The four heroes made Shadow Link's stomach churn and his heart clench.
Very rather simple to note, but hard to figure out. Shadow's been watching the heroes ever since they split apart. Watching, calculating their next move and how to counter it, but not just counter it oh no, he needed to find a way to make him known. After all, he deserved the attention and affection that he never got before, though the more he watched them the more he couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest and anger boiling in his blood.
And so he watches them whenever he has free time through the dark mirror. Everything that they ever did was relayed to him and he watches them and even though he shouldn't want to he yearns and yearns to be with them, or at least just one of them, and so he continues to watch and note every part of their personality to make a plan so that he can have one by his side.
That's when he notices the Link clothed in purple, the one called Vio because he's Violet and Vio is a short form of Violet. Creative, Shadow thinks to himself, and it's rather suiting too. Vio is also calm and in control of his emotions. He's strong, too. A very good combination to have on his side, much more better than the brash Blue, the heroic Green, or the whiny Red.
So Shadow plans his plan, a rather simple, but effective plan that works out in the end and he has the special Vio by his side.
At first it's nothing more than a friendship but as their relationship goes on Shadow finds that he finds ways to touch Vio way too often and that Shadow likes Vio's (small, rare, but so very fitting for him) smile more than he should.
At first, it's nothing.
However, one day Shadow kisses Vio out of impulse and it's not perfect like in the fairytales – it's messy and weird and awkward and they just stare at each other for a while before they're together again and it's not until afterwards that Vio even asks what's that about and of course what is Shadow to say but -
"It's nothing."
Of course though the real meaning behind it was obvious and they end up kissing more, but nothing else oh no. No silly declarations of love or affection because really, what would Vio say if he actually said it and admitted to that weakness in his heart? He'd think he was a damn fool, that's for sure. While, as Shadow tells himself, physical affection is nothing. They're more like – what was the term again, ah yes, friends with benefits.
Nothing more.
And as the time goes on and Green is killed Shadow can't help but feel even more overjoyed and much more closer to Vio, his dear, dear friend and the only one that understands him. Shadow even shows Vio the Dark Mirror and outright tells him that he's his best friend and nothing more and that he really trusts Vio.
However, that night changed everything and the hot, boiling anger comes back to him when he sees Vio's reflection in the dark mirror. Of course Vio was going to smash the mirror which wouldn't be good at all but from that angle it looks like Vio's bringing the hammer down on him.
The knife in his back is painful.
He has to kill the traitor, so while the anger's still fresh and hot so that little, stupid tiny voice in the back of his head doesn't tell him to stop he aims to kill his old friend. Of course it doesn't work, nothing he plans ever works out for him in the end and then Vio turns towards him and spits in his face and joins up with those stupid, stupid heroes again and they kill him.
The pain is nothing compared to the stab in the back though.
And so Shadow is back in the Shadow Realm and he thinks it's peaceful. He loses himself in thoughts of the past while in this world and he remembers the conversations he would have with Vio like they were happening right there and it would bring a smile to his face. A bittersweet and self-loathing smile full of longing of a time gone by.
But of course Ganon won't have any of that, no, he has to drag Shadow out of the mirror again and the Princess sees him and she has that look on her face that screams pity and he snaps at her and of course she has to remind him that he's a hero too and then stupid Dark Cloud takes her away and he knows what he has to do.
Of course he takes the form of Vio Link because that's the one he knows the most and he pushes the heroes towards winning and then they find out that it's him. He's out of strength at the end and he just lays there. The sun beats down on him as they talk to him and it stings. It's all okay though because he did something to help them and the one most precious to him.
Blue eyes look into each other and there're those unspoken but acknowledged words between the two of them. Before Shadow Link disappears though, he reaches out towards Vio to just try to touch his hand once more but the light gets to him once more.
…
It's nothing big though, because he's with Vio all the time now.