the room and make her leave their land, Zelda turned to Link and looked at him with a grin.
"Fine, you can stay if you want. From now on, you're dead to your people, your fellow Hylians. Oh and what will they think when I tell them that their hero who did so much for them since he came back from Termina and that they have come to admire is a traitor who refuse to go home and who sleep with the enemy?", Zelda said.
Link made his way to her.
"Gan and I haven't been intimate in that sense yet, though we are both looking forward to it, but that's none of your business though. I didn't betray the Hylian people, I'm just walking away from the Hylian royal family. As for the people, if they are smart, they'll see through your lies and figure it out. The curse on the bearers of the triforce will eventually be broken, Gan and I will see to it that it is done, and you'll feel like a slimy piece of shit because you didn't cooperate with those of us who worked on breaking the curse and putting an end to the cycle that ruined so many lives", Link replied.
Link turned to Gan and gestured to Gan who gestured to the guards to remove her. Once the guards assured them that Zelda and the people who came with her were gone and were going back to the Hylian kingdom, Gan thanked them and told them to withdraw and leave him alone with Link. The Hylian was crying. He wiped his tears to no avail. The dam broke and the tears kept flowing. This broke Gan's heart and he couldn't hold back his own tears. Gan wrapped his arms around Link and held him.
"It's over now, love. You were so brave. I'm proud of you", Gan said.
"Gan, I want to embrace the life that you and I deserve to have together", Link whispered.
"That's exactly what you and I are going to do, Link", Gan replied.
"I love you so much, Gan", Link said.
"And I love you too", Gan replied.
They shared a tender and passionate kiss and they melt in each other's embrace, look and smile for a long moment. They shared another kiss, this time a longer lasting one. That night they made love to each other for the first time. They tenderly made love to each other and fell asleep in each other's embrace.
- End -