this is just a bunch of one-word prompts that i filled. there were others, but i'm unsure if i'll actually get to them.

warning for implied noncon in numb, which was requested to be dark link/shad. other than that, everything's safe.

Strawberry:

"I do not care for strawberries, sorry." Shad apologized, but it was insincere and dismissive.

It was a lie, he enjoyed strawberries just as much as anyone else, it was what Link wanted to do with the strawberries that deterred him.

"I've seen you eat strawberries before." Link argued.

"I have to be in the mood for them."

"Okay, but you love chocolate."

Well, he couldn't lie about that. "Not on strawberries."
Another poorly executed lie.

"Then just lick the chocolate off my fingers."

How obscene! "Why are you so persistent?"

"Why are you?" He retorted, "Strawberries and chocolate cost money, you know."

This argument was clearly going to get neither of them anywhere. They were both stubborn and it would end up being a battle of the wills, which could have lasted for days if they so wished. Might as well give in to defeat to benefit them both in the long run.

"Fine," Shad sighed, "But only a few."

With that, he turned around on the couch to face Link, who was staring back with a rather goofy yet victorious grin. Before he even had a chance to prepare himself, the first chocolate-dipped strawberry was held up to his lips, Link's other hand placed hovering under it to stop any droplets of chocolate from getting on the furniture.

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see Link staring like starving rat at him, and bit into the fruit.

It was expectedly sweet, and the chocolate did go well with it. Shad enjoyed it more than he wanted to admit. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

Or so he thought. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of a blushing Link (that on it's own wasn't a common sight), his bottom lip bit and his smile quivering.

Shad's face, too, went red.

"Alright, I - I think that is quite enough!" He quickly turned away.

"H - Huh? But you said a few, that was only—"

"Enough!"

Fingertips:

Even in the dark, the only light being the dim moonlight that filtered in through the window, Link could see how perfect Shad's body was. Perhaps not perfect by societal standards, he was lanky and lacked any spectacular muscle, so he certainly wasn't some girl's dream hunk, but perfect in the sense it was not flawed.

A light peach, thin body hair, not a single scar marked him. At least, not any that Link could yet find.

Link's body had an uneven tan, scars littered his abdomen, every limb. He managed to get some bruises which he never recalled.

Shad took Link's hand into his and pressed his fingertips to his lips.

"You truly are beautiful."

He really wasn't, but he let himself feel flattered, anyway.

Theatre:

"Ah, yes, once I participated in theatre when I was younger— my mother thought it would broaden my interests."

Shad recounted his short time spent as an actor when he was an adolescent during a conversation about a play that would be performed in Castle Town in a few weeks. He mostly talked about how he didn't have a choice in the matter, how itchy the clothes were, and the amount of makeup the artists caked on his face. It was a play for students, so the audience wasn't large, but he mentioned how nauseous he felt on stage. Fortunately, his role was not an important one, so he only had one chunk of dialogue.

"What part did you have?" Link asked.

"One of the side girls, unnamed even." He said.

Suddenly, Link perked up like a dog that had just heard it's food bowl rattle, "You had to play a girl?"

Shad blinked and pushed up his glasses in confusion, unsure of what had set him off, "Well, women have only just recently been able to participate in theatre, my dear, so at that time a man—"

"Did you have to wear a dress?"

Ah. Now he understood what he was so worked up about.

Legend:

There was a tale— a few, actually— of a boy garbed in green who was chosen by the gods to save the kingdom. Though there was once a hero like that, his tale was probably romanticized and exaggerated. Even so, exaggerated or not, Link heavily resembled that hero in the legend.

As Shad thought about it, a small, prideful grin crossed his lips. It was amazing enough he could boast the fact he was currently dating the hero of Hyrule, but for the possibility of him to be a hero chosen by the gods?

It was too much.

End:

She never once actually said it, but every word was an I told you so. She did warn him not to completely open his heart. Though Ashei's tone was unusually soft, her attempt at being as considerate as she possibly could, her voice still managed to cut into him.

"Shad, just don't mope about it too long," she said, "Nothing lasts forever, yeah?"

Especially when you want it to.

Angel:

Angels in literature were typically depicted as divine beings with wings of white plume; often visited those on their deathbed to ease their pain and help their soul float back to heaven with them, where the deceased would be granted halo and wings of their own. Whether or not these heavenly creatures actually existed varied with one's beliefs. Shad thought they were fascinating, albeit fictional. That is, until he met an angel in person.

This angel was nothing like those that appeared in novels. He was not adorned with large wings or a glowing ring that hovered over his head. He did not glow or float, instead he walked the earth humbly. He did not wear laurels or a cloth that draped over his body, but rather his apparel consisted of a worn out green tunic with a matching hat.

He was nowhere near the realm of being ethereal, but was no less divine.

...Perhaps he should stay away from romance novels for a while.

Numb:

"What's wrong, Shad? No need to cry."

The man— no, creature on top of him was not Link. It shared his shape and voice, but it was nothing more than the manifestation of something evil. It messed with him, said cruel things to him and though Shad knew full well it wasn't Link, hearing them in the voice he had grown to love was even more painful than the bruises scattered on his body.

Red eyes, piercing gaze—

Looked almost as if it was a shadow that had entered the physical realm—

He could smell blood and there was only one person it could have belonged to. Yet, he felt no more pain. Maybe his body had finally given up and went numb.

He only laughed at his pleas—

"Stop, please!"

Laughed that he begged him to stop.

Destiny:

Link's life had already been planned out. His fate had already been decided; he was to save Hyrule and the Twilight, then live the rest of his life as apparently some revered hero. When he first stood in front of the light spirit Ordona and was told his destiny, he found it amazing.

Amazing how him, a simple ranch hand, could be fated to live up to such great expectations.

Now, he wished he could go back to that life.

But, as he looked over to the mess of auburn hair that poked up from beneath the bed covers next to him, he supposed his destiny wasn't all bad.