The floor creaked as Link crept across the room, trying to be as quiet as possible. Moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the floor and his bare feet as he crossed the wooden planks. He could hear the sounds of someone else sleeping on the other side of the large, fabric walls; most likely Karane. However, his eyes were focused on the silent figure in the bed in front of him.

She was curled against the wall, her blonde hair not tied up like it usually was, splayed about the white sheets and the pillow. A small grin grew on Link's face, and he leaned forwards, gathering the soft blonde locks and pulling them carefully over her shoulder, out of his way. He sat down softly, and slowly moved his legs over so that he was lying down, next to her, facing her. Her back was still to him.

He'd done this on countless nights. Now and then, she caught him, and it was all up to chance whether she sent him out, or let him stay so they two of them could chat. He was pretty positive she'd get angry at him this time. After all, the Wing Ceremony was the next day, and he'd hardly practiced. She'd been nagging him about it for weeks, but he kept putting it off. He was confident he could win, anyway, but she wouldn't believe him.

In her sleep, she turned over onto her back, her arm falling down to rest against his chest. Her lips fell open and her breathing fell deeper. Link grinned, lifting a hand to play with her hair.

"Who's the sleepyhead now?" he muttered. She stirred, letting out a groan, her eyes flickering open. They focused on him after a moment, and then she smiled.

"You're still the sleepyhead," she replied, turning to face him, and shuffle backwards slightly so there was a space. She lifted the blankets up to her neck and burrowed in them more, her blue eyes watching him steadily.

"Aren't you cold?"

"I'm never cold, remember?" he replied, pressing a hand to her bare shoulder. She laughed quietly.

"Right. Link- wait-" her eyes widened suddenly, and he tilted his head in confusion, lifting his hand hesitantly. She looked suddenly frustrated.

"It's the wing ceremony tomorrow! You should be getting all the sleep you can get! You haven't practiced! You-"

"Do you really want me to leave?" he asked, straight-faced and staring at her under long eyelashes. She opened her mouth to say something, and then shut it again, letting out a sigh.

"Forget it, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Link-"

"No, you're right. I haven't practiced. I should get up early and get some last-minute flying in." He sat up then, but as he was about to step onto the wooden floor and walk away, her hand grasped his arm. He paused, staring ahead of himself for a moment. She'd never done that before. He glanced over his shoulder at her, his mouth dropping open just slightly. With one hand clutching the blankets near her, she'd propped herself up and was staring at him, almost, dare he say it, in a pleading sort of way. When he stared at her, she quickly averted her gaze, letting go. He felt blood rush up to his face.

In a quick movement, he snatched the blankets from her hand, pushing them up in the air and sliding down in the bed to be right next to her. He pulled the blankets up to their shoulders and inched closer. She backed against the wall, and he followed until their noses were only several inches apart, their bare legs intertwined.

"Link!" she exclaimed, staring hard at his chest and blushing madly. "I'm- I'm only wearing a nightgown-"

"I've got shorts on. Relax," he murmured, pressing his nose against hers. She looked up at him then, wide-eyed.

"Come here," he said, wrapping an arm around her, his hand pressing on the small of her waist to bring her closer. He gave her a tight squeeze, and she buried her face in his chest, breathing in deeply and getting somewhat dizzy at the scent of him. He always smelled so wonderful.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, and the question threw Zelda off guard.

"Wh- what do you mean?" she stammered, opening her eyes to stare at the white fabric of his night-shirt.

"Come on, Zelda," he said, smiling as he pressed his nose into her hair, his eyes falling shut. "I can read you like a book."

She couldn't help but smile, but she was still frustrated at the truth of what he'd said. She'd always loved that they were so close, and to be fair, he was rather see-through himself. Still, though… it was embarrassing. He was the only one.

"I've been feeling sort of lost lately," she admitted, letting her shoulders relax when she realised how tense they'd been. "It's like… my dad's texts… a lot of them say all this stuff about what's below the clouds. A land called the surface. Lots of people think there's just a barren world, or maybe that there's nothing there at all… but you have to wonder, you know? And I… lately, just recently, it's like… something down there is… calling me," she trailed off, and then shook her head. "It sounds stupid."

"No," Link replied quickly, his eyes open now and gazing absently past her hair at the wall. "I've thought about the same thing. But I haven't felt a calling to go down there," he added, and Zelda nodded slowly. "I'm sure it's nothing," Link said suddenly, trying to sound reassuring. He let go slightly, and Zelda moved back so the two of them were looking at each other. He smiled.

"Maybe," she said sceptically. "Hopefully."

The two of them watched each other then, breathing slowly. The wind picked up outside and a breeze found it's way into the room, ruffling Link's sandy-blonde hair.

"You know… they're jealous of us," Zelda said. Link raised an eyebrow. "How we've been friends for forever, you know. We're so close. When we first met, at the ceremony when we were given our birds… we made a beeline for each other."

"I was lonely," Link said, his gaze dropping.

"I could tell," Zelda replied, lifting one of her hands to cup the side of his face. His parents had died when he was young. In a horrible bird accident, his mother and her loftwing had run into a small island and were unable to recover, plummeting down through the clouds. In a last-ditch effort to save her, his father had flown after her, only to hit the same rock and meet the same fate. That area in the sky is no longer travelled.

He looked up at her then, and Zelda tried not to see the sadness in his eyes that came with having no parents. He'd always been so happy, so friendly, such a good friend. What little time his parents had had with him, they did an awfully good job. To her surprise, he suddenly smiled.

"Not to mention, you were cute," he added. She laughed.

"I was cute?" she challenged him, grinning.

"You're still cute," he corrected himself quickly. "But more… breathtaking, now."

The answer wasn't what she was expecting, and once again her cheeks heated up as she blushed.

"My dad had his eye on you from that day on. He still worries about you and I," she said with a laugh.

"As he should," Link replied, leaning down to kiss her neck. Her body froze and she lifted her head slightly, the heat in her face intensifying. He planted kisses up to her jaw line, his lips lingering just above hers after placing one directly next to her mouth. Their breath was hot, against each other's lips, but Link moved back slightly. Zelda's eyes flicked up to him expectantly, looking surprised.

"If I win tomorrow…" he looked at her with a mischievous smile.

"Then you'll get some new clothes and be on your way to knighthood," Zelda said carefully, keeping her voice steady. He moved towards her again, his legs holding tighter around hers and his arm keeping her from moving away. He bit her ear softly, and she tensed, letting out a breath in surprise.

"Then I want that kiss," he whispered, his hips pressing softly towards hers. He moved back then, gave her a smile, and sat up.

"You can stay," she said suddenly, watching him as he stood up from the bed and stretched his arms up, yawning.

"I could," he said thoughtfully, walking towards the door, "but I need all the sleep I can get so I can win tomorrow. And staring at you would keep me up all night." He paused once he got to the door, opening it carefully and quietly. He turned around.

"Thanks for the motivation," he whispered, and after blowing her a kiss, pulled the door shut.