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Link never knew what it would be like to fall in love.
His life was simply too busy for that. His life consisted of training, fighting- protecting the land he called home, and in addition, his best friend, Princess Zelda. Since a young age, the stress put upon him left him little time to let his mind wander about such trivial things.
But, after the Calamity, when there was calm, Link found himself wondering. In the dead of night, he'd stay awake- so unlike himself- longing for the touch of someone he'd never met.
He'd stay up until the early hours of morning and the feeling would linger throughout the day. He had never felt this way before. Perhaps it was always there, and was showing itself now because there was peace.
In simple terms: longing was not something he was familiar with and it was ruining his life.
That was, of course, until he appeared.
The feeling got worse when he was around. But Link never wanted him to leave. He'd put up with this feeling as long as he remained close by.
Leon S Kennedy.
Link didn't know what the S stood for. Perhaps stylish…
Leon was full of hope. He and Link had met through the Super Smash Bros. tournament- Leon was acquainted with a few of the fighters. A friend of a friend of a friend.
Leon hailed from Raccoon City, a place destroyed by a horrible virus. Something about zombies? Anyway, it sounded terrible. Leon had come to the Battlefield by chance. But according to him, it was more peaceful and inviting than any other place he'd ever been- especially after the Raccoon City incident. He made plenty of new friends there.
And here they were.
Link invited Leon to spend a day with him in Hyrule. And what a perfect day it was- the sun was shining brightly on the land, birdsong in the air. The orchards near Hateno village were in full bloom and ready for harvesting. Link was taking Leon to pick apples and berries.
"I've never been apple picking before," Leon admitted as they walked up the hill. The orchards weren't too far.
Link smiled. "Do you like it in Hyrule?" He asked.
Oddly enough, during their past conversations, Link had become more comfortable speaking verbally as opposed to signing Hyliain Sign Language. Leon didn't know sign language anyway, but Link taught him a few phrases.
"It's peaceful," Leon said. "Really different from the city." He paused. "That's an understatement. I've actually never been to a place like here, anyway."
That surprised Link. Hyrule had always been home. And home was chaotic enough.
"I understand. I am glad you like it. You may have to help me with getting the apples. As you can see, I am much shorter than you." Link chuckled lightly.
Leon laughed in reply, which made Link's heart flutter. "Sure thing," Leon said.
They entered the orchard and the first thing Link did was leap up to grab an apple from one of the trees. He instantly sank his teeth into it with a satisfying crunch.
"Looks like you don't need my help at all," Leon joked.
Link, however, took it seriously. "I do," he insisted. "I…probably will not be able to do that again."
"No, no, I've seen how you move in the tournament- you've got skill. You can definitely jump up high enough to get apples."
"I assure you, I cannot."
Link pretended to struggle as he reached up for more apples. Leon grabbed the one he reached for and dropped it in Link's basket.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," Leon said.
They picked apples together in gentle silence, listening to the wind and the sounds of the farm animals nearby. It was as if they were in their own little bubble. The outside world could not touch them here.
And they would not get stares anymore. Leon was much taller than the people of the village. Quite a sight to them, it seemed.
"You know," Leon said, "the city was really loud. I like how quiet it is here. I feel like I have space to breathe."
"I understand. It has always been…quiet here. Even during the Calamity." Link lowered his voice as he spoke of the event, as if the word itself was a curse.
"What was the Calamity?"
Link paused, his arm halfway stretched out in the direction of an apple. He drew it back to his side.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Leon said quickly. "I was curious, that's all. I heard you and Princess Zelda mention it a few times, so."
Link gave a tiny smile. "It is alright." He sat down at the base of a tree, setting his basket beside him. Leon did the same, sitting next to him.
"The Calamity began many years ago. It was the result of Ganon, an ancient evil, reawakening and attempting to destroy Hyrule. Princess Zelda held him back for one hundred years while she waited for me to reawaken in the Shrine of Resurrection."
"Wait- resurrection? Did you die?"
"Nearly, yes."
Leon blew out a long breath. "Wow. One hundred years."
"Yes. Without the princess, Hyrule would've surely fallen."
"If you weren't there, no one would've been left to fight Ganon."
"That is true. It was a team effort."
"Sort of makes what happened in the city seem…"
Link cut Leon off. "Do not downplay what you have been through. From what you have told me…I would have nightmares, too."
"It was horrible," Leon sighed. "All those people…" He shook his head, looking down. He was not willing to talk about it further.
"Yes, I understand. It is an odd feeling, fate and destiny aside, to know you survived while so many others did not. At times, I admit I question things."
"Why did we survive and not them?"
"Precisely."
"We gotta make the best of it, though." Leon looked to the bright sky, the sun shining through the puffy clouds. "Make the world a better place. In honor of them. The sacrifices they made…it needs to be worth it."
"If survival if a gift they have given us, we cannot let it go to waste."
There was a pause, then Leon spoke.
"Precisely," Leon said, trying to imitate Link's accent.
Link smiled again. Leon kept his gaze on the sky, and Link leaned forward slightly to look at his face. The sky was almost the exact same shade of blue as Leon's eyes. It was mesmerizing. Even the wispy clouds sort of reminded Link of how the light reflected off Leon's eyes.
