Safe

Fledge sighed heavily.

He had been tied around a tree, in the strong midday sun, for over two hours by now. He could scream, yell, cry and agonize, no one was coming around, so he did nothing. It felt like the whole town was against him.

Needless to say, Groose was the reason of his plea. The red-haired hunk had taken the liberty to pick on Fledge –again- about the poor, skeletal, boy's mannerism. Fledge wasn't manly. He talked in a high-pitched voice, and had a weak constitution… But he couldn't help it, he was just like that.

At the Academy, everyone kept joking about him, kept teasing him. It had been hard to accept their nagging at first, but he didn't hear them anymore. He was used.

What he couldn't get used to was how brutal Groose could act. He kept beating up Fledge, kept pushing him around, mocking him, pushing him, and stealing his stuff… The list of what Groose could do to Fledge was pretty endless, in fact.

And the worst was probably that Groose kept calling him 'faggot'.

Fledge was gay. Everyone knew it. No one spoke about it. No one but Groose, and no one spoke up to Groose… Because Grosse was… Groose.

Well, no one did, but Link. And that was pretty much the only moments Link talked.

The boys of the Knight Academy were strong, brutal guys who fought to prove their manliness and their worth as a knight. They talked loudly, played dangerous sports, fought, cursed and drank.

Link was different. First of all, he wasn't tall. Then, he did not yell; he did not speak more than what was necessary. And when he did open his mouth, it was to say something so badassly sarcastic that he won the argument right away, making everyone around speechless. Link was lazy, a born procrastinator, and a damn genius.

That made him Groose's number one enemy, and Fledge's very personal Hero.

Fledge and Link weren't friends. Link had no friends; friends had Link.

Anyway, Fledge had taken an interest in him. He didn't know how to approach the quiet, handsome, dark blond with messy hair and cynical grin. So, he had simply started to sit beside him at lunch.

Link hadn't looked at him. And they didn't talk. But Fledge felt safe over there, by the Skylofter's side.

And that was the reason why he changed room to take the one besides Link's, when it was available. He had no stalking intentions, he just felt safe. Safer from the teasing, the bullying. Fledge just knew that he was a few feet away from his Hero.

He had put his desk against the back of Link's bookshelf, which covered the gap between their rooms. It was easier to concentrate there. Sometimes, he heard the other knight-apprentice search his library, or sigh. Link sometimes hummed. He always went on with the same beat and Fledge knew it by heart.

Fledge knew he was in love. And he also knew how he wasn't the only one to have a crush on the quiet young man. But what he was most aware of was that he would never get a chance with his Hero, for Link liked only women, and he liked them a lot.

Link was quiet. The women he brought weren't…

Fledge would listen at night, staring up at his ceiling. Imagining what was going on, on the other side of that bookshelf. It hurt him in a bittersweet way as it was painful to have a crush on such an inaccessible guy, and yet… He felt safe.

Fledge Sighed.

He looked up at the sun. He would have nasty sunburns if someone found him before he died. No one really cared about where he was, what he was doing. He was just the awkward, different, girly guy who was being hated at by his classmates.

He did not cry.

He was thirsty, tired and just wanted to go to sleep. He just wanted to be freed from that damn tree. And Fledge swore to himself that he would, someday, come back with an axe and chop it down. But he wasn't sure if 'it' would be the tree or Groose…

"Oh Goddess…" He whispered, closing his eyes.

Fledge woke up as the environment became suddenly cooler. It was still daytime, and the sun was still strong. But something casted a shadow upon him.

Something that made him jump.

With wide eyes, Fledge stared at Link who looked down at him, brows furrowed.

"Link?"

The quiet Skylofter didn't answer. He sighed. Link kneeled in front of the frail, tied up boy. He took a knife out of his pocket and quickly, easily, cut the rope holding him in place.

"I was worried." Said Link as he helped Fledge to his feet.

All the way back to the Academy, they didn't talk. But Fledge was smiling.

His burnt skin ached. He needed to drink water badly. He was dark red.

He felt wonderful. Link had been worried about him.

And when they reached their bedroom doors, at the Academy, Fledge turned to his Hero, heart filled with happiness.

"Thanks, Link."

The dark blond smiled.

"Just come and get me if something's wrong." Answered Link as he turned his knob. "And I'll be taking care of Groose." He disappeared in his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Smiling still, Fledge went to bed. Everything touching his skin ached like hell. But he smiled.

He knew he was safe.


I wrote this for Princess-of-all-saiyins. Just a thought for you this morning and decided to do something with it.

Hope you liked, everyone!

(I'd love to own Zelda. Not my case, and SOPA's making me have nightmares)

'til we write again,

Gamesplayers