EDIT: Fixed spelling errors and altered paragraphs to make reading easier!
"Ah…and then I had to fly over with the help of one of the Oocca! Since I can't understand their language and apologize, I felt pretty bad- but I hope they understood that I meant no harm."
Shad was simply struck with awe- since when did the old boy talk this much? Not that he was rambling, oh no, but the hero scarcely ever said more than a few words and rather explained himself by expression and action. And now, here he was, chatting excitedly about his adventures. As dedicated as Shad was to the City in the Sky, the scholar couldn't seem to focus properly on the story.
"Shad- are you alright?" the farmer suddenly asked, casting his friend a worried look. Shad suddenly caught himself staring at the farmer's hand, wrapped around a glass of goat milk.
"Oh! I am terribly sorry, old boy. I had no intention of drifting off like that. In fact, I rarely ever do! However, I must admit that I was too fascinated by your manner of speech to pay intention to your amazing tales. It is very rare to hear you speak. I must say, you should speak up more often. Oh no- I am talking too much again, aren't I?"
Link gave off a muffled snicker. "Thank you. And you know that I like it when you speak. You are always so passionate."
Oh goddesses, how Shad wanted to wipe that humiliating blush off of his skin. Why was he even blushing at all? He had never thought of Link as a love interest- why would he? Link was the Hero of Light after all, and a man to that. The country of Hyrule thought lowly of love between the same sexes, and even though the Princess had tried to alter the dated laws regarding the thought, the parliament was not catching on. She did not have all power at her hands, after all. These disrespectful laws forbade all kinds of engagement of the same gender, and any public acts of affection.
Telma always overlooked these rules however, and even as Link and Shad now spoke, a beautiful woman named Cremia (who brought fresh milk to the bar every other morning) held hands with her fiancée, Kina. After all, if you wanted to get married to your love you only had to alter your signature a bit or bribe one of the Royal Library guards. An act that often went "unnoticed" for a measly 80 rupees. But that still wouldn't make it okay for Shad to think of Link as a potential spouse, right? Speaking of the old boy, he was still eyeing Shad curiously, smiling to himself of how out of it he seemed.
"You really are easy to impress." He snickered, resting his head on his unclothed arm. Coming straight from Ordon village for a visit together with his adoptive father Rusl, he was still wearing his traditional Ordonian clothing, an ensemble that was beautiful but seemed rather uncomfortable with all the different layers.
"Ah, I am truly sorry, old boy. I have a lot going through my head at the moment. After all, it has been a while since we last saw each other, and I have a lot to think about. I am very excited to see you again."
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
The goat herder reached in for an embrace, to which Shad awkwardly responded. They both smiled to themselves. Shad felt a soft scent of hay and dirt emanating from Link's clothes and somehow, it suited him. Link squeezed his shoulders tightly once, before slowly releasing himself from the hug.
Now was the time for what Shad dreaded the most when they met, however. A kiss on the cheek. The first time Link had kissed him, Shad had stuttered and blushed furiously, before Link realized what he had done and quickly apologized. Apparently, giving each other a peck on the cheek was a symbol of friendship in Ordon village, and had nothing to do with romance. Explaining this to Ashei hadn't been quite as easy for the poor old boy, as he left Telma's bar with a black eye that day.
Shad braced himself as Link lightly put his hands on Shad's shoulders and gently kissed him on his protruding cheekbone, eyes closed. He pulled away smiling brightly, like always. He was used to Shad not repeating the action on him, as it was not part of his customs. This time however, Shad bit his lip, gathered more courage than Farore herself held, leaned in, and pecked the old boy quickly. He straightened up even faster, trying to hide his furious blush from the laughing teenager beside him.
Truly, Ordonian folk were odd.