Link turned his gaze to the sky, then to the basket beside him. He took an apple and began eating. Dinner time would come soon. They would use what they found in the orchard to make dessert.
Some time passed. Around eight apple cores had accumulated in Link's basket. Leon's eyes widened once he noticed.
"How did you eat those apples so fast?"
Link paused his chewing. "I am hungry."
"Wanna head back?"
"No, it is fine." The apple still in his mouth, Link stood up and dusted himself off. He removed the apple. "Shall we gather some berries now?"
"Sure," Leon said as he stood up.
Everything tasted fresh in Hyrule, apparently. Which made sense- according to Leon, a lot of the food from his world was processed to some degree. In Hyrule, meals were made with whatever was available that day. Link looked forward to cooking for him. He rarely cooked for other people- nights were usually spent by himself.
This feeling, and many others, persisted as Link and Leon collected berries and stopped by the market for a few extra things. Link had a name for this feeling. Longing.
It was returning. He did not know how or why it was Leon S Kennedy that brought this feeling on, but it was consuming his heart slowly but surely.
It became harder and harder to ignore.
As Leon's hands brushed against Link's while they reached for stock at the market, or as they laughed together in light conversation, Link felt his heart stir. And he knew he would not be able to hide this for much longer.
They returned to Link's home as soon as the rain started. It was the perfect ambiance for making dinner.
Cooking with Leon was certainly an experience. Though Leon wasn't very well-versed in cooking, he was plenty helpful and those small mistakes were easy for Link to ignore. Not only because he enjoyed Leon's company, and they turned those mistakes into jokes, but because…Link knew how fond he was of Leon.
Each smile, each blush, each touch…it all made Link's heart beat faster.
When dinner was ready, Link plated the food and set the table. Drinks were served as well. Link poured them some wine, to celebrate their friendship and…whatever else may come next.
"To new beginnings," Link said, smiling once again. He had smiled many times that night and he knew he wouldn't stop.
"To new beginnings," Leon repeated, returning that very smile.
They began eating in comfortable silence only interrupted by the crackling fireplace.
"This is good," Leon said. "You're an amazing cook, Link."
"Thank you. But, you helped me. It was a team effort."
"You did most of the work. I kept messing up."
"On the contrary, you helped me a lot."
Leon smiled, and blushed a little. "I'm glad I could. Didn't want you doing all the work."
"I wouldn't have mind."
"Oh?"
Link gently shook his head, amused by Leon's reaction, but he was slightly flustered as well. Was it noticeable? He hoped not.
They finished eating soon after and started on dessert. It was a simple berry tart, using the berries they had collected earlier in the day. After finishing their food and cleaning up, they decided to head outside for a post-dinner walk.
The air was cool and crisp, with a gentle breeze caressing them both. As they traveled up the hill, that was when…it happened.
Link should've seen it coming. Monsters still appeared all the time, though their numbers were dwindling.
A bokoblin came out of nowhere and crashed into Link, tossing him off the side of the hill before Leon could grab him.
"Link!" Leon shouted, his voice echoing in the quiet night.
He quickly ran down the hill and found Link wrestling with the bokoblin. Leon grabbed the creature and threw it off of Link, then helped Link up.
"You okay?" He asked.
"I…" Link heaved, still catching his breath. "I am fine. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I just…couldn't lose someone else."
Link stared at him for a moment. He understood that look in Leon's eyes…Leon was fond of him, too.
He was determined to show Leon what he could do.
Link still has his sword- he never went anywhere without it.
He removed it from its sheath and approached the bokoblin, which had recovered from the attack. It ran toward Link. Before it could strike him again, Link leapt in the air and brought his sword down on the bokoblin.
Deep down, he hoped it was impressive. He hoped Leon would be amazed, like he had been many times…he hoped he could put a smile on Leon's face.
The bokoblin died, leaving behind one of its horns and a pile of guts. Leon walked over to the pile and examined it, picking up the horn.
"I'll never get used to this," he said.
"It is odd, isn't it?" Link asked playfully, smiling.
"Kinda cool, though. Do you ever keep these?"
"They are useful in making potions."
"Really? Maybe I'll keep a few."
Link went quiet. Looking up at Leon and meeting his eyes, he felt courage swell in his heart.
"Leon…I must tell you something."
"…Link?"
"I appreciate you helping me. There is a chance…I would not have survived if you were not here. But that is not all. I must confess something to you."
"What is it?'
"I have grown…very fond of you. I think…Leon, I think I love you."
There was silence.
Link feared the worst.
Until Leon picked up him and kissed him right on the lips.
Link was certainly not expecting that, but…he wasn't complaining either. Leon's warm lips pressed to his made Link's heart beat wildly in his chest like a bird trapped within a cage. Wrapping his arms around Leon's strong shoulders, he kept Leon close, not wanting him to go, not even for a second. Though he knew they'd have to return to the Battlefield sooner or later.
As the kiss ended and Link pulled away, he stared into Leon's gorgeous blue eyes.
"…was that okay?" Leon asked.
Link did not answer. Instead he kissed Leon again, and he did not pull away until long after